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Simone & Stefano Tours
offered by supplier M05666 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Group Size: 1
- 16
people
Destination: Florence
Season: January - December
Languages: English, French, German, Italian
Minimum Cost: 50 Euro (EUR) Per person
Maximum Cost: 100 Euro (EUR) Per person
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We offer guided tours of the cities; wine tours; Cruise services from the Port of Livorno, Civitavecchia, Napoli; Transfers. For specific requests we can make tours tailed on the clients' interests.
We can offer you a range of destinations from the mainstream tours to the hidden beauties of this charming region. Choose among our itineraries the one that better suits your way of traveling. Check the "Eno-gastronomic" and the "Historical-Artistical" sections for our special tours.
ENO-GASTRONOMIC TOURS
- Chianti - The most famous countryside of Italy for its "rolling hills", villas, vineyards, olive trees and old villages dated back to the Medieval times. We could arrange a couple of wine-tastings (or more) with visit of the cellars. One for example could be at the Castle of Verrazzano, producers of wine since 11th century, beautifully located, near Greve in Chianti, the nicest town of the area. We'll visit also Montefioralle, Castellina, Volpaia and Badia a Passignano, some of the other enchanting places of the Chianti and anyway the best to do for Chianti is "to play by the ear". It would be a relaxing day, sharing your time with the people that live there a "slower life", mainly based on relationships, good food, excellent wine and enjoying the beauty of nature.
- Volterra and Bolgheri - Volterra is a very old Etruscan town (before the romans) which now looks 12th 13th century, located on top of a hill, surrounded by a fabulous countryside with traces of 4-5 centuries B.C. and it's also a very active and wealthy town.
After that we'll proceed to Bolgheri, near the coast of Tuscany, south of Pisa, where, in a small area a few wineries produce the most expensive wine of Italy, called "Sassicaia", which is a blended wine, using just little percent of Sangiovese (chianti use 85%) and the rest could be Cabernet, Merlot. Believe us it is really worth going there, also because it is a little "off the beaten tracks", the wine-producers try to keep the area quiet and don't attract too many visitors, only the ones seriously interested. Perugia's Chocolate's Festival.
- Montalcino and Pienza - Another tour in the countryside, but there you'll be south of Siena, different scenery, different colors, different recepies and of course, not chianti classico wine, but Brunello of Montalcino, a top wine of Italy.
There we can naturally organize some visits at the wineries, such as "Biondi-Santi" who were the first at the end of the 19th century to start the production of "Brunello". Again it will be an 8-9hrs tour, driving through the Orcia Valley, that developed around the old roman road "Via Cassia" (Roma- Florence via Siena), a very good area for wine, cheese, olive oil and the Spas.
- San Miniato Tartufo's Festival - The value of the White Truffle of San Miniato lies in its rarity. Its roots date from the Middle Ages, but it has only been a little more than 100 years that their gathering has been organized by the area’s family groups, the so-called Tartufai delle Colline Samminiatesi (Truffle-gatherers of the San Miniato Hills) (created about twenty years ago), that groups together more than 400 gatherers in the Egola, Elsa and Era Valleys, all tributaries of the Arno River. More than just truffle finders, the families each have their own secrets handed down through generations, their truffle dogs and their hidden paths in oak, poplar and Holm oak forests.
The truffle, though, does not just mean a unique taste: it also is a local business and culture. For thirty years the Mostra Mercato Nazionale del Tartufo Bianco di San Miniato (The National White Truffle of San Miniato Show), transforms the city for the entire month of November into a huge open-air tasting workshop. Here the truffle takes the throne where it is displayed in the historical Piazza del Duomo at the foot of the Rocca. Other squares also have their own markets where typical flavors of the San Miniato hills are offered together with specialties from other Italian culinary cities.
- Parma - Modena - Parma, hometown of Parma Ham and Parmesan Cheese, a very charming place out of mainstream tourism, rich of history and culture such as Romanesque Cathedral and Baptistery and hometown of the musicians Giuseppe Verdi and Toscanini. Modena the only place where you can find the original balsamic vinegar, located along the ancient Emilia Road, on the way to Milan from Rome. A few miles from the center Maranello gives you the opportunity to visit Ferrari Gallery or the factory.
- Montepulciano - Cortona - Located in the south of Toscany, between Arezzo and Siena, both of them date back to the 5th century b.c. at the time of the Etruscans civilization. Both surrounded by beautiful countryside where wine has been produced since the Etruscans time, nowadays Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is one the top reds of Italy.
ARTISTIC TOURS
- Florence (Medieval Florence,Renaissance in Florence, Handcrafting in Florence) - Tour of the most famous monuments in the city including the Florence eternal masterpiece: Michelangelo's David and visit a few of his other works in the Academy of Fine Arts Museum. Onward to the Cathedral with the famous Dome by Brunelleschi and the gold Paradise door of the Baptistry.
