Come share the beauty and culture of Tuscany with our good friends, Giovanni and Marzia Innocenti, owners of Poggio de Papi, one of Tuscany’s finest B&B’s not far from Florence.

We are excited about sharing our favorite places in Tuscany with you. Through our own travels and Giovanni’s and Marzia’s knowledge of the region, we’ve arranged visits not only to Tuscany's most famous cities, but also to a few of our favorite, secret places. Our small group size of no more than 12 “family guests”, allows us to visit these special places in a way that allows us to savor the slow-paced, yet envigorating Tuscan lifestyle.

Our hope for you is that at the end of your stay with us, you will have fallen in love with the rich and illustrious history, art, and architecture of Tuscany's loveliest cities. We also hope you have enjoyed living like an Italian for a while - shopping in Florence's outdoor markets, relaxing at the spa, visiting a small family vineyard, and most of all enjoying those long leisurely meals - good wine, good food and good friends. 
YOUR HOSTS: Diane Dente and 
Giovanni and Marcia Innocenti
TOUR SIZE: 12 Adults
TOUR PRICE:  $3695 Dbl. Occupancy
Single Occupancy $480 additional.

All inclusive - meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner with wine), tasting events, cooking classes, local transportation, guided tours and entry fees, 3-Star B&B accommodations with private bath, airport transfers, tips. 
Excludes airfare.

For more information or to book your 
trip, call Diane Dente Riemer at
978-771-3992 or email her at
diane@tuscanyvillagetours.com
Diane and Giovanni meet you at the Florence airport to whisk you away to Poggio De Papi and another life among the olive groves and vineyards high in the Tuscan hills. Unpack, rest and relax. In the late afternoon we will gather for an orientation and then visit Fattoria Sabattini. This small vineyard, managed with great pride and dedication by Silvio Sabattini and his brother, produces nearly 20,000 bottles of wine each season
Sunday is a leisurely day with a drive to the seaside town of Viareggio along the coastal strip of Versilia. Viareggio was one of the first seaside resorts In Europe and is still popular with Italians and foreign visitors. There are over twenty kilometers of beaches in this area, which is known as the Versilian Riviera.

After a leisurely breakfast, we take a scenic drive south to Vinci, birthplace of Leonardo Da Vinci. The Museo Leonardino, located in a 13th century castle, in the center of Vinci, houses models of Leonardo’s machines and inventions, all constructed from his notebooks and drawings. 

From Vinci we head to San Gimignano. San Gimignano is known as the “City of Beautiful Towers”. It is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Tuscany with fourteen of its seventy six original, 13th century towers still standing. At one time, San Gimignano lay on the main pilgrim route from Northern Europe to Rome, which brought the city great economic prosperity. Today it is a popular destination for its ceramic shops, galleries, cafes and jewelers that line the two main streets.

Dinner tonight includes a pasta tasting. For our primo piatti, we taste several kinds of fresh pasta from Montecatini Terme’s P & P Paste Alimentari, famous since 1945 for its specialita e piatti pronti.
Lucca is the most wonderful small town; its famous walls enclose a place that can be wandered with ease, yet it remains full of secrets. One of Italy’s finest mediaeval treasures, the centre is relatively unspoiled and is sprinkled with palazzi, towers and seemingly countless splendid churches. 

No trip to Tuscany can be complete without a day in Florence. But to really appreciate the cityscape of Florence, you must see it from the hilltop town of Fiesole, 8 km north of Florence. We travel to Fiesole as the Italians do - on the #7 bus from Santa Maria Novella station. Once there we explore the Roman and Etruscan ruins, have lunch and admire the view of Florence — a photographer’s dream! After lunch in Fiesole, we return to Florence for a free afternoon. 

We return to Florence for a day of sightseeing, museums and shopping. Be sure to ask about our favorite shops for leather, Florentine paper, jewelry, Catherine De Medici’s Farmacia and where to buy the best aged balsamic vinegar. To really slip back in time, stop by the wine bar in the Palazzo Antinori. Here in the inner courtyard, it is easy to imagine he citizens of Renaissance Florence calling to each other as they go about their daily routines.
It was the Romans who first built the bath complexes over Tuscany's numerous volcanic hot springs. The complexes were originally built as a place where Roman army veterans could go to relax. Today's destination, the Grotta Giusti Spa is a unique and luxurious place. Guiseppi Verdi, who was known to visit often, described it as the eighth wonder of the world.

Your spa treatment includes a 50 minute visit to the Grotta, followed by a refreshing hydro massage. Then you are free to relax at the outdoor thermal pool and enjoy the buffet lunch. Additional services, payable directly to the Spa via your credit card are also available, but must be booked two weeks in advance. Call us for a list of services.
For those who prefer a more athletic form of relaxation the Montecatini Golf Club is nearby. Immersed in the Tuscan countryside, the Montecatini Golf Club is an 18 hole golf course of natural beauty that has been built in the hilly countryside. The player is faced with many natural hazards such as lakes, streams, forests, and ditches which have been formed as part of the natural contours of the land. As well, the course features many dog legs and the greens are very fast and are also undulating, putting the best golfer’s skill to the test.

Our day ends on a relaxed and satisfied note with a farewell dinner at Poggio de Papi.

~ Breakfast at Poggio de Papi
~ Transportation to Florence Airport