Itinerary

Day 1 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Depart US/Fly overnight to Florence

You depart from the U.S. for Italy. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 2 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Arrive in Florence/Begin your Trip Extension in Florence

Upon arrival at the Florence airport, a VBT local representative meets you outside the customs area and helps you transfer to your hotel. The representative will be holding a VBT sign. If you arrive early, your room may not be ready until 1 p.m. You may store your luggage with the reception desk.

At the hotel our local expert will be available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to answer your questions and offer an optional private guided walk to make the most of the city. You have the rest of the day free to explore the city with our VBT City Information included in your Final Travel Booklet. Please note: to visit the Uffizi Gallery, you must make reservations in advance. To reserve online, go to www.florence-museum.com. For information on all Florence museums, go to www.italy-museum.com.

Day 1 of AIR PACKAGE Depart US/Fly overnight to Florence

You depart from the U.S. for Italy. The particulars of your arrival overseas are detailed with your flight itinerary and airline tickets.

Day 3 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Independent exploration of Florence

After breakfast, you may wish to explore the city's most famous museum, the Uffizi Gallery (advance tickets required). Or, stroll along the shop-lined promenades of the Via Tornabuoni, then cross the river Arno in search of antiques or handicrafts in the Piazza del Duomo.

Day 2 of AIR PACKAGE Arrive in Florence

Upon arrival at the Florence airport, a VBT local representative meets you outside the customs area and helps you transfer to your hotel (approximately 30 minutes). The representative will be holding a VBT sign. If you arrive early, your room may not be ready until 1 p.m. You may store your luggage with the reception desk.

You have the rest of the day free to explore the city with VBT's City Information included in your Final Travel Booklet. In the evening, relax in one of the city's restaurants and sample the local cuisine.

Day 4 of PRE-TRIP EXTENSION Independent exploration of Florence/Join VBT Air Package guests

Spend the morning exploring the city on your own.

VBT Air Package guests arrive throughout the day.

Day 1 of BIKE TOUR All guests meet in Florence/Transfer to San Gimignano

VBT No-Air Package guests: Your tour starts at 12:30 at the Florence hotel (Hotel Adler Cavalieri, via Della Scala, 40, Firenze, phone +39 055 277810). Please have lunch on your own before meeting your VBT Trip Leaders, who will be in the lobby wearing VBT staff garments. If your arrival at the Florence hotel is scheduled later than 12:30, or if you are delayed, you must take a taxi (approximately 1 hour) at your own expense (approximately 100 euros/$150 USD) to Villa Ducci. Contact Villa Ducci to advise the staff of any travel delays or changes, and they will pass the message on to your VBT Trip Leaders. Please note: If you are arriving/departing from the Florence city center, you must transfer at your own expense to our Florence Hotel.

VBT Air Package guests & Pre-Trip Extension guests: Explore Florence after breakfast, then meet your Trip Leaders at the hotel in Florence at 12:30. They will be wearing VBT staff garments. Please plan to have lunch on your own before meeting your Trip Leaders.

Once the group has assembled, we transfer by motorcoach to our first hotel, Villa Ducci (transfer time 1½ hours). This hotel, located just outside the charming town of San Gimignano, is the ancient residential villa of the Ducci family, built in the 19th century around a medieval tower. It has been transformed into a comfortable hotel with a swimming pool and garden views of San Gimignano's medieval towers. After settling in, meet for a safety and bike-fitting session before a short warm-up ride through the countryside. Later, gather with the group for a welcome reception, followed by a dinner of regional specialties served in the hotel's restaurant.

Day 2 of BIKE TOUR Explore San Gimignano

This morning, cycle past silvery olive groves and old fattorie (farm villas) with stunning open views of the Tuscan countryside. Our ride takes us back to San Gimignano, known for its characteristic skyline, which is visible from miles away. It's hard to believe that such a small medieval center once bristled with 76 towers, erected in a 14th-century building frenzy by competing families. Today, only 13 remain. You have free time to explore on your own and eat lunch. Or, choose an optional and challenging ride to Ulignano and San Benedetto.

Later, participate in an included language workshop with your native Italian VBT Trip Leaders. For dinner tonight, we head into San Gimignano to dine at a charming local trattoria.

Day 3 of BIKE TOUR Cycle to Colle Val d'Elsa and Siena

After breakfast, begin riding to Colle Val d'Elsa, a picturesque town famous for its fine handcrafted crystal and medieval architecture. Entering the borough via the monumental Porta Nuova, we wind our way past numerous 16th- and 17th-century noble houses to the magnificent Palazzo Campana, which marks the entrance to the castle and the oldest part of Colle Val d'Elsa. After lunch, shuttle or continue biking to our next accommodations in Siena. If you opt to cycle, you'll ride through several charming towns, including Abbadia Isola and Staggia Senese, and past fields of red poppies and rolling hills.

Your hotel in Siena is a restored monastery in the complex of San Niccolo' Church, in the quietest part of the city. Located in the “contrada della Chiocciola,” (the Snail district), it is only a few steps from a typical “Chiesa del cavallo” (horse church). You can only find them here: Churches where horses are received and blessed before the Palio race. This evening, attend a presentation on the Italian Renaissance, the history of Siena and of the Palio by a local art historian, who will then join the group for dinner in a local restaurant.

