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	Tours › Northern Italy Tours › Tour of Tuscany
	Northern Italy ToursSpiritual TourDolomites TourLiguria TourNorth Lakes TourVeneto & FruiliItalian Treasures: 5 Day Rome to VeniceCasanovaThe NorthFive Lakes TourTour of UmbriaTour of TuscanyItalian Treasures: 7 Day Rome to VeniceThe Heart of ItalyUltimate Dolomites ExperienceWonders of LiguriaItalian Treasures: Rome to MilanMarco PoloLa SerenissimaLa Dolce VitaNorth Italy & The Lakes TourNorthern DelightsTuscany & Umbria JourneyAbsolute ItalyTuscan Treats & the Cinque TerreBest of ItalyItalian Treasures: Rome to RomeLake Garda & the DolomitesItalian IndulgenceProvence & Tuscany to Umbria Cheaper prices may apply for this tour - please contact us for current rates		Tour of Tuscany 2012 - 7 Days/6 Nights Pisa - Florence - Siena - San Gimignano - Castellina in Chianti - Gaiole in Chianti - Greve in Chianti Montepulciano - Pienza - Montalcino - Pisa SIT Package Highlights include:• 6 nights in 4 Star charming hotels and historical resi-dences • Buffet Breakfast Daily; 4 meals based on traditional regional dishes, including a selection of regional wines; 1 Slow Food welcome dinner at the hotel; 2 lunches and 1 dinner at “Osterie d’Italia” typical Slow Food restaurants; 6 guided tastings of Slow Food wines and Presidia products from the Umbria region • Entrance fees to: Church of Santa Croce, Florence; Contrade Museum, Siena; 1300 Museum, San Gimignano; • Guided visit of Florence (half day); Guided visit of Siena (half day) • 1 Slow Food Gift; 1 Slow Food - Terra Madre presentation kit • Arrival and departure airport transfers in Italy at scheduled times on day 1 & day 7 • Travel in state-of the-art, luxury motorcoaches • Baggage Handling for the full duration of the tour • Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides as per itinerary • VAT The price does not include:• Anything not specified in the "highlights include" Slow Food Presidia and other recommended products Participants will have the unique chance of sampling several Slow Food Presidia products - high quality, traditional foods and beverages at risk of “extinction” - and other local delicacies from Slow Food recommended quality producers, such as: • the Certaldo onion • the Pienza Pecorino cheese • the wine of Nobile di Montepulciano, Brunello and Bolgheri vineyards • the Florence’s oldest ice cream parlours, “Perché no!” Typical restaurants from the "Osterie d'Italia" Slow Food guide Tour participants will taste the delicious, authentic dishes of the regional cuisine eating at restaurants selected among those recommended by Slow Food in the “Osterie d’Italia” guide, small “trattorie” that still use fresh, local produce and traditional recipies for their dishes: • Osteria i Diavoletti • Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino • Osteria dell’Acquacheta • Osteria Al Ponte Wineries and more Tour participants will also have the opportunity to sample wines and/or local typical products at wineries, bakeries, pastry shops, farms, fresh produce markets and more, such as: • the Nobile di Montepulciano and other wines of the Montepulciano vineyards • the Brunello and other wines of the Montalcino vineyards • the aromatic herbs of the Chianti area Prices per personDouble/Triple $2538 Single Supplement $380 Departure Dates April 22nd, May 20th; June 24th, September 16th, October 14th, November 11th A tour to explore a region of sprawling vineyards, rolling hills, charming old cities, masterpieces of art and gourmandise: visit the magnificent Florence, the “Cradle of the Renaissance”, Siena, famous for the Palio horse race, the Chianti area, Montepulciano and Montalcino, known all over the world for their prestigious wines, San Gimignano with its tall towers; visit wineries and cellars, sample excellent wines, rare cold cuts, Pecorino cheese and olive oil, shop for delicacies in the many food shops. Day 1 Arrival Arrival at Pisa airport and afternoon’s collective transfer to the hotel Villa Il Palagio, near Florence. The transfer departure time is scheduled at 16.00 hrs. Time to settle in, meet tour escort and enjoy a welcome drink and an introduction to the Slow Food philosophy, the activities of the Association and the products of the Tuscany region. To follow, a typical traditional dinner with some excellent produce from the