Tuscany,
Italy (May)
Scheduled trip: Please contact us to schedule a custom trip!
Trip Cost: $2,700 - (8 Days/7
Nights)
There is a $300 single supplement charge
Tuscany lovers, take note, and procrastinate no longer! This walking tour is almost full (10 guests max), with the last day to register being 12/15/07. We are down to one room left available at the historic, working farm estate called Selva, our weeklong base in the beautiful, timeless hills north of Lucca and Pisa.
Besides great walks offered daily (guided by Brett and a local friend), there
are cooking classes and stellar meals featuring estate-grown cheeses, olive oils
and wines! Please refer to trip details at Selva farm estate's website,
Abbondanzatoscana.com, then contact us today. Land cost is an all-inclusive price of about $2,700
(subject to currency fluctuations until you actually book), plus your air
travel. Note that this land cost is about $1000 less than most Tuscany walking
tours - run in busier, more touristed areas of Tuscany - by several of the usual
well-known outfitters who like to make a bundle on bigger group tours (and
which, happily for us, don't ever visit the superlative Serchio valley and
Garfagnana hill ranges of our tour).
Brett Poirier takes you on an adventure to connect with the natural world of ancient Italy as well as the human history of Tuscany and the people who live there now. Walks each day are no more than 4 - 8 miles, and the group is limited to only 12 people. Here’s just some of what you’ll see and do:
Explore the Tenuta di Forci Estate. Your home for the week is the restored farmhouse, Selva, on a working estate that still presses its own olive oil and produces its own wine. You’ll explore the estate via forested trails and along spring-running creeks to the estate winery and the shepherdess’s home to watch her make exquisite ricotta and pecorino from the morning’s milking of her sheep.
Walk the Garfagnana, home to Michelangelo’s marble mountains. The Brucciano trail on the southern end of the Garfagnana takes you along a scenic ridge that ends with views of the Mediterranean. Another day’s walk takes you through the Orrido di Botri Natural Reserve.
Hike the Cinque Terre. The five small towns of the Cinque Terre cling to cliffs rising above the Mediterranean. They’re connected by a trail that wanders under olive trees, terraced vineyards and magnificent views of the Ligurian Sea. A boat ride from the southern-most town of Riomaggiore gives you the view from the water.
Cultural tour of Lucca. Our local guide introduces you to Lucca’s ancient heritage, including its place of importance in the Roman Empire, as a fortified city of both renaissance and medieval times to its current status as a delightful place to wander cobblestone streets and the surrounding tree-lined pathways built from earlier fortifications.
Wine tastings and cheese samplings give you an opportunity to learn about Tuscan specialties and to appreciate the significance of excellent food and fine wines to the local lifestyle. You’ll want to make some selections of your own to enjoy at home.
For more information, contact Brett at email: brett@wonderwalkswest.com