This trip from Pisa will make you discover one of the most beautiful regions of Italy with Mediterranean scents. Pisa, the ancient university city renowned among other things for its leaning tower and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Montecatini, a charming spa town in the hills and which has attracted many visitors for centuries, Lucca, the birthplace of Puccini, and the only town in Italy entirely surrounded by walls & by lovers of Chianti will make this stay an essential destination for lovers of culture & gastronomy.
Pisa Airport (Google Map)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
This trip to the heart of Tuscany, famed for architectural treasures and art, will make you fall in love with it’s culture, gastronomy and warmth of life.
Flight to Pisa and transfer from the airport to Montecatini Terme. Accommodation at a 4 star hotel. Free time and dinner at the hotel.
Begin your day with a drive through the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany, and reach San Gimignano. The town is known as the “Town of Fine Towers” and it sits on a hilltop. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is encircled in walls and is famous for its medieval architecture and impressive skyline. We recommend you try the local white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, made from grapes grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.
In the afternoon, transfer to a nearby “Fattoria” for wine tasting with typical Tuscan snacks.
Dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast you will travel to Pisa where you will visit the Piazza dei Miracoli, home to perhaps the most iconic building in Italy – the Leaning Tower. The famous lean was caused by a poor foundation, which could not support the structure’s weight. The tilt continued to increase before the structure was completed and has since been partially corrected in the 20th and 21st centuries.
You will also see the Pisa Cathedral and the many baroque buildings, which make up the Piazza dei Miracoli (the Square of Miracles).
In the afternoon our guide will take you to Lari, a small village near Pisa. You will visit a small family-run pasta factory that exports its production to all the world. During the visit the guide informs you on the traditional methods of production and on the very original conditions in which this family works. You will understand why this pasta is so amazing and also why the Italians love it so much.
One of the most beautiful aspects of a small village in Tuscany is the presence of many boutique shops. You have the opportunity to see the most representative one in Lari: the butcher’s. We meet the butcher and see his cellars where prosciutto and salamis are ageing and we sample a few cold meats available for sale. At the very end of the tour to Lari you are invited to taste a local cherry liquor, typical produce of the small village, at one historical bar in town.
Dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast you will travel Lucca, the birthplace of Puccini, and the only town in Italy entirely surrounded by walls. Considered to be among the wealthiest and most conservative cities in Tuscany, Lucca’s prosperity was gained largely through silk and high-quality olive oil. The city is crammed with beautiful Romanesque churches – an architecture enthusiast’s dream. Once in Lucca, you have to have a cappuccino or a glass of wine in Piazza Anfiteatro, which is a real gem from Roman times. Another popular landmark of Lucca is Guinigi Tower (worth climbing to the top, to see the view from above).
In the afternoon you will reach a local “Fattoria”, where you will discover the process of olive oil production. You will taste locally produced oil, together with some bruschetta and other snacks.
Dinner at the hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to Pisa Airport.
