Southern Tuscany walking and wine holiday

Planet

Carbon Reduction

We've taken steps to minimise the carbon footprint of this holiday through a number of measures. We have decided not to offer multiple arrival transfers from the airport at the beginning of this holiday. Instead, our customers are proactively encouraged to travel from Pisa airport to our city centre hotel on the efficient Pisa Mover monorail shuttle. At the end of the trip, we offer an included transfer back to either Pisa or Florence airport by public transport options, the train or tram.
With 4 included day walks, and all sightseeing in this holiday taking place on foot, in the hilltop tons visited and in Florence, the very nature of the primary activity of this holiday - walking - has a minimal carbon footprint.
As a travel company we are acutely aware of our impact on the environment. All of our tours display a carbon footprint, and we strive to reduce our emissions by regularly reviewing our tours and embracing low-impact styles of travel such as trains, public buses or walking – which offer the added benefit of getting a closer connection with the destination and local community.

Environment and Wildlife

Whilst much of the countryside we hike in on this trip is given over the agriculture, wildlife has made the beautiful Tuscan landscapes its home. Our tour leaders brief our groups at the start of the holiday on the etiquette of walking in the great outdoors, things such as sticking to the trails to reduce erosion and ensuring all rubbish is taken home with you.
We enjoy a wine tasting at the Castello La Leccia organic wine estate which works in harmony with nature to produce Chianti Classico wines. Supporting an organic producer such as this helps to support the preservation of the local environment.
On 5 out of the 8 nights of the trip we stay in hotels in historic buildings, an old farmhouse in Castellin-In-Chianti dating back to the 1400s and a 13th century former Franciscan convent in Pienza. Our patronage helps to fund the preservation and upkeep of these beautiful buildings which are important to the local community.
We strive to support nature and biodiversity through protection and regeneration projects, and for every customer that travels with us we make a donation to Rewilding Britain and Cool Earth.
We encourage customers to avoid single-use plastic on tour, and our leaders give advice on refill points each day. Where tap water isn't safe to drink we recommend Water-to-Go bottles, a filtration bottle allowing you to drink water from any source.

People

Local Economy

Our long established historic hotels in Castellina-in-Chianti and Pienza are locally owned and very much part of the local community, employing local people.
Our trip supports the local economy of the places we stay in a number of ways. The wine tastings, help to support local wine producers and a long-standing traditions of wine production. We also visit a local pecorino cheese producer in Pienza, supporting a traditional artisan producer. There's the chance to purchase other souvenirs and support some of the many small independent shops found in the places we stay at and visit.
We purposely don't include the evening meals on this holiday and encourage the tour leader to organise group meals in a variety of different locally owned restaurants so that customers can experience a range of cuisines and the economic benefits of our visit can be spread more widely.
Our leaders are the heart of tours. They bring passion and unrivalled knowledge of the destinations and communities that we visit. Their guidance ensures we observe the cultural norms in a destination, they act as a bridge between travellers and the local community and ensure that tourism is a positive experience for both host and guest. We believe in supporting local; staying in locally-run hotels, exploring markets, buying snacks from street vendors, and by doing this we add money to the local economy and enhance our connection with the local community.

Employment, Inclusivity and Diversity

We use local Italian tour leaders to run our holidays in Tuscany and many are from the local area this trip travels through. Our ground operator is based in Florence. They are a Travelife certified company and proactively working with us to increase the sustainability of our trips.