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Private Tuscany Tour to Siena and San Gimignano with Winery Lunch
4.9
16 Ratings
Florence
Embark on a Tuscany tour and explore the charming towns of Siena and San Gimignano. Indulge in a winery lunch and discover the rich history and beauty of the region.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Florence - After meeting your expert guide, an air-conditioned minivan will whisk you away to the first stop of the day, San Gimignano. The drive to San Gimignano will take about 1 hour. During the journey, your guide will explain the itinerary for the day and entertain you with interesting facts about San Gimignano and Tuscany!!! - San Gimignano - San Gimignano is a small, walled Tuscan hill town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. San Gimignano is most famous for its towers of which there were 72 though there are just 14 remaining today. From this the city gets its nickname of the little Manhattan of Tuscany. Your guide will give you a map and point out the best landmarks, so that you can roam independently the picturesque streets and squares of this enchanting hilltop town. - Piazza della Cisterna - Your guide will lead you to the entrance city gate and that is where the main boulevard starts from, Via San Giovanni. This street will take you to Piazza della Cisterna, the heart of San Gimignano and also the setting for several films. This was the square where festivals and tournaments took place while the Piazza Duomo was the religious and political centre. This is also where the best gelato in the world is – Gelateria della Piazza ‘Dondoli’. It’s won many awards as the best gelato, you could try it and see what you’ll think! - Piazza del Duomo - From Piazza della Cisterna, the next piazza along is Piazza del Duomo – the Duomo, also known as the Collegiata, is small but is well worth visiting! The beautiful interior of the cathedral walls is filled with colorful 14th century frescoes in every space available. You could also climb up one of the medieval towers here in this piazza, next to the Duomo (the Torre Grossa) to appreciate the incredible ‘BIRD’S EYE’ view over San Gimignano. - Rocca of Montestaffoli - Another stunning view over the towers of San Gimignano is from La Rocca. It is easily accessible behind the Duomo and It is a peaceful setting with olive trees and the wall surrounding the garden that formed part of the 14th-century fortress Medici of Florence built to protect this town from Siena. if you walk to the back of the garden and climb the steps to the top, the views over San Gimignano’s skyline are absolutely breathtaking. - Fattoria Poggio Alloro - After the morning exploration of San Gimignano, a 15-minute drive will take you the the next stop: Fattoria Poggio Alloro, an organic family-run wine estate – the highlight of the day! Visit the farm, enjoy an informal wine tasting lesson and a traditional Tuscan lunch with plenty of wine, in the most gorgeous location overlooking stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Take the opportunity to meet fellow travelers while feasting on fresh organic farm food of homemade pasta, cured meats (homemade prosciutto and salami), local cheeses, a real garden salad, and Tuscan biscotti. There is also the opportunity to buy the local products of the winery before heading to San Gimignano. - Siena - After lunch, a 45-minute drive will take you to Siena, a real medieval gem and in fact one of Tuscany’s most famous and beautiful hill top towns. When you arrive you will join a 1 hour guided walking tour with a local city guide through Siena’s most beautiful streets and sites, including the entrance to the Cathedral, a treasure chest of artworks. Afterwards, enjoy Siena at your own pace with free time for shopping or relaxing in an open-air cafe. - Piazza Salimbeni - The first stop on the walking tour of Siena is a bank that has its headquarters in this square - the oldest surviving bank in the world. It’s called Monte dei Paschi di Siena and it has been running continuously since 1472. Your guide will explain how Siena’s wealth through the centuries came from being on the pilgrim route known as the Via Francigena, a route that led pilgrims between Rome and Northern Europe. Siena prospered as a banking town by lending money and exchanging money for the merchants who were using the pilgrim route as a safe travel route. The Sienese are still wealthy from their banking past and are still famous for their banks today! - Contrada della Torre - Your local guide will then walk through some of the most picturesque back streets of Siena, while telling about something very unique to Siena are the 17 districts which make up the historical centre. The name for these ancient divisions is ‘contrade’. Each contrada has its own symbol, normally that of an animal including a snail, rhino and giraffe amongst others. The sense of identity and belonging to ones ‘contrada’ is extremely important. They are self-contained little worlds with their own church, where newborns are baptised, and a public fountain where the newborns are baptised a second time! Needless to say there are strong rivalries between these districts, that explodes during the Palio horserace held twice a year in Piazza del Campo. - Piazza del Campo - Piazza del Campo is one of the most beautiful squares you will ever see and it is also the city’s gathering place, where the locals meet for a coffee and to chat and of course gossip. The unusual square (actually not a square, it’s in the shape of a sea-shell, and sloping!) is the site of the famous Palio horse-race. A 600 year old tradition of Siena. The piazza gets transformed into a racing track twice a year and the contrade, or neighbourhoods of the city battle out for the highest honour possible – winning the palio. You’ll hear more about this on the tour, your local guide will set the scene so that you can somehow live for a moment the vibrant atmosphere of this incredible race. - Duomo di Siena - Our walking tour then ends inside the Duomo of Siena – undoubtedly the jewel of the city. If you’ve seen the interior of Florence’s Duomo, it is nowhere near as spectacular as Siena’s. The most unique part of this city’s cathedral is its floor. It’s an artwork on its own, made out of the world’s most precious marbles – in fact, it’s a combined masterpiece of over 50 images created over 2 centuries by some of Italy’s most important artists. Then, enjoy walking through the city center on your own before meeting your guide again! - Florence - After the visit of Siena, a 1 hour and an 15 minute drive will take you back to Florence. You will dropped off at the start point with a camera full of pictures, a stomach full of hearty Tuscan food and a host of new friends.