From there we continue to Piazza Signoria, the political heart of Florence since the 1300's when Florence was considered the richest city in Europe. We are beckoned to Ponte Vecchio, the bridge which attracts so much curiosity not only to its unique charming appearance but also to the fabulous jewelry shops lining the bridge.
- Cappella Brancacci - gorgeous frescoes by Masaccio, the best example for perspective. Museum of the Accademia to see the David of Michelangelo.
- Siena-San Gimignano - A Tuscan medieval jewel is the walled city of Siena, showplace of Italian Gothic and solidly planted back in the Middle ages. There is nothing liken Siena's marvelous bowl-shaped Campo square that hosts the world-renowned Palio horserace each year. The Cathedral is also a must, the highlight of the city. The drive to Siena is very short(one hour), on the way we also cols stop at Monteriggioni, a lovely village built in the 12th century, then on to Siena, where we can stay for lunch and leave to San Gimignano.
The hilltop town of San Gimignano is one of the gems of Tuscany. Medieval towers built in the 12th century by the nobility, are visible from afar and the square of "Cisterna" is often considered to be among the finest Italian town squares. In San Gimignano there are also nice shops and good gelato.
- Pisa-Lucca - Pisa with the masterpieces of the Romanesque architecture in the “Miracle Square” with its famous leaning tower, cathedral and baptistery, then Lucca, famous for its beautiful city walls, churches, towers and medieval atmosphere, you will have the option to visit the most famous quarries in the world, due to the snow-white purity of their endless marble, which is breathtaking. Lucca was once the capital of Tuscany, a wall city with roman origin, where you can visit the archeological area and see some of its lovely churches. It's also the home-town of Giacomo Puccini. Together with Florence and Siena the most interesting city of Tuscany.
- Vinci – Pistoia - In the small town of Vinci you’ll discover a very interesting museum about some of the Engineering works of the greatest mind of the Renaissance, plus, of course, where he was born.Vinci is also a nice little town surrounded by the vineyards of Chianti Montalbano and the olive trees. Lucca was once the capital of Tuscany, a wall city with roman origin, where you can visit the archeological area and see some of its lovely churches. It's also the home-town of Giacomo Puccini.Together with Florence and Siena the most interesting city of Tuscany.
- Ville Medicee - On the hills of Florence there are many villas, built by the richest families of the city in the 1400 and 1500, Villa Petraia, Villa Castello and Villa Poggio a Caiano used to belong to the Medici, the family who was in power of Florence for centuries. It is a great opportunity to see the architecture, the gardens and the interior of these noble residences.
- Arezzo-Sansepolcro - Arezzo, always a stop for pilgrims and travelers from and to Rome, one of the twelve important cities of the Etruscans. Hometown of Vasari the architect who built the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and where the famous Benigni movie "Life is beautiful" was filmed. Sansepolcro a lovely medieval town birthplace of Piero della Francesca Reinassance painter in Florence.
- Assisi-Perugia - Assisi and Perugia. A tour in the home-town of San Francis to admire the Basilic of Assisi, one of the richest churches for art- works of Italy, such as Giotto‘s frescoes, Simone Martinipaintings, the sculpture of Nicola Pisano. Assisi is an etruscan city, too, with long history, other important churches likes Santa Chiara and the Ruffino Dome.
In the afternoon a visit of Perugia, the biggest city of Umbria, another Etruscan place, famous For the Perugina chocolates, the renaissance painter Vannucci, called the “Perugino”, the Cathedral and the marble fountain by the great sculptor Pisano. This is really a spiritual tour in the "green Umbria" a charming region with charming people.
- Cinque Terre - These are 5 medieval fisherman ports, all disposed along a 5-7 miles gulf, which developed isolated through the ages as they could only be reached by sea and feature an intact architecture and unbelievable landscapes. A day in Liguria the region of the ancient people called “liguri”, already there before the romans, the region of Cristoforo Colombo and pesto sauce, a lovely place for summer vacation, always considered the “italian riviera”.
Cinque Terre is a national park, also suitable for hiking, trekking and scuba-diving, five fisherman villages along this rocky coast, a beautiful scenery that reminds the Amalfi drive, where you’ll be impressed by the many terraces built during the centuries to grow Olive trees, vineyards and all kind of vegetables.In the afternoon stop at the marble quarries of Carrara to see a unique place in the world, where all the white marble comes from, to know about the history of the quarries (more than 2000 years), and the present, how they take-out, how to cut it and how to ship it.
- Orvieto - considered one of the most charming hill towns in Umbria, featuring one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Italy, and from there on to Assisi, the birth town of San Francis, and the 2nd most important religious city in Italy, featuring a unique spiritual ancient atmosphere, an impressive monuments from Roman time to the middle-ages.
Member discount:
10% discount for InfoHub customer. Request a free gift certificate.
Notes:
Price Includes:
- Tolls,
- Gas,
- Parking.
Price Excludes:
- Museum fees,
- Churches,
- Historical sites,
- Wine/food tasting.
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