Independent

Escorted

A Week in ... Tuscany

7 nights; most meals 2-3* hotels; £795; single supplement £165

Departures any Thursday April - October From Florence £795 Single Supplement £175 Flights UK to Florence from £235 or Pisa from £195, not including transfers Extension to Florence before or after each trip, from £60 per person per night

We follow a route through the Chianti hills from Florence to Siena staying at family-run hotels. We eat in restaurants chosen for their high quality of food and wine and learn about the local wine-making techniques in tastings at fine wine estates. From our first hotel overlooking the Arno (with easy access to Florence) we walk through the Val di Pesa, tasting in Tavernelle in Chianti. Then we follow a mule track to the medieval town of Certaldo, birthplace of Boccaccio. We stop off en route in San Gimignano to try Vernaccia and explore the 'Manhattan skyline' medieval style. The following day we walk across the wooded hills and through olive groves to Monteriggioni ending with a free day to explore Siena and its stunning Campo square.