Guided Holidays

Maggie will meet you at Marco Polo Airport and guide you to the delightful Hotel Canaletto, not far from the famous Rialto Bridge. Unpack and settle in and step outside for a delicious taste of this unique city, on a short orientation walk with Maggie. Continue exploring or if you’ve succumbed to jet-lag, back to the Hotel for an afternoon nap! We’ll meet up in the evening for our “welcome dinner” at a local Trattoria.

Venice is one of the few cities in the world that can truly be described as unique. The secret to seeing and discovering the real romance and beauty of VENEZIA is to walk. You can become lost for hours in the narrow winding streets, crossing dozens of bridges, with an irresistible photo opportunity at every turn. Spend the morning wandering with Maggie. This is her favourite city in the world, and there’s nothing she loves more, than sharing her passion with new comers. See the Rialto Bridge and markets. Buy a leather handbag, or a piece of jewellery made of glass. Head to the ‘less touristy’ area of Dorsoduro, and sit in Campo San Barnaba, eat pizza, and watch the Venetians living in their city. You may like to visit Peggy Guggenheim’s great modern art collection, or the Accademia, home to the world’s greatest collection of Venetian paintings. The choices are endless!  Afternoon and evening free.

Saturday is market day in Campo Santa Margherita. Experience a typical local weekly food market – then sit with a coffee at an outdoor café and people watch. We will visit the splendid Doges Palace, a triumph of Gothic architecture with a guide. In the afternoon, you can explore the Basilica di San Marco. See the flooring of intricate designs in marble, and it’s walls of dazzling gilded mosaics, the oldest dating from around 1063. Climb the stairs to the Galleria and be rewarded with wonderful views of the interior, while the terrace offers equally captivating vistas of the Piazza below. Afternoon and evening free.

Today is a free day, for you to wander, eat, shop and rest as you please. Treat yourself to coffee at the famous Florian’s café, a ‘bellini’ at Harry’s Bar, a gentle ride on a Gondola.  Evening free.

After breakfast, we’ll walk to the vaporetto stop, hop on a No 42, and head across the Lagoon to the Islands of Murano [glass making] and Burano [lace making], where we can enjoy lunch surrounded by the colourful cottages of the island. Return to Venice in your own time, but make sure you get to the Grand Canal before sunset. Enjoy cruising along, as the lights come on, and the sun goes down over the water.  Evening free.

Today we’ll venture to the mainland with a Local Expert Guide. Travelling by minibus, we’ll spend the full day visiting the beautiful hill country of the Veneto, north of Venice. Framed by the Dolomites, the area is rich in natural beauty, enchanting villages, delightful gardens and elegant renaissance palaces. We’ll end our day on the spectacular Prosecco wine road, visiting a celebrated vineyard with stunning views of the terraced slopes and sipping a glass or two of Italy’s delightful bubbly – Prosecco.     Evening free.

Today we bid arrivederci to Venice, and board the fast train heading south to Lucca, our destination for the next four nights. Nestled between Florence and the Mediterranean Sea, Lucca is one of the few cities in Italy to have its original medieval city walls in tact. More than 200 years ago, these walls were turned into avenues and parklands and have been a major attraction of the city ever since. In an hour or so, you can stroll around the entire wall. Taking in the day to day life of this fascinating town, stopping for photos, peaking into walled gardens of renaissance villas, imagining the solders at their guard posts, it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon or two. After checking into our hotel, Palazzo Alexander, Maggie will lead you on an orientation walk around the town and onto the ramparts. Evening free.

After breakfast, our mini-bus will be waiting to escort us to the hills behind Lucca, where some of the most beautiful villas of the 16th century, are to be found – famous not only for their elegant architecture but also for the gardens and grounds that surround them. We’ll have leasurely lunch and wine tasting at a vineyard trattoria, enjoying a seasonal menu and plenty of wine. After lunch, there’ll be time for one more magnificent villa, before we head for home. Evening free.

This morning will be free time for shopping or further exploring of Lucca. At 3pm, we’ll join a walking tour lead by a local guide. There is much to see, including the small circular piazza with entrances at the four points of the compass which stands on the site of the town’s Roman amphitheatre. The beautiful church of San Frediano, founded by an Irish saint, the statue of Lucca’s favourite son, Puccini, the fine Duomo in the Pisan style, alongside its own museum. Located over the old Roman forum, and named for it, is another grand church: San Michele in Foro. There will be time after for art-lovers who want to explore the Pinacoteca Nazionale, the town’s art gallery and the Museo Guinigi, which contains sculpture as well as paintings. The Palazzo Pfanner built in 1667 with its beautiful formal garden is a perfect way to finish the days’ walking – follow it with a cool glass of wine in the piazza.  Evening free.

