Luxury hotel holidays to Tuscany

Luxury holidays to Tuscany: luxury hotel holidays, touring holidays and special interest holidays

An Expressions tailor-made holiday in Tuscany allows you to appreciate its classical landscape of rolling hills and vineyards dotted with olive and cypress trees, its misty green-grey mountains that are never too far distant, and hill-top towns of rich brown and gold stone houses. This combines with the beauty of the works of art contained in the towns and villages throughout Tuscany to create an inspirational union of the spirit and the senses. There is an intrinsic comfort in the supposed contrast between the delicacy of a Botticelli and the heartiness of Ribollita soup, yet both are typical of this fascinating region. As birthplace of the Renaissance, the impact of Tuscan and particularly Florentine traditions and culture on European heritage is fundamental to our way of life. In addition to the obvious attractions of the scenery of Chianti and the art cities of Florence and Siena, there are the less well-known regions south of Siena with its moon-like landscape of hills, the patchwork vineyards of Montalcino, the coastal marshlands of the Maremma, the spas of Montecatini and Saturnia, the islands of Elba and Giglio, and the Casentino with the source of the Arno and abundant mushroom crops. Wherever you travel on holiday in Tuscany, you will be inspired by the beauty of your surroundings and the way of life, which is quintessentially that of Italy too.

Gardens of Tuscany

Tuscany is also a region famous for its villas and gardens, many of which date from the Renaissance times and are renowned for the way that garden design developed in the Western world. Expressions Holidays offers a small group tour visiting the gardens of Tuscany on selected dates in the year.

Cultural tour of the medicis

For a more in-depth look at the artistic heritage and culture in Tuscany, enjoy a four-night cultural break following in the footsteps of the Medicis. Visit the statues, tombs, and palaces in Florence, and the Medici villas in the surrounding towns and villages.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Italy and within Italy, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Tuscany

● Wine tours for small groups
● Wine-tasting for individuals
● Garden tours for small groups
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Cookery holidays for individuals and small groups
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Painting, photography and flower arranging
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Here you will find a few more details of sightseeing, highlights, local festivals and things to do in Tuscany during your Italian Expressions holiday.

Highlights of Tuscany

Famous vineyards producing wines of Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Alabaster is produced in Volterra. Gold and silver are worked in Florence and the Ponte Vecchio is lined with jewellery shops. Marbled paper and stationery is a speciality of Florence. Ceramics and hand-painted majolica from raw terracotta from Impruneta to the glazed pottery of Siena are to be found throughout Tuscany. Lucca has traditionally produced silk and hand-woven fabrics. Leather goods including shoes, handbags and belts are to be found from market stalls to designer shops such as Gucci and Ferragamo. Interesting markets include the Mercato dell' Antiquariato which sells furniture from antiques to bric-a-brac in Arezzo on the first weekend of every month, in Pisa on the second weekend and in Lucca on the third weekend. The 'wild' Maremma is known for its long-horned white cattle and cowboys (butteri) and natural springs including Saturnia.

Cultural highlights of Tuscany

As birthplace of the Renaissance, Tuscany contains a wealth of treasures: Giotto`s Campanile and Brunelleschi`s Dome in Florence, the Tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo in Florence`s Santa Croce, Botticelli`s `Birth of Venus` and `Primavera` and the portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino by Piero della Francesca in the Uffizi, Michelangelo`s `David` in the Accademia, the architecture of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, `The Tuscan Maremma` painting by Giovanni Fattori in the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, the Piazza del Campo in Siena, `The Legend of the Cross` frescoes by Piero della Francesco in Arezzo, `The Creation` fresco by Bartolo di Fredi in the Collegiata in San Gimignano, Romanesque church of the Collegiata in San Quirico d`Orcia, 14th Century Fortezza of Montalcino, Renaissance masterpiece of the church of Madonna di San Biagio at Montepulciano, the abbey-church of Sant`Antimo, mediaeval Lucignano and the towers of San Gimignano, the Etruscan Museum in Cortona.  

