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Discover Tuscany

Self drive itinerary

7 days/6 nights

Day 1 - Certaldo

Arrive to Hotel Certaldo or similar accommodation to your choice.

Briefing with one of our guide who ‘ll explain the itinerary, places, suggestions and so on

Day 2 – Certaldo

Visit of Certaldo, town of Giovanni Boccaccio, the high part, rare example of medieval village still intact. It accommodates artisanal shops, taverns, typical restaurants, and a range of museums that includes PalazzoPretorio, the old office of the power, rich of frescos, in the adjacent church of S. Tommaso and Prospero where there are frescos of Benozzo Gozzoli, the museum of holy art with valuables pictorial and sculptural works, the Museum of Boccaccio House.

Typical Products: extra-virgin olive oil, Chianti wine DOCG and  the onion of Certaldo, DOP product, appropriates for soup and for jams, very good accompanied with pecorino cheese.

Day 3 – San Gimignano

Visit of San Gimignano which is erected with the profile of his towers, on a hill (m. 334) to dominate Val d’Elsa. It had a great development during the Medieval Age thanks to via Francigena which crossed it. In fact San Gimignano had a great flowering  of art works which decorated churches and convents. On 8^th May of 1300 it accommodated Dante Alighieri, ambassador of Guelph League in Tuscany. The terrible plague of 1348 and the following depopulation threw San Gimignano in a big crisis. So the town had to submit to Florence. We recommend to visit the Cathedral or Collegiate Church, consecrated in 1148, structured on three naves, it’s enriched with valuable frescos of the school of Siena, the Town Hall and also from the civic museum we can visit the “Big Tower” or of the “Podestà”, built in 1311 and 54 meters high, the Holy Art Museum, the Archeological Museum with Etruscan, Romans and Medieval finds coming from municipal excavation findings. Factory of Santa Fina, with material coming from the factory of the hospital of Santa Fina where it is reproduce the ancient pharmacy with ceramic and glass bowls and medicines. Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art “R. De Grada”, important exhibition space of the town and at the end the Church of Sant’Agostino.

Typical products: the famous white wine “Vernaccia of San Gimignano” and the saffron, which cultivation has a very old history.

Day 4 – Montaione – San Vivaldo – Gambassi terme

Today you will go to visit three beautiful Tuscan jewelery: Montaione, S. Vivaldo and Gambassi Terme.

You will start from Montaione, situated on a hill in the centre of Tuscan countryside, and it’s surrounded by a gentle landscape with vineyards, olive groves and cypress, characterized by large woods areas. The town has old origins: a large number of finds confirm the existence of Etruscan-Roman colonies, while the oratory of san Biagio is a testimony of early Christian period.

Typical products: white Tuscan truffle, Chianti wine DOCG, extra-virgin olive oil, bread of Montaione.

After Montaione you will go to S. Vivaldo, a monastery that is situated in a large wood area where, according to tradition, Vivaldo Stricchi retired to an hermit’s life. San Vivaldo is characterized by the Holy Mountain or Jerusalem of Tuscany, an ensemble of chapel and temples that reconstruct materially and symbolically essential places of Via Dolorosa. Inside of these chapel  there are beautiful plastic group that represented in an incredible expressive way scenes of Christ’s life, offering an admirable summery of elegance and popularizing pietas.

After the suggestive S. Vivaldo, you could go to Gambassi Terme, a nice town with old origins, famous for the Spa that utilize Pillo water, known from ancientime  for its curative virtues. After the visit of the town and the Castle, fulcrum of of the village, it could be a good idea make a visit to the Spa where you could relax with some treatment.

Typical products: Chianti DOC wine, extra-virgin oil, craft cheeses.

Day 5 – Shpping day

After some days of visits, what you say about a day dedicated to the shopping, wine and oil tastes. It will be our attention give you, with travel documents, some suggestions about farms, workshops, restaurants, etc. which we have personally taste (in some case, more times).

Day 6 - Volterra

For a happy ending for your week in Tuscany, we suggest you a visit to Volterra, that with his wonderful district they are, probably, in Tuscany, one of the most diversified reality and rich of attractions. The indisputable historical tradition joins with the wonderful nature which offers, from morphology, to  vegetation, to fauna, a really massive heritage.

In Volterra, history has left his mark with continuity from the Etruscan period to 1800, with artistic and monumental testimonies of great importance, which can be appreciate  with just a walk throw the historical central streets, but also visiting city’s museums: the Etruscan Museum, the Civic Art Gallery, the Holy Art Museum, the Alabaster Eco-museum.

Next to these monuments we can find a pristine landscape, a life quality still with human size and an artistic handicraft unique in the world: the alabaster.

Day 7

Return.

Price from € 450 per person

Quote included :

-          Hotel Certaldo 4* b&b basis

-          Travel documents with suggestions

-          Meeting with one of our guide

From Chianti to Crete Senesi, From Spa to Wine

Self drive itinerary

7 days/6 nights

Day 1 – Gaiole in Chianti

Arrive in daytime to Borgo Casa al Vento or other accommodation at your choice.

