1st Day: Montecatini
In the evening arrival in Montecatini Terme. Welcome drink and check-in followed by dinner and overnight stay.
2nd Day: Florence
After your breakfast, depart from the hotel to visit Florence, one of the most beautiful Renaissance cities in Europe and once the residence of the Medici family. From Piazzale Michelangelo we will enjoy a beautiful view of the city and then we will visit its historical centre.
With the tour guide we will explore Piazza San Giovanni where the Bell Tower designed by Giotto and the Cathedral’s Cupola built by Brunelleschi dominate the city by their imposing heights. In the same square we can also admire the Baptistery of Saint John with its three beautifully decorated monumental bronze doors. Other important sites of our guided tour are the oldest Florentine bridge, Ponte Vecchio, full of jewellery shops, and the grand Piazza delle Signorie, considered to be the heart of town, dominated by Palazzo Vecchio. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon the tour will continue with a visit to the Lanzi Loggia, where in the past, the most important ceremonies of noble families took place. We will then visit the church of Santa Croce, one of the most important Franciscan Churches in Italy where many famous people such as Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli are buried. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
3rd Day: Florence
After breakfast, depart from the hotel again for Florence. Guided tour of the Uffizi, a building that once was used as administrative offices, but today houses one of world’s most complete collection of Italian art in general, and Florentine art in particular.
Here you will find one of the finest collections of Renaissance paintings such as ‘The Annunciazione’ by Leonardo da Vinci, ‘The Sacra Famiglia’ by Michelangelo, ‘Primavera’ by Botticelli and many other famous works of art by artists like Rafaello, Titian and Caravaggio. Lunch in a local restaurant and free time to explore this splendid city on your own and stroll around the narrow streets looking for local handcrafts. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
4th Day: Siena e S. Gimignano
After breakfast depart for Siena. A local guide will show you the treasures of this very characteristic small town with its two towers considered to be symbols of the city itself: the Tower of the City Hall and the tower of the imposing Cathedral (Santa Maria Assunta) entirely decorated inside with black and white marble.
Piazza Del Campo is the centre of Siena, of its history, of its life. It is one of the wider squares built in the Middle Ages and it is here that every year the famous Palio takes place. Also of interest is the church of Saint Domenico, where Saint Caterina took her vows. Lunch in a typical Italian restaurant. In the afternoon depart for San Gimignano, a medieval city surrounded by a wall of 72 towers, which noble families, during the Middle Ages, built in order to compete with the tower of the City Hall called “Rognosa”. With the guide we will visit this quaint little town, which still preserves the beauty and atmosphere of Italian Medieval Times. Departure towards Castiglione Fiorentino, or another locality nearby. Accommodation, dinner and overnight stay.
5th Day: Arezzo & Cortona
After breakfast depart from the hotel for Arezzo. With a tour guide we will explore the main sites of this less famous but equally fascinating city. The tour will start with a visit to the church of Saint Francesco where you can admire many paintings by Piero della Francesca among which is “The Legend of the Cross” the most important art piece in Arezzo and one of most significant of the Italian Renaissance.
We will then visit the Gothic Cathedral, and Piazza Grande, where several buildings of different ages and styles stand: The Trial Palace, The Fraternità dei Laici Palace, the Law Palace, the Camaiani-Albergotti Palace and the Guillichini Palace that houses the Gallery of Contemporary Art. Time permitting we will also visit the church of Saint Domenico. Lunch in a restaurant down town. In the afternoon depart for Cortona, the ‘Pearl of the Middle Ages’, which dominates from atop a hill, and Lake Menorahs. We will start the guided tour of the historical centre from Via Nazionale, moving onto Piazza della Repubblica, where The City Hall Palace and the Casali Palace stand (visit only from the outside). We will also see the Cathedral (inside) and the Diocesan Museum with art masterpieces dating back to the15th century such as ‘TheAnnunciazione’ by Beato Angelico and works by Luca Signorelli and Pietro Lorenzetti. The tour ends with a visit to Via del Gesù, one of the most beautiful medieval streets in Cortona. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
6th Day: Perugia & Assisi
After breakfast depart from the hotel for Perugia, a famous cultural city and because of its university, a regular site of foreign visits. Guided tour of the historical centre. We will see the remains of the Rocca Paolina, once a symbol of the powerful Baglioni family and then Piazza IV Novembre, the most important square in the town.
