Tuscany holiday, Italy
| country: | Italy |
| location: | Tuscany |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Sep, 13 Sep, 27 Sep, 4 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct 2009: 14 Mar, 21 Mar, 28 Mar |
| price: | From £773 - £863 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £595 excluding flights |
read 2 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
Tuscany's beautiful countryside and visits to Florence, Lucca, Pisa and the Cinque Terre
La Pozza
The countryside of Tuscany stretches from the crisp, clear air of the Apennines to some of the most beautiful coastlines of Italy. Its cities are among the greatest cultural treasure houses of Europe, from Florence, the home of the Renaissance, to the mediaeval splendours of Romanesque Lucca, and ancient hill-towns. Away from the well-worn tourist trail parts of Tuscany are still quite remote, such as the Garfagnana.
Garfagnana is a beautiful rural enclave flanked by the Apennines and Alpi Apuane - the Marble Mountains – birthplace of Michelangelo’s David. The region is stunning with a variety of flora and fauna including indigenous bird species, deer and wild boar foraging in the beech and oak woods whilst seasonal flowers carpet the upland meadows. Away from the mountains we enjoy the panoramic coastal views of the Cinque Terre following a network of footpaths linking the fishing villages and vineyards. We base ourselves for the week at La Pozza, a renovated farmhouse with sweeping views across the Serchio valley to the mountains, a homely feel and an impressive swimming pool.
La Pozza
The countryside of Tuscany stretches from the crisp, clear air of the Apennines to some of the most beautiful coastlines of Italy. Its cities are among the greatest cultural treasure houses of Europe, from Florence, the home of the Renaissance, to the mediaeval splendours of Romanesque Lucca, and ancient hill-towns. Away from the well-worn tourist trail parts of Tuscany are still quite remote, such as the Garfagnana.
Garfagnana is a beautiful rural enclave flanked by the Apennines and Alpi Apuane - the Marble Mountains – birthplace of Michelangelo’s David. The region is stunning with a variety of flora and fauna including indigenous bird species, deer and wild boar foraging in the beech and oak woods whilst seasonal flowers carpet the upland meadows. Away from the mountains we enjoy the panoramic coastal views of the Cinque Terre following a network of footpaths linking the fishing villages and vineyards. We base ourselves for the week at La Pozza, a renovated farmhouse with sweeping views across the Serchio valley to the mountains, a homely feel and an impressive swimming pool.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Pisa. Fly then transfer to La Pozza, our base for the week. |
| Day 2: | Barga. Drive to the beautiful town of Barga and visit the Duomo, a superb 12th century Romanesque church with fine sculptures and carvings. Free time to explore and enjoy lunch before returning to the lodge for a leisurely afternoon. |
| Day 3: | Cinque Terre walk. Drive to Riomaggiore and spend the day walking and sightseeing following a network of footpaths that link the villages and vineyards of the delightful Cinque Terre. There are a few rocky sections but the views and wine are magnificent. |
| Day 4: | Grotta del Vento. Explore the Grotta del Vento, or ‘Wind Cave'. Follow easy footpaths revealing the underground world of stalactites and stalagmites, waterfalls and deep emerald-green pools. After our visit there is the opportunity for a scenic walk in the hills. |
| Day 5: | Florence. To Florence, and spend the day absorbing the atmosphere of one of the greatest Renaissance cities in Europe. The Duomo, Campanile and the Ponte Vecchio are the best known but the Uffizi Gallery, Michelangelo’s David and much, much more will be vying for your time. |
| Day 6: | Free day. A free day to relax by the pool, stroll to the nearby small towns of Sassi-Eglio or Molazzana or choose from a variety of unguided walks (all optional). |
| Day 7: | Pisa and Lucca. A full day visiting two historic cities: Pisa, home to the famous Leaning Tower and beautiful Duomo and Baptistry, and the graceful walled city of Lucca. This quiet provincial capital is the perfect place to take lunch before seeing the city sights. |
| Day 8: | Transfer to Pisa; fly to London. |
travellers' tales
The most memorable part of the holiday was seeing Michelangelo's David, he is amazing, no man could ever live up to that!! Ach no, the whole trip was fantastic, I enjoyed every minute. The food was absolutely beautiful. (more)
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.how this holiday makes a difference
|
This tour has been designed to both operate in a way that minimises our impact on the environment that we visit and to maximise the benefit that our clients can have on the host community. The group size is deliberately kept small to enhance the experience of our clients and to protect the ecosystems we visit.
All our leaders are committed to Responsible Tourism and have received training and get additional refresher training on a regular basis. The leaders will give a briefing on Responsible Tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce you impact and maximise the benefits to the local communities from your visit. We use all locally owned accommodation on this trip so contributing directly to the local communities. Our food on the trip is bought fresh at local stores and markets helping to both support the local economy and ensuring that our clients sample the local delicacies, a highlight of any trip to Italy. At our offices we have worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively try to reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |