Day 1, Arrival in Cinque Terre
Pick up you car an drive to Monterosso al Mare. Check-in to your hotel. Leisurely walk through the quaint narrow streets of this medieval fishing village, visit the Parochial church, enjoy a cappuccino at an outdoor cafe`. Dinner at typical restaurant. Overnight in Monterosso al Mare
Day 2, Cinque Terre
After breakfast, start your visit of the Cinque Terre area. Using your Cinque Terre Card today we suggest the following itinerary: reach the train station and continue by local train to Riomaggiore. Time to relax visit this typical fisherman village. After the visit of Riomaggiore you can continue to the next village of Manarola following the local ans scenic overlooking the cost. The trekking takes approx. 1-hour. You could also walk on a part of the path and then continue by local train to Manarola. Visit of Manarola, time to relax and enjoy the village. In the afternoon continue by train to the next village of Vernazza. Take time to visit this picturesque and cosy village. After the visit return to Monterosso, you can either go by local train or choose to walk along the “Blue Path N.2”, a panoramic path among the typical Mediterranean flora and with astonishing views. Arrival in Monterosso after about 2 hours walk. Dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight in Monterosso al Mare.
Day 3, Portovenere
After breakfast, reach the local harbour and depart for a boat trip along the Cinque Terre coast that will take you to the fortified village of Portovenere. Here you can see the castle (XII century), visit the beautiful little church of San Pietro, on a cliff above the sea in front of the luxuriant Palmaria island, the church of San Lorenzo (XI century), the old village with the little road called “carruggi”. Continue by boat to Monterosso. During the way back you may also stop in some of the Cinque Terre villages. In the late afternoon you will enjoy a wine tasting in a local winery in Monterosso. Dinner and Overnight in Monterosso al Mare.
Day 4, Tuscany
Today you will drive Southeast to the Tuscany countryside and check-in to your countryside property. In the afternoon you could drive to the Chianti area of Tuscany for a visit of Castellina, Greve or Radda in Chianti, small medieval villages, perched on scenic Tuscan hills. Return to the hotel for dinner. Overnight in Tuscany.
Day 5, Tuscany
Today you should visit Siena and San Gimig- nano. The drive through the countryside is about an hour. This independent excursion will take most of the day and you will return to the hotel, where you will enjoy a wine tasting with snacks. Dinner and overnight in Tuscany.
Day 6, Tuscany
Today you might want to take an excursion into Florence, the Cradle of Renaissance. We suggest a drive to the nearest train station, where you can park your car and take the train to Florence. Visit the Academy, displaying the statue of David, Piazza della Signoria, the Cathedral and the Baptistery and if you wish to visit some of the oldest Florentine jeweler’s shops, walk to Ponte Vecchio. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight in Tuscany.
Day 7, Tuscany
Visit some of the most charming of the Tuscan and Umbrian hilltop villages to the South: Cortona, Assisi, Montefalco and if you still have time and are a wine lover you should also visit Torgiano and its Lungarotti’s wine museum, Montalcino and Montepulciano, well known for their fine wines. Dinner and overnight in Tuscany.
Day 8, Tuscany
After breakfast, drive to Florence or Pisa airport where you will drop off your car rental and board your flight home or extend your Italian experience with an extension to either Rome, Venice or any other Italian area. End of tour.
