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Tuscany Staycation

TUSCANY

STAYCATION

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Tuscany is justifiably famous for scenery and food, but also for tourist crowds. In this tour, we will find unknown villages and sample local specialties that few travelers come across. You’ll get to be a temporary part of a Tuscan/American family, staying at the home of our local guide, Roberto Bechi.

We have enjoyed our small groups so much that we will continue to keep numbers low and personal attention high. This tour will have a maximum of 8 guests.

Tour Leader: Roberto Bechi

Day One

Overnight: Casalciccia

Welcome to Off the Beaten Path Tuscany

After pick up at the Rome (FCO) airport we will drive north. Taking the coastal Aurelia highway we will stop in the picturesque fishing village of Talamone, once the medieval port of the Republic of Siena and still dominated by an ancient Sienese fortress. Lunch with a sea view followed by rest at restored Tuscan farmhouse, Podere Casalciccia, your home for the next six nights. Welcome home-cooked dinner at the farmhouse.

Day Two

Overnight: Casalciccia

Monticchiello

Tour of the Etruscan museum located inside a former granary near the historic center of Chianciano. Lunch in the medieval village of Monticchiello, located in the heart of Val d’Orcia, followed by a guided visit around this charming place. Optional Yoga class at Casalciciccia available at our return. Dinner at a local farm.

Day Three

Overnight: Casalciccia

Siena and Farm-to-Table Dining Experience

Walking Tour of Siena and its Cathedral followed by a visit to Madonna Bella Farm. Lunch will consist of a delightful farm-to-table food and wine pairing with local dishes and our own wines. Optional drawing class for those interested available at our return to our Casalciccia. Light dinner in Asciano.

Day Four

Overnight: Casalciccia

Florence

Walking tour of Florence, enjoying the back streets and lesser-known masterpieces with a local guide. Lunch on your own in Florence and a free afternoon to enjoy the city’s delights. Light dinner in Arbia en route to home.

Day Five

Overnight: Casalciccia

Village Tour of the Clay Hills

Morning dedicated to a chosen extra activity (art, yoga, walking). Light lunch at Casalciccia. Clay Hills tour in the afternoon, visit of Monteoliveto Abby and its amazing art followed by the village of Lucignano D’Asso. We end with a visit of the medieval village of Chiusure, followed with a pizza dinner on a terrace with an amazing view of the Clay Hills at sunset.

Day Six

Overnight: Casalciccia

Cooking class and Chianti wines

Chianti + cooking class. Visit of the off-the-beaten-path medieval hamlets like Vertine and San Donato in Poggio followed by a visit of the Villa Geggiano and Utd Gardens. This is a national treasure, and is owned by a good friend of Roberto’s, a noble Count! Light lunch with the Count. Cooking class followed by dinner at Casalciccia.

Day Seven

Overnight: n/a

Farewell lunch and wine tasting in Val D’Orcia

We’ll tour the Val D’Orcia, including visits to the famous hilltowns of Pienza and Montalcino, Farewell Lunch will be at a family run BRUNELLO winery followed by a visit to the cellars. Late afternoon transfer to Rome.

Price: $2850 (Air not included). Due to lack of rooms at the farmhouse, single supplement may not be available. We are happy to pair solo travelers to share a room.

What’s included: 6 dinners (wine included) and 7 lunches, 6 nights lodging in a clean, comfortable and family-run farmhouse in the gorgeous Tuscan countryside. All tastings and entrance fees per itinerary above. Local guide, driver, ground transport and transfer to/from ROME airport.

Deposit Policy: we require a $600 non-refundable deposit at the time of booking. If your plans change, you may transfer this deposit to any of our other tours.

Tour begins and ends in Rome. International airport there is FCO.

If you would like to book this tour just for your own group of friends or family (6-8 people), we can offer a private tour with dates to suit your travel needs.

I have been visiting friends and showing them my photos from the Piemonte tour. I was telling them how great it was to become immersed in this area and see things you would not normally have the opportunity to do or know about. Having a caring and inquisitive guide who delights in sharing where she lives brings so much to the experience. Go visit Piemonte with Lisa- you will have such an amazing time and fond memories to share and relish!

Patricia Eaganafter a tour in Piedmont, Italy with Lisa

I have had the joy of traveling with Adventures with Sarah many times, from Thailand, to Turkey, and many places in between. I choose to book with AWS because I can rely on a tour that is paced well, varied in activities, with great food and even greater guides. As a frequent traveler to Europe, I really enjoy AWS tours due to a small group size and the opportunity to go in depth into a region and really experience the culture of the area I’m visiting. And every time, with every group, I meet fellow travelers who are now friends. Adventures with Sarah is a tour company that I would recommend without hesitation. In fact, I have 3 tours booked for this year!

