Historical gardens of Tuscany and Umbria

Transcription

1 Historical gardens of Tuscany and Umbria Taste and Slow Italy - Trasimeno Travel Sas, Via Novella 1/F, Castiglione del Lago, Perugia. Tel , Fax info@tasteandslowitaly.com

2 Day 01 Arrival at the airport of Florence. Meeting with the tour leader and transfer to a hotel located in the centre of the city by private bus. Meeting with a local guide and walk through the historical centre of Florence to get to know it. Day 02 After breakfast, departure with the tour leader to reach the Villa Garzoni garden by private bus. You will have the possibility to visit special sites, such as the Butterfly House and the nearby Pinocchio Park. Arrival in Lucca. Lunch at your leisure and visit of the city. Pinocchio Park In the afternoon departure to Villa Torrigiani, the most stately villa in the surroundings. The baroque façade introduces the rich decoration of the interior: see the paintings, the furniture and other objects collected by the families who have lived in the Villa since the 17th century. Throughout a long path between high cypresses you will arrive at a romantic garden. The Versailles style big fountains still keep their original design. Giardino Garzoni Overnight stay at the hotel. Day 03 After breakfast, meeting with a local guide and tour of the wonderful gardens of Florence a trip throughout history, art and nature. You will firstly pay a visit to a public garden and then to a private one. The public garden (15th-19th century) is renowned throughout the world as one of the most important gardens in Italian Renaissance. Because of its architecture and the various sculptures that contains, it is considered as a real museum. This beautiful garden has inspired various European courts. The private garden is situated in the historical centre of the town. It is the biggest private city-garden in Europe.

3 In the 16th century it was a famous botanical garden and in the 19th century, when the owner bought the surrounding fields, it became a romantic English garden. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, visit of the Uffizi Gallery one of the most famous art museums in the world. It houses a striking collection of statues and paintings from the Middle Ages to the Modern Age -such as Giotto, Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Rubens, Rembrandt and Dürer s masterpieces. Overnight stay at the hotel. Day 04 After breakfast, departure with the tour leader to reach Umbria by private bus. Galleria Uffizi On the way to Umbria, you will have the opportunity to stop and visit a collection of roses that is unique of its kind (this visit is only possible in May and June). Unknown by the majority of tourists, this wonderful garden was designed in 1967, when Gianfranco Fineschi started collecting different species of roses and hybrids coming from all over the world. Thanks to his unlimited scientific interest and deep love for the Queen of the flowers, this rose-garden has become a unique collection of more than six thousand varieties the biggest in Europe. Departure to Siena. Guided tour of the city. Lunch at your leisure. Transfer to Lake Trasimeno. Arrival at the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. Day 05 After breakfast, departure with the tour leader and the bus to reach a special place, La Scarzuola, and guided tour. In 1956 Tommaso Buzzi, a great Italian architect, bought the ruins of a convent near Orvieto; he started working frenetically at the building of an ideal city, creating one of the most incredible, unexpected, extra-

4 ordinary fantasies of the architecture, a mixture of sacred and profane. Departure to Orvieto. La Scarzuola Small lunch at a local farm which makes extra-virgin olive oil and wine, with visit of the wine cellar and of the old oil mill. Guided tour of Orvieto. Dinner at your leisure and overnight stay at the hotel. Orvieto Day 06 After breakfast, departure with the tour leader to reach Pienza by private bus. Added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996, Pienza is situated in the Val d Orcia (Tuscany). Enjoy a delicious lunch based on the famous pecorino cheese of Pienza in a local farm that makes high quality dairy products. In the afternoon, departure to a private park in the Tuscan Maremma: Daniele Spoerri s garden, a real cultural and creative foundation. The contemporary masterpieces - seemingly scattered randomly along the 15 hectares of the area- blend together with the surrounding ambience. In total there are 87 installations realized by 42 international artists. Admire the sculptures and take your own botanic tour of the park: the different trees and plants come with a description of the species and of the respective qualities. Overnight stay at the hotel. Giardino Spoerri

5 Day 07 After breakfast, departure with the tour leader to reach Assisi by private bus. Guided tour of Assisi. Lunch at your leisure. In the afternoon, visit to Trevi, a lovely town framed by the typical Umbrian landscape rich in olive groves and hills. Assisi The Villa Fabri garden is the trait d union between the country and the historical centre of the town. It is part of the European Garden Heritage Network (EGHN), which was born with the aim of increasing the value of the European parks and gardens. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel. Day 08 After breakfast, transfer with the tour leader to the airport by private bus. End of the services. Tour information: The tour will be available with a minimum of 16 paying participants The tour can be changed according to airport and flights schedule Round trip flights reservation available Booking cancellations insurance available Services Included: 3 nights in a 3/ 4 star hotel BB (Tuscany)

6 4 nights in a 3/ 4 star hotel in HB (Umbria) Tour leader for the whole duration of the tour Local guide to visit gardens and Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, Lucca. Siena, Orvieto, Assisi Private bus with driver for the whole duration of the tour Entrance fee to Villa Garzoni garden Entrance fee to Villa Torrigiani Entrance fee to the private garden in Florence. Entrance fee to the rose-garden Entrance fee to La Scarzuola Entrance fee to the Cathedral of Orvieto Booking and entrance fee to the Uffizi Gallery Not included : Anything which is not expressly mentioned in the list above Travel health insurance Baggage insurance Tips and personal expenses. DAY ITINERARY MEALS 1 Arrival and transfer to the hotel in Firenze, walking tour in the city centre 2 Visit of Garzoni Garden, Pinocchio Park, the Butterfly House and Villa Torrigiani B 3 Visit of two gardens in Firenze. Guided tour in Uffizi Gallery B 4 The Fineschi rose garden, guided tour of Siena and transfer in Umbria B - D 5 Guided tour of La Scarzuola and Orvieto B - L 6 Tour of Pienza and visit of Spoerri Garden B - L 7 Tour of Assisi and Trevi B - D 8 End of services B B = breakfast L = lunch D = dinner Taste and Slow Italy - Trasimeno Travel Sas, Via Novella 1/F, Castiglione del Lago, Perugia. Tel , Fax info@tasteandslowitaly.com