Irresistible Tuscany & Umbria Small Group Tour - 8 Days/7 Nights

Welcome to Tuscany! Today, you’ll arrive at Florence airport or train station and travel to the city center for a fascinating guided walking tour at 10.00 to explore the city’s architectural highlights such as Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo Square, San Lorenzo market and Piazzale Michelangelo. Afterward, you’ll visit the Uffizi Gallery on a self-guided tour to see one of Italy’s leading art galleries up close. In the afternoon, we’ll head to Lucca, an exemplary Tuscan town, for your first two nights at a central boutique hotel. Tonight, we’ll take you to our favorite local restaurant for a traditional Tuscan dinner.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch on your own, dinner included

Accommodation: Overnight in Lucca

This morning, we will discover the beautiful town of Lucca on foot with a local tour guide. This magnificent city is surrounded by massive walls completed in 1504 to help the city’s defenses. On our tour, we’ll explore nearly every era in Italian history: a Roman amphitheater, superb Romanesque churches, and delicate Art Nouveau facades. Our stroll takes us to the Duomo di San Martino, Lucca’s main church built in Romanesque style, its peaceful narrow lanes, the medieval buildings, tiny piazzas, and many other reminders of the city’s long history. Afterward, we’ll visit an 18th-century Mansion House with its delightful gardens. We’ll enjoy a delectable foodie experience for lunch and have the rest of your day at your leisure. This evening, we’ll take in an eventful Puccini Concert at a local church.

Meals: Breakfast included, lunch and dinner on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in Lucca

Today, our Tuscan trip heads to the northern tip of the region. First, a short drive takes us to Pisa, a city that was once a powerful Maritime Republic and now hosts one of Italy’s most iconic landmarks. Imagine capturing that classic photo at the foot of the Leaning Tower of Pisa—a snapshot you won’t want to miss! But that’s just the beginning—prepare for an exciting surprise waiting for you in Pisa! Afterwards, we’ll head to Carrara, one of the world’s most famous mining centers since the time of Julius Caesar and still produces 800,000 tons a year of the same white marble that was the source of many of Michelangelo’s most famous creations. Here, we’ll have a fascinating guided tour of the quarries.

Meals: Breakfast included, lunch and dinner on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in Lucca

Today, we will drive through the colorful rolling hills of Chianti to visit the rural town of Radda in Chianti, which has maintained its charm intact from time immemorial. In the 50s, its land and farmhouses were abandoned. Still, with its rediscovery in the 70s, the old terraced olive groves and vineyards, which had fallen into disuse, gave way to more intensive and extensive farming. We will head to a stunning Castello for a hands-on cooking class, followed by a delicious lunch. Afterward, we’ll drive to the hill town of San Gimignano, known as the “Manhattan of Tuscany.” It is an astonishing example of a walled Medieval hilltop town, also known for its dry white wine, Vernaccia, and its colorful local crafts: hand-painted pottery, alabaster, olive wood items, and much more. We’ll stay here for the next two nights at a small, family hotel, with breakfast included.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included, dinner on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in San Gimignano

Today, we’ll visit the medieval town of Siena, once a capital that rivalled even Florence. We’ll begin our tour by exploring the city’s historic center in Piazza del Campo and the surrounding maze of ancient alleys with an included visit to the Duomo, one of Italy’s greatest cathedrals. Afterwards, you’ll have a panoramic journey through the Crete Senesi to discover the sleepy Monteriggioni, a true gem of an ancient hilltop town. It is completely encircled by high walls with 14 heavily fortified towers, built to guard the northern borders of Siena’s territory against invasion by Florentine armies.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner included, lunch on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in San Gimignano

Our adventure starts with a visit to the historic Pienza, boasting a beautiful medieval and Renaissance architecture. This charming town was almost completely redesigned in the 15th century by Pope Pius, and it overlooks the cypress-lined hills of the stunning Orcia Valley. After free time for sightseeing and maybe a bite of local pecorino cheese, we’ll drive for a taste of the region’s unique wines with a delectable lunch to go with it. Soak in the atmosphere of the captivating Tuscan scenery. Continue to the romantic town of Cortona, where we’ll stay for the last next two nights at a central boutique hotel, with breakfast included. Cortona is a picturesque and one of the oldest Italian hill towns, founded by the Etruscans. Today, it is a charming maze of old streets and medieval buildings situated at 1,800 feet, offering unforgettable views over the nearby Tuscan hills.

Meals: Breakfast and lunch included, dinner on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in Cortona

This morning, we’ll journey to the spiritual town of Assisi. Sitting on the green hillside with the town climbing ever higher behind it, this is a UNESCO World Heritage site that attracts pilgrims worldwide. The skyline in Assisi is dominated by the vast Basilica of St Francis complex, which includes a Franciscan monastery and two churches. After time on your own for sightseeing, we’ll then drive to Umbria’s capital, Perugia, a hilltop town of medieval walls, cobbled alleys, elegant piazzas, and even some Etruscan remains. The historic center of the town is remarkably well-preserved, from the towering basilicas to the Gothic palazzi (mansions) and Renaissance frescoes by the likes of Perugino and Raphael. In the evening, we’ll gather again to enjoy a celebratory dinner in a local restaurant in beautiful Cortona.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner included, dinner on your own

Accommodation: Overnight in Cortona

Today, we’ll have our group morning transfer to Florence or Perugia airport / train station. Exceptionally one group transfer between 07.00-08.00 to Rome airport