Download the Florence and Eastern Tuscany Tour Information below

Florence and Eastern Tuscany Itinerary

DAY 1:

Meet Florence Airport or Florence Santa Maria Train station.   Drive to Arezzo (1hr) for lunch in a local Trattoria before visiting the beautiful fresco cycle of The Legend of the True Cross by the Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca.  Continue to Poppi, a small village in eastern Tuscany, and stay for  4 nights in the delightful family-run I Tre Baroni hotel in the Casentino National Park.

DAY 2:

Visit the evocative Hermitage of Camadoli in its peaceful position amongst the trees at 1100m, and  hike along woodland trails in the Casentino National Park.   After a picnic lunch continue to the 11th century castle of Romena and the enchanting Romanesque church of the same name

DAY 3:

Walk through a thousand-year-old forest in the Tusco-Romagnola Appennines to the monastery of Camaldoli, founded by the Benedictine monk St Romuald in the 11th century. Picnic in the woods before returning to the hotel. Join the hotel chef to learn how to make fresh pasta with plenty of opportunity for hands-on involvement.

DAY 4:

Climb up through chestnut and beech woods to 1200m, passing small villages with beautiful views to the valley. Stop for a delicious picnic en route and, in the afternoon,  climb steadily to La Verna, the site of the cave where St Francis was once a hermit. Visit the sanctuary before returning to Poppi by van. Dinner in the excellent hotel restaurant.

DAY 5:

Depart Poppi and drive to the Passo della Consuma. Walk through the woods, vineyards and hills of Tuscany to the 13th century Castello di Pomino.  Enjoy a tasting of the Frescobaldi wines before continuing to Fattoria Lavacchio for 3 nights in this delightful farm.  Dinner in a local Trattoria.

DAY 6:

Start the walk at the pretty village of Santa Brigida and arrive at Fiesole through the largely unspoilt countryside surrounding Florence, past vineyards and through woods.  This former Etruscan settlement on the hill affords one of the most stunning views of the lovely city of Florence in the valley below. Dinner in the farmhouse restaurant.

DAY 7:

Drive to Florence to meet renowned local guide Freya Middleton who shares her passion and knowledge during a private tour including some of the lesser-known treasures of the city.  Memorable final dinner in the medieval Nipozzano Castle, home to the noble Frescobaldi family for seven hundred years.

DAY 8:

Return to Florence.

Images from various Hedonistic Hiking Tours