Italian Oceans and Hilltowns Itinerary, Sept 13-25, 2010

OK, folks, here it is!  The long-awaited itinerary for the September tour!  Deposits to hold your spot are due Tuesday, June 8, 2010, two weeks from today.  The deposit is $500, is nonrefundable and is applied toward the total tour cost, which is 3595 Euro.  At today's incredibly favorable exchange rate, that's less than $4500.  For 11 nights with all these transfers, meals, wine, and added bonuses, this is a great deal!
Day 0 – 1 Monday - Tuesday

Depart Mon Sept 13, 2010. Fly overnight to Europe. Arrive Florence airport on Tues Sept 14. Transfer to our centrally-located Florence accommodation.

By the time we get settled in, it will be late afternoon/early evening. Tour guests can choose to either rest or wander a bit of Oltrarno and maybe head over the Ponte Vecchio to admire all the gold jewelry and medieval storefronts, before heading back to a welcome dinner. Tonight we will enjoy our “sogni d’oro,” (dreams of gold) because we are in Italy!

Day 2 (really our first full day in Italy) – Sept 15 Wednesday

Following breakfast at our hotel, we will head out this morning to enjoy this Renaissance city, strolling along the Via Calzaiuoli (street of cobblers – shoe stores galore!), and further into the city toward the Duomo and the Campanile di Giotto (Giotto’s Bell Tower). Those who dare to climb it with me get treated to a Vin Santo tonight! Free time in the afternoon to wander the street markets, shop for purses, see the replica of Michelangelo’s “David” in the Piazza della Signoria (free and fast!), or maybe explore the Santa Croce area and visit the Leather School. Dinner together tonight to talk about how thrilled we are to be in Florence!
Day 3 – Sept 16 Thursday

Following breakfast we will transfer today by train to Lucca (greater Lucca area pop. 86,000; pop. within medieval walls 8,000), and test our wits in a cab from the Lucca train station to our centrally-located B&B. It’s a quick stroll to the unique, tree-topped Torre Guinigi, which we can climb for a view over the red tiled rooftops of this walled city. Then we head to the Piazza Anfiteatro for some sightseeing and shopping. Free time in the afternoon for you to stroll atop the famed medieval walls of this proud Etruscan city and have some personal time before joining together for dinner at a wonderful Lucchese restaurant. Dinner together tonight to celebrate being in this lovely town!

Day 4 – Sept 17 -Friday

Following breakfast, we will board the train and take a day-long excursion to the Cinque Terre, a string of 5 isolated, rugged villages clinging to the cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean. We will search together for the best pesto, the most flavorful wine, lemon-flavored honey, local olive oil, and locally-made handicrafts in this UNESCO Natural World Heritage Park. This is a day to admire the colorful architecture, breathe deeply of the sea air, and get some exercise as we climb and descend the often-steep and always-quaint village streets. Enjoy a little wine education courtesy of your Tour Leader during dinner together before we return to our peaceful retreat in Lucca.

Day 5 – Sept 18 – Sat - Free Morning

This morning is yours to do as you please – catch up on your sleep, write some postcards, check out the local markets, do some shopping, or maybe rent a bicycle and ride on the medieval walls that encircle the town. Take some time today and just experience what it feels like to be in Italy – stop by a little bar and order yourself a caffe’ or a glass of wine. Try to order in Italian. People watch. Listen to the language. Watch Italian women walk together arm-in-arm. Just be… in Italy. Then meet your Tour Organizer at 12:30 for an excursion into the Lucchese hills for a lovely Tuscan lunch in a farmhouse and then a visit to an olive oil maker.  We will taste the locally-produced olive oil as well as some local wines before returning to Lucca about 5:30.  Tomorrow we leave Tuscany and head to Umbria! Dinner on your own tonight (your Tour Leader can make recommendations or you can find your own spot!).

