Day 1: Arrive Florence
Arrive at Florence Airport or Santa Maria Novella Station. Transfer to your 3-star hotel in the historic center near the San Lorenzo market. Afternoon: orientation walk — Piazza del Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and the Ponte Vecchio at sunset. Welcome aperitivo. Overnight Florence.
Day 2: Florence — The Renaissance City
Free day to explore Florence independently. Recommended: the Accademia Gallery (Michelangelo’s David — book ahead), climb Brunelleschi’s Duomo dome (463 steps), the Uffizi Gallery, or the Bargello sculpture museum. Afternoon: cross the Arno to the Oltrarno quarter — artisan workshops, the Pitti Palace, and the Boboli Gardens. Evening: sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo with Florence’s iconic skyline. Overnight Florence.
Day 3: Siena, San Gimignano & Chianti — The Medieval Heart of Tuscany
Shared day excursion. Morning drive through Chianti to Siena. Guided walking tour: the shell-shaped Piazza del Campo (one of Europe’s most beautiful squares), the Palazzo Pubblico, and Siena’s stunning Duomo. Free time to explore Siena’s contrade (neighborhoods) and sample panforte, the city’s famous spiced cake. Continue to a Chianti winery for lunch with wine tasting. Afternoon: San Gimignano — the ‘Medieval Manhattan’ with 14 towers commanding the skyline. Walk the fortress, taste gelato at the world-champion Gelateria Dondoli, and shop for saffron and Vernaccia wine. Return to Florence evening. Overnight Florence.
Day 4: Pisa & Lucca — Leaning Tower & Renaissance Walls
Morning: Pisa. The Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles) with its gleaming white marble ensemble: the Leaning Tower (optional climb), the Romanesque Cathedral, the Baptistery, and the Camposanto. Afternoon: Lucca — Tuscany’s most charming walled city, encircled by intact Renaissance ramparts that you can walk or bike around (4.2 km). Explore the oval Piazza dell’Anfiteatro (built on the footprint of a Roman amphitheater), climb the Guinigi Tower with its famous rooftop trees, and visit the San Martino Cathedral with the Volto Santo (a wooden crucifix said to be carved by Nicodemus). Lucca is also Puccini’s birthplace — the great opera composer’s home is now a museum. Return to Florence. Overnight Florence.
Day 5: Cinque Terre — Five Lands of the Italian Riviera
Full-day shared excursion to the Cinque Terre, the five cliff-hanging villages of the Ligurian coast (UNESCO). Travel by coach to La Spezia, then by train between the villages. Walk the famous Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane) between Riomaggiore and Manarola — one of the world’s most romantic coastal paths, carved into the cliff face. Visit colorful Vernazza (arguably the prettiest), the tiny harbor of Corniglia perched on its promontory, and Monterosso al Mare with its sandy beach. Time for a swim in the Ligurian Sea, tasting local Sciacchetra dessert wine, and a pesto lunch (Liguria is the birthplace of pesto alla genovese). Return to Florence evening. Overnight Florence.
Day 6: San Lorenzo Market & Medici Florence
Free day for independent exploration. Morning: the Mercato Centrale (San Lorenzo Market) — the ground floor is a traditional food market; upstairs is a gourmet food hall with artisanal stalls. Visit the Medici Chapels — Michelangelo’s New Sacristy with the allegorical sculptures of Dawn, Dusk, Night, and Day, and the opulent Chapel of the Princes. Afternoon: the Basilica of Santa Croce — the ‘Temple of the Italian Glories’ where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini are buried. Evening: last Florentine dinner — lampredotto sandwich from a tripe cart for the adventurous, or bistecca alla Fiorentina for the traditional. Overnight Florence.
Day 7: Monteriggioni & Free Day
Morning optional excursion to Monteriggioni — the perfectly preserved medieval fortress village, its 14 towers on the walls exactly as Dante described them in the Divine Comedy: ‘Monteriggioni crowns itself with towers.’ Walk the complete circuit of the walls. Afternoon free for last-minute shopping — the San Lorenzo leather market, the Ponte Vecchio jewelers, or the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (one of the world’s oldest pharmacies, founded by Dominican friars in 1221). Farewell dinner. Overnight Florence.
Day 8: Departure
Transfer to Florence Airport or station. Arrivederci Firenze!