Day 4 of BIKE TOUR - DISCOVERY DAY! Explore the Chianti region and Siena

Today, ride through the Chianti region on Via Chiantigiana, a panoramic road that runs north-to-south across the vineyards and through sleepy hilltop villages like Radda and Castellina in Chianti. Back in Siena, discover the city at your own pace during your free time.

Siena is the embodiment of a medieval city. Its inhabitants pursued their rivalry with Florence right into the area of urban planning. Throughout history, they preserved their city's Gothic appearance, which was developed between the 12th and 15th centuries. During this period, the work of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers and Simone Martini was to influence the course of Italian and, more broadly, European art. The whole city of Siena, built around the Piazza del Campo, was created as a work of art that blends into the surrounding landscape.

Tonight, dinner is on your own in one of the many local trattorias in the heart of the city. After dinner, when all the tourists have gone, take a stroll through the various ‘rioni' (the territories of each contrada) or in the quiet Duomo district.

The Palio horse race, which takes place every year on July 2 and August 16, is one of Italy's most famous and popular events. It is run to celebrate the miraculous apparition of the Virgin Mary and first took place on August 16, 1656. From 1701, it was run in honor of the Madonna dell'Assunta, the patroness of Siena. The race's history is strictly connected with the origins of Siena's contradas, or districts. Each contrada is an institution in itself, with its own headquarters, government, oratory, coat of arms, appellations, titles of nobility, emblems and colors, official representatives, festivities, patron saints, district sculptures, delimited territories and population. Today only 17 contradas exist, 10 of which participate in the race. The preparations for the race are like liturgical ceremonies, starting from the transformation of the “Campo” square into a race track, to the blessing of each contrada horse. During the month of July, we are likely to see some of the festivities and decorations surrounding this famous local event.

Day 5 of BIKE TOUR Cycle Pienza and the Sienese Crete

This morning, shuttle to the 14th-century Benedictine abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. In the cloister, we admire many frescoes painted by some of the most famous artists of the Sienese school. Then we pedal into the Crete, a lunar-like region of clay hummocks and treeless gullies.

Later we arrive in Pienza, a charming town set on a hill in Tuscany's Val d'Orcia. This is a perfect example of Renaissance town planning as dictated by Pope Pius II. We have free time to relax in the piazza or explore the town before finding a restaurant for lunch on our own. Late in the afternoon, enjoy an included wine tasting and talk on Tuscan wines at one of the most famous enotecas in Italy. Tonight, dinner is on your own.

Day 6 of BIKE TOUR - DISCOVERY DAY! Explore Pienza and the Orcia Valley

Today's bike ride is one of the most beautiful in Europe. Begin with a downhill stretch that affords a breathtaking view of Mount Amiata, the highest peak in Tuscany. If you'd like the longer cycling option, continue to the Fort of Radicofani. Perched on a natural promontory, the fort dominates the surrounding countryside. Then pedal toward Montepulciano and stop for a delicious picnic lunch on our route.

In the afternoon, spend free time in Montepulciano before cycling or shuttling on to Pienza. A local trattoria hosts our farewell dinner featuring typical pici pasta.

Day 7 of BIKE TOUR Transfer to Rome/Free time/VBT No-Air Package ends

After breakfast transfer to Rome, arriving at about 12:00 p.m.

VBT No-Air Package guests: Your trip ends in Rome at River Palace Hotel, via Flaminia 33, phone +39 06 830011 around 12:00 p.m.You are responsible for your own transfer to the airport for your flight home.

VBT Air Package guests: Arrive at our Rome Hotel at approximately 12:00 noon. and have the rest of the day at your leisure. Your room may not be ready until 1 p.m., but you can store your luggage with the reception desk.

If you have chosen the independent Post-Trip Extension to Rome, you will remain at this hotel for three nights. When you arrive today, VBT's Rome representative can answer your questions and offer an optional city walk to help you make the most of Baroque Rome. Our VBT City Information included in your Final Travel Booklet has recommendations for restaurants, museums and transportation in Rome to help you explore on your own.

Day 8 of AIR PACKAGE Depart for U.S.

After breakfast* this morning, transfer to the Rome airport for your departing flight. Please ensure you are ready in the hotel reception area at the designated transfer time**.

*Please note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

**VBT recommends that you check your transfer time in your “Transfer Reminder.” Please note: VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Day 1 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Remain in Rome for your optional extension

If you have chosen the optional Post-Trip Extension, remain in Rome for an additional two nights and spend today exploring the city. This is an independent extension – there is no VBT representative or Trip Leader.

Today's opportunities are endless. You might visit the Forum, the political and commercial center of ancient Rome when the empire was at its greatest power. Various emperors constructed temples, monuments and other buildings here over a period of nine centuries. Today you can still see the Curia where the Roman Senate met. Take a walk up the Palatine Hill, where tradition says the first settlers of Rome built their huts under the direction of Romulus, and which was the later home of Caligula, Nero, Tiberius and Domitian.

