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WALKING and COOKING in TUSCANY and THE CINQUE TERRE
September 25 - October 8, 2011
Travel Broker Tours invites you to join Rose Tomassini on an exciting NEW 14 Night 'Walking and Cooking Tour of Tuscany and The Cinque Terre'!
We invite you to travel with us on this wonderful NEW tour program of Tuscany and The Cinque Terre. We stay in small hotels right in the historic centres of the towns we visit and include plenty of personal time to make it convenient for your own exploration. Escorted by Rose Tomassini for Travel Broker Tours.
Proud little villages perched above the sea,
Hidden coves nestle at the foot of dramatic cliffs...
This is how we imagine Italy to be ........
This tour is designed to allow our guests to enjoy the very best of Italy in easy guided walks through some of Tuscany's and The Cinque Terre's most beautiful scenery. Experiencing both nature and history this tour allows you time for personal exploration in the lovely ancient locations that we stay in.
From the Etruscans to the Romans to the Renaissance, Tuscany is possibly the greatest repository of art in the world, from extraordinary paintings and sculpture to frescoes and architectural masterpieces. Gourmets and wine buffs descend on the region to enjoy the simple yet wonderful cuisine and wine. The extraordinary countryside and stunning scenery brings out walkers and nature lovers, there is truly alot to see and do in Tuscany!
Italy's Cinque Terre offers one of the country's most stunning coastlines. Cinque Terre means "Five Lands" and is a collection of five small villages nestled into the cliffs on the Ligurian Sea. Formerly supported by fishing, the primary industry today is tourism. And it's not difficult to see why thousands of visitors come to this beautiful area every year.
I hope you will join me to discover these gorgeous regions of Italy!
Our Program
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Travel Broker Tour EscortRose Tomassini
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Detailed Itinerary
SAT Sep 24th - DEPART Home City
Board your overnight flight to Italy. (As a full service travel agency were happy to assist with flight arrangements to join this tour. We suggest booking early to obtain the best flights and rates available). I will travel from Canada today and welcome anyone to join me.
Day 1: SUN Sep 25th - ARRIVE in ITALY
Welcome to Italy! Our program begins in The Cinque Terre ("Five Lands"). These five picturesque towns, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore for a long time were accessible only by boat, walking track, or train and have preserved their character as fishing villages, ports, and hilltop fortress towns in the face of piracy and foreign incursions. Now, UNESCO, world heritage listed, they are truly a feast for painter, photographer, or walker. The dramatic nature of their position on a stunning coastline make them a principal scenic highlight of the whole Italian Riviera.We will spend the next 4 nights at our base: Monterosso. Our hotel is in the 'oldtown' overlooking the beach and the Mediterranean. Dinner is included at our hotel tonight. The must-do activity in this stunning area is to walk from village to village and there will be plenty of time to accomplish this.
Day 2: MON Sep 26th - THE CINQUE TERRE "FIVE LANDS"
This morning we take The Cinque Terre train (30 mins) to Riomaggiore where we will explore and enjoy a coffee break before walking (20 mins) to the village of Manarola. Here we will have time for exploring and lunch, then walk (40 mins) to the next village of Corniglia. After time for exploring we will take the train back to Monterosso.
Day 3: TUE Sep 27th - PORTOVENERE
This morning we will take the ferry to Portovenere, an upwardly mobile resort of garden villas, seafront bars, trattorias and gift shops. Overlooking the "Golfo dei Poeti" (named for it's association with the writers and poets who fell in love with this place, Petrarch, Shelly, Byon & D.H. Lawrence among them ancient, narrow lanes on the very tip of the bay offers breathtaking views. We will have time for lunch here before continuing on the ferry back to Montorosso, viewing the villages as they look from the water.
Day 4: WED Sep 28th - MONTEROSSO
Today we have arranged a cooking class in a lovely winery right in Monterosso. Enjoy the smell of the sea rising up the steep cliffs with vineyards clinging to their sides and the aroma of herbs growing wild and the scent of flowers ornamenting the narrow shelves. The vineyards here were stepped by hand in the last century and are so steep that the wines have to be tended and harvasted by hand. This is a lovely setting for our class to produce some local specialties that nicely compliment the owners own vintage wine.