Briefing with one of our guide who’ll explain to you the itinerary, excursione, suggestions and so on

Day 2 – Monteriggioni / Castellina in Chianti / Greve in Chianti

Today you will deal with a wonderful route within Middle Ages, hills and Chianti wine. We start from Monteriggioni: it’s the typical example of fortified village, that is a small town with only 42 persons, surrounded by walls. From here we continue throw Castellina in Chianti up to arrive and closed our day in Greve in Chianti.  Here, besides visit a village with an old story, we suggest you to visit the Cellars of Greve in Chianti: this winery provides an unique service: every day gives the possibility to taste up to 140 type of wine. The tasting is simple: we have to buy the winecard, available in various prices ( from €10, €15, €20 and €25). This card permits to utilize some “tasting island”. You will have at your disposal Chianti Classico Annata and reserve, Supertuscan, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello and all the Tuscan Doc, moreover a space is dedicated to the guests coming from all parts of Italy. You could also taste Vin Santo, brandies, white wine and 18 Tuscan olive oil between the bests. It’s also possible to buy dishes as salami and cheese for closed with appetizers.

Day 3 – Rapolano Terme

Day at your disposal for treatments at  San Giovanni in  Rapolano Terme. Ask to us for programs and tariffs reserved to you.

Day 4 – The Castles of Chianti

Today we will face a beautiful route that it will bring you from Castelnuovo Berardenga to Gaiole in Chianti, passing through Brolio Castle, Meleto Castle, Barbischio Castle, Vertine Castle and Badia of Coltibuono.

Brolio Castle is the headquarter of the Ricasoli Barons. Here you will have the possibility to take a tour of the castle or a visit in the cellar with a wine taste. Also here you can ask to us about programs and tariffs reserved to you.

Barbischio Castle: overhang the town of Gaiole in Chianti, in the Middle Ages it was the chief town of one part of Lega del Chianti. The first news about Barbischio date back to 1086. In 1220 imperator Federico II of Sweden give in feud the castle and its Curtis to counts Guidi of Battifolle.

Badia a Coltibuono: from about thousand years old, Badia a Coltibuono links her name to the good wine production. The manor is situated on the top of Chianti hills, in the municipality of Gaiole in Chianti, from where, at east, it dominates the Arno valley and a large part of the Chianti territory on the south-west,  towards Monti in Chianti where there are vineyards. Surrounded by its secular woods, the ex monastic complex, turned into a farmhouse during XIX century, today it’s one of the most interesting rural reality in Tuscany. Famous for its wines, today Badia a Coltibuono is an articulated business reality which it regroups two lines of wine production from (“Badia a Coltibuono” for its own wines and “Coltibuono” for selections)

and also a restaurant, cooking classes, a retail shop and a farm holidays. The particularity of its wines is that they grow from biological agriculture.

Day 5  - Free time

Other free day for your care.

Day 6 – Crete Senesi

Today we will go to visit Siena clays among the most beautiful landscapes that Tuscany can offer, passing throw Asciano, Abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Buonconvento e Monteroni d’Arbia.

Asciano: the small and rich visit in the centre of Asciano  stats from the basilica of Sant’Agata (XI century and changes of ‘500, ‘600, ‘800) where we can admire a “Madonna with Child” by Signorelli and a Piety of Sodoma. Near the church there is the Holy Art Museum which conserves a collection of works dated ‘300 and ‘400. Corso Matteotti passes in the heart of the small town, looking out the Gothic church of San Bernardino (headquarter of the Etruscan Museum) and the Late Gothic Church of Sant’Agostino. San Francesco church (XIII century) is very beautiful for its basic architecture. The travel finishes in Wheat Square that is identified in the beautiful fountain in travertine by Paolo Ghini and in the front of Mayor Palace. Art fans can’t lose the possibility to visit the museum with the works made by Amos Cassioli, important exponent of Siena in ‘800.

Monte Oliveto Maggiore Abbey: the most important monastic ensemble in the Siena area, founded by Bernardo Tolomei. In a wonderful place between woods and gullies, it is characterized by significant frescos made in the Fist Renaissance by Luca Signorelli and Sodoma.

Buonconvento: the robust fourteenth-century walls, which conserves Siena character in the architectural form, once it regrouped the all town as a butterfly in a cocoon. The Mayor Palace with the civic tower in rectangular plant build in XIV and the two gothic arches that open on the front, where we can see 25 stone coat of arms of old mayors.

Then we can find the Town Hall with its front in bricks and the imposing Taja Palace, build in bricks in the second part of ‘700 by a noble family.

Opposite there is Borghesi Palace, dated XIV century, belonged to an old family of Siena, which coat of arms there are on the façade.

Near we can note Palace of gloricone, property of Santa Maria of Scala Hospital where it had obtained an hospital and an hospice, because via Francigena passed through here. Now the Museum of the Confraternity of Mercy has the head office on the ground floor, with the interesting Oratory of S. Sebastiano, datable XVI century (to notice the small wrought iron gate, small craft jewel).

Opposite there is the Church of SS. Pietro and Paolo, also her with a beautiful facade in bricks.

Day 7 - Return

Return.

Price per person from € 580,00

Quote included :

-          Borgo Casa al Vento  b&b basis

-          Travel documents with suggestions

-          Meeting with one of our guide