DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

Day 1:
Depart the United States on an overnight flight to Italy.

Day 2:
Montecatini: Upon arrival, you will be met by our professional tour manager and transferred to your hotel in Montecatini. You can spend the rest of the day at leisure before a welcome cocktail and briefing at 7:00 PM in the hotel, followed by dinner.

Day 3:
Montecatini/Florence/Montecatini: After breakfast, you will transfer to Florence for a walking tour. The striking buildings, formidable galleries, and treasure-filled churches attest to the Florentine love of display. See the Cathedral, whose gigantic “cupola” is the symbol of Florence’s artistic achievements, the Baptistery (from outside) with its fine bronze doors adorned with the famous gates of Paradise and the Piazza della Signoria. Enjoy free time for shopping or visiting some of the numerous museums and art galleries.

Day 4:
Montecatini/Pisa: Enjoy a tour to Lucca and Pisa. Lucca is a peaceful place with narrow lanes that wind among the medieval buildings, opening to reveal churches, tiny piazzas, and many other reminders of the city’s long history; including a Roman amphitheater. In the afternoon, we continue to Pisa to see its incredible Leaning Tower and partake in a sightseeing tour of Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli to see the Baptistery and Duomo (entrance included). Tonight, dinner is at the hotel.

Day 5:
Montecatini/Siena: After breakfast, transfer to Siena for your full-day tour. Set in the most beautiful Tuscan countryside of rolling hills, lush vines, and gray-green olive trees. Siena offers much to see, from the fine palaces that line the narrow cobbled streets and the superb Duomo, to the celebrated Piazza del Campo where the famed Palio horserace is run yearly. Enjoy the Piazza del Campo, the ancient Tuscan capitol, a fascinating art town. Take time to explore the museums and churches of Siena and the glamorous shops of the Via dei Banchi de Sopra.

Day 6:
Montecatini/Cinque Terre: Enjoy a day of leisure or join the optional full day excursion to Cinque Terre by train. Our first stop is the village of Manarola with a lovely view of the coast, followed by our second stop in Vernazza. Our last stop is Monterosso, the biggest village, where you will have time for lunch in one of the restaurants or cafes facing the sea. You will take the train back to La Spezia and by coach drive back to Montecatini.

Day 7:
Montecatini/San Gimignano & Chianti Region: Today, enjoy a tour to San Gimignano, a town of Etruscan origin. Built by noble families, the fourteen remaining towers that lined the ramparts look like medieval skyscrapers. As we drive south through the Italian wine country of Chianti this afternoon, your stop will include a winery to taste the superb local wine.

Day 8:
Montecatini: Spend the day at leisure to explore Montecatini on your own, enjoy a spa treatment or just relax. Tonight we will enjoy a farewell Tuscan feast at the hotel.

Day 9:
Montecatini/United States: Morning transfer to the airport for your return flight home, taking with you many wonderful memories of Italy.