Day 5: THU Sep 29th - LUCCA
After breakfast we travel to Lucca, an important road junction in Roman times and the capital of the Lombard Duchy of Tuscia. Referred to as Tuscany's most graceful walled town, Lucca is set inside a well preserved swathe of massively thick 16th-century walls, featuring some of Italy's finest medieval and Renaissance architecture and fronted by gardens and huge bastions. Lucca is the only town in Italy entirely surrounded by walls. A wealthy and colorful "Jewel of a Tuscan Town", we will settle into our hotel which will be our base for the next 2 nights.
Day 6: FRI Sep 30th - LUCCA
This morning after breakfast we have a walking tour of this amazing city whose structure is and has remained 'Roman-medieval'. It has a fascinating story to tell from its prominence as a major Roman 'municipum', its growth from the middle ages to the renaissance as a major silk marketing town to its feast of classic architecture and famous sons like Puccini. The afternoon and evening are free to wander the maze of streets and explore on your own and to enjoy a walk along the 60 metre wide, tree-topped battlements.
Day 7: SAT Oct 1st - LUCCA to PIENZA via SIENA
Today we move to our next location - Pienza. En route we will make a stop in Siena.
Siena's swift decline from a Renaissance republican capital to little more than a market centre explains the city's astonishing state of medieval preservation. Its central core is a myriad of woven narrow streets converging on Italy's most beautiful square “The Piazza del Campo”. All the buildings are the colour sienna with tiled roofs punctuated by stunning marble in the Duomo with food and patisserie shops lining every lane.
We are now in Southern Tuscany and home of the famed 'Vino Nobile' (claiming the title "King of Wines"). Pienza was labelled "The Ideal Renaissance City", and is still much as it was in the 15th-century overlooking the Val d'Orcia. We stay within the walls of the village of Pienza in a converted 15th-century convent, now a 4-star Hotel Relais "Cloister".
Day 8: SAT Oct 2nd - PIENZA
After breakfast we start off by walking an ancient Pilgrim track now used by shepherds to the walled village of San Quirico d'Orcia. We will have time here to explore the town, an established stop along the 'Via Francigena'. The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route. To pilgrims headed south, it was the Via Romea; to those headed north, the Via Francigena.
We will see the baroque exterior Corallo frescoes on the 17th-century Palazzo Chigi, along with its spectacular 16th-century "Horti Leonini Gardens", with time for lunch. After this enjoyable day in the midst of nature and history, we will be transported back to Pienza with the remainder of the afternoon and evening free. (8 kms walk).
Day 9: SUN Oct 3rd - COOKING SCHOOL
Today we walk on the 'White Road', from Pienza down into the Val d'Orcia (about 8 kms) to arrive around 11am at our cooking school. We will visit Lorenza's farm which is close by. Lorenza teaches a hands-on course in English from scratch in real time. The 3 courses are traditional Tuscan dishes and includes a handmade pasta. We will enjoy the lunch we have prepared with one of Lorenza's wonderful wine selections and of course be given copies of the recipes.
We then make our way back to Pienza.
Day 10: MON Oct 4th - MONTALCINO
Today we take a day off from walking and we will go to the lovely hilltop town of Montalcino. The town is easily recognizable on approach by it's protruding battlements brandishing the Medici crest. It is crowned by the Fortezza with a wonderful story to tell as a last Sienese outpost, eventually capitulating to the Florentines resulting from the long conflict between the Guelfs and Guibellines. The remainder of the afternoon is free to walk the battlements of the 'Fortezza' with breathtaking views down on the Val d'Orcia. Montalcino has an amazing array of shops and trattorias. Relax in the square with a gelato.