Day 2 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Independent exploration of Rome

Today, perhaps you'll step out of Italy while you're still in Rome with a visit to the Vatican, an independent state. The Vatican museums are filled with magnificent art that goes far beyond such well-known pieces as the Pieta and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. Tour Rome's famous Catacombs, located in tunnels carved out of rock along the Via Appia (Appian Way).

Or spend an idyllic afternoon in the gardens of the Villa Borghese, one of Europe's most elegant parks. And by all means, do as the Romans do — sip espresso, savor Italian wine and, even in the middle of the rush of modern European life, take the time to enjoy la dolce vita. After a full day of independent exploration, retire to your hotel or perhaps enjoy one of Rome's fine restaurants.

Day 3 of POST-TRIP EXTENSION Rome extension concludes/Depart for U.S.

After breakfast*, transfer to the Rome airport (approximately 40-60 minutes depending upon traffic) for your departing flight**. Please ensure you are waiting in the hotel reception area at the designated time.

* Note: For guests with early-morning departures, breakfast at the hotel may not be available. Please check with the Front Desk to verify the times that breakfast is served.

**VBT recommends that you check your transfer time in your “Transfer Reminder.” VBT transfer times and departure points are finalized in advance and cannot be modified for individual guests. If you are extend your stay beyond the scheduled program dates, return transportation to the airport will be at your own expense.

Tuscan Hill Towns by Bike 2012

Pre and Post Trip Extensions

Pre-Trip Extension

Florence 2012 Tuscan Hill Towns - 2 nights for only $345

Begin your Italian bicycling vacation with two magical days in Florence, the art lover’s paradise. The Italian province of Tuscany boasts more classified historical monuments than any other region in the world, and the most dazzling are in Florence. The Renaissance began here, and the period’s great works of art are on display throughout the city. Florence also has delightful cafés for relaxing and people-watching. A city that is fun to explore on foot, Florence has many attractions concentrated in the relatively small historic center stretching from Piazza del Duomo south to the Arno River.

Only available with the Air Inclusive Package.

Note: Single supplement for this extension is $155.

Post-Trip Extension

Rome 2012 Tuscan Hill Towns - 2 nights for only $345

Discover the Eternal City at your leisure as you spend two nights in Italy’s timeless capital. History, art and architecture abound, from Greek sculpture to Roman ruins.

Marvel at the grandeur of the Vatican, where St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel await. Stroll through the ancient ruins of the Roman Forum and the Coliseum. Take time to walk up the Spanish Steps, toss a coin in the Trevi fountain to ensure your return to Rome, or just spend a relaxing afternoon at a quiet outdoor café. Many attractions are within walking distance of your centrally located hotel.

Only available with the Air Inclusive package.

Note: Single supplement for this extension is $295.

Accommodations

Hotel Adler Cavalieri

An ancient Florentine palace completely redecorated and refurbished in the old Florentine style, Hotel Adler Cavalieri is located in the historical center of Florence, a few steps from the main railway station of Santa Maria Novella. Its location in the old city center is an easy walk to restaurants, cafés and shops.

Villa Ducci

The hotel was once the residential villa of the Ducci family, who in the 19th century built their house around the ancient medieval watchtower of San Biagio. The villa was completely restored in 2003 and transformed into an elegant small hotel, featuring an amazing view of the city of San Gimignano and its medieval towers from the swimming pool and garden. An Internet connection is available in the hotel lobby.

Il Chiostro Del Carmine

Located in the heart of Siena, far from the city noise and near the city walls, this historic property was once a 14th-century Carmelite monastery and is now classified as a holiday resort. It features 17 comfortable rooms overlooking either the internal cloister or the valley south of Siena. The atmosphere is very peaceful and familiar. Breakfast is served in the ancient “barrel room” where monks used to press and store wine in big barrels. The cloister offers seating and relaxation.

Il Chiostro di Pienza

Set in the heart of Pienza, Il Chiostro di Pienza is a historic 15th-century cloister that has been renovated into a magnificent 4-star property. It was named after the beautiful cloister of the convent and church of San Francesco. As you relax in your comfortable accommodations, you find its central location enables you to explore this Renaissance city, well-preserved and rich in history. With views of the Orcia and Asso valleys, a refined restaurant featuring Tuscan specialties, and an outdoor swimming pool, Il Chiostro’s hospitality has delighted visitors for years. An internet connection is available in the hotel lobby.

River Palace Hotel

Located in the heart of the city, a few steps from Piazza Del Popolo and the wonderful Santa Maria del Popolo Church (with paintings by Caravaggio), this charming property is intimate and refined. It features a very good restaurant called Caravaggio, a nice breakfast room, and friendly staff at bar and reception. VBT has reserved only superior rooms, larger than the otherwise very small standard bedrooms. A great spot to discover the Eternal City. An Internet connection is available in the hotel lobby.

Rating Level

Moderate/Advanced

This tour offers the full range of easy terrain mixed with moderate and challenging hills. Our VBT van support shuttle is always available for those who need assistance with the hills. Ideal for more experienced cyclist.