Join Our State as we embark on a culinary journey through Tuscany, and enjoy one hotel stay in boutique-style lodging located in the Medieval wine region of Chianti.

November 1-9, 2023

Package Includes:

• Round-trip airfare – Raleigh-Durham International Airport or Charlotte Douglas International Airport ($100 pp)
• 7 nights CDH Hotel Radda, Chianti or Borgo San Luigi, Monteriggioni or Borgo Di Coretefreda, Tavarnelle Di Pesa
• 17 meals: 7 breakfasts, 3 lunches & 7 dinners
• Wine & beer reception
• Professional tour director
• Our State host
• Motor coach transportation
• Admissions per itinerary
• Comprehensive sightseeing
• Baggage handling at the hotel & hotel transfers

 

Trip Highlights:

• Florence walking tour
• Academy Galley and the Statue of David
• Organic cooking and pasta making class at Castello di Vicchiomaggio
• Volpaia’s Castle & Winery tour and tasting
• Pecorino cheese tasting in Pienza
• Music and wine pairing with a local sommelier at a Farmhouse in Montalcino
• Guided walking tour of Sienna
• Tuscan Farmhouse & Winery visit with dinner & wine
• Visits and free time in towns of San Gimignano and Volterra
• Gelato tasting by a world famous gelato master
• Lunch at a local farmhouse specializing in Saffron production
• Boat excursion on Lake Trasimeno & visit to the Village of Touro
• Lunch with wine on the Island Maggiore
• Full day at leisure to relax or explore on your own

 

 

Detailed Itinerary:

November 1: Depart USA

Board your overnight flight to Europe.
 

November 2: Arrival Florence — Chianti

Arrive in Florence, meet your tour director and transfer to your Tuscan Hotel in Chianti for a seven night stay. The Chianti Region is filled with wonderful vineyards and charming hilltop towns. This evening, enjoy a wine & beer reception prior to your welcome dinner of Tuscan favorites and locally produced wine with fellow Our State travelers.

Meals: D

 

November 3: Florence Sightseeing

After breakfast, travel through the surrounding hilly landscape, dotted with olive groves, cypresses, vineyards, and palaces. Arrive at a lovely Tuscan estate to learn about truffles and enjoy delicious tastings of oil and truffle butter bruschetta, salami, pecorino, and wines from the estate. Later this afternoon, we travel to Florence where a local expert guide awaits you for a walking tour of Florence. Visit to the Accademia Gallery & Museum to see Michelangelo’s magnificent Statue of David, an awesome sight. Go to the Cathedral to see Giotto’s Belltower and Baptistry with its impressive ‘Gates of Paradise.’ These buildings demonstrate the traditions of Florentine art and architecture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Also, see the open-air museum of Piazza Della Signoria & Santa Croce, which houses the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo. The insightful walking tour includes a stroll across the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Dinner is included tonight at a local restaurant in Florence. Return to your hotel in Chianti.

Meals: B, D

 

November 4: Greve — Organic Cooking Class — Winery Tour & Tasting

Today, enjoy an organic cooking & pasta making class, and lunch at Castello di Vicchiomaggio, located at the top of a hill overlooking the valley of Greve in Chianti. You will be greeted with a welcome drink to enjoy while the chef discusses the class, food to be made, and his recipes. The restaurant staff will assist you with putting on your aprons and chef hats, then let the cooking fun begin! At the end of the class you will get to eat and enjoy what you have prepared for lunch. Later this afternoon, continue to Volpaia Castle for a wine tour & tasting. The winery is organically farmed for producing extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and Chianti Classico Wine. Enjoy tastings of Vin Santo (holy wine) and Cantucci (Biscotti). Dinner is included this evening.

Meals: B, L, D

 

November 5: Val d’Orcia — Pienza, Montalcino & Siena

Travel to the incredibly picturesque Val d’Orcia Region filled with ancient villages, gorgeous farmhouses, isolated homesteads, roads lined with cypress trees, fabulous vineyards, and olive groves. Stop in Pienza, a lovely medieval town overlooking the Tuscan hills to visit a local cheese producer for a delicious typical Pecorino cheese tasting. Continue to a traditional farmhouse in Montalcino, where you will enjoy a multi-sensory experience of music and wine! Four wines will be matched with music tracks selected by a local sommelier. You will have time for lunch on your own in Montalcino before continuing onto beautiful Siena, where a local guide awaits you for a walking tour in the Old Town. The highlight is the Piazza del Campo, the seashell-shaped square on which the famous horse-race, the Palio, takes place each year. Later, just outside Siena, we will visit a local Tuscan farmhouse with an opportunity to meet the owner and enjoy dinner featuring typical Tuscany dishes paired with their local wines.