Betsy McGregorafter multiple tours with Adventures with Sarah

Fantastic look at more "out of the way" spots and wonderful experiences of food and wine. No crowds, just the Sicilian countryside and lovely towns. Traveling in April was fantastic with all the wildflowers. And walking on Mama Etna's shoulders was a highlight!

Barbara B.Sicily Pleasures tour

It really was a wonderful trip. This was our first group trip, and the size was just right. We all got along well which was a bonus. Everything was smooth, and Sarah had picked out some really wonderful things for us to do. I felt like we were getting "sneak peeks" of special things regular tourists don't get to do. We were willing participants for her to try out new things on this trip. The hotels were lovely, and the wine lunches perfect! There was a good balance of planned activities and free time which I appreciated. I will definitely be looking for more trips to go on with Adventures with Sarah!

Leslie P.Sicily Pleasures tour

Good accommodations in the heart of all important areas. Food experience was excellent with incentive to try new foods. Sarah is very personable and has each tour member's concerns and needs in mind. Love the small groups.

Larry C.Sicily Highlights tour

We had a great time! Perfect mix of free time and planned group excursions/tours. The food was amazing! Our accommodation was comfortable and our views were unforgettable! I would book another trip with this company.

Jen R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

My husband and I had a great time touring Dalmatia with Sarah and the local guides that joined us. A favorite activity was sailing on a traditional sail boat from the island of Vis. Lovely group of travelers and many memories made!

Dawn R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

Food and wine blitz in beautiful areas of Slovenia and Croatia. You will appreciate it most if you are a true wine lover. Meetings with young enthusiastic, creative winemakers were the highlight.

Betsy W.Harvest tour

We had a wonderful trip with no issues at all. Gorgeous area, plenty of delicious food, perfect weather and knowledgeable guide!

John G.Harvest tour

What a perfect way to get back into European travel. It was obvious from the start that Trish had put her heart and soul into the planning of the Hidden Paris tour. It was a great mix of adventures and I throughly enjoyed my travel group, who became like family, and it was obvious to see why most had traveled with adventures with Sarah before, Our local guide, Julian, was excellent and it was fun finally getting to also meet Sarah and sons. Merci beaucoup, Trish for this great time and I hope to travel with you again in the future.

Leslie A.Paris Staycation tour

A thoroughly enjoyable trip. George, our leader, was super-knowledgeable, helpful, energetic, and fun. His knowledge of people and places gave us experiences we couldn't have duplicated on our own. The itinerary was great - I thought the pace was good and we had a variety of experiences. The only thing I didn't like was that the weather in late April was rather chilly and often wet, more so than I expected. However, traveling later in the spring would have meant missing Orthodox Easter, which was the highlight of the trip for me. We spent it in a rural village, and participating in the villagers' traditions was a rare privilege that I'll never forget. So take an umbrella and some warm clothes and prepare for a special experience. Maybe you'll get the sunshine that we mostly didn't get!

Melissa M.Romania tour

Our guide Susanna was both professional and thoughtful. She cared for our health and happiness! I had some health issues and was treated with kindness and help! Our accommodations were both comfortable and clean. The bus driver was fearless and professional. I will travel with Susanna again!

Melva O.Sicily Pleasures tour

This was a wonderful trip! Susanna was such a wonderful tour guide, thoughtful, funny, informative. I can’t imagine a better guide for this trip! Our accommodations were wonderful as were all the varied activities and dining experiences. I enjoyed the other travelers in our group and felt as if we were family. I have made new friends that I will keep in touch with. Thank you!

Anne B.Sicily Pleasures tour

We had a wonderful tour with our guide Susanna and fellow travelers. The tour was well planned out touching on most all the main destinations in Sicily. Susanna was super well organized, kind and considerate and a lot of fun to travel with. She was a great communicator before, during and after the tour and was helpful with day to day needs like finding laundry service, restaurants and transport to the airport. The local guides, meals, accommodations, etc were all top notch. We had a great small group of 7 travelers that all got on very well. The spacious van we used for traveling was very comfortable and the driver Giuseppe was highly skilled at driving the chaotic streets in Sicily’s cities and towns. We highly recommend booking a tour with Adventures with Sarah and especially with Susanna Perrucchini!!

Randal D.Sicily Highlights tour

In short, we will travel with AWS again and would highly recommend them! Oh!! We also felt that we received far more in value and experience than the price for the tour.

Veneto Slovenia tour