September 10-20, 2016 11 Magical Days in ITALY Imagine yourself there!!! Taste the Good Life A savory experience into your Sensational life! Rise above the Tuscan Sun and open your heart to the golden light that you are & Fall in Love with your Life all over again!!! Your Sensational Journey begins. September 10 - Arrive in Florence, Italy Upon arrival at the Florence Pergola Airport, you will be met & taken by private van to the hotel, the beautiful Le Boscarecee, which is about 45 minute drive from the airport. The rest of the day will be at your own leisure to relax & unwind & enjoy the surroundings of the Tuscan countryside. September 11 - Tuscany Private all day tour of Florence. We will visit the Florence Academia to see Michelangelo s David, the Uffizi gallery for works by Da Vinci, Raphael & Botticelli. Explore Florence Duomo with its stunning dome & enjoy a guided walking tour of this magical city. Privileged access to all sites is included. September 12 - Florence Florence Food Tour: Markets, Tastings, Wine & Gelato We start our culinary adventure at the vibrant Market of Sant Ambrigio, hands down, Florences most authentic local food market. Most of the food tours won t take you here, but we consider it important to show you how the locals really live & eat. You ll get into the hustle & bustle of the market, chatting with vendors & learning how Italians choose only the best, freshest ingredients for their meals. You ll enjoy tastings of the local cured meats, like finocchinoni (fell salami) & some of freshest Italian cheeses. After your local insider has given you an introduction to the market & the neighborhood, you ll sit down in a lovely enoteca (type of informal restaurant), where the owner has prepared some of Florence s best snacks for you. Nibble on crostini, spreads & more as you get all of your questions answered as to experience (and dine in) Florence like a local. Since this is an enoteca, of course, you re provided with wine, too. The best part? It s vino sfuso! This means that the wine is stored in bulk, so Florentines come to fill up their bottles from the big, wooden barrels. You ll do exactly the same, choosing which excellent Tuscan wine you want to try & filling up a glass yourself.
Still have room after all those nibbles? We hope so, because the next stop is a trattoria, one beloved by locals, where you ll get to enjoy a tasting of traditional prime (such as pastas & soups). But no meal is complete without coffee, which we ll enjoy together. Top it off with a tasting of delicious gelato, Italy s famed answer to ice cream & you have yourself a perfect Tuscan meal. September 13 - Siena & San Gimignano Full Day Private Tour to Siena & San Gimignano Today we ll enjoy a wonder filled private excursion to visit some of the loveliest Tuscan towns. Our first stop after a scenic one hour drive through the countryside is San Gimignano. A small medieval town in Tuscany, San Gimignano has a splendid skyline made up of 13 spectacular towers. You will learn about the magnificent history of this magical place and marvel at the beauty of the fresco style paintings everywhere. You will Love just wandering up & down the main street in San Gimignano & shopping at the specialty shops on every corner. The ceramics are beautiful here as well as the sumptuous leather goods & linens they are famous for. For food & wine lovers there are many shops that sell delicious local products including San Gimignano s Vernaccia white wine and taste the goodness of it right there. Next stop is Monteriggioni. This is one of the best known & classic walled towns in Tuscany. Also, this village was built on a hill by the Senese between 1213 & 1219 to overlook the ancient Roman road, the Via Cassia. We ll make a lunch stop here at the typical trattoria where we ll enjoy some mouthwatering Tuscan food before we make our way to Siena. Siena - No trip to Tuscany is complete without a day trip to Siena, the birthplace of beloved St. Catherine. This beautiful city made of brown Siena colored bricks (that s how they named the color), it s a jumble of narrow streets & delightful squares & the medieval towers make a spectacular skyline. And the majestic cathedrals create an enticing atmosphere almost like stepping back in time. September 14 -Tuscany We will be savoring the succulent Brunelli wines in a Wine Tasting at the Emanuela Tamburini Farm which you will thoroughly enjoy along with a light meal. You will be able to taste 6 or 7 different wines & spend time with the family members, who are wonderful people and this will be a very warmhearted experience. In the afternoon, you will have time to spend with your Creative inner child. We will be painting a scene of the Tuscany hillside on canvas to bring home with us.and then have some leisure time bike riding in the area or some quiet time for yourself.
