Breakfast is usually a continental-style buffet. The five included dinners are taken at Hotel Le Renaie. Four meals consist of three courses, dessert and a glass of wine. On Tuesday evening, when the restaurant is closed to the public, you will be treated to a special pizza feast.

All meals are homemade and prepared using locally sourced ingredients and following traditional Tuscan recipes. For this reason, the menu doesn’t include fish-based options.

Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free choices are available – please advise us of dietary requirements on booking.

Settle into village life at a convivial evening where you meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers over dinner at the family-run Hotel Le Renaie. Expect warm hospitality from the Sabatini family and a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Savor homemade Tuscan recipes—rustic pastas, fragrant herbs and local olive oil—paired with a glass of local wine. It’s a flavorsome welcome that introduces the rhythms and tastes of the surrounding hills.

Set out to hike among rolling vineyards from Fonterutoli toward Castellina in Chianti, with open views toward Siena across quilted hills and silvery olive groves. Trails weave between low dry-stone walls and neat terraces alive with birds and wild herbs.

Trace the historic Via Romea, a medieval route once used by pilgrims and merchants. Along the way, pass near remains linked to the area’s Etruscan heritage before finishing in a hilltop town of stone streets and wine cellars.

Explore Siena with a local expert as you join a guided city walk through narrow lanes, brick-red Gothic facades and the sweeping fan of Piazza del Campo. Hear how bankers, artists and saints shaped this Tuscan powerhouse.

Step inside a contrada museum—typically closed to casual visitors—to learn how neighborhoods prepare year-round for the thunder of the Palio horse race. Stories of rivalries, silk flags and solemn rituals illuminate Siena’s deep civic pride.

Deepen your palate in a focused seminar as you learn about Tuscan wines in the Renaissance courtyard of Palazzo delle Papesse. In this guided session, styles and regions are unpacked with clarity and verve.

An expert contrasts Chianti Classico and Super Tuscan expressions with whites like Vernaccia di San Gimignano, linking grape to landscape and producer. Expect an engaging, educational format spotlighting terroir and traditions rather than a formal tasting.

Arrive with confidence as you walk into the historic centre of Florence with your leader, passing the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo), Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio. Landmarks come into focus so you can prioritize what matters most.

This orientation helps you get your bearings and plan independent time—where to find worthy gelato, art-filled churches and quieter viewpoints over the Arno. For in-depth guiding, licensed local guides are recommended and can be arranged.

Follow cypress-fringed tracks on a countryside ramble to walk to San Gimignano, crossing vineyard-carpeted hills and pockets of oak woodland alive with birdsong. Farm lanes and ridge paths reveal working estates and kitchen gardens.

As the route undulates, the skyline of medieval towers draws closer, recalling a merchant town enriched by wool, saffron and pilgrim traffic. Arrive ready to wander stone alleys, artisan workshops and sunlit squares between crenellated walls.

Visit the family-run Cesani estate for an afternoon of local flavors. You’ll sample regional wines alongside bruschetta drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, poured in a welcoming tasting room surrounded by vines.

Learn how the family crafts crisp Vernaccia di San Gimignano and expressive Sangiovese-based reds, pairing sips with Tuscan cheeses and charcuterie. Vineyard views and friendly hosts make this a relaxed, palate-pleasing stop.

Enter the heart of Renaissance art with timed tickets to the Uffizi Gallery, home to Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, masterpieces by Leonardo and Michelangelo, and Caravaggio’s Medusa. Rooms unfold chronologically, revealing how ideas and technique evolved in Florence.

This visit is at additional cost and bookable on tour (subject to availability). Early reservations are recommended in peak months; your Tour Leader can advise on time slots and logistics from the station to the gallery.

See Florence through a local expert’s eye as you join a guided walking tour led by a licensed city guide, weaving past the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria and the Baptistery’s famed Gates of Paradise. Stories of artists, guilds and Medici power bring facades to life.

At additional cost and bookable on tour, this compact introduction layers history and orientation so you can return with confidence to explore churches, galleries and cafés at your own pace.

Siena Cathedral rewards a closer look: a Romanesque-Gothic landmark of striped marble, sculpted pulpits and the luminous Piccolomini Library with Pinturicchio frescoes. The interplay of light and stone amplifies Siena’s artistic ambition.

Admission is at additional cost and bookable on tour. At certain times of year, sections of the inlaid marble floor are on special display; your Tour Leader can advise on timings and queue-beating options where available.

Climb Torre Grossa, the tallest of San Gimignano’s towers, then explore frescoed halls of the Palazzo Comunale before stepping out for sweeping panoramic views over tiled roofs and patchwork fields.

Tickets are at additional cost and bookable on tour or locally. The medieval stairways are sturdy and well-kept; bring a camera for late-afternoon light across the Elsa Valley and distant Apennines.

Trade boots for wheels and e-bike through the Chianti hills, gliding along cypress-fringed lanes between vineyards, hamlets and wayside chapels, with optional pauses at village wineries for photos or tastings.

At additional cost and bookable on tour, this guided ride suits most fitness levels thanks to pedal-assist bikes. Routes and duration are tailored to weather and ability for a relaxed, scenic outing.

Roll up your sleeves to learn to make fresh pasta and seasonal sauces in a hands-on class at a country farmhouse, guided by nonna-style recipes passed down through generations. The setting is warm, informal and flour-dusted.

This experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. After class, taste what you cook alongside regional wine while hearing stories about ingredients, harvests and Tuscan culinary traditions.

Walk a storied pilgrimage path as you walk a section of the Via Francigena from Gambassi Terme toward San Gimignano. Follow farm tracks through olive groves and vineyards, past stone farmhouses and cypress-lined lanes, with the town’s skyline on the horizon—ideal ground for steady, scenic hiking.

Your leader evokes the pilgrims’ route from Canterbury to Rome while you tread the soft strade bianche. Expect gentle gradients, birdsong and broad views; pause to photograph the soaring medieval towers of San Gimignano as they rise from the Tuscan hills.

Taste Tuscan terroir at Azienda Agricola Pietralta, a countryside farmhouse tucked among oak woods and vines. In this convivial session you’ll sample regional wines paired with a trio of Tuscan cheeses, while taking in views of sunlit rows and stone barns.

Discuss grape varieties, cellar traditions and how soils shape flavor, from bright Chianti to supple IGT reds. Expect approachable, Sangiovese-led blends and insight into everyday winemaking life in rural Tuscany.