Tuscany - A Family Vacation in Italy

Day 1: Florence / Chianti

We meet in spectacular Florence. While our guide tells us personal stories and historical anecdotes of the Medici family and others, we wind our way through the ancient streets—past towers, palaces and churches. To keep things fun for everyone, our walk covers a compact area of the city and includes both the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and the bustling Piazza Signoria. 

Day 2: Chianti - Greve

Fortified with a delicious breakfast of hot chocolate, yogurt, fresh rolls and fruit, a morning walk for the adults takes us through classic Chianti landscapes, past cypress-lined roads, olive groves, villas, castles and parish churches. Meanwhile, the kids meet our friend, Paola, who helps them try their hand at creating ceramics using techniques that date back to Renaissance times. 

Day 3: Chianti - San Gimignano

Our morning walk takes us through vineyards and ends at a private lunch with a local family in their country house on the grounds of a 15th century castle. Over lunch, we taste from our hosts' cellar, enjoying a young Chianti Classico and a rich, aged "barrique" wine. Enjoy yourself. The kids are once again in good hands. With their dedicated guide, they'll spend a morning in the countryside with activities that include watercolor painting and their own kidfriendly lunch. 

Day 4: Lucca

This morning, everybody makes the excursion to Lucca for a morning visit and lunch. It was here in 56 BC that Caesar, Pompey and Crassus agreed to rule Rome as a triumvirate. It was also the first town in Tuscany to accept Christianity. Today, Lucca boasts wonderful 16th century Renaissance walls, a spectacular white marble duomo, a Roman amphitheater, and elegant shops. For the kids, we've added something that's always a hit with our own families on visits to Lucca—riding bicycles on the wall surrounding the town. Your kids will love this (and you adults can come along if you want). The walls are earthen and create a lovely tree-lined park about 50 feet wide. Riding on them offers great views of the town and the surrounding countryside. After the ride, we find time to work in a stop for gelato. 

Day 5: Colle Val D'elsa / Monteriggioni

This morning it's your choice to relax in and around the villa or join our guides for an easy walk suitable for both kids and adults. The path begins right at our hotel and leads to the medieval town of Colle Val d'Elsa, the crystal capital of Italy. Our guide shows us the old part of town, giving adults ample time to explore a few crystal shops before lunch in the main square. 

Day 6: Siena

Our morning visit today is great for everyone—it's the cinnamon-colored town of Siena, the true heart of the Tuscan hill towns and a work of art in itself. Still encircled by brick walls, Siena has been an elegant cultural landmark for centuries, truly unique in its medieval splendor. Here we enjoy a wonderfully scenic and historic walk around the town—into the sloping, scallop-shaped Piazza del Campo, through the maze of streets lined with gothic and medieval houses, towers and palazzo, to the zebra striped Duomo cathedral. Along the way, our guide tells us how fiercely community teams have competed in the Palio horse race run in Piazza del Campo every year for centuries. Your kids will also love the collectible flags and scarves that reflect the local districts and feature animals from owls and caterpillars to snails, unicorns and dragons. 

Day 7: Florence

After breakfast, we say arrivederci to our hosts and make a short transfer to Florence, where we part company. Meals: B