|| Florence & Chianti Region ||
Florence & Chianti Region, Italy - 5 days / 4 nights
Renaissance, Rolling Hills and Red Wine !!
Florence and Tuscany are the cradle of Renaissance. Florence, like no other European city, epitomizes the spirit of the Renaissance. The artists Giotto, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli, the political philosopher Machiavelli, the scientist Galileo and the writers Dante and Petrarch made Florence, at one time or another, their home. A great part of the city's cultural windfall can be attributed to the lavish patronage of the Medici family, as well as to Florence's historic role as a global trader. Renaissance Florence was a city ruled by trade guilds, dynasties, bankers and merchants who used their means to underwrite the most exciting developments in the arts and sciences. From Botticelli's Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery to Michelangelo's David in the Galleria dell'Accademia to Giotto's Tower majestically ascending from the city's center, Florence's concentration of artistic and architectural masterpieces can make the head spin. Along cultural and historic sights, Tuscany offers great culinary joys. A thousand mouth watering dishes await the traveler.
Florence and Tuscany are the cradle of Renaissance. Florence, like no other European city, epitomizes the spirit of the Renaissance. The artists Giotto, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Botticelli, the political philosopher Machiavelli, the scientist Galileo and the writers Dante and Petrarch made Florence, at one time or another, their home. A great part of the city's cultural windfall can be attributed to the lavish patronage of the Medici family, as well as to Florence's historic role as a global trader. Renaissance Florence was a city ruled by trade guilds, dynasties, bankers and merchants who used their means to underwrite the most exciting developments in the arts and sciences. From Botticelli's Birth of Venus at the Uffizi Gallery to Michelangelo's David in the Galleria dell'Accademia to Giotto's Tower majestically ascending from the city's center, Florence's concentration of artistic and architectural masterpieces can make the head spin. Along cultural and historic sights, Tuscany offers great culinary joys. A thousand mouth watering dishes await the traveler.
Itinerary :
Day01: Main sights of Florence & chocolate and cigar tasting
Arrival at Florence airport and transfer in luxury vehicle to your hotel. After check-in you will meet your private guide in the lobby and start out discovering Florence downtown. After being introduced to the main sightseeing highlights such as the Duomo and the Baptistery, the city hall Palazzo Vecchio and the old bridge Ponte Vecchio, you will enjoy the sunset from the panoramic terrace Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking the whole city and the Arno River. Back in the hotel, a very special dinner will be organized: after a delicious dinner with fine Tuscan specialties, you will experience an exclusive Chocolate and Cigar Tasting. Not everyone knows that Tuscany has some world famous chocolate producers. Find your favourite flavour in terms of bitterness, acidity, sweetness, astringency and saltiness. The production of tobacco was formerly one of the most important aspects of Tuscan agriculture. And therefore a century old tradition of cigar making is still alive in the area. You will listen to a short introduction of the cigar making tradition in Tuscany and have the opportunity to smoke 3 different kinds of cigar, if you wish accompanied by some rum. Overnight in a luxury hotel in Florence.
Day02: Artisans and craftsmen in Florence
Shopping in Florence is a one of a kind experience because this city still boasts an amazing number of artisans and craftsmen, whose skills have been passed down through the generations. Walking through the streets of the “Oltrarno” quarter you can still find a great number of workshops where ancient skills and traditions are carried on and further enriched by masters who really embody the same creativity of great Renaissance artists. Still today, they produce tailor-made shoes, wood carving, beautiful jewellery, magnificent mosaics, rare perfumes, excellent watches, handmade paper goods, stone mosaics and leather products of all kind.
Visit as well a unique shoe museum of a famous craftsman from Florence: When the glamorous leading ladies of the mid-20th century wanted new shoes, they went to Salvatore Ferragamo. Based in Florence but a regular visitor to Hollywood, he made footwear for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Audrey Hepburn. The most famous shoemaker of the world opened this museum in Florence and devoted it to his career. After walking, learning about traditional crafts and having done some shopping, we highly recommend to dedicate some time to Wellness, Beauty and Relax. This place originates from a wish to offer an exclusive, regenerating space to find wellness, through an extraordinary sensorial experience, and the pleasure of a moment in time dedicated to the pursuit of that superb harmony of mind and body. Inside the space, a search for excellence: technical skills, beauty, expertise and the most advanced cosmetology, beauty rituals, personalized treatments, premier quality products, welcoming clients with a warm, refined style, attentive to their need. Your dinner table is reserved at one of the first class restaurant of town, such as Enoteca Pinchiorri or Cibreo Restaurant. Overnight in a luxury hotel in Florence.
