WONDERFUL TUSCANY
DAY 1:
Check-in desk at
the Alitalia airways desk at London Heathrow airport
for flight AZ 426-l1 (check-in two hours before). Lunch will be
served during the flight. Arrival at Amerigo Vespucci airport in Florence at 2.40 p.m.,
where you will meet your tour guide. You will do a
little tour of the city centre, especially Piazza del
Duomo and you will visit the famous Uffizi gallery. In Piazza del Duomo
you will find a group of buildings in white, green and pink marble. They are
the Cathedral, the Giotto's Belltower
and the Baptistery. They mark the transition from medieval Florentine
architecture to the Renaissance period. Cosimo I
commissioned the Uffizi Gallery in 1560, to house the
offices of the Medici administration. Vasari designed
this unusual building in late-Renaissance style of a Romanesque church. You
should see a lot of wonderful work of art like The Annunciation by Simone
Martini, the Battle of San Romano by Paolo Uccello,
the Primavera by Botticelli, the Tondo
Doni by Michelangelo, the Flora by Titian and many
others beautiful paintings.
Dinner and
overnight in hotel Baglioni, in Florence.
DAY 2:
Breakfast in the
hotel and then departure by coach for Fiesole,
not far from the city centre of Florence. The Etruscans
founded Fiesole.
There are the remains of several Etruscans and roman buildings. You should also
see Piazza Mino da Fiesole, the Basilica of S.Alessandro
and the Convento di S.
Francesco. You should have a wonderful view of Florence.
After that you will go to the Piazzale
Michelangelo. From this vast esade overlooking the city, there is a
magnificent panoramic view. Near the Piazzale there
is the church of S. Miniato al Monte,
one of the finest examples of Florentine Romanesque architecture.
Lunch in the city centre in
a typical trattoria, "L'acqua
cotta" where there is a rustic atmosphere and traditional dishes.
You should spend your afternoon to do shopping or to
see other beautiful sights.
Dinner in the
hotel. After dinner you will go and see an Opera to "La Pergola theatre".
Overnight at the
hotel.
DAY 3:
Breakfast in the
hotel. After breakfast you will go to see Pitti Palace and Boboli gardens. Pitti palace is a building of the Renaissance architecture.
It was designed for the Pitti, a famous family in Florence. Here you should
visit the Palatine Gallery, the royal apartments, the Silver Museum
and the Costume Gallery. At Boboli gardens you should see many statues and
fountains. The park is a fine example of an Italian terraced garden with many
different perspectives.
Free lunch in the
city centre. After the lunch
departure by coach for Lucca where you will see the
cathedral of S.Martino with the belltower
and the Baptistery. The cathedral is the first example of Romanesque
architecture. The interiors Gothic in style and Romanesque
sculpture. In the city centre of Luccs you will also see S.Michele
in Foro church and the S.Frediano
church, a Romanesque building. In the old town you will see Piazza Napoleone, Via Fillungo, good for
shopping, Piazza dell'Anfiteatro. Via
Guinigi with Guinigi House
and the church of
S.Maria Forispartam.
Dinner and
overnight in the Hotel Napoleone in Lucca.
DAY 4:
Breakfast in the
hotel. In the morning you will be spend your time to see some interesting
sights in the city or to do shopping.
Free lunch and
then departure by coach for Pisa. In the afternoon visit of the city. In the square of
miracles you will see the famous leaning tower of Pisa,
the cathedral, the Baptistery and the Camposanto. The
Cathedral has the major characteristics of the Pisan
Romanesque style. Inside the church you should find the splendid pulpit by
Giovanni Pisano. In Pisa you will also see the Sinopie museum, the museum of the cathedral. Dinner and overnight in the Hotel Sinopie.
DAY 5:
Breakfast in the
hotel and the departure by coach for Siena. Lunch in San Gimignano, countryside of Siena with vines and
olive trees.
In the afternoon visit of Siena. You will spend your afternoon to see
Piazza del Campo with the public palace, the Mangia
tower. The public palace it is exceptionally elegant and austere and it
constitutes a synthesis of all the characteristics of the Sienese
Gothic style. You will visit the cathedral with its museum and the baptistery. Departure by coach for Florence.
Dinner and overnight
in the hotel Baglioni in Florence.
DAY 6:
Breakfast in the
hotel. Departure by e at 10.00 a.m. for London. Check-in at Amerigo Vespucci airport for the
flight AZ 654-l3 at 12.00 a.m. (check-in two hours before). Lunch will be
served during the flight. Arrival at London Heathrow airport
at 1.30p.m.
