Itinerary Include flights Leave this field blank Expand all Fly to Pisa; transfer to Castellina in ChiantiFly to Pisa; transfer to Villa Casalta, 2kms from Castellina in Chianti (transfer approx. 1hr30mins). Meals included: Dinner Day 1 Start Castellina in ChiantiStart at Villa Casalta, our beautiful villa 2km from Castellina in Chianti. In the evening our guide will hold a welcome meeting to discuss the week ahead, give advice on the local area and answer any questions. Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Visit mediaeval market town of Greve in Chianti and the hilltop village of Montefioralle; afternoon wine tasting in CastellinaToday we head to the mediaeval market town of Greve in Chianti walking through a magnificent setting of olive groves and vineyards. On the way, we will stop in the fortified hilltop village of Montefioralle, considered the most ancient 'borgo' in Chianti. After lunch we enjoy a wine tasting in a local winery before heading back to our farmhouse for dinner. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Walk to Radda in Chianti, the heart of the Chianti areaThis morning we will set out for a local history walk to the heart of the Chianti area, covering the route from Villa Casalta to Radda in Chianti. We will take a walk through local woodlands where we can admire the so famous emerald vineyards valleys. In the afternoon we will have the chance to taste the much acclaimed Chianti Classico wine at a local winery. Meals included: Breakfast Day 4 Travel to Siena and explore the stunning historic centre; learn about Tuscan and Italian wines at the Wine SchoolAfter breakfast we make our way to the centre of Siena for a day exploring this fascinating city. We have time to visit the numerous museums and stunning Duomo and to relax in one of the many outdoor cafés in Piazza del Campo, home of the world famous Palio horse race. Please note that shoulders should be covered for entering the Duomo. You may also like to visit the many boutiques specializing in local products and cutting edge Italian fashion. In the afternoon we also have the opportunity to learn about Tuscan wines on a 1-hour fun interactive course at the Tuscan Wine School. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 5 Free day to visit other Chianti villages or relax by the poolToday is free to rest any tired legs at the poolside. Alternatively, your leader can advise on local Chianti wine tasting tours and cooking classes or offer assistance for unguided walks or daytrips. Meals included: Breakfast Day 6 Discover the magnificent city of Florence, considered the birthplace of the RenaissanceOur destination today is the magnificent city of Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance with an enormous wealth of historical sites, museums, galleries, churches and architectural delights. Most of the great artists, thinkers and builders from Renaissance history passed through or lived in Florence when it was under the rule of the Medici family, the most famous patrons of the 16th century. But Florence is not just a Renaissance showpiece: once you have had your fill of the historical trail there are many other things to see and do. The city has not ceased to be a centre of learning, and there is a university, many art and language schools and a large student population to liven up the café-bars, restaurants and nightclubs. There are also some great markets and chic boutiques. From April to July, Florence also holds one of Europe's major cultural events, a festival of opera and classical music called the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.There are no guided tours organised for the day but there's an option to join one of the free walking tours in the morning. This will then leave you enough time to visit the Uffizi galleries. If you wish to do so we recommend that you prebook your ticket online to avoid lengthy queues. An ideal slot time would be around 2 pm. it can be earlier if you're not interested in joining the morning free walking tour. Tickets can be purchased through https://webshop.b-ticket.com/webshop/webticket/eventlist?production=1. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 7 Walk to picturesque San Gimignano with free time to explore Palazzo Comunale, Pinacoteca and Torre GrossaAfter a transfer to the quaint hamlet of San Donato, we walk through the farm grounds following the pathway to Montauto and on up to the picturesque mediaeval town of San Gimignano. The walk is not long and should take approximately 3 hours. The afternoon is spent exploring this beautiful town including visits to the Palazzo Comunale, Pinacoteca and Torre Grossa and there is some free time to wander and soak up the atmosphere. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Transfer to Pisa; fly to London.Transfer to Pisa; fly to London.Please note that at times, especially during summer months, the inbound flight can be late in the evening. In this instance you will have additional time to spend in Pisa. Leader will take care of all arrangements in terms of transport from/to the airport and the city centre and luggage storage. It may also happen that, for logistical reasons, on return we will have to be at the airport earlier than normally scheduled. This will mean a longer waiting time before checking in. Meals included: Breakfast Day 8 End Castellina in ChiantiTrip ends at Villa Casalta. Meals included: Breakfast
ItalyNo visa required for British passport holders. Please note in Italy it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times.For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers
Villa Casalta You will spend 7 nights at Villa Casalta, a renovated farmhouse with swimming pool and en suite facilities. The villa is family-run and known for the fine home-made food prepared with traditional ingredients and locally produced wines and olive oil. Free Wi-Fi available. Please note that on some of the earliest departures (in April) and latest departures in October, we may use an alternative accommodation: Albergo Il Colombaio - located within a short walking distance to the town of Castellina in Chianti and it offers the same facilities and standards as Villa Casalta. We have used this property on previous trips and received very positive feedback.
