Tours

I can create for you Themed Itineraries which enclose all of the region’s most famous ’stops’, trying to satisfy all tastes, but adding places and experiences which will allow you to live the real Tuscany and not just the touristy one.

I will help you make the most of your time here by creating a Personalized Guided Tour showing you Tuscany to the best of your tastes and desires, in order to live not just a holiday but also an unforgettable life experience!

A lot of people prefer to wonder around the cities and read about its highlights in the guide books, but when they decide to take a tour with a local guide, they realize that it is a completely different experience.

The local tour guide will tell you things that are not in guide books and pass on to you legends, culture and the real life of the area, by showing you the authentic city or village that you are visiting. You will have a ‘personal guide book’ who will concentrate on your individual interests and give you a one on one experience with a true local.

This kind of experience is unique and will offer you a knowledge that cannot be passed on through a book.

Here are some characteristic Tours that also offer the non-touristy side of the region:

Classical Tour of the cities:

A historical overview of the cities of Lucca, Pisa, Florence, Siena. You can choose between a 3h tour or a 6h tour which may include museums.

Gourmet/Historical Tour of Lucca:

To discover the Real Lucca. A combination of food tasting, going round the best local shops of Lucca, tasting traditional food, from meats, cheeses, focaccia bread, artisan chocolate, to Buccellato the traditional Lucchese dessert, in order to discover the traditions and products of the area, together with a historical, artistic and cultural overview of the city.

Garfagnana Tour:

This region is part of Lucca’s province, also known as the Serchio (Lucca’s river) Valley. It is in the countryside and surrounded by two main mountain ranges, Alpi Apuane and Appennino Tosco-Emiliano, that delimitate the area from the two next-door regions of Liguria and Emilia-Romagna. This region, once the hiding place of bandits, is full of beautiful wonders, like castles, monasteries and gorgeous villages hidden within the mountains.

There are many combinations of possible tours within this area, from naturalistic ones: hiking, visiting the speleological ‘Wind Grotto’ and rafting; to historical ones: an ancient monastery set in the mountain wall, the Devil’s Bridge and the many characteristic villages, among which are Barga and Castelnuovo Grafagnana. A Second World War tour, revisiting the areas of Spike Lee’s 2008 film ‘Miracle at St. Ann’, where many bunkers are still open and it is possible to climb inside them and see the memories left behind by that terrible war. For more info on this tour go to Gothic Line.

In November/December time it is possible to visit an ancient chestnut mill of the 1700’s, where the chestnuts are ground to make flour, used in many traditional local recipes and then stop at a local restaurant for lunch.

It is also possible from Garfagnana to go across the mountain range to the other side of it and get to the coast area, and along the road see the Marble Quarrys starting to form along the road, enjoying a fantastic view of the valley and coast line.

Carrara and Pietrasanta:

Take a tour of the famous marble quarries. We can go inside and an expert carver will explain all the wonders of this special marble and the hard work it takes in order to cut it. Then we can head out to Pietrasanta, a gorgeous little village, center of all modern and contemporary art and sculptor. It was where all the artists used to stop before or after choosing their piece of marble and carving it, among the most famous there was also Michelangelo, so follow his footsteps from the quarries to the area where he rested and studied his masterpieces.

San Miniato+wine tasting/Truffle hunting:

San Miniato is a gorgeous little medieval, hill-top village, in the province of Pisa, renowned for its special white truffles and the leather industry. In the XII and XIII centuries it was one of the most important  Imperial centers of the area. Situated in a strategic point, nestled upon three hills, between the Via Francigena and the Pisa-Florence road. In November it houses the well-known truffle festival. We will take a tour in the village and then head out to a winery set in a breath-taking Tuscan scenery, in a villa which was once owned by Napoleon’s uncle. We will taste some of their best wines and listen to how they run the estate and make their biodynamical wine. We can also decide to have lunch there, under a great oak tree, overlooking the beautiful landscape.

November is the truffle season, so if you are here during that time, we can arrange a truffle hunt with the local truffle hunters and their dogs, and then enjoy a ‘truffle lunch’(using the truffles you’ve found).

Tours of the Borghi (villages):

It is renown that Tuscany offers an array of beautiful and picturesque little borghi. If you are interested in seeing the ‘real’ Tuscan life or have already seen the main attractions, we can offer you a selection of many hill-top villages set in the countryside of Lucca, Pisa, Florence and Siena.

Here are some of the most famous:

Province of Lucca: Viareggio, Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Borgo a Mozzano, Barga, Castelnuovo Garfagnana…

Province of Pisa: Calci, Vicopisano, Volterra, San Miniato…

Province of Siena: San Gimignano, Monteriggioni, Montalcino, Pienza…

Province of Florence: Certaldo, Vinci…

Outside Tuscany: Cinque Terre, Portovenere, Portofino, Santa Margherita…

To read more information on the history of our places go to Cities &Villages