Another full day ahead. We’ll transfer from Lucca to San Gimignano, on the way we’ll stop in Pisa to visit the breathtaking “Piazza dei Miracoli” and its stunning monuments, including the famous leaning tower then a visit to the “magic and mysterious” city of Volterra with its three thousand years of history. Arriving in the medieval hill town of San Gimignano [pronounced gim-en-yarno], we’ll check into our charming B&B. The rooms of this 200 year old townhouse, have recently been restored and updated, offering modern comfort but retaining the feel of the old architecture. Rich in history art and culture, and surrounded by the beautiful patchwork Tuscan countryside of vineyards and olive groves there is plenty to do inside and outside the walls of this ancient town. Acoustics in the churches and the small, sumptuously decorated theatre are wonderful, so look out for posters advertising the concerts for this week. On our days exploring the beautiful countryside, and fascinating villages and towns of central Tuscany, we’ll travel in comfort, in an 8 seater mini-bus, with an experienced, English speaking driver. We can sit back and enjoy the sights……

After a leisurely start this morning, we will join a walking tour led by an expert local guide, who will bring to life the history of this historically important and fascinating town.  We’ll finish at the town hall where anyone  with energy to burn and the desire for more fantastic panoramic photos, can climb the Torre Grossa, the tallest tower in the city.  Rest of the afternoon and evening free.

oday our mini-bus will pick us up at 9.30, and we’ll set off on our travels in the heart of Toscana. Starting in the hill top village of Certaldo, we’ll visit the old town hall, then the tiny village of Monteriggioni encircled by its perfectly preserved 13th century walls, where we’ll have lunch.  After which we’ll head to Colle Val d’Elsa, spend some time exploring this delightful village. We’ll return to San Gimignano  later in the afternoon.  Evening free.

Today is free for you to wander at leisure. Shopping in San Gimignano is very good, and there are a number of museums and galleries which might take your fancy.  Stop for a coffee or a delicious hot chocolate at café on the piazza, rest your feet, and enjoy watching village life. Lunch can be had at one of the many outdoor cafes or overlooking the breathtaking beauty of the countryside. Spend the afternoon further exploring the  churches, museums, ramparts or art galleries.  Evening free.

Moving day today. Pack up, breakfast, and say ciao to San Gimignanao, Marco will b waiting for us. We’ll load the minibus with ourselves and our luggage [slightly heavier after the shopping done here], and head for the hills. The Chianti Hills that is – arguably some of the most stunning landscape in Italy. We’ll stop in Radda and Greve, lunch and try some wine at a winery and eventually arrive at our final destination – our hotel in the medieval heart of Siena.

This morning we’ll meet our local guide for a two hour walk, taking in the wonderful sights and the historical significance of this charming city. Starting in the Piazza del Campo, one of Italy’s loveliest squares completed in 1349 and finishing at the Duomo, its spectacular Romanesque-Gothic architecture, will amaze you, from the intricate inlaid marble floor, to its vaulted ceiling, painted blue with bold stars to resemble the night sky, and the stunning frescos in the Piccolomini Library. Perhaps we’ll lunch together afterwards, in a nearby Trattoria where the pizza is excellent!

Have a hearty breakfast today, as we’ve got a big day ahead. Marco and our mini-bus will pick us up, and while enjoying the views of the countryside, we’ll be on our way south, stopping in the villages of Pienza and Montepulciano, each with its own character and charm. Then onto the Abby of St Antimo which dates from 781, and the monks still sing Gregorian chant. We will lunch at a nearby Trattoria enjoying good simple local food and wine. Our last stop for the day is the town of Montalcino. With its enormous 14th-century fortress and timeless streets, with an array of interesting shops, it’s a pleasure to wander. We’ll then head back to Siena, with the sun setting behind the hills. Evening free.

Today is a free day, if you are not shopping you might like to visit the magnificent Palazzo Pubblico, while continuing its ancient role as Siena’s town hall, its medieval rooms and the Museo Civico are open to the public, and are well worth a visit. Evening free.

Our last moving day, we’ll pack up the van again and head to Florence.  Taking the scenic route, we’ll stop in the way for coffee and lunch, and visit Fiesole.  Sitting atop a hill just to the north west of Florence, it offers wonderful panoramas of the city below.  Then on to our hotel in the heart of Florence where we’ll check in, unpack pack ready for our last few days.   Evening free.

We’ll join our local guide on a three hour walk. Strolling through the centro storico, we’ll see monuments of the city including the Duomo – Cathedral of Florence, the Piazza della Signoria and the famed Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge lined today with goldsmiths that date back to the 16th Century, as well as exploring the back streets and hidden gems of this elegant renaissance city. After lunch you might like to visit the wonderful Boboli Gardens or the world famous Uffizi Gallery or the Leather Markets. Afternoons and evenings free.

Our last day in Tuscany is completely free. You’ll probably have last minute shopping and packing to do, or you may still want to visit a museum or gallery, or you may want to spend your last day soaking up the Italian atmosphere you’ve come to know and love so well by now. We’ll meet in the evening for our ‘farewell’dinner

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Say arrivederci and set off for your return flights, or further travel. You can travel by train to Pisa, Rome or Milan for flight connections. Maggie will be happy to arrange this for you.