On this square stand many significant monuments of Perugia: the Gothic Cathedral of San Lorenzo built between 1345 and 1490, with the Loggia by Braccio Fortebraccio.
In the centre of the square stands The Fontana Maggiore, one of the most famous fountains in Italy and the Palazzo dei Priori which houses the National Gallery of Umbria (outside visit). This museum is a testimony to the many different regional forms of art, such as wooden and iron sculptures, paintings, and also silverware and fabric design. We continue on to Bastia Umbria or another nearby locality where we will stop for lunch. Our itinerary continues on with a visit to Assisi, located on the top of Mount Subasio. With the tour guide we will visit the Gothic Basilica of S. Chiara, and then Piazza Comunale considered to be the city centre. Here stand the ruins of the famous temple dedicated to the Goddess Minerva, and the Basilica of S. Francesco, one of the most famous Christian sanctuaries in the world. The Basilica is divided into two sections connected by a staircase – the Romanic lower church with the crypt and the relics of Saint Francis and the Gothic upper church where frescoes by Giotto and Cimabue can be viewed. Our itinerary continues onwards to Santa Maria degli Angeli. Here we will visit the Basilica, a Renaissance building which preserves the cupola designed and built by Alessi and where we can find the Porziuncola, the rural chapel where San Francis founded the Franciscan order in the 1209. Dinner and overnight stay in Assisi or nearby.
7th Day: Spello / Montefalco / Spoleto
After breakfast, depart from the hotel for Spello, a small medieval village along the south slopes of Mount Subasio. Guided tour of the historical centre. We can admire frescoes by Pinturicchio in the church of Saint Maria Maggiore, inside the Baglioni Chapel. We will also see the ruins of the amphitheatre, an important relic of Roman times.
Free time and then depart for Motefalco, a small village characterized by its historical medieval centre still enclosed by the 14th century walls with towers and ancient doors, among which are the S. Agostino door and the Frederic II door. We will also visit the church of S. Francesco, which houses the Civil Museum and an art gallery. In the chapel of Saint Girolamo we can admire frescoes by Benozzo Gozzoli which depict the life of Saint Francis. After lunch in a farm house, we will depart for Spoleto. We will walk through its historical centre to see Piazza del Duomo with its Romanic Cathedral and its imposing Bell Tower. Inside the Duomo we will see beautiful frescoes by Frà Filippo Lippi, and by Pinturicchio as well as sculptures from the 16th century. Free time. In the evening back to the hotel for dinner and overnight stay.
8th Day: Departure
After breakfast depart for your country. Stop for lunch along the way. End of our services.
- full board starting with dinner on the 1st day and ending with lunch on the 8th day
- 3 star hotel accommodations; room with private services (classification of hotel according to the Italian standard)
- welcome drink upon arrival in Montecatini on day 01
- full day guided tour of Florence (3 h. in the morning + 3 h. in the afternoon) on day 02
- half day guided tour of Florence (3 hours) on day 03
- half day guided tour of Siena (3 hours) on day 04
- full day guided tour of Arezzo and Cortona (6 hours total) on day 05
- full day guided tour of Perugia and Assisi (6 hours total) on day 06
- earphones (obligatory) for the visit to the Church of San Francesco on day 06
- full day guided tour of Spello/Montefalco and Spoleto (about from 09.00 until 18.00) on day 07
- a personalized booklet with all relevant information necessary for your stay
- our assistance throughout the whole stay
- all services specified in the above program
- drinks
- entry fees to the sites
- bus entry tax to the cities of art (parking included)
- reservation, entrance fee and earphones at the Uffizi Gallery on day 03
- earphones at Siena Cathedral on day 04
- city tax to pay directly on spot
- all services not specified in the above program