Beautiful Toscana

Tour start date(s):	28-09-2023
Duration:	9 days
Location:	Rome - Tuscany - Liguria - Milan Route: Rome (1 n) - Montepulciano - Siena - San Gimignano - Florence (3 nights) - Cinqueterre - Rapallo - Santa Margherita Ligure (2 nights) - Portofino - Gen-oa - Milan (2 nights)
Price (including tax):	$2,360.00 USD (double occupation), single $2980 USD

Day 1  Arrival in Rome. Transfer to 4* hotel. Checking into the hotel.

Evening tour of Rome: you will see Rome at a romantic sunset time, ancient squares, cozy streets, picturesque gardens and majestic cathedrals of the Italian capital, which are transformed with the sunset as if by magic. You will walk around the Old City, see its main sights and admire the panoramic view of Rome from the best observation decks.

Overnight stay at the hotel in Rome.

Day 2   Rome - Montepulciano - Siena - San Gimignano.   

After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to Pienza. Transfer to the city of Montepulciano (travel time - 10 minutes). Walking tour of both, above the the ground and underground city. If the first surprises with steep streets and a stunning view of the surroundings, a huge main square and a wonderful cathedral, then the latter will surprise you with the picturesque wine cellars of the 16th century. The famous wine Nobile di Montepulciano is produced here, without tasting which the idea of the city will be incomplete. Therefore, you will have a wine tasting and the opportunity to purchase it at best prices.

After that San Gimignano awaits us - medieval Manhattan, a stylish and authentic city that has preserved to this day the architecture of the commune with its unique "skyscraper" towers. The second part of the tour will be ancient Volterra, lost among the Tuscan hills. This city with an ancient history from Etruscan times to the Middle Ages, lost among the Tuscan roads and hills, is undeservedly neglected by tourists. The city is not so well-known as the handsome San Gimignano, but it is here that you will feel the atmosphere of past centuries. After the tour, there will be a stop for lunch at agritourism with a visit to a local cheese factory and cheese tasting (optional).

Then we go to amazing Siena. Siena is a special city in Tuscany: not only it is architecturally beautiful, it has a unique atmosphere of contradas (districts), each of which is like a mini-state inside the city. The guide will open the veil of this amazing life for you, tell you about the main holiday of Siena - the Palio (horse racing), as well as about the traditions and life of aristocratic families, about the legends and secrets of the Sienese.

The tour will continue in the Siena Cathedral, striking in its magnificence from the outside and from the inside. Together with your guide, you will "revere" it as a fascinating novel, in which about a third is divine, and the other two parts are Sienese pride, adventurism, smartness and love of life.

In addition, you will see the oldest working bank in the world, visit the Dominican Cathedral with the relics of St. Catherine of Siena, find out why the Sienese are baptized twice and why the "rhinos" do not like the "elephants", admire the works of Michelangelo, Pinturicchio, Donatello and Bernini. Free time (4 hours) to savor beautiful Siena at your own discretion.

Overnight stay in Florence

Day 3  Florence

Breakfast in the hotel.

The Medici Tombs and the Accademia Gallery. Michelangelo's sculptures adorning the Medici Tombs and his noble marble “David”, towering in all its grandeur in the Accademia Gallery, will reveal to you not only the high spiritual impulses of the master, but also his difficult creative path. In the afternoon - tour dedicated to Dante. Quoting the Divine Comedy, we will visit the most important architectural monuments, learn about the contemporaries of the genius. We will see the towers, fortresses, palaces and houses of old Florence, and admire the skill of ancient architects. We will visit San Miniato al Monte, the Old Bridge, the Santa Croce Cathedral, etc.

Overnight stay in Florence

Day 4 Florence

Breakfast in the hotel.

• Uffizi Gallery.
• The Baptistery and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, as you have not seen them yet. A unique opportunity to admire the city from the terraces of the main city Cathedral. You will walk along them, and at a height of 32 meters, touch the amazing, almost purple Italian sky with your hand. And the huge dome of St. Mary's Cathedral with a Flower will rise unshakably above you. Then we will descend “into the depths” of the cathedral, one of the first Christian churches in Florence.

