Four nights in Florence and three in the Val d’Orcia, a pairing that shows where the backgrounds of Renaissance paintings actually came from. Workshops still in family hands, Pienza and Montalcino, and the ridge roads between them.
Arrival and transfer to the hotel in the historic centre. The afternoon is free. Orientation walk at dusk along the Arno and over the Ponte Vecchio, followed by a welcome dinner in Oltrarno.
Morning guided visit to the cathedral complex, the Baptistery doors and Piazza della Signoria, then the David at the Accademia with a fixed entry slot. Independent lunch. Afternoon at the Uffizi with an art historian, a dozen rooms rather than the whole gallery.
Morning with a family workshop still in its original premises, a goldsmith, bookbinder or leather maker, depending on availability. Lunch at Santo Spirito. In the afternoon, the Brancacci chapel and San Miniato al Monte at the hour the light turns. Evening free.
Departure south with a morning in Siena: the Campo, the cathedral floor and the Palio contrade explained by a local guide. Lunch in the town. Arrival in the Val d’Orcia in the late afternoon at the countryside base, where the group stays for three nights.
Pienza on a quiet morning, with pecorino tasted at a farm where the sheep are milked on site. Lunch among the vines. Afternoon at Montalcino, with Brunello tasted in the cellars where it is aged and the producer pouring.
Morning at Bagno Vignoni and its thermal square, then the abbey of Sant’Antimo. In the afternoon, Montepulciano, walking the main street up to Piazza Grande and descending into a hillside cellar for Vino Nobile. Farewell dinner at the estate.
Morning transfer to Florence or Rome for onward flights, with a final stop at San Quirico d’Orcia and the Horti Leonini gardens for groups with later departures.
Splendido private tours
