Tuscany culture holiday
A female guide is guaranteed on all departures. Optional Extras: Saffron House visit: €40 per person (min 4 people) - Moretti Caselli glassmaker workshop visit: €20 - Giuditta Brozzetti weaving workshop visit: €40
Description of Tuscany culture holiday
This week-long small group tour of Tuscany and Umbria is a delectable immersion into two of Europe’s most beautiful and culturally rich regions. Championing the ‘Slow Travel’ ethos, the trip involves a couple of relaxed train journeys, as well as excursions to visit local producers such as a family-run winery in Citta della Pieve, and a tour of a small olive oil factory.
Begin in the stunning surrounds of Siena, enjoying a welcome meal made using locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, as you get to know the rest of the group, and your female guide. After a morning exploring the city’s majestic architecture, from the Piazza del Campo to the cathedral, you’ll hop onto a local bus to journey into the Tuscan countryside were, medieval hilltop villages and lush vineyards await you.
Midway through the week the group splits. Those who would like to tour the architectural and artistic masterpieces of Florence go one way, and those who would prefer the more sedate charms of the Chianti Hills another. You’ll reconnect in the evening, before crossing into Umbria and one of Italy’s most attractive villages, Panicale. This village is understandably with daytrippers but you’ll be staying overnight, seeing it at its most peaceful. Stay in a historic country house, chosen for its environmental credentials, such as efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, and the employment of sustainable landscaping techniques.
Continue on for a leisurely stroll around the village of Citta della Pieve, and then Perugia. Both offer myriad opportunities to pick up locally produced souvenirs, before bidding your group farewell in Siena.
Do note that this is an accessible holiday, suitable for those in lightweight wheelchairs or with limited mobility, and also travellers that are blind or have limited vision. With enough prior notice, arrangements can be put in place that you can comfortably take part in the entire itinerary.
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Price information
A female guide is guaranteed on all departures. Optional Extras: Saffron House visit: €40 per person (min 4 people) - Moretti Caselli glassmaker workshop visit: €20 - Giuditta Brozzetti weaving workshop visit: €40
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Reviews
4 Reviews of Tuscany culture holiday
Reviewed on 22 Nov 2024 by Heidi Hayes
Be prepared to enjoy delicious food and wine! Now is not the time to watch your weight. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Read full reviewReviewed on 04 Nov 2024 by Blair Hamilton
Our tour was built around a mobility disability, and we found that this tour, along with the city of Florence were pretty accessible... Excellent holiday. We are very, very pleased with our experience. Read full reviewReviewed on 10 Jun 2022 by ESTHER DOMINIQUE
I would definitely recommend this tour and this company to family and friends. It is worth 5* and more. Thank you Giovanna Read full reviewReviewed on 13 Oct 2019 by Daniel Pickering
The personal touch of Giovanna and the friendliness of the local people we met made this a truly unique and outstanding vacation! Read full reviewResponsible Travel
Planet
CARBON REDUCTIONThe itinerary includes travel by public transport in Tuscany, with regional train journeys between Florence and Siena and between Siena and Chiusi, as well as a local bus service from Siena to Monteriggioni.
The tour also includes stays at Podere Molinaccio and Poggio del Pero, two restored country properties. Podere Molinaccio has been restored using local materials and traditional rural architectural features. The property uses solar panels for heating, lighting and air conditioning. The surrounding grounds include areas planted with native species.
Meals included during the tour feature traditional dishes prepared with local and seasonal ingredients, where available. Accommodation providers also have procedures for separating and managing food waste.
ENVIRONMENT
Both the wine and olive oil produced at Agriturismo Poggio del Pero are certified organic. The farm has been producing organic extra virgin olive oil for more than 20 years. The olive groves are located on terraces in the hills surrounding Lake Trasimeno, at altitudes ranging from 350 to 650 metres, on soils containing marl and sandstone.
The farm also produces IGP Umbria wines using organic farming practices. Both the olive oil and wine are certified organic by ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica e Ambientale). Organic production at the farm does not use synthetic products during the agronomic phases covered by the certification.
During the tour, travellers are encouraged to follow local waste-sorting instructions. In the places visited, waste may be separated into different categories, including paper, plastic, glass, tins and organic waste, according to local collection systems.
In Siena, travellers can use the designated waste and recycling bins provided throughout the city. Visitors are encouraged to follow the information displayed on the bins and dispose of paper and cardboard, plastic, glass and other waste in the appropriate containers.
People
We are a local company and work with local businesses and professionals. The guides who accompany our tours are local professionals who share their knowledge of the places visited, including stories and details that may not be found in guidebooks. Transportation is provided by a local company, with local drivers accompanying the group throughout the itinerary.We work with locally based suppliers and small businesses, including accommodation providers, guides and transport companies. Many of the providers we work with are small, independently operated businesses that focus on personalised service.
Our tours include opportunities to meet local people and experience places through the knowledge and perspectives of those who live and work there. Depending on the itinerary, travellers may visit local businesses and producers and have the opportunity to learn about local traditions, daily life and cultural practices.
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