Tuscany & the Alps
Published date:
04.20.12
We were extremely excited at being among the pioneers on the newly reintroduced tour of Tuscany, the Italian Riviera and the Italian Alps. For two travelers with limited experience traveling to Italy, the destinations were an awesome representation of much of Italy's highlights.
Florence was all and more than we could have imagined, and our visit into the Tuscan countryside to a fabulous old farmhouse high atop a hill overlooking vineyards and olive trees was an experience right out of our favorite book, Under the Tuscan Sun! Our dinner cooked by an apron-clad "Nonna" with wine poured on the terrace at sunset by the master of the property, Luigi, will be unforgettable.
Santa Margherita and the Italian Riviera were as picturesque as could be with jaunts to the postcard-perfect town of Portofino and an unexpected train trip to the Cinque Terra area and the cliff-top vistas of "Lovers Lane" Also spectacular were visits to Pisa and the fabled town of Verona.
Although we had little advance knowledge of the southern Tyrolean region and the city of Bolzano, this 4-day visit turned out to be yet another unexpexcted highlight of our trip. Throughout our entire journey we experienced excellent care from our personable and informative program director, Lella. City guides were also first class.
We took all optional tours and would recommend most -- especially the Treasues of Tuscany where we ended our day of discovery treated like royalty to a magnificent dinner and wine tasting in the dining room of a medieval castle in the marvelous Chianti wine region.
The only somewhat disappointing optional tour was the Rennon Mountain Tour and Farmhouse dinner. After taking 3 modes of transportation -- funicular, train and bus to end up at an apple juice plant for 2 tastings of apple juice guided by a non-English-speaking orchard owner, it all seemed somewhat of a stretch. In addition, the "farmhouse dinner" was at what appeared to be a local restaurant hosted by a somewhat stressed out staff.
Hotels and food, including local wine at every provided meal were outstanding. And the best part: weather for this time of year was incredible -- temps way above average and each day sunny -- even the Alpine city of Innsbruck was in the 70's.
Cyndi Fearn and Paul Kirkham
Sarasota FL
Traveler: Paul Kirkham from Sarasota, FL traveled
on March 12, 2012
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