Travel Style

Luxury

Trip Details

Highlights:  Lake Garda, Peschiera del Garda, Verona, Parma, Tuscany, Chianti, Siena, San Gimignano

A Gourmet Travel Club journey designed by Abercrombie & Kent

Itinerary

Day 1          ARRIVE VERONA - LAKE GARDA

Upon arrival at Verona Airport you will be welcomed to Italy by your local representative who will assist you with transfer to your hotel in Peschiera del Garda.  The evening is then free for you to relax after your journey.

Day 2          PESCHIERA DEL GARDA - LAKE GARDA - PESCHIERA DEL GARDA

Today enjoy a full day sightseeing tour of glistening Lake Garda area with your private vehicle and qualified English-speaking guide.

You will visit Desenzano del Garda, one of the liveliest and most popular towns on Lake Garda where you will see Roman ruins dating back to the 4th century.  You will then stop at Simione to visit the reuins of a Roman villa which was once thought to be the residence of the Latin post, Catallus.

Then take the public ferry across to the pleasant resort town of Gardone Riviera, with its estate Vittoriale degli Italiani where the writer Gabriele D'Annunzio lived from 1921 to 1938.  After lunch you will visit the town then head to Villa Bettoni near Bogliaco to enjoy its beautiful gardens.

Meal Plan:  B

Day 3          PESCHIERA DEL GARDA - VERONA - PESCHIERA DEL GARDA

This morning you will be transferred to Verona for a 3 1/2 hour walking tour.  The city owes its romantic reputation to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet which was set here.  Your tour will include Piazza delle Erbe, Juliet's House and the Roman Arena, one of the largest and finest preserved amphitheatres.

This afternoon visit a historical enoteca for a tasting of local wines, during which the owner will explain more about the estate's history and the wines, including the local favorite, the "elixir of love".

At the end of your tour you will have time for a leisurely lunch before returning to your hotel in Lake Garda.  The remainder of the day will be at leisure to enjoy the fantastic setting.

Meal Plan:  B

Day 4          PESCHIERA DEL GARDA - PARMA - TUSCANY

This morning you will be transferred to your hotel in Tuscany.  En route you will stop in the beautiful city of Parma in the Emilia Romagna region, where you will meet your guide for a sightseeing and tasting tour of the city.  Visit the 12th century Duomo and the Renaissance church of San Giovanni Evangelista before traveling into the surrounding countryside of Parma to experience a special insider access moment.

You will visit a traditional ham curing plant where you will be able to see the long and painstaking process in which the prestigious Parma ham 'Prosciutto di Parma is produced.  You will be taken through the various stages from trimming and salting, right through to the final stages of greasing and final curing.  The tour will finish with a tasting of the ham, followed by a rustic lunch.

After your tour you will continue on to your hotel in the heart of Tuscany.

Meal Plan:  B

Day 5          CHIANTI - SIENA - SAN GIMIGNANO - CHIANTI

Today enjoy a full day excursion to Siena and San Gimignano with your private vehicle and English-speaking driver.

Your first stop will be the scenic Tuscan town of Siena for a three hour walking tour.  Siena was built on three hills and is enclosed by a set of walls and gates.  Visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the finest main squares in Italy.  See the Palazzo Pubblico which has served as Siena's town hall since the 1300s and visit the Duomo, considered to be one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy with unforgettable frescoes in the Piccolomini Library.

Continue on to the picturesque medieval town of San Gimignano, known for its surviving towers, where you will be at leisure to explore on your own.  You may wish to visit the Collegiata containing 15th century frescoes, the Palazzo del Popolo, now the municipal museum containing Renaissance paintings, or the Church of Sant'Agostino.

Meal Plan:  B

Day 6          NOBLE COOKERY DAY

This morning you will be transferred to the private wine producing estate of Lorenza de'Medici and Piero Stucchi Prinetti for a memorable day of authentic Tuscan cooking.

In the mid-1970s, Piero Stucchi Prinetti was the first person in the Chianti area to open the gates of his estate when he began to offer a hospitality programme which included visits to the estate, wine and olive oil tasting as well as the unique opportunity to stay at Coltibuono and participate in the Villa Table cooking courses hosted by his wife Lorenza de'Medici.

You will have a unique chance to learn about Tuscan cuisine through an exclusive hands-on approach in Coltibuono's family kitchen.  Learn how to prepare a full menu and afterwards enjoy it while sampling Coltibuono wines and extra virgin olive oils during a fabulous lunch.

Meal Plan:  B,L

Day 7          SOUTHERN TUSCANY

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion to some of the lovely Tuscan towns to the southeast of Siena.  You will visit the pretty town of Pienza whose centre was redesigned by Pope Pius II who wanted to build a model Renaissance square in his native village.

Nearby Montepulciano is an archetypal Tuscan hisstop town, set 605 metres above sea level and offering superb views over the surrounding countryside.  Inside the ancient city walls and fortifications you will find winding streets and a wealth of Renaissance style palazzi and churches.  During your excursion today you will have the opportunity to enjoy a tasting of some of the wonderful wines of this region.

This afternoon you will visit a typical Tuscan farmhouse located in the heart of Val d'Orcia, close to Pienza and Montepulciano, to enjoy a private cheese making.  The owner will give you a brief introduction  of what they produce on their estate followed by an explanation about pecorino and ricotta making.  You will be able to visit the laboratory and learn about the entire process of cheese making. 

Meal Plan:  B,L

Day 8          EASTERN CHIANTI

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion into the beautiful Chianti countryside with your English-speaking driver-guide.  Visit lovely hilltop towns such as Greve and Castellina, and enjoy a wine tasting at local vineyards.

Renowned for its art, history and evocative landscapes, Tuscany is a region where the past and present merge in pleasant harmony.  Hill towns gaze across the countryside from up high, many encircled by Etruscan walls and slender cypress trees.  In the countryside, among the vineyards and olive groves, there are hamlets and farmhouses, as well as fortified villas and castles that symbolize the violence and inter-communal strife that tor Tuscany apart in the Middle Ages.

Stop and Badia di Passignano, a medieval hamlet and abbey founded in 395 AD by the Archbishop of Florence.  Monks of the Vallombrosian Order still live in the abbey and are the keepers of its cultural and historical treasures.  You will have the opportunity to visit the abbey's wine cellars, before relaxing in the renowned Osteria di Passignano for a real Tuscan wine and olive oil tasting experience and light lunch.

Meal Plan:  B,L 

Day 9          DEPART ITALY

Today your driver will meet you for your private transfer to Florence or Pisa Airport

Meal Plan:  B

Accommodations

Lake Garda:        Ai Capitani

Tuscany:             Castello del Nero