region including Slow Food Presidia products. Overnight. Day 2 Florence Morning departure for Florence. Walk through the historical centre of this amazing city and visit the Santa Croce church, known as the "Pantheon of Italian Glories" where many illustrious Italians such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Rossini and Machiavelli are buried. The visit also takes in the other religious buildings (the Baptistry, the Duomo and Giotto’s bell tower) and the houses of power in the old city (the Piazza della Signoria). Break at one of Florence’s oldest ice cream parlours, “Perché no!”, that offers more than 33 different flavours and a precise selection of raw materials (including pistachios from Bronte, a Slow Food Presidium product, saffron and cardamom). There will be a short talk on how the ice cream is made with some small samples. Free afternoon to stroll along Florence elegant streets, visit the Uffizi Gallery or shop at the leather market, then traditional dinner at Osteria Tripperia Il Magazzino. Transfer to hotel and overnight. Day 3 Siena, San Gimignano Morning departure for Siena. Guided tour of the most important and most beautiful architecture in the city, including the Museum delle Contrade (each horse in the famous ”Palio”, runs for a different Contrada or district). Sampling of some delicious traditional desserts like the Panforte in one of the most famous pastry shops in town. Free time for shopping before departing for San Gimignano. On the way to San Gimignano along the ancient Via Francigena, lunch with some of the traditional local produce such as the Certaldo onion (Slow Food Presidium), and the organic extra virgin olive oil from San Gimignano at the little family-run farmhouse Il Castagnolino. Visit and have a talk on the techniques used in producing organic olive oil. In the afternoon visit the famous towers and the San Gimignano 1300 Museum: storyboards, multi-media exhibits, street scenes and a ceramic recreation of the city as it was back in 1300. Return to the hotel and overnight. Day 4 Castellina in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti, Greve in Chianti Entire day given over to discovering the Chianti hills along the Via Chiantigena (an ancient road connecting Siena with Florence crossing over the hills of Chianti). Stop off at Castellina in Chianti for a talk on aromatic herbs harvested and dried following the ancient techniques of Duccio Fontani. Lunch at the Osteria al Ponte in Gaiole in Chianti. Set off for the wonderful city of Greve, to visit the little historical town centre and then head for the Podere Le Fornaci where there will be some sampling of organic cheeses (including baby goats cheese and fresh ricotta) made from the milk of the goats that graze in the Chianti hills. Return to the hotel and overnight. Day 5 Montepulciano, Pienza Morning departure for Montepulciano, one of the most characteristic and intact medieval cities in Italy which from a height of 605 metres above sea level offers amazing views over the surrounding hillsides. Visit the Enoteca Contucci winery for a tasting, then explore the wonderful town centre of Montepulciano where lunch will be hosted in the old Osteria dell’Acquacheta, with its rustic and familial atmosphere. Here, sample some of Tuscany’s best recipes (such as the Pici all’Aglione). In the afternoon, head for Pienza, the perfect example of a renaissance city, famous for its Pecorino cheese. Visit a Pecorino cheese producer and learn something about the cheese-making process and sample the fare. Return to the hotel where there will be a tasting of a selection of local wines. Overnight. Day 6 Montalcino Morning departure for Montalcino, famous for its Brunello, one of the best red wines in the world. Montalcino, however, is also a beautiful art city which, from upon high dominates 3,000 hectares of vineyards (1,500 for Brunello alone). A visit to the Mastio della Rocca which is home to the Enoteca La Fortezza where it will be possible to buy some local products and the exceptional honey, a local speciality, and sampling some wine. Free time. A visit to one of leading wine producers in the area for a tasting and a tour of the cellars: Azienda Casanova dei Neri. Return to the hotel and overnight. Day 7 Departure Early morning collective transfer for Pisa airport. Arrival at the airport at 10.00 hrs.