Day03:Siena & visit a Chianti Classico Wine Estate
This morning you will leave Florence and transfer to the extraordinary Chianti Region. Tuscany and the Chianti Region are famous the world over for its excellent wine and the landscape is characterised by charming valleys and gentle hills with vines and olives, cypress trees and pines. The entire area is scattered with ancient hamlets, abbeys, farmhouses, villas and castles which nowadays house gorgeous luxury resorts.
On the way through the Chianti region, a first stop will take you on wine estate owned by a noble family. The tour there will show you around the property whose walls and buildings are still unchanged since medieval times. A look on the vineyards and into the wine cellar and you learn a lot about the history of this place and its long wine-producing-tradition. Afterwards, you will have a delicious lunch with Tuscan specialties and you will taste the different types of Chianti Classico wine produced on this gorgeous property.
Later you can enjoy one of the most beloved towns of Italy: Siena. This charming city is renowned, both nationally and internationally, for the Palio horse race contested by the 17 “contrade” which divide this small city. But Siena is also unique thanks to its maze of narrow streets, its numerous towers and elegant town houses, the immense Piazza del Campo and the Cathedral which dominate the heart of the Medieval city encircled by impressive walls. Overnight in a charming country resort in the Chianti region.
Day04: Ballooning over Tuscany
Early in the morning you will climb into a hot air balloon in order to see Tuscany from a half mile up. You will be welcomed with champagne and strawberries as the pink dawn light turns to gold and Tuscany appears in a whole new way. One observes landscape and vineyards down below and feels the romanticism and adventure spirit of the art of flying. And everything happens so slowly. It's quite magical.
This afternoon take the chance to relax in your luxury resort, you might go for a stroll through the surrounding hillside, rent a mountain bike and get some workout, go horseback riding or play some golf.
Dinner in a first class Gourmet Restaurant, not far from the hotel. Overnight in a charming country resort in the Chianti region.
Day05: Glass manufacturing & Departure
Depending on your flight schedule, a luxury vehicle will pick you up from your countryside resort in order to bring you back to the Florence airport. If there is enough time, it might be worthwhile to plan a detour to a very elegant Designer Outlet Shopping Mall, or to another medieval jewel which is the small town of San Gimignano or Tuscany’s center of Crystal Glass Production. The Tuscan city of Colle Val D' Elsa is often overlooked within the vast offer of tourist attractions. It was once flourishing medieval town along the pilgrim route to Rome. This small but attractive old town is famous for its handmade glass production since 1331 and is therefore called the 'Bohemia of Italy' or the “City of Crystal”. Departure.
Arrival at Florence airport and transfer in luxury vehicle to your hotel. After check-in you will meet your private guide in the lobby and start out discovering Florence downtown. After being introduced to the main sightseeing highlights such as the Duomo and the Baptistery, the city hall Palazzo Vecchio and the old bridge Ponte Vecchio, you will enjoy the sunset from the panoramic terrace Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking the whole city and the Arno River. Back in the hotel, a very special dinner will be organized: after a delicious dinner with fine Tuscan specialties, you will experience an exclusive Chocolate and Cigar Tasting. Not everyone knows that Tuscany has some world famous chocolate producers. Find your favourite flavour in terms of bitterness, acidity, sweetness, astringency and saltiness. The production of tobacco was formerly one of the most important aspects of Tuscan agriculture. And therefore a century old tradition of cigar making is still alive in the area. You will listen to a short introduction of the cigar making tradition in Tuscany and have the opportunity to smoke 3 different kinds of cigar, if you wish accompanied by some rum. Overnight in a luxury hotel in Florence.
