Day one: (d) ARRIVE IN: FLORENCE ITALYBY 1:00 PMYour English speaking guide will greet you upon your arrival at the airport and transport you to beautiful Montecatini Termi to check in at your 4* Grand Hotel Croce di Malta or comparable. You will have the balance of the afternoon to relax and refresh after your flight, and stroll around the adjoining parks or town.You guide will join you later at the hotel for an aperitif and a welcoming dinner at the hotel. (D)

Day Two: (BL) GOLFERS ROUND 1:After breakfast a driver will transport the golfers to play Montecatini Golf Club. The terrain of this club, and its’ restored classic manor house, showcase the beauty of the Tuscan countryside. The course follows the natural contours through the forest and over streams and small lakes, and is surrounded by hills dotted with farmhouses, villas, and groves of cypress and olive trees. www.Montecatinigolf.comThe non- golfers will have a morning at leisure. You have this time to use the facilities at the hotel spa or pool, shop in town, or walk through the adjoining park to the magnificent Terme Tettuccio Montecatini Spa. This Tuscan treasure, dating back to the 18th century, consists of multiple historical buildings that contain thermo springs and pools, and are arranged within an oasis of parks. The golfers and non-golfers will join together in the afternoon to visit an off the beaten path village Monte Carlo, where you will be taken to, and given a chance to perform in, the second smallest opera house in the world. After this tour you will enjoy a wine tasting at a nearby small winery and then be returned to your hotel for dinner on your own. (B, wine tasting)

Day Three:(BLd) Today after breakfast, you depart with your guide on an adventurous day trip. Your first stop will be in Pisa to view the famous leaning tower and surrounding village. After this stop you will continue on through the rolling countryside to a small villa where the owners will treat you to a light lunch and a tasting of their famous organic extra virgin olive oil. After lunch you continue on through the Arno valley to Lucca. In 56 BC this ancient medieval city was the site where Caesar, Pompey and Crassus affirmed the alliance known as the first Triumvirate. This Christian town, completely surrounded by the best preserved European 17th century ramparts, contains over 100 churches, historic squares, and an oval shaped plaza that once was a Roman Amphitheater. After this guided tour you will travel back to your hotel to relax and refresh before your guide transports you to enjoy dinner at a small Ristorante in the hilltop village of Montecatini Alto. (BLD)

Day Four: (B) GOLFERS ROUND 2:After breakfast a driver will take the golfers to Florence to play Feienze Circolo del Golf dell’ Ugolino. This beautiful golf club, with its’ restored manor club house and new pro shop, takes full advantage of its’ hilly contours as it winds through the cypress trees. The course features lush fairways and small well defended greens. www.golfugolino.itYour guide will transport the non-golfers to the legendary and historic city of Florence, known as the birthplace of the Renaissance. This cities wealth of art, culture, and architectural monuments, showcases periods of rule by different religious families. You will have the morning to wander through the outside San Lorenzo market famous for Italian leather goods, the indoor Mercato Centrale food and produce market, or the Mercato Delle “Pulci” flea market. If shopping doesn’t interest you, then stroll the streets or visit a museum of your choice.After lunch at the club (not included) the golfers will join you in Florence. Your reunited group will then have a private tour of Florence which includes The Academy Gallery ( Michelangelos’ David), Point Vecchio, Brunelleschis’ Duomo and much more.After this tour you will have time to wander the city and have dinner on your own before you are transported back to your hotel. (B)

Day Five: (BL) After breakfast you will check out of your hotel. If you thought that yesterday was special, today your group is off on a new adventure. You will travel through the legendary Chianti countryside to your first stop at Vicchiomaggio Castle. This hilltop castle with its’ panoramic views of the countryside affords you a chance to step back in time as you stroll through the beautiful grounds and find yourself slowing down to the real pace of Tuscan living. Your group will be treated to a great lunch and a tasting of fine wines. Your group will then continue on to the tiny village of Greve where you will have time to walk through its’ beautiful square and visit the Macelleria Falorni butcher shop and cheese cellar, the oldest in Italy. This shop founded in 1729 uses regional spices to season their beef, pork and wild boar. Continuing on through the countryside you will be given picture taking opportunities before arriving at your new hotel the 4* Hotel Palazzo Niccolo in Radda, or for the August tour the Hotel Palazzo Squarcialupi in Castellina (or comparable). Tonight you will be free to stroll through the cobblestone streets and have dinner on your own. (BL-wine tasting)

Day six: (B) GOLFERS: ROUND 3Today the golfers will be driven to play Royal Golf Club Bagnaia near Siena. This prestigious course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., flows seamlessly through the Tuscan landscape. It is a masterpiece of course design injected into the artistry of the Tuscan countryside. This links course with its restored manor house/clubhouse features many small lakes. www.labagnaiaresort.com/en/golfThe non-golfers will enjoy a leisurely Tuscan breakfast and then your guide will depart with your group to Siena where you will have time to stroll the cobblestone streets, visit the shops and markets, and have lunch on your own at one of the local Trattorias. The golfers will reunite with you after lunch and you will be free to tour this village for the afternoon. You will be taken in by the charm of this small town as the atmosphere within its’ medieval walls attempts to return you to the middle ages.The towns’ heart and focal point, the Plazza Compo, is the largest of the towns plazzas. Today you get to choose what you want to see. Visit the magnificent Duomo, the museums Civico or Dell Opera, or perhaps the medieval monument Santa Maria della Scalla with its’ frescoed halls and chapels. Walk down the small streets and alleyways, be amazed by the Italian Gothic architecture, and take time to sit in one of the many small cafes that adjoin the plazzas and enjoy a coffee or a glass of wine.After this visit you will return to your hotel for dinner on your own. (B)