Festivals in Tuscany

Many of Tuscany`s festivals resound with the flamboyance of the Renaissance and keep Tuscans and visitors alike in touch with the region`s rich history. Others are linked to Tuscany`s hearty traditions of eating and drinking. The most famous is Siena`s Palio which takes place on 2 July and 16 August each year. Others include the Sagra del Tordo (Festival of the Thrush) in Montalcino on the last Sunday in October when there is an archery contest and charcoal-grilled thrush are a delicacy. In Florence, Calcio in Costume (a football match played in mediaeval costume) takes place in June. Pisa has the Giocco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge), a mock battle in Renaissance dress also held in June. Viareggio celebrates Carnival on Shrove Tuesday with a huge display of flamboyant floats. In May and August Massa Marittima holds the Falcon Contest.  

Gastronomy in Tuscany

Simple country food is at the heart of Tuscan cooking. Regional dishes include Bruschetta (bread or ciabatta toasted and rubbed with garlic, olive oil and salt), Ribollita (bean, cabbage and bread soup), Pasta with hare or wild boar sauce, Porcini mushroom and truffle dishes, Bistecca all Fiorentina (thick cut of sirloin and fillet beef), Cantucci (almond and honey biscuits) served dipped in Vin Santo, Panforte (chocolate, nut and spice cake). Pecorino cheese made from sheep's milk. Local wines include the white Vernaccia di San Gimignano and the Bianco di Pitigliano. Famous reds include Chanti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Vin Santo made from semi-crushed grapes left for several months is an excellent dessert wine.

Tuscany travel information

Tuscany is reached very easily from the UK by air and rail. We can arrange for you to travel by train with overnight stops. Some clients choose to take their own car all the way.

By air

Fly to Pisa (daily flights with British Airways from Heathrow), Bologna (daily flights with British Airways from Gatwick) or Florence (daily flights with British Airways from London City). Rome is also recommended for the hotels in southern Tuscany - there are numerous flights by British Airways from Heathrow as well as some regional departures. Most of the hotels in Tuscany are no more than two hours' drive from one of the airports.

Car hire

We include a hire-car with all our holidays to Tuscany (except the Florence and Pisa city centre hotels) as you really do need a car to make the most of your holiday in this region. However, if you want to combine a stay in Florence with a stay in the country then you do not need the car during your time in Florence. In this case, we arrange for you to drop off or to collect your car in Florence at the beginning or end of your stay there.

Rail travel

Tuscany is easily accessible by train from London by taking the Eurostar to Paris, and then the overnight sleeper service to Milan. You change trains in Milan and can be in Florence by about 09.00 hrs. From here you can take another train, depending on your destination, or collect a hire-car which is the most practical way to explore the Tuscan countryside.

Self-drive

With your own car Tuscany can be reached comfortably with two overnight stops from the UK. For example, you could overnight in Alsace and the Italian Lakes and then return via Lake Geneva and the Champagne region. Ask us for advice and let us make these arrangements for you.

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Italy and within Italy, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Tuscany

● Wine tours for small groups
● Wine-tasting for individuals
● Garden tours for small groups
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Cookery holidays for individuals and small groups
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Painting, photography and flower arranging
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245

Here you will find a map of Tuscany showing the locations of the hotels that we offer

Our bespoke, luxury hotel holidays can be

● Single centre or multi-centre
● Long or short stays
● Combine a number of different hotels in different regions
● Utilise a variety of transport arrangements to Italy and within Italy, combining flights, hire-car, rail, ferries and private transfers

Our special interest holidays to Tuscany

● Wine tours for small groups
● Wine-tasting for individuals
● Garden tours for small groups
● Cultural tours for individuals
● Cookery holidays for individuals and small groups
● Visits to local music festivals
● Private guided sightseeing
● Painting, photography and flower arranging
● Spa holidays
● Family holidays

Included in all our holidays

● Concierge service
● Handcrafted helpful hints and local information provided with all our holidays
● Personal service by your sales consultant who looks after all aspects of your holiday

Call us on 01392 441245