Tuscany After the Crowds Tour Specifics

**We are working on our 2022 tour dates and pricing.  CLICK HERE to be notified when our new tour calendar is posted!**

Cost: The land cost of the tour is $TBD USD per person, based on double occupancy. Cash discount cost is $TBD USD per person for payment by check or wire transfer.You may make your registration deposit using PayPal and/or your credit card and still be eligible for the cash discount cost if your final balance is paid by check or wire transfer. Single rooms are available for a supplementary charge of $TBD. Airfare is not included.

Accommodations: 8 nights lodging in elegant, historic 4 star hotels; (4 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Siena). All rooms have in-suite baths.Please note: Many cities in Italy and France have recently implemented tourism taxes on hotel stays in order to "to ensure the quality of tourist, cultural and environmental services in addition to the efficiency of public transports." We are unable to include these taxes in the tour price as the majority of hotels require the tax to be paid in cash upon check- out. The tax is usually €1 per hotel star per person per night. (A four-star hotel will usually be €4 per person per night).

Meals: All breakfasts, one full-course meal daily (either lunch or dinner), additional meals as scheduled. All meals—after breakfast!—include regional wines. We carefully choose the restaurants based on ambiance and quality of cuisine.

Wine Tastings: Scheduled tastings of various Tuscan wines (including small local producers and famous well-known producers)

Workshops and Presentations: We include slideshows and presentations that provide essential background information to enhance your visits.

Guided Tours with local authorized expert guides: Florence, Siena, Monte San Savino

Cooking School

Transfers: All ground transportation during the tour subsequent to your arrival at the hotel in Florence and up to the departure on the last day.  For the departure day, there will be a group shuttle departing Siena at 9 AM and going to the Florence airport for a cost of €40 per person.  If you need to depart at a different time, we can help you book a transfer at an additional cost.

Admissions: Entrance fees for all planned visits to monuments, galleries and museums are included. Entrance to the Accademia Gallery in Florence is not included and is optional (about €22 per person).

Small, Intimate Group: We limit the number of participants to a maximum of 16-18.

Early Arrival/ Late Stay Options: Depending on hotel availability you may be able to arrive early or stay after the end of the tour. We'll be happy to help you make these arrangements. For trip extensions of 2 nights or less, we provide planning assistance on a complimentary basis. For extensions of 3-5 nights, there is a nominal fee of $150 to assist with trip planning including booking hotels, guides, drivers, etc.

Arrival and Departure: The tour begins at our hotel in Florence. A taxi from the Florence airport to the hotel costs approx. €25 and takes about 20 minutes. Or, we can arrange for you to be met by a private driver at additional cost. On the final morning of the tour, we will arrange a group shuttle from Siena to the Florence Airport (a 90-minute ride) and then the Florence Train Station at a cost of €40 per person. Pick-ups or drop-offs at other locations or times can be arranged for an additional fee.

Tour Exclusions: Airfare; transfers upon arrival and departure; Accademia admission; hotel city tax (usually €2-5 per person, per night; payable onsite).

Experienced Tour Leaders:

	Art Historian, Lior Aviv, moved to Florence 14 years ago following his passion for Italian art in general and for Florence in particular. Besides the art seminars and cultural presentations that Lior gives, he is working on two important projects. The first is writing his PhD which talks about Augustus Caesar and Cosimo I of the Medici family. The second is writing a book where the main goal is to transmit the message that art is a language which everyone speaks.  Lior’s years of teaching have proved to him that this is true and he has a way of teaching that enhances our own intuitive capacity to observe and understand art.
Pam Mercer has been leading tours since 1997. She a co-founder of Tuscany Tours. Pam is originally from Oklahoma.  She attended Colorado College in Colorado Springs.  She has lived in Colorado, California and now Tuscany!  She has a degree in psychology and marine biology but says "all she ever needed to know she learned in her theatre classes.".   She loves researching great restaurants, handling tour logistics and leading tours.  She also has a passion for music and she tries to find local musicians to feature in all our tours.  Pam sings in an ITALIAN GOSPEL CHOIR!  She finds it amazing to be singing American spirituals with a bunch of Italians in churches that were built in the 1400s.

We reserve the right to change tour escorts without notice due to the demands of life and our judgement of what is best for each particular tour.