After lunch we will be driven to a belveder which presents the stunning 'Abbazia Sant'Antimo'. You are truly viewing a piece of heaven splendidly isolated - it really evokes an impression of eternity. This Benedictine Abby (founded by Charlemagne in 791), is actually referred as 'The Singing Stone'. From the belveder we will walk to the Abbey. Once inside its cool quiet interior, take time to reflect and notice its unadorned symmetry. If we time it right, we hope to hear the haunting Gregorian chant. We will then be driven back to Pienza for the evening. Have an al fresco dinner tonight - Be Italian! (8 km walk)
Day 11: TUE Oct 5th - PIENZA to MONTEPULCIANO via MONTICCHIELLO
After breakfast we will walk from Pienza to Monticchiello, a true medieval town. Here we have lunch planned on a terrace with panoramic views of the stunning 'Val d'Orcia' offering glimpses to most of our destinations. The lunch will feature homemade 'pecorino cheeses', a famous local delicacy along with wine. After lunch we will be driven to Montepulciano, the highest of Tuscany's hill towns and the home of the famous Vino Nobile wines. We should take time for a visit to the coppersmith here. We will stay here for 2 nights. (7 km walk).
Day 12: WED Oct 6th - MONTEPULCIANO
This is a free day to do some last minute exploring and or shopping. Montepulciano is also home to a wonderful thermal Spa so this would be a great day to reward yourself for your efforts to see and walk so much of this gorgeous landscape.
Day 13: THU Oct 7th - FLORENCE
After breakfast we travel to Florence. Upon arrival we will check into our hotel in the historic centre. We then meet with our guide for a walking tour of this beautiful old city. Tonight we have our farewell dinner. For anyone who would like to extend their stay for extra nights we are happy to assist with this.
Day 14: FRI Oct 8th - DEPART for HOME CITY
After breakfast our program is complete. As a fully licensed travel agency we are happy to assist in making any extension arrangements you may have in mind.
Pricing:
$3,789.00 CAD Per Person
(Based on double occupancy sharing a twin/double room)
- Price is LAND ONLY (See inclusions and exclusions below)
- International Airfares are not included in tour price, though we are happy to assist in booking them for you to join up with this tour
- Single supplement on request
- An 'EARLY BOOKING BONUS' of $100.00 will be offered if booked by June 1, 2011
(Will be deducted from final payment) - Non - Refundable $500.00 per person deposit required upon booking
- Balance payment due by July 31st, 2011
Please Note: We can assist to find roommates for those interested in sharing twin accommodation.
Tour Inclusions:
- Hotel Accommodation: 13 Nights accommodation with private en suite facilities.
- Meals: Breakfast daily, 2 lunches, 2 cooking class lunches and 4 dinners.
- Transportation & Sightseeing: All transportation and sightseeing tours as mentioned in the itinerary including 4 guided walking trips.
- Fully Escorted: Rose Tomassini of Travel Broker Tours will travel with the group throughout the entire tour.
- Taxes: Local taxes on all included ground transportation, hotel accommodation and meals
Tour Exclusions:
- International flights and airport transfers in Italy are not included in the above pricing but can be arranged with Travel Broker Tours, A division of The Travel Broker and Cruise Centre.
- Personal Insurances (travel, baggage, cancellation, etc.)
- Passport & Visa Fees and Immunizations.
- All alcoholic beverages and bar beverages (soft drinks, juice, sparkling water, etc.)
- Personal Charges (excess baggage fees, laundry, souvenirs, personal hotel charges, etc.)
- All optional excursions or deviations from the itinerary.
- Any item not mentioned in the itinerary or in the inclusions above.
- Tips or gratuities to your tour escorts, restaurant servers and chambermaids.
Deposits and Final Payments:
- Deposits: At time of booking CA$500.00 per person + insurance premium if applicable. (non-refundable).
- Final Payment: Final payment by July 31, 2011. Payments may be made by personal cheque, Visa, Mastercard or AMEX.
Return International flights are not included in the above tour but can be arranged with Travel Broker Tours.
For more information or to register for this tour please contact Debbie Lloyd at:
Travel Broker Tours
A division of The Travel Broker & Cruise Centre
1758 Bath Road Kingston, ON Canada
Telephone: 613-389-7914 or 1-800-387-7678
Email: deblloyd@thetravelbroker.ca