Day 6 – Sept 19 - Sunday

Following breakfast, we will head to Orvieto in Umbria. Along the way our driver will drop us in “San Gimignano delle belle Torri” (San Gimignano of the beautiful towers, pop. 7100), one of the best-preserved hill towns in all of Tuscany. In fact, San Gimignano has been made a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still has 14 towers remaining from the 11th-13th centuries. We will wander the hilly streets and explore the Piazza Duomo and the Piazza della Cisterna (an ancient cistern has been in operation for over 1000 years in this piazza). Before taking off for Orvieto, Umbria, you may wish to visit the famous gelateria and perhaps try the Crema di Santa Fina (orange cream gelato flavored with vanilla bean pods), or the famous Sorbetto alla Vernaccia, another specialty flavor found only here. You may want to pick up a bottle of local Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a white wine made in this region since the Renaissance. We will then drive to Orvieto (pop. 21,000), check into our lovely centrally-located hotel, and call it a day – a great day! Settle into our Orvieto hotel and enjoy dinner at your Tour Leader’s favorite pizzeria.

Day 7 – Sept 20 Mon

Following breakfast at our hotel, we will admire the glorious façade of the Duomo before getting our admission tickets to the Orvieto sights. Enjoy the Orvieto underground with a local guide and then rejoin your Tour Leader for an escorted walk through town to the Etruscan necropolis, an ancient burial ground at the base of the tufa bluff on which this city rests. The afternoon is yours to explore a bit on your own, do some shopping (great leather masks here!) or take a short bus ride (included) to Il Pozzo di San Patrizio (St. Patrick’s Well), a mere 248 steps down a spiral staircase at the edge of town. Of course, what you descend, you must then ascend! It’s fun, really! Dinner together tonight for traditional Umbrian fare.

Day 8 – Sept 21 Tues

After breakfast at our Orvieto hotel, we will depart by private driver to transfer to Sorrento (population 16,000), the gateway to the Amalfi coast.  We will stop along the way for snacks and drinks, as this is a longer transfer (4 to 5 hrs).  Sorrento is a beautiful seaside resort town about 35 miles south of Naples, overlooking the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius. We will spend 3 glorious nights in Sorrento, so unpack your bags and relax! Upon our arrival, we will check into our magnificent accommodation and then explore a bit of Sorrento together. Free time before dinner together tonight to try some specialities of the Campania region.

Day 9 – Sept 22 Wed Free Day

Today is yours to do as you please. You may wish to do nothing but sleep and walk on the beach, or shop for handmade sandals and limoncello. Or you might like to book an excursion to Pompeii. Enjoy being in this Mediterranean paradise! Lunch and dinner on your own.

Day 10 – Sept 23 Thurs

Breakfast at our accommodation or at a local cafe'.  Then we head off together by hydrofoil to explore the famous town of Positano (population 4,000), where we can disembark for some shopping and exploring along the Spiaggia Grande (large beach). Positano was the colorful hillside town full of narrow, twisty streets featured in “Under the Tuscan Sun,” when Diane Lane put on her white dress and drove to the coast in search of her Italian lover. We aren’t making a movie, but we’ll feel like we’re living a dream! After a day of exploring, we return to Sorrento to attend our cooking class!  We will be making pizza as well as a traditional Italian entree' and dessert.  We will cook and laugh and eat on the terrace by the pool!  Then it's back to our accommodation to pack our bags for our last adventure.

Day 11 – Friday Sept 24

Check out of our Sorrento accommodation and transfer to Rome.  Check into our accommodation, and prepare to carry all our luggage up numerous flights of stairs, as if there weren’t enough stairs on the Amalfi coast! We are in the heart of Rome – a perfect spot for shopping, eating, and feeling what the Eternal City is all about. Enjoy a brief walking tour of this part of Rome with an excellent local guide. We will toss our coins into the Trevi Fountain to ensure our return trip to Italy! Then we will enjoy our farewell dinner together in the vicinity of our hotel and reminisce about all we have seen, learned, and felt. We will try to cram everything we’ve bought into our luggage, and try to get some sleep tonight. Your Tour Leader knows just the place to buy quality, durable luggage if you do find yourself needing another bag for the trip home! Buona notte. (Extra nights in Rome can be arranged.)

Day 12 – Sat Sept 25

Check out by 7:30 am, private transfer to Fiumicino airport . Arrivederci, and Thank you for traveling with us! ‘Til next time...