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Reviewed June 2022 Bina DesaiTuscany hills An amazing trip with a variety of things to do. Walking over the Tuscany hills and vineywards, tasted delicious wine, visited beautiful Florence and Sienna, so many lovely restaurants to visit. The Villa was lovely and views stunning. Spent my free day swimming and lovely lunch in the village. Dinners and breakfasts at the Villa was delicious and the wines. It was an outsanding trip.What did you think of your group leader? Liz is amazing, so helpful and full of knowledge. Really looked after us all.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Bring your towel for swimming at the Villa and insect spray whilst out on walks in the summer.
Reviewed September 2020 Jerry DawsonFantastic trip - even more appreciated in these times of COVID restrictions! I travelled solo on this trip departing on 12 Sept 2020, having booked it quite late as Italy was one of the few venues Brits could travel to without any COVID-related quarantine requirements either end. I was not disappointed. It is a perfect blend of walking (3 days - with fantastic views) and city tours (2 days with a guided tour of each available). Villa Casalta is a quality hotel with rooms with a view and a fabulous terrace overlooking the vineyards and skyline where all meals are eaten. The pool is also very relaxing.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The walk to San Gimignano on the last day; the guided walking tours of Siena and Florence; and the session at the Tuscan Wine School in Siena. I also loved my pre-breakfast swims in the pool and the sense of peace at Villa Casalta.What did you think of your group leader? Teresa did a great job and was very personable.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? There is a kettle in the room - and teabags - but bring some instant coffee if you are a coffee drinker!Is there anything else you would like to add? I was very impressed how this trip ran so well despite the COVID restrictions.... but don't forget to bring a face mask.
Reviewed September 2019 Michele WilsonLovely group I had a wonderful holiday with a fun group of people. Our leader Teresa & Mike the driver ( who also walked with us) organised everything brilliantly and were very patient walking at the perfect pace. The Tuscan countryside is breathtaking, as are the beautiful hilltop villages and towns. The only downside was the food at our accommodation, which was poor. On the plus side the food in the local restaurants chosen by Exodus was delicious. The wine tasting was great and very informative.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The last day walking through the beautiful undulating hills and vineyards to San Gimignano.What did you think of your group leader? Teresa was excellent and came up with very good suggestions for restaurants & where to get the best gelatos!
Reviewed September 2019 Ronda FogelIt promised so much ... Unfortunately Exodus dropped the ball on this particular tour. A combination of a new inexperienced tour leader, dirty poorly maintained accommodation (Agriturismo is not an excuse for dirty or poorly maintained accommodation!) and inedible food. My expectation of the actual tour itself was different from the reality. No transport to and from town on days off.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? There was nothing inspirational about this trip.What did you think of your group leader? It was our group leader's second tour in the area. He was inexperienced and lacked local knowledge, at times he seemed overwhelmed.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Don't go! There are far better tours on offer than this one.Is there anything else you would like to add? Exodus needs to sort out the accommodation and food with the host. Give the tour leader more support.
Reviewed July 2019 Chris NixonFabulous A fabulous combination of walking the Tuscan countryside, combined with wine tastings and city visits. Alejandro was a brilliant leader. Villa Castalta is a perfectly adequate base for a walking holiday. The meals at the Villa are basic but wholesome. The restaurant used in the village were all different and very good. The best being Il Re Gallo. The 3 main walks are all interesting, each finishing in an interesting town for lunch and gelato! Despite the high temperatures during our week (highs of upper 30s) all the walks were at a a relaxed pace with plenty of stops along the route.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? The trip to Siena was excellent, with a very good guide in Sara. It was great to find out about the history of the city and the different districts. During our visit, they were preparing for the Palio, which added to our interest. The visit to the Tuscan Wine School in the afternoon was very informative. This did not take anything away from the other city visit to Florence, where we had another excellent , but different type of guide, Elizabetta, who told us about the history of Florence with great charm and wit.What did you think of your group leader? Alejandro was fantastic. The walks were well paced and we had sensible early starts, considering the heat. He was very informative about the flowers and trees along the route. And feed us cherries and white mulberries. His choice of restaurants in Castellina was excellent.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? As others have remarked, good walking boots or shoes are advised for the hill walks. Plus you will need long trousers on the first part of the walk to Radda. (Read the trip notes!) A torch is useful for walking back from Castellina at night.Is there anything else you would like to add? If you want a walking holiday combined with visits to Siena and Florence, this is the trip to go on.You also learn about Chianti and experience varying types of Italian food.
