Day 1
You should arrive at the airport to take your flight. On arrival, a coach will take you to Florence and our hotel where we stay for three nights on a bed and breakfast basis, the three-star superior rated Hotel Corona D’Italia, ideally located in the San Lorenzo district of the city, ten minutes walk from the Cathedral. All the rooms have private facilities, air-conditioning, mini-bar, hairdryer, television and telephone. The hotel has a bar and breakfast room.

Please note certain departures may stay at the four-star rated Grand Hotel Mediterraneo. This hotel enjoys an enviable position on the banks of the River Arno, close to the Piazza Santa Croce and well located for easy access into the historical centre. All the rooms have air-conditioning, mini-bar, satellite television, safe and hairdryer. The hotel has a choice of restaurants, offering international and Italian cuisine, plus a lounge, American bar and terrace (summer only).

Day 2
After breakfast you have a guided walking tour of Florence, “pearl of the Renaissance”, a superb and beautiful city and deservedly on the traveller’s map since the days of the Grand Tour. The sights are legendary and you see some of the best of them: the Cathedral – which can house a congregation of thousands and the Baptistry – the oldest building in the city. You will also see the Ponte Vecchio – the superb bridge over the river Arno, lined with goldsmiths and a symbol of the city itself.

During the afternoon you have a reserved visit to the Uffizi art gallery where superlatives are the minimum expressions you can use to describe its phenomenal collection. Built up over three hundred years, this originally private collection belonging to the all-powerful Medici family, and subsequently bequeathed to the people of Florence, contains masterpieces by some of the greatest artists who have ever lived: Botticelli; Leonardo da Vinci; Michelangelo; Titian; Rembrandt and Van Dyck. There are many more too, literally room upon room of them which will amaze you!

Day 3
After breakfast you leave for Lucca, birthplace of the great composer Puccini, a delightful city where you can wander amongst the medieval streets, tiny piazzas and along the ramparts circling the city. Its cathedral is outstanding and famous as one of the most intricate in Tuscany. Then you take the short drive to Pisa where nothing can prepare the visitor for the almost shock-like impact of its bizarre leaning tower! Famous since the dawn of tourism, it has tilted since it was built over six hundred years ago and today still remains one of the great must-see buildings on earth. We then return to our hotel.

Day 4
Florence will amaze you and there is so much to see, yet being medieval it is also so compact. Today you are free to explore this wonderful city of the Renaissance. There is the Accademia, the oldest art school in the world which houses Michelangelo’s David, one of the world’s finest sculptures; the Archaeological museum containing an outstanding collection of exhibits from ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt; the Science museum which contains many of Galileo’s telescopes together with the world’s first adding machine. Situated in the medieval heart of the city is the magnificent cathedral, dominating the skyline, some of which dates from the 4th century. Built from white, green and pink marble it glows in the sunshine and the richness of the interior is remarkable with beautiful frescoes and an amazingly intricate marble pavement. However, Florence is much more than a city caught in the past, it has an ambience you will love, packed with cosy restaurants and street cafés where you can simply watch the world go by, the very essence of Italy and the Mediterranean lifestyle.

At the end of the day, you take the drive to Volterra and the hotel for the next four nights on half-board, the four-star rated Park Hotel Le Fonti. Your hotel is lovely and partly converted from a former farm, set on the edge of the old town with extensive and spectacular views over the timeless Tuscan countryside. All rooms have private facilities, air-conditioning, mini-bar, hairdryer, television and telephone. The hotel has a bar, restaurant and outdoor swimming pool, open summer months, weather permitting.

Day 5
After breakfast you start to explore the rural Tuscany of undulating hillsides, isolated farmhouses surrounded by tall cypress trees, biscuit and ochre coloured valleys, made famous by Renaissance paintings and countless travel posters. You soon arrive in one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, San Gimignano, with its stunning skyline of thirteen towers, built by rival nobles during the 13th century, it evokes images of medieval Tuscany perhaps better than any anywhere else in the province. This wondrous village is delightfully rural and it is lovely to just wander through its cobbled streets, take in the view and simply absorb its atmosphere. Volterra, where you stay, is a typical Tuscan town, dramatically situated high on a hill, commanding dramatic views of the countryside and surrounded by immense stone ramparts. The small historic centre is a maze of narrow cobbled streets surrounded by the high buildings so typical of Italy. Street life revolves around the main Piazza, one of the finest and best preserved in Tuscany, and beautifully atmospheric, especially during the evening when the locals, often entire families, meet and seemingly argue about the day’s events. What could be finer than to sip a glass of wine as the sun goes down and absorb this wonderful ambience. Founded by the Etruscans, easily defended, Volterra grew prosperous during medieval times mining alabaster, used to carve intricate artefacts, which decorate the innumerable churches and cathedrals of Tuscany and beyond. The craft is still carried on today and you will have the opportunity to visit the many artisan outlets. It also has one of the best archaeological museums in Italy, which is well worth a visit.

Day 6
After breakfast we take the short drive to Siena, one of the finest medieval cities in the world which was, during the 12th and 13th centuries one of its richest and a similar size to Paris! An unrivalled period of building took place and the palaces, grandiose townhouses and spacious piazzas you see today, were created. The main square, the Campo, is widely acknowledged as one of the world’s finest! Unusually formed in a half-moon shape, the square is surrounded by tall and centuries old buildings, all very different and yet also harmonious. With its abundance of pavement cafés, just enjoy a coffee and reflect on all the visitors who preceded you.

Perhaps the finest place to visit in Siena is its outstanding cathedral, one of Italy’s greatest. Built from black and white marble it has some of the most intricate carvings imaginable, some of which are by the great master himself, Michelangelo. The floor is a revelation, laid with countless thousands of interlocking stones, creating a unique inlaid surface at which, one can only marvel at the sheer skill of its creators. Impressive as it is today, had a planned additional nave been completed during the 14th century, it would have created the largest church in Christendom. The Black Death halted construction as two thirds of the population perished and the city fell into rapid decline. Little else was built but fortunately even less demolished, thus accounting for Siena’s remarkable preservation. We will have a guided tour of the city and during the afternoon you are free to explore as you wish.

Day 7
Today we have a free day to explore as you wish. So what is it to be? A stroll around the village, a coffee in the main square watching the world go by, a dip in the hotel pool or just catch up on some reading - the choice is yours.

Day 8
The coach will return us to the airport at the appropriate time to take our return flight.

Florence - Hotel Corona D’Italia (www.hotelcoronaditalia.com) three-star rated, ideally located in the San Lorenzo district of the city, ten minutes walk from the Cathedral. All the rooms have private facilities, air-conditioning, mini bar, hair dryer, television and telephone. The hotel has a bar and breakfast room.

The Grand Hotel Mediterraneo (www.hotelmediterraneo.com) four-star rated, enjoys an enviable position on the banks of the river Arno, close to the Piazza Santa Croce and well located for easy access into the historical centre. All the rooms have air-conditioning, minibar, satellite television, safe and hairdryer. The hotel has a choice of restaurants offering international and Italian cuisine, plus a lounge, American bar and terrace (summer only).

Volterra - Park Hotel Le Fonti (www.parkhotellefonti.com) four-star rated, is recently renovated and partly converted from a former farm, set on the edge of town with extensive views over the timeless Tuscan countryside. All rooms have private facilities, air-conditioning, minibar, hair dryer, television and telephone. The hotel has a bar, restaurant and outdoor swimming pool, open from May to October (weather permitting).