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Liguria and Northern Tuscany
offered by supplier M18361 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 8
day(s)
Group Size: 10
- 50
people
Destination(s):
Italy
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: No
Minimum Per Person Price: 960 Euro (EUR)
Maximum Per Person Price: 1000 Euro (EUR)
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Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Camogli. Arrival and check in at the hotel. An overnight stay.
Day 2: The harbor and the old town of Genoa. After breakfast, we will devote the day to Genoa. It is quite impossible to trace the numerous tones characterizing this city, a city that owes its fortune to an inseparable blend of its geographical location, propensity toward the sea, its merchants’ vocations, and its interactions with oriental civilizations. The city is a natural productive area that opens up to the sea and well protected from the mountains behind.
The Porto Vecchio, the old dock, and the galleries of Palazzo Bianco and Palazzo Rosso, as well as the ancient and splendid duomo of San Lorenzo, make this important Mediterranean seaport a fascinating visit. With its tangle of narrow streets bursting with traffic, its wonderful aquarium and many other attractions, this ancient cultural crossroads has much to offer to the curious traveler. Lunch at a restaurant based on Genoa specialties as “trofi e al pesto”. After our guided tour, leisure time will be available to fully appreciate this town. In the evening we drive back to our hotel for an overnight stay. (139 km)
Day 3: Portofino and San Fruttuoso. After breakfast we will travel to Santa Margherita Ligure and sail to Portofino, an attractive and fashionable town previously quoted by Plinio, and used by sailors as a secure harbor along the coast. Today this protected jewel, hidden in an inlet, is considered an exclusive tourist destination. Not far from the resort town, to the west, the solitary massive structure of San Fruttuoso reflects itself into the sea. The abbey complex owes its most remote origin to the Bishop of Tarragona, who arrived here in order to insure the safety of the ashes of San Fruttuoso from the Arabs. In the 13th century, the Dorias gave new life to this picturesque and almost inaccessible township. In the evening, back to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. (50 km)
Day 4: Oil of the “ Levante” (eastern) coast and Portovenere. Our guided tour through one of the most famous oil mills of the eastern coast will allow us to meet with the flavor of this very impressive extra virgin olive oil of Sestri Levante, made from local olives. Here oil contains the organoleptic qualities of fruits grown on trees scattered on small pieces of land, built in terraces across the hinterland. Next, we will be heading to La Spezia and sail to Portovenere, where we can enjoy a walk through this ancient sea village. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.(257 km)
Day 5: Cinque Terre and Sciacchetrà wine. After breakfast we reach one of the most beloved and known sites on the Italian coast, Le Cinque Terre, referring to five uniquely located villages; from east towards west: the beautiful Riomaggiore linked to Manarola by the famous via dell’Amore or Lovers’ Lane, Corniglia at the very edge of a cliff; the noble Vernazza with an urban structure that reveals its antique magnificence, and Monterosso, the village loved by the Italian poet Eugenio Montale, Nobel prize 1975. These five villages were once reachable only by the sea.
Even today this district is not equipped with roads for cars, but valleys and small harbors, splendid churches and narrow paths, terraces and picturesque villages only can be enjoyed either by a pleasant walk or by train. The area is under the law as a National Park, that also spreads out towards the sea. During the day there will be an opportunity to visit a wine cellar that produces Sciacchetrà wine, that either sweet or dry perfectly matches with any dessert. In the evening we will arrive to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. (200km)
Day 6: Versilia and Lucca. After breakfast we are ready to start our journey through Versilia, a fascinating territory along the coast, with long beaches, luxuriant pine woods and the Apuane Alps at the back, rich in marble quarries that were already in use when Michelangelo lived and worked at his beautiful sculptures. We will have our lunch in Viareggio, the most trendy town of the area; we will be at “Romano,” a gourmet restaurant, to enjoy “il Piatto del Buonricordo,” the so called Good Memories dish, farro soup, vegetables and fish.
In the afternoon the lovely town of Lucca, which is surrounded by large walls, will welcome us with its beautiful architectural structures such as its medieval Cathedral, which houses the grave of Ilaria del Carretto, and the Piazza Anfi teatro, built as a Roman amphitheater. These are only two of the thousands of good reasons for visiting this sophisticated city, rich and secluded. In the evening we will arrive to the hotel for an overnight stay. (171 km)
Day 7: Local cuisine, wines and oil. In the morning we take a full immersion course in local cuisine. Our lunch at the restaurant will be a double pleasure, also based on what we’ve been learning. In the afternoon we will visit a winery of the “Strada del vino e dell’olio Lucca and Montecarlo”. Not only great wines, also scented extra virgin olive oil.Back to the hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. (86 km)
Day 8: Departure. After breakfast, we travel back to Camogli. (143 km).
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Also see tour packages in:
Europe
Italy
Cultural Journey
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