Reviewed July 2019 Martin DennisOne of the best... For me, there are three criteria that make a great Exodus trip: the members of the group, the leader, and the location/activities. The members of the group on this trip were wonderful: great company, entertaining, and considerate. Mark was the perfect leader (see below). The location was stunning with beautiful Tuscan villages, towns and cities. How can the combination of wine and walking be beaten? (OK, maybe cycling and wine at a push...)What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? So many: approaches to archetypal Tuscan villages; stunning views of Florence, San Gimignano and Siena. Hearing scops owls and nightingales (why are both so difficult to spot?!). Wonderful food and wine.What did you think of your group leader? The perfect guide: helpful, knowledgeable, considerate, funny, flexible and an exemplary driver (reversing with trailer into a space at Pisa airport, first time and in front of an audience!).Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Take a bigger case to accommodate the chianti, cheese, olive oil you'll want to bring back. I didn't buy dresses or handbags but some did!Is there anything else you would like to add? Book now!
Reviewed June 2019 Carole GrimwoodExcellent trip - But a bit more than gentle walking We had a great of walking and wine tasting in the Chianti region with our excellent guide Alejandro. Our accommodation at Villa Castela was probably the best we have enjoyed with Exodus - great location, tranquil, lovely pool, big room, comfy bed and simple but delicious food.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Sienna was fabulous.What did you think of your group leader? Alejandro was an excellent hard working guide who went the extra mileDo you have any advice for potential travellers? We were 'blessed' with very hot weather in early June (high 30s and 37 deg on our last day) which made some of the very undulating walking hard work for us and definitely not 'gentle'.
Reviewed June 2019 Gill & Don YuileOur first Exodus trip This trip met all our expectations and requirements and was a really good holiday for us. The daily organisation and all the experiences were excellent, we cannot praise Liz enough for her competence at making the week so good. The walks were amazing, just at the right level for us and we felt spot on with the leisurely/moderate rating. The hotel was beautifully situated, traditionally furnished, clean and homely, the staff were very nice, helpful and pleasant. Just a few quibbles that have prevented us awarding the top rating: the hotel breakfast was good, although a bit more variety would have been nice, but the evening meals taken in the hotel were fairly basic. The meals taken outside in local restaurants were fantastic. Our pre trip information supplied from Exodus gave us the wrong departure terminal at Heathrow, which we realised just two days before departure, however, this was dealt with efficiently and we appreciated how well it was handled. All in all an excellent week, we enjoyed it immensely and are looking at our next adventure!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Probably the best thing about this trip was the ratio of walking, city visits and wine tasting. A perfect amount of each meant that it was all most enjoyable.What did you think of your group leader? Liz was a fantastic guide in all ways: leader experience, local knowledge, language skills, driving, organisation, and making sure every member of the group was comfortable and any special requirements taken care of. She was nice with it!Do you have any advice for potential travellers? We recomend taking walking boots rather than trainers for the walk days as many of the tracks have loose stones and rocks. Flat shoes recomended for the rest of the time, especially in towns and cities.
Reviewed June 2019 Debbie HendersonFantastic Holiday I'd wanted to go to Tuscany for years and this exactly fitted the bill. Wonderful walks, hilltop towns, visiting Siena, Florence and San Gimignano. Wine tastings were informative. Lovely group too. I can definitely recommend!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing the fabulous scenery at every turn!What did you think of your group leader? Mark was a great leader: fun, courteous, always ready to help out and a very safe driver.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The walks can be a bit more of a challenge in the heat...but don't let that put you off.
Reviewed May 2019 Jan StrasserA Great trip to celebrate a milestone birthday! We had a fantastic time with a great group of people walking along the beautiful hills of Tuscany - visiting quaint hilltop villages - viewing spectacular scenery and partaking in wonderful food and wineWhat was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Hard to name just one! I loved the hilltop villages but I also love Florence - something incredible to see around every corner!What did you think of your group leader? Liz Proctor was our group leader and she is amazing! She knew so much about every single place we visited.Do you have any advice for potential travellers? If you enjoy walking and great food and wine I highly recommend this trip
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