September 15 -Perugia & Assisi- Private We will have a full day tour in the green Umbria area and visit two of its most fascinating cities, Perugia and Assisi. Man has been living in this region for at least 200,000 years since the Paleolithic age & this is evident in the many archeological finds in the territory. You ll find this fascinating to connect with & the amazing history of this ancient territory. In the center of the square you will see the beautiful Fontana Maggiore, a fountain built in the 13th century to bring water via the aqueduct from Mount Pacciano. The fountain is one of the best examples of High Gothic in Italy. Oh yeah, Do you like chocolate? Perugia is the home of the Perugian chocolate factory where we will stop to enjoy a chocolate eating experience. We will then continue on to Assisi, one of the most Peaceful places on earth, and the birthplace of the venerated St. Francis. This quant place built on a hill is made up of many winding, stone-paved streets and carefully restored houses. We will have an opportunity to take the steep steps up to the fortress where the views are breathtaking. One of the most beautiful sights in Assisi is the Basilica of Saint Francis, where you will witness an example of Roman architecture from the 1st century AD. You will love exploring the tiny streets of this town & looking at the many shops showing local handcrafts. September 16 -Tuscany & Mineral Baths Spa Today we will be enjoying a relaxing day at the mineral baths of Terme di Rapolano and luxuriating in the healing hot springs waterfalls in this picturesque outdoor experience. We will then be engaging in a Private Cooking Class with Susanna & Maria, the owners of Le Boscarecce, learning all the savory Italian secrets, Yumbo! September 17 - Florence- Sorrento (via Naples) After a leisurely breakfast, we will be picked up by a private van and driven to the Florence S.M.N. train station. Here we will board a high speed train to Naples. Upon arrival in Naples we will be met and taken by private van to Sorrento. On the way, we will stop at Vesuvius & Pompeii. Accommodations will be at the beautiful Hotel del Mare.
September 18 - Positano & Path of the Gods This morning we will be picked up by our driver who will take us to Positano, to enjoy this picturesque village and from there, we will also do a Path of the God s hike. From the Path of the Gods, you will experience one of the most striking panoramas on Earth: halfway up the hill the path crosses, from Bomerano to Nocelle (Nocella), through the most fascinating gorges, cliffs & precipices of the Amalfi Coast. And as long as you are in good health you can Do this!!! September 19 - Isle of Capri Today, we will be taking the high speed ferry to the beautiful Island of Capri, where we will spend a day of leisure, enjoying whatever your heart desires. In the evening, we will have a group farewell dinner with special surprises. September 20 - Sorrento to Naples Early this morning you will be picked up & taken by private van to the Napoli International Airport where you will board your homeward bound flight. Tuscany Accomodations http://www.leboscarecce.eu Accommodations for 7 nights will be at the beautiful Le Boscarecce Country Inn. Le Boscarecce is a 200 year old farmhouse with a barn which has been completely restored in 1996. It is situated on a splendid panoramic hill; the sun setting over the Apennines is something to put in your memory book. The farm has been restructured respecting the typical Tuscan style, transformed into a charming Country Inn on the Valdesia Hills near Castelfiorentino where you will find the Museum BEGO with the frescoes of Benozzo Gozzoli. The hotel consists of 14 rooms, each named after a famous literary or historical female figure furnished with antique furnishings and ceramics full of color.
Daily Breakfast & Dinner is included. Lunch not included. Accommodations available will be double/twin rooms & single rooms extra. Amalfi Coast /Sorrento Accomodations http://www.hoteldelmare.com Accommodations for 3 nights at the Hotel del Mare, daily breakfast is included. Lunch & dinner on your own. The Hotel del Mare is located in a stunning setting of a 100 year old fishing village & offers all the charm and intimacy of a very comfortable Italian style traditional establishment. It s designed to meet the needs of those looking for delightful surroundings, but well away from the hustle & bustle of the city center. The hotel is just 50 meters from the beach at Marina Grande and provides easy access to the historic centre of Sorrento, either by a 15 minute walk or the shuttle service. The Sacred Journey Experiences & Tours The experiences & Tours listed below are ALL included & Private for our group. * Private Cooking Class with Susanna & Maria, the owners of Le Boscarecce. * Fabulous Florence Market Tour & Tastings * Wine Tasting at the Emanuela Tamburini Farm * All day Private Tour of Florence * A Day trip to the Terme di Rapolano, including transportation & entrance fee. * All day private tour to the beautiful Siena & San Gimignano. * All day Private tour of Perugio & Assisi. * Group transfer from the airport to hotel. * Group transfer from the hotel to the airport. * Group transfer from the Le Boscarecce to the Florence S.M.N. All events subject to change with availability & group agreement. Flexibility is key as wonderful, new opportunities present themselves upon our arrival. The Journey does not include: * Airfare from the United States( Inward to Florence, outward from Naples) Regarding Flights: Feel free to make your own flights, but please confirm them with us before booking. If you need help, please contact Ales in Custom Travel is our travel guru. 1-866-866-5566 or email (ales@journeysofthespirit.com), it s his pleasure to assist you! ALL the Payment & Registration information are on the separate forms.