Day seven: (B) After breakfast your group departs with your guide on a drive through some of the loveliest Tuscan countryside to visit the Sienese hill town of San Gimignano. This village, the town of Fine Towers “delle Belle Torri”, once contained over 70 towers, some built for defense and some just to satisfy the ego of their wealthy owners. Some call this village the medieval skyscraper village even though only 15 of these towers remain. This UNESCO heritage town, from the 9th to the 14th Centuries, was once very important as a stop for pilgrims going to Rome and as a regional trade center. The village, with its’ architectural heritage, narrow streets, Duomo, museums and Castle, gives you the feeling that you have been transported back in time. You will then visit the Tenuta Torciano winery for a tasting of the fine local super Tuscan wines. This winery, in a funny and informal way, teaches you how to drink and really enjoy wine. After lunch on your own you will travel on to Monteriggioni, one of the most classical Italian walled towns, standing high on a natural hill overlooking the Elsa valley. This hill town, built in the 13th Century, is surrounded by walls that are guarded by 14 towers. This preserved fortress hamlet was immortalized in “Dantes’ Inferno” in which he compares the towers to giants in an Abyss. After this stop you and your guide will drive back to your hotel for dinner on your own. (B, wine tasting)

Day eight: (Bd) Today, after breakfast and check out, your group again goes off the beaten path to a spectacular location to tour the extraordinary Brolio Castle, dating back to the 12th Century. This castle, was the stage for historic battles through the ages, and was repaired many times. Thus the castle displays medieval fortified bastions, Neo Gothic and Romanesque additions, and 19th century Tuscan details. Castello di Brolio, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves, and forests of chestnut and oak trees, is considered to be the birthplace of Chianti wine. Your tour continues on through vineyards and pretty pastoral countryside to Montalcino famous for “Brunello di Montalcino” wine dating back to the 14th century. Your group will have a tasting of these wines. Walk through this village, visit the Duomo, wander the maze of alleys and streets in the Centro Storico, view the coat of arms on the Palazzo Communale, and stop at the Musei Riunti. At the towns highest point you arrive at a fairy tale 14th century fortress/castle that when it was completed found its’ design ill equipped to withstand the new fighting machine-artillery. From the ramparts your magnificent view stretches almost to Siena. Your group will then travel on towards the Orcia valley to your new hotel the Grand Hotel Excelsior (or comparable) in Chianciano Terme. You will have time to relax and enjoy the village before dinner at the hotel. (BD, wine tasting)

Day Nine: (B) Southern Tuscany with its’ volcanic pale grey hillsides, castles, farmhouses, vineyards and cypress trees is Tuscany at its’ best. Following breakfast you begin the day with a drive to the small Renaissance town Pienza lying in southern Tuscany near Umbria. Pienza, one of the most charming towns in Tuscany was made famous as the birthplace of Pope Pius II in 1458. Conceived as a utopian new town, due to its’ grid of perfectly laid out streets, this village is an early example of attempts at urban planning. The Piazza Pio II, laid out in the form of a trapezoid, has the Cathedral, Bishops palace, and the Palazzo’s Piccalomini and Comunale as anchors. Because of the town hall, Papal Palace, and cardinals residences’ Pienza became known as the miniature Vatican, and also for Picorino di Pienza cheese, the best in the Siena province. Leaving the “Ideal City” behind you continue on to one of the highest and most attractive Tuscan hill towns- Montepulciano. This village, lying along a ridgeline, affords stunning vistas of the countryside. The beauty of its’ Renaissance architecture, seen in its’ churches, castle, and piazzas, stems originally from Rossellino’s work in Pienza, and later to the works of Pignola, Songallo, and the Baroque architect Vignola. This town is also known for its’ pork, cheese, pasta and honey. You will be treated to a tasting of wines produced from the famous Montepulciano grapes. You will then return to your hilltop hotel to relax, admire the view from the pool, or stroll through the village and have dinner on your own. (B wine tasting)

Day Ten: (Bd) GOLFERS: ROUND 4This morning a driver will take the golfers to Antognolla Golf Club considered to be one of the most spectacular in Italy, a design masterpiece of Robert Trent Jones Jr. The cliff lined fairways, lakes, and views of the adjoining medieval castle afford golfers 18 holes of pure pleasure. www.antognollagolf.comToday your guide will take the non-golfers to Perugia, an enchanting hilltop town with a maze of rambling streets and alleyways. You will be free to roam through its’ historic center, shop, visit the Duomo, or one of the villages fine museums or churches.After lunch on your own you will be reunited with the golfers to depart to Lake Trasimeno, the longest lake on the Italian peninsula. En route your first stop will be at the lovely village of Passignano, a town that combines nature, history, art and folklore. Then it’s on to Cortona, the village and filming location for the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun”. Cortona, about 3000 years old, is surrounded by Estruscan walls. Wander its’ medieval streets, the only flat one being the Via Nationale, or take in a romantic view of the countryside from the ramparts. Stroll down to the main plaza and admire the colorful sandstone buildings.Finally you arrive in Castiglion del lago built on what once was an island in the lake. The pentagonal shaped Castello del Leone with four towers, and the Palazzo del Comune and town hall museum, are the two major town landmarks.After taking time to visit the town you will be treated to a farewell Italian dinner featuring local dishes and then return to your hotel to watch the Tuscan sunset. (BD)

day eleven After breakfast a driver will transport you back to the Florence airport to return home or continue on with your travels. Plan your airport departure time for midday or later. Additional tours are available to Rome, Northern Italy-Lakes of Lombardy, Rome, Slovenia, or Croatia. END of Tour