Overnight stay in Florence

Day 5  Park Cinqueterre by boat.

After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to La Spezia. We are going to the UNESCO heritage place, the Cinque Terre park-reserve, which in Italian means Five Lands, or rather five towns - the pearls of the Ligurian coast. These are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corneille, Vernazza and Monterosso. The Cinque Terre keeps many secrets, some of which date back to ancient pagan times. Life here has always been considered difficult and full of dangers: after all, in order to grow the famous vineyards, the locals had to climb the steep slopes of the mountains every day. This is not only a miracle of human labor and patience, but is also a natural miracle, unique in its beauty. The unique beauty of multi-colored houses on the emerald slopes of the mountains, the blue and clear sea, beautiful beaches and bays - all this made the park a famous place in Europe.

The highlight of our tour, the boat cruise along the Cinque Terre. We sail from the port of Monterosso and move along the coast of amazing beauty, slopes covered with vineyards, colorful villages, beaches, bays, sung by Byron and Shelley. We will stop to visit Portovenere and the resort of Vernazza.

Checking in a 4* hotel (in the area of La Spezia or Santa Margherita Ligure)

Day 6  Portofino and Genoa

After breakfast at the hotel, we depart for Rapallo, a charming resort on the Ligurian Riviera. We will walk along the picturesque promenade of Vittorio Veneto surrounded by palm trees and luxurious facades, see the 16th century Castle on the Water that protected the city from pirates, the ancient Pagan Tower and learn a lot of stories about the Saracens and terrible pirate atrocities. Rapallo will undoubtedly be remembered by you, as it was remembered and loved by Nietzsche and Hemingway. Of course, we will see real Rapallo lace, famous throughout Europe, and we will have the opportunity to go shopping.

After Rapallo, the colorful, as if painted, fishing town of Santa Margherita Ligure awaits us, where we will have time for lunch (additional fee) and time to relax on a great beach and to swim!

Our trip continues in Portofino, the city of European bohemia and Lord Byron's favorite vacation spot. Here, the green slopes of the mountains appear framed by the purple thickets of bougainville, and you simply cannot take your eyes off the windows of glamorous shops. On the isthmus of the cape, we will visit the relics of St. George, learn about the amazing history of Portofino during the Second World War, see the secluded well-groomed corners of Portofino Park and Brown's stone castle towering over the bay. The Portofino embankment, which is an even, regular semicircle, will be a wonderful and unique background for our photo shoot. Portofino is an ancient tiny port which history has its ups and downs, as well as secrets associated with the high and mighty.

Checking in a 4* hotel (in the area of La Spezia or Santa Margherita Ligure)

Day 7  The proud maritime power of Genoa - Milan

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning, a tour of Genoa awaits you: narrow streets and small squares, cramped stairs and a thousand-year-old history of the great maritime power bearing the title of La Superba (Majestic, Proud) will not leave anybody indifferent. You will see such pearls as the Palace of St. George, decorated with magnificent frescoes, the Cathedral, which had been built for over three centuries, the Soprana Gate - the former entrance to the city - and the house of the outstanding Genoese Columbus. Transfer to Milan.

Overnight stay at a 4* hotel in Milan.

Day 8   Milan

 After breakfast at the hotel, you will have a sightseeing tour of Milan, during which you will learn about the key symbols of the capital of Northern Italy, pay attention to the symbols on the buildings; hear the interesting details of their construction; you will understand how the past of all Milan is reflected in the appearance of the Duomo. In addition to the snow-white cathedral, you will see the gallery of Victor Emmanuel II, the La Scala theater and the ensemble of the square of the same name, the Sforza castle and the medieval square of merchants.

Free time for shopping in Milan boutiques.

Overnight stay at the hotel in Milan.

Day 9   Transfer to Milan airport and departure