What's Included
- Professional English speaking tour guide available all day
- Winery tour and tasting of four wine varieties (adults 18+ only)
- Comprehensive maps and information on every town visited
- Hearty farmhouse lunch with vegetarian and gluten-free options
- Guided walking tour of Siena, including cathedral entrance
- Comfortable travel with air-conditioned vehicles
- Free time to independently explore San Gimignano
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Additional Information
Post departing from Florence, your journey continues toward San Gimignano. On the way, you’ll admire the scenery consisting of vineyards and undulating landscapes while acquiring captivating knowledge about this town’s past.
Upon reaching, your guide will lead you to the entrance, post which you are free to explore the enchanting lanes and plazas. You have all the time to check out the local shops, taste an award-winning gelato, or stroll around the renowned medieval towers scattered around town.
Next, we take a break at a family-owned organic vineyard. Here, you’ll relish a traditional local meal accompanied with an array of wines, all while basking in the beautiful surroundings offering magnificent vistas of the neighboring countryside.
Post lunch, get ready to see Siena in the same way a local would during a guided stroll around the medieval city. Discover facts about the world’s most ancient bank, view the Piazza del Campo - the venue of the six-century-old Palio horse race - and marvel at the artwork-filled interior of the Duomo. Following that, immerse yourself in the Siena experience at your leisure with enough time set aside for shopping or unwinding at an alfresco cafe.
- Disclaimer: Only 18 years old and above are allowed for wine tasting
Location
Florence
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(16 Ratings)
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Jami_c
Jun 6, 2024
Unbelievably perfect! - Our guide Stefano and driver Luca made us feel like family. We spent the day laughing and learning and eating and drinking and exploring. It was the most perfect day. Seeing San Gimignano and Siena with them - and with a local guide and friend Alicia - brought Tuscany to life.
Review provided by Viator
Naomi
Jun 5, 2024
Perfectly organised, relaxed, informative and fun - A wonderful tour- both our driver and guide were knowledgeable, friendly and flexible. They couldn’t have done more to make it an exceptional day- both for having fun and learning about these lovely historical places. There was the right balance of showing us around sharing the history and stories and free time to explore and shop. The view at lunch at the winery was incredible and the food and wine complemented perfectly. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this more personalised version as it was easy to be curious, relax and enjoy - an absolutely amazing day!
Review provided by Viator
Debra_e
May 5, 2024
Tuscany Tour - Stefano was a great driver, tour guide. We were given plenty of free time to wander around at each village. Despite the rain and cold temperatures, or trip was fun. Lunch at an organic wine farm was delicious.
Review provided by Viator
Fay_b
May 5, 2024
Wonderful day !! - We had a wonderful day ! Beautiful countryside and excellent lunch, the wine was amazing- would highly recommend this experience!
Review provided by Viator
Jeffrey_l
Apr 29, 2024
Rainy but very enjoyable - This was an amazing tour. Stephano was our driver/guide. He was very personable and definitely made the trip one to remember
It rained most of the day but we were able to make the best of it. San gimignano was amazing and wish there was a little more time there.
The winery was limited due to weather but the staff did a great job and we still had a great experience. Plenty of wine.
Siena was great and our guide was very informative and accommodating for a member of our group that wasn’t a little slow moving that day. I can’t recall her name, I apologize.
I highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Scott_d
Oct 5, 2023
Small group tour Tuscany - Loved having lunch at the Tuscan farm/winery. Food, wine and views were unforgettable!!
Our guides, Sara and Francesca made the day a perfect one!
It was so nice to have a small group tour to escape the crowds.
Review provided by Viator
Jelena_p
Oct 3, 2023
Great tour - Everything was great,just perfect,Sara and Francesca are great, professional and very very nice.I like this tour very much and I recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Brenda_h
Sep 23, 2023
The best of Tuscany!! - Great lunch and tasting with gorgeous views! Our tour guide, Emma, was super! Thanks for making for a wonderful Tuscany experience!
Review provided by Viator
Nigelf60
Jun 9, 2024
An excellent Day out - The guide meets you at the main railway station , close to the taxi rank, and McDonalds is on the opposite side of the rad, and a small kiosk selling refreshments etc, very close to meeting point. From the meeting point there is a 10 min walk to where the coach is parked. The day started at 0800 hrs, and finished at 2100hrs.
The sites visited were very interesting, lunch was excellent at the winery, with excellent toilet facilities, and a shop that sells their wines. etc. The high light was the "Church/Cathedral) at Sienna is stunning and beautiful..
We were so pleased we booked the tour as we saw so much more and understood so much more than trying to do it alone.
Stefano the guide was excellent, so knowledgeable, helpful and patient and funny.
Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kristine_c
Sep 25, 2023
Soaking up the Tuscany sun - Started the tour very smoothly with Sara and Francessca - amazing tour guides! We were a small group of 4.
First was San Gimignano - we had a few hours there, lovely little town! Sara gave us great tips to go up La Rocca to have amazing views of the Tuscany wineries and also had the recommended gelato which was extremely smooth.
We had a lunch at a local winery - the pasta and wines were delicious! Followed by an antipasti plate. Personally would’ve liked a bit more food, but there was plenty of wine! And an amazing view of the winery and San Gimignano.
The last stop was Siena, lovely little city - had an awesome local guide and viewed the duomo!
Overall recommend this tour! Thanks Sara and Francessca for the great day!
Review provided by Viator
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