In 2003 we will return to Tuscany, Italy, now for 13 nights !
Tuscany – everything the name evokes is truly there – the vistas, the intact hill towns, the vineyards and olive groves, with the classic cypress trees acting as punctuation marks.
Tuscany offers breathtaking scenery, preserved medieval cities, the food, the wine, the art !
Our program–
- 5 nights in San Gimignano
- 5 nights in Siena
- 3 nights in Florence
ITINERARY
May 03 - 07
We meet at Florence airport and travel north through the hills of Tuscany to the enchanting 14th century town of San Gimignano. Known as San Gimignano of the Fine Towers, it is perhaps the best-known 'village' in Italy, a place where no cars are allowed within the city walls. It's stunning skyline of towers, built in aristocratic rivalry by the feuding nobles of the 12th and 13th centuries, evokes the appearance of medieval Tuscany far more than any other sight. Crenellated palazzos and soaring towers circle the town's major piazzas. A Romanesque Cathedral, ruined fortress, frescoed church and a wonderful museum featuring art from the Sienese and Florentine schools all add to the charm of this magical place.
May 08 – 12
We move to Siena, famed for its chianti wine. Siena is a classic counterpoint to Florence and still rural behind its medieval walls. Its attraction lies in its cityscape, bristling with majestic Gothic buildings in various shades of the colour known as 'burnt siena'. In its great scallop-shaped “Piazza 'il Campo” it has the loveliest of all Italian public squares from which an array of pedestrian streets, each with its own ancient story, presents a succession of amazing vistas. Siena's sophisticated and highly developed civil life developed a great deal from its flourishing wool industry and the fact that it was a major hub along the trade route between Paris and Rome. All this brought tremendous wealth, and therefore art and architecture, during the age of humanism and early stages of the Renaissance. Then came the Black Death in May 1348 that decimated the population. Siena's swift decline from the republican capital to little more than a market centre explains the city's astonishing state of medieval preservation. Little was built and still less demolished, while allotments and vineyards occupied the spaces between the ancient quarters, as they do today. Its near pristine state makes it an ideal base for our painting course for the next five nights.
May 13 to 15
On May 13 we move from Siena to Florence. No trip to Tuscany is complete without a visit and preferably a stay in Florence! During our stay of three nights in this vibrant city that still easily carries its Renaissance image, our artist/instructor Henry Vyfvinkel will lead sketching and painting sessions at the city's most classic locations. We will have a guided walking orientation of this wonderful city, and as we are staying right in the city, you will have time to visit the Uffizi Gallery, the Boboli Gardens and to see 'David' at the Accademia.
May 16
Early morning transfer provided to Florence airport.
COST AND INCLUDED FEATURES
Cost
Per Person based on sharing twin accommodation -
$2989.00 CAD / 2069.00 USD
(Single supplement $899.00 CAD/$620.00USD)
Included Features
- 5 nights accommodation in San Gimignano, 5 nights accommodation in Siena, 3 nights accommodation in Florence
- Buffet breakfast daily
- Airport transfers and all land transportation by motorcoach to hotels and painting locations
- Guided walking tours of San Gimignano, Siena and Florence
- All excursions mentioned in the itinerary
- Instruction for all levels by artist instructor Hnery Vyfvinkel
- All taxes and service charges
- Maximum of 18 participants