Meals: B, D

 

November 6: San Gimignano & Volterra

Today, we travel to San Gimignano, the epitome of a Tuscan hill town, where nobles built more splendid towers to outdo one another and indulge in their need for status. The medieval structures of this city have largely remained intact and San Gimignano, with its large number of art treasures, is truly considered an open-air museum. Next, enjoy a delicious gelato ice cream in one of the oldest gelateria in Italy that produces unique and famous flavors of gelato. Taste the saffron & pine nuts flavored gelato, a registered trademark. Continue to Volterra, another ancient and beautiful hilltop Italian city. Enjoy free time in Volterra and lunch at a family-run farmhouse that specializes in saffron production. Dinner is included at the hotel this evening.

Meals: B, L, D

 

November 7: Day at Leisure in Chianti or Optional Excursion

Today is at your leisure to relax at the hotel, enjoy the spa, or explore on your own. An optional tour will be available today. Dinner is included at a local restaurant this evening.

Meals: B, D

 

November 8: Lake Trasimeno Boat Excursion & Lunch on Island Maggiore

Begin your morning with a hearty breakfast and journey to Lake Trasimeno located in the Umbria Region of Tuscany. The heartshaped Lake Trasimeno is surrounded by rolling hills, olive groves, woods of oak and cypress trees, vineyards, and sunflower fields that frame castle-topped medieval towns and villages. Free time to explore and walk around the medieval town of Tuoro, considered one of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Next, enjoy a boat cruise to the Island Maggiore, where we will have lunch at a traditional restaurant located on the lake. Tonight, a special farewell dinner is planned.

Meals: B, L, D

 

November 9: Chianti – Florence – Home

Transfer to Florence for your flight home with wonderful memories of your culinary journey through Tuscany.

Meals: B
 

Tour Rates:

$4,499 per person with a booking discount (based on double occupancy)
$4,599 per person regular rate (based on double occupancy)
Single supplement $675

Please ask about our no risk deposit. Book now and your deposit is risk free with no change fees until the final payment due date!
 

For more information or to make reservations:

Premier World Discovery
Melissa Grant
(877) 953-8687, ext. 238 (Pacific Time)
mgrant@premierworlddiscovery.com
 

Additional Information:

What to expect on an Our State trip:

Traveling with a group of Our State readers is an enriching, enjoyable, and safe way to experience new cultures, people, and places. In addition to the informative narration from the tour director and local guides, an Our State host will be available to assist in making your trip successful.

We usually fly to our destination, then travel by a comfortable motor coach with anywhere from 35 to 50 people who appreciate learning about new regions. Your entire trip will be guided, planned, and arranged for your upmost enjoyment. Many activities are things you can only do because you are traveling with Our State. There is some free time built in for you to explore on your own.

You can also choose not to attend an activity if you prefer something different. Please let your tour director know if you are not coming on a scheduled day.

Many meals are included. Where you have meals on your own, suggestions will be provided.

Most of the motor coaches have restrooms but every effort will be made to make regular rest stops.

One of the best parts of traveling with Our State is that you will meet new people, many of whom you will already have much in common with since most travelers read the magazine. Many guests often develop friendships that go on long after the tour is finished. Our State trips are generally filled with dynamic and friendly people.
 

Physical requirements:

Our tours are physically active but not meant to be strenuous.

Please be aware you will be on your feet, walking and standing for much of the day, indoors and outdoors, in all weather conditions and terrains. There will also be extended time on the motor coach when we travel from place to place. If there are any mobility issues you will need to have an able-bodied traveling companion to accompany and assist you.

Most days are moderately paced with approximately two to three total miles of walking, possibly including some hills and stairs.

We regret that we’re unable to provide individual assistance to guests with walking difficulties or other personal needs. The responsibility of the Trip Director who accompanies your trip is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one guest. Guests requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can provide it.

If you have additional questions, please call Our State’s Travel Director Amy Wood Pasquini at 336-286-0600, or email apasquini@ourstate.com.

 

COVID-19 Travel Precautions – Update:

Effective January 1, 2023, Our State highly encourages, but no longer requires COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters for travelers on our domestic tours. This policy goes into effect for international travelers on April 30, 2023. We will keep all participants updated of any changes to these requirements.