Includes:

• For groups of friends (5 couples)
• 6 days, 7 nights
• A car from AutoEurope
• Walking Tour of Florence
• 1 day tour of Chianti wine district - wineries, vineyards, wineries, wine cellars, wine tastings, olive oil tastings etc
• Visit to Florentine "outlet" shops for fashion, footwear and other Tuscan design products
• $2999 US/couple (air fare and vehicles not included) ($200 extra for one of the 3 apartments).

The Villa Casalecchi is a charming small, 4 star hotel with just 18 rooms and 3 apartments.  Sitting on a hill surrounded by an incredible Tuscan landscape, you'll find it a great place from which to witness harvest time in Tuscany.

Meals included: B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

• Arrive at Villa Casalecchi and get comfortable in your room or apartment.  Take a stroll around the grounds and gardens, go for a swim, read a book, talk, and settle in for the rest of the day.   Get a good night's sleep - you'll be up early tomorrow for our first excursion into the Chianti wine country.

• During the morning we will visit a winery where we will enjoy a number of Tuscan wines, Vin Santo and Grappa, as well as a selection of fantastic Tuscan olive oils. Afterwards, we'll venture into Greve in the Chianti wine district for lunch (not included in the price of the tour) and a stroll through the center of town where you can shop at local stores.  We'll visit two more wineries and cellars in the afternoon to learn about wine production, and of course to sample more great Tuscan wines.  Our last stop will be at a wonderful old medieval castle in the heart of Tuscany. L

• Today you'll take a walking tour of Castellina in Chianti, the small medieval village near the hotel.  You'll make a late start after breakfast, but arrive in time for a stroll around the town before Siesta.  It's free time, so if you want to have lunch in Castellina, go ahead and treat yourself at one of the cafes, trattorias or restaurants that surround the piazzas and line the streets of this lovely town. 

• It's time to go to Florence...for a day of marveling at the place that gave birth to the Italian Renaissance.  We'll give you a private tour that includes the most notable monuments, buildings and piazzas in the city.  You will also have some time in Florence's world-renowned shopping areas for some window shopping (or real shopping if you like!)  L

• You'll have a free morning...so we suggest you do a little exploring of your own.  Visit some of the beautiful Tuscan villages in the area, or perhaps some of its larger towns, like Pogibonsi, Monteriggioni, or even back to Greve.  You might want to go shopping at a local markets and make a picnic lunch which you can enjoy in the shade of a cyprus grove along one of the local country roads.

• Today you can visit Florence's famous shopping outlets where you will discover the best of Florence's shoes, fashions and other "hand mades" at incredibly low prices.  We'll return "home" during the late afternoon, for a swim, a nap, or maybe a great conversation in the lounge.  Tonight - your last night - you'll dine on us in the hotel's restaurant - feasting on a special meal prepared by the hotel's chef.  A little Tuscan wine with that?  No doubt! D

• Time to go home or head out on another part of your adventure.  This morning you'll pack your bags and head back home - or perhaps to some other destination in the magical land of Italy.