Day02: Artisans and craftsmen in Florence
Shopping in Florence is a one of a kind experience because this city still boasts an amazing number of artisans and craftsmen, whose skills have been passed down through the generations. Walking through the streets of the “Oltrarno” quarter you can still find a great number of workshops where ancient skills and traditions are carried on and further enriched by masters who really embody the same creativity of great Renaissance artists. Still today, they produce tailor-made shoes, wood carving, beautiful jewellery, magnificent mosaics, rare perfumes, excellent watches, handmade paper goods, stone mosaics and leather products of all kind.
Visit as well a unique shoe museum of a famous craftsman from Florence: When the glamorous leading ladies of the mid-20th century wanted new shoes, they went to Salvatore Ferragamo. Based in Florence but a regular visitor to Hollywood, he made footwear for the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Audrey Hepburn. The most famous shoemaker of the world opened this museum in Florence and devoted it to his career. After walking, learning about traditional crafts and having done some shopping, we highly recommend to dedicate some time to Wellness, Beauty and Relax. This place originates from a wish to offer an exclusive, regenerating space to find wellness, through an extraordinary sensorial experience, and the pleasure of a moment in time dedicated to the pursuit of that superb harmony of mind and body. Inside the space, a search for excellence: technical skills, beauty, expertise and the most advanced cosmetology, beauty rituals, personalized treatments, premier quality products, welcoming clients with a warm, refined style, attentive to their need. Your dinner table is reserved at one of the first class restaurant of town, such as Enoteca Pinchiorri or Cibreo Restaurant. Overnight in a luxury hotel in Florence.
Day03:Siena & visit a Chianti Classico Wine Estate
This morning you will leave Florence and transfer to the extraordinary Chianti Region. Tuscany and the Chianti Region are famous the world over for its excellent wine and the landscape is characterised by charming valleys and gentle hills with vines and olives, cypress trees and pines. The entire area is scattered with ancient hamlets, abbeys, farmhouses, villas and castles which nowadays house gorgeous luxury resorts.
On the way through the Chianti region, a first stop will take you on wine estate owned by a noble family. The tour there will show you around the property whose walls and buildings are still unchanged since medieval times. A look on the vineyards and into the wine cellar and you learn a lot about the history of this place and its long wine-producing-tradition. Afterwards, you will have a delicious lunch with Tuscan specialties and you will taste the different types of Chianti Classico wine produced on this gorgeous property.
Later you can enjoy one of the most beloved towns of Italy: Siena. This charming city is renowned, both nationally and internationally, for the Palio horse race contested by the 17 “contrade” which divide this small city. But Siena is also unique thanks to its maze of narrow streets, its numerous towers and elegant town houses, the immense Piazza del Campo and the Cathedral which dominate the heart of the Medieval city encircled by impressive walls. Overnight in a charming country resort in the Chianti region.
Day04: Ballooning over Tuscany
Early in the morning you will climb into a hot air balloon in order to see Tuscany from a half mile up. You will be welcomed with champagne and strawberries as the pink dawn light turns to gold and Tuscany appears in a whole new way. One observes landscape and vineyards down below and feels the romanticism and adventure spirit of the art of flying. And everything happens so slowly. It's quite magical.
This afternoon take the chance to relax in your luxury resort, you might go for a stroll through the surrounding hillside, rent a mountain bike and get some workout, go horseback riding or play some golf.
Dinner in a first class Gourmet Restaurant, not far from the hotel. Overnight in a charming country resort in the Chianti region.
Day05: Glass manufacturing & Departure
Depending on your flight schedule, a luxury vehicle will pick you up from your countryside resort in order to bring you back to the Florence airport. If there is enough time, it might be worthwhile to plan a detour to a very elegant Designer Outlet Shopping Mall, or to another medieval jewel which is the small town of San Gimignano or Tuscany’s center of Crystal Glass Production. The Tuscan city of Colle Val D' Elsa is often overlooked within the vast offer of tourist attractions. It was once flourishing medieval town along the pilgrim route to Rome. This small but attractive old town is famous for its handmade glass production since 1331 and is therefore called the 'Bohemia of Italy' or the “City of Crystal”. Departure.