Italy Travel Tours

Posts Tagged ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’

Your Italy Travel Tours can follow the path of a best-selling novel by American writer Frances Mayes.  Mayes is best known for her book Under the Tuscan Sun, an adventure of renewal and rebirth experienced in Tuscany after the author’s divorce from her husband.  Many Americans seek to retrace the steps taken by Mayes on this important period of her life.

Ask your tour guide to pick you up at your hotel in Florence and to drive you to Cortona which is a little city in central Italy, high atop a hill overlooking Lake Trasimeno.  The walls of this ancient city are estimated to be 3,000 years old.

After a series of wars against Rome in 300 B.C., Cortona was destroyed and later rebuilt.  By the 14th century it became part of Tuscany and it gave birth to several Italian historical figures: Luca Signorelli the painter, Brother Elias- companion to St. Francis of Assisi, and Cardinal Egidio Boni.

Once you have absorbed the splendor and history of Cortona, it is time to explore Lake Trasimeno.  With a surface area of 79 miles, it is larger than Lake Como, though the latter is more famous.

Separated by hills from the Tiber River, the lake is ringed by bucolic little villages.  History buffs will delight in the ancient history of this body of water.  There was a Battle of Lake Trasimeno in 217 B.C.  that puzzles historians to this day.  They’re not certain exactly where it took place because the lake was larger at that time.

Legend has it that the golden chariot of Flaminio lies at the bottom of this very deep lake.  Don’t be disappointed if you can’t find the chariot on your trip.  The many olive groves and vineyards that dot the lake will enchant you and provide beautiful photo opportunities on your vacation with Italy Travel Tours.

To begin Easy Italy Tours it helps to know the basics about this exotic and popular destination.  Many people choose to focus their trip on Tuscany and with good reason.  Novels like “Under the Tuscan Sun” have sent visitors flocking to this region to explore its wonders.

Tuscany covers the heart of central Italy with a population of 3.5 million people.  Florence is the capital city of Tuscany.  Ringed by the Apennines mountains, Tuscany is predominantly hilly but with large plains.

The most famous aspect of Tuscany is its art history and geographical beauty.  The capitals of the ten provinces are Arezzo, Florence, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia and Siena.

Tuscany is easy to access with airports in Florence and Pisa.  A highway called the A1 connects the north with the south.  A11 is the coastal road connecting Florence with the sea.

More scenic are the feeder roads called the Via Aurellia, Via Cassia and the Via Clodia.  If you prefer to experience Europe’s sophisticated rail system, the Milan-Rome line will speed you on your way from north to south through the cities of Prato, Arezzo and Florence.

Tuscany also includes breathtakingly beautiful ports in Piombino and Livorno.  From here tour boats and pleasure yachts set sail for Elba, Corsica, Sardinia and the islands of the Tuscan Archipelago.

With all that Tuscany has to offer, it is difficult to know where to begin.  Many Americans begin in the city of Florence, however Siena and the thrilling Piazza del Campo, and Pisa and its famous Leaning Tower, and the old fortress in Livorno are equally impressive.

There is also an area called Minor Tuscany and this includes tiny medieval villages called Fiesole, San Gimignano , Montepulciano and Volterra.

Contact Federica Merli at Tuscany With Me, to custom design a trip that you will remember for the rest of your life.  No matter where you begin your Easy Italy Tours you’ll have a memorable time.

Planning Tuscany vacations has never been easier.  They say all roads lead to Tuscany and it’s easy to see why.

The comfortable climate, the perfect blend of mountains and seashore, charming architecture, delicious meals and great shopping make this region of Italy near the top of everyone’s “bucket list” of places to go before one departs this earth.

This area, made popular by books and films like “Under the Tuscan Sun”, Tuscany is luring travelers from all over the world.  Getting there is easier now that there is a direct flight from New York to Pisa.  Once in Tuscany, you’ll meet your tour guide or you’ll arrive at your hotel to explore the region on your own.

There is no end to the activities available for your pleasure.  Try rafting along the Albenga River.  Take a bike tour on the Sogna Hamlet, soar above the hills in a two-seat parasail, explore the National Park and its myriad of colors, or go fishing in Casentino.  Everything you enjoy doing in America you can do in a whole new environment in Tuscany.

Why not take a food and wine tour through Chianti?  This wine is synonymous with Tuscany and there are tens of thousands of acres of vineyards producing this historic product for a global market.   A bonus with your tour of the wineries, are the olive vineyards ringing the grape fields.  Cyprus trees spiking skyward tell you you’re not in Kansas anymore.  This is beautiful and historic Tuscany!

If you are near San Giovanni Valdarno, you’ll be able to visit a balsamic vinegar lab where this popular ingredient in salads and cooking reductions is aged in giant vats made of balsa wood.  The best balsamic vinegar in the world originates right here.  Take some home as a memento of the first of many tuscany vacations for you.

Do your planning now and contact TuscanyWithMe.it to plan the vacation of a lifetime.  What ever it is you want, they will arrange for you.  Custom vacations are the specialty of this Italy travel company.

The tours of Tuscany are among the most sought after destinations in the world.  The popularity of region was helped by the best-selling novel “Under the Tuscan Sun.” Now everyone wants to experience renewal and rebirth that comes from this beautiful part of the world.

There are as many ways to tour this region of Italy as there are people to experience them.  There is truly something for everyone “under the Tuscan sun”.   A sample itinerary includes a hotel in the historic center of Florence where you can walk to see the art of the Renaissance.  You can visit Chianti and sample the wine of the same name, sold around the world.  Siena is a must-see locale with its stunning gothic cathedral.

Large tour groups are common all around Italy and are identified by their familiar colored umbrella held high so that no one straggles from the group.  However there are many smaller, more personal tour companies that specialize in intimate groups.  These companies can gain access to more authentic local hot spots like cafes and restaurants where a large group could not be accommodated.

Like the large tour companies, smaller firms can take you anywhere you want to go and they’ll provide a custom presentation along the way such as slide shows preceding new locations.  A one-week tour like this costs approximately $3,400. for the land costs of hotel, most meals, and entrance fees to museums, galleries and monuments.

There are times when travelers wish to remain in the country to make other plans after the structured tour is completed and most tour companies will help you with transportation to your next destination.    Whatever method you chose, a large tour company or a small one, make sure you bring your camera for tours of Tuscany because the sights are too lovely to pass by.

You will be able to have a completely custom designed itinerary by selecting our blog sponsor, Tuscany With Me.  There is no better way to enjoy your trip than to see just exactly what you have always dreamed of.