Tour Toscana - Ligure, Toscana and the Cinque Terre

Tuscany is a wonderful Italian destination! Tuscany is a charmed land, equally blessed by the genius of man and nature, and often by the combined efforts of both. Every inch of land has been sculpted, first by the elements and then by generations of inhabitants whose goals were always twofold: make the land produce as much as possible, make the land as beautiful as possible. Tuscany enchants us today because it holds together as a region, from the tiniest hamlet to Florence the Magnificent. Florence contains an exceptional artistic patrimony, glorious testimony to its secular civilization. Cimabue, Giotto, Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli the universal geniuses Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Galileo lived here.But Florence is just one of the jewels of this part of Italy ; what about Lucca, Pisa, Siena ? Lucca, is a small city still surrounded by its original defensive walls; Siena, the Piazza del Campo is a beautiful square in the heart of the city, where each year rival neighborhoods complete in the "Palio", the horserace around its perimeter. The province of Siena is famous for its great wines, such as Chianti and Brunello that yoy can taste also in the villages of Montepulciano, and San Gimignano, with its famous towers and turreted houses. Pisa: the major tourist attraction in Pisa is of course the leaning Tower along with the Baptistery and the Camposanto, all of them built between the XI and the XII century. Five villages castled up on spurs of stone or disposed in clusters of very small inlets: these are the Cinque Terre (Five lands): Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore There is a very beautiful footpath called the Lovers' Pathway, "La Via dell'Amore", which starts in Manarola, along the coast is a thirty-minute walk from Riomaggiore.

ITINERARY

1 Day:
Half day guided visit of Montecatini, famous for its thermal baths. The Thermal Center is located in a pleasant and green area at the foot of the hill, where the historical medieval village of Montecatini Alto rises, a few hundred metres above the "new" town. It is connected with the city through a funicolar. The views here are splendid, and the delightful Piazza Giusti is home to some good bars and restaurants.

2 Day:
Full day xcursion to Pisa and Lucca. Visit of the city centre of Pisa. Thanks to its Leaning Tower is well known from everybody. Continue towards the delightful town of Lucca, set inside a ring of Renaissance walls fronted by gardens and huge bastions. It is a delightful place simply wander at random, with much of the centre free from traffic.

3 Day:
The entire day is dedicated to the visit of Florence, rich with artistic monuments from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. Guided visit of the city in the morning. Afternoon:time at leisure for visits of the Museums or shopping.

4 Day:
Full day excursion to La Spezia where you'll take a train ride through the beautiful Cinque Terre. Return to La Spezia by boat. Cinque TerreThe stupendous folder coastline of the Cinque Terre (Five Lands) streches berween the pleasant beach resort of Levanto and the major port of La Spezia. The area is named for fine tiny villages - Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore - wedged into a series of coves between sheer cliffs, their comparative remoteness and the dramatic nature of their position on a stunning coastline, make them the principal scenic highlight of this part of the Riviera. A must is the twenty-minute walk on the Via dell'Amore (Lovers' Path) above the waves past lemon trees in every backyards.

5 Day:
At disposal for optional excursions and departure.

OPTIONAL VISITS / EXCURSIONS

Elba Island
The sea, the beaches, the green of the countryside, the small fortress towns, archaeological treasures, chestnut woods and more, continue to exist for what seems like an eternity. Elba gives the sensation of so much in so little as in the small spaces of the island we travel over tourist attractions and natural landscapes of such contrast; areas dried out by sun and wind, others green with life, sandy or pebble stone beaches, rocky coastlines and cliffs. Napoleone would have had to consider him fortunate to have been exiled in such an attractive place!

Vinci & Torre del Lago
Occupying the picturesque vine-and olive-planted southern slopes of Montalbano, Vinci is inextricably associated with Leonardo da Vinci, who was born here on 1452. The main sight is the thirteenth-century castle, now home of the Museum, packed with models reconstructed from Leonardo'n notebook drawings - his celebrated bicycle, helicopter and multi-barrelled machine-gun are all on display.

Siena
In Siena the Piazza del Campo is a beautiful square in the heart of the city, where each year rival neighborhoods complete in the "Palio", the horserace around its perimeter. The province of Siena is famous for its great wines, such as Chianti and Brunello that yoy can taste also in the villages of Montepulciano, and San Gimignano, with its famous towers and turreted houses.

Florence: Museums & Galleries
The National Museum of Bargello has Italy's most comprehensive collection of Tuscan Renaissance sculptures (of Michelangelo and Donatello too).
The Uffizi Gallery holds Italy's greatest art collection. In the 45 rooms thare are so many masterpieces that you need minimum 3-4 hours to visit it. It contains works of Cimabue, Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, to name just a few of them.