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Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Come to Tuscany with Me!

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877-887-1188
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MONTICATINI TERME · LUCCA · PISA · SAN GIMIGNANO · CINQUE TERRE · FLORENCE

9-Day Tuscany Tour
MAY 2- 10, 2015

Jean Nolte
BONNIE HUNTER
Quilt Designer & Educator
Jim West
JIM WEST
Sew Many Places Founder


PACKAGE INCLUDES: Round-trip airfare, all taxes, deluxe hotel accommodations, all sightseeing as mentioned in the itinerary, an “optional” authentic, hands-on Tuscan cooking lesson, visiting family owned wineries, most meals, private motor coach, professional local guides and much more! This tour is personally escorted by Bonnie Hunter and JIM WEST!

$2998.00 | per person

based on double occupancy

Visit the Craftours Website HERE for more info!


Reservations

To make your reservations you can call us toll free at 877-887-1188 or make your reservations online.

For additional questions regarding airfare, transfers, insurance, pre-night packages, or our convenient payment plan, please call our toll-free number or use our contact form.

Itinerary:

Saturday, May 2

Our adventure begins with an evening flight departing NEW YORK to TUSCANY.

Sunday, May 3

Upon our arrival into Tuscany, we will collect our luggage, meet our tour escort and drive to our 4-star hotel, located in the resort town of MONTECATINI TERME. This will be our home for the next seven nights. 

Depending on the room availability at the hotel, we will check into our rooms. Later in the afternoon we will meet in the lobby of our hotel and enjoy a leisurely stroll through the streets of the town, as we learn what makes this place one of the most attractive resort spa towns in all of Italy. Following our tour, we will all enjoy a special “welcome dinner” at our hotel before retiring for the evening. D

Monday, May 4

This morning, following breakfast, we will enjoy a morning class with Bonnie. For those of you who are interested, we are offering an “optional tour” in the afternoon to the historic town of PISA. We will have an opportunity to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa and walk around the area of the Baptistery and Basilica before returning back to our hotel. Cost of this optional tour is only €20 per person. For those who do not participate in this tour, you will have the remainder of the day is at your leisure. B

Tuesday, May 5

This morning following a delicious breakfast, we will depart for the medieval town of SAN GIMIGNANO. Here we will have an opportunity to shop in the special boutique shops for all kinds of items, including Italian ceramics and artwork. In the early afternoon we will drive to a nearby family-owned winery, where we will enjoy wine tasting and a special Tuscan lunch. It will be a great opportunity to learn how wine is produced and also taste some of the special wines of Tuscany. We will drive back to our hotel later in the afternoon and the remainder of the evening is free to enjoy on your own. B

Wednesday, May 6

Today, following breakfast, we will journey to the famous CINQUE TERRE. The Cinque Terre consists of five small villages along the West coast of Italy, and is considered one of the most beautiful and photographed areas in all of Europe. We will travel northwest and drive past the Carrera Marble quarries, along the coast line and through the harbor town of La Spezia. The first town we visit is Riomaggiorie. We’ll have time to take photographs and walk around until we board a train for our next stop, the village of Vernazza. Here we will have time for lunch and shopping before we continue onto our last stop, the village of Monterosso. Later in the afternoon, we will take the train back to La Spezia, where our driver and coach will be waiting to take us back to our hotel. Tonight for those who are interested, we will enjoy dinner (at an additional cost) in the hillside town of Montecatini Alto. B

Thursday, May 7

This morning, following breakfast, we will be joining Bonnie for a morning workshop. You will have the early afternoon to enjoy Tuscany on your own. For those who might be interested we will be offering an 'optional tour” to VINCI, a town surrounded by Tuscan Hills and the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. We will also be touring the Slitti Chocolate Facility for a chocolate tasting. We will drive back to our hotel later in the afternoon, where the remainder of the evening is free to enjoy on our own. B

Friday, May 8

Following a delicious breakfast this morning, for those who are interested, we are offering an “optional tour” to a family-owned winery. Here we will have the opportunity to participate in an authentic TUSCANY COOKING CLASS taught by a local Italian chef we affectionately call “Papa.” We’ll enjoy a hands on class as we learn to prepare homemade pasta, and learn the recipes for making different sauces, crostini and for making the typical Italian drink, Limoncelo. Following our cooking class, we will walk into the vineyard and see firsthand how the grapes are grown and processed into wine. A special five course lunch will be prepared for our group and we will sample wines with each course that is presented during our meal. In the middle of the afternoon, we will travel back to our hotel, where the remainder of the afternoon is at your leisure. Cost of this optional tour is €98 per person. B

Saturday, May 9

Today we will journey to the “Cradle of the Italian Renaissance,” the beautiful city of FLORENCE Our first stop will be at the Piazza Michelangelo, where we will take our group photograph and enjoy the sights of Florence from high above the city. Next we will meet our local expert guide who will enlighten us with many highlights of the city’s priceless treasures. We will take a leisurely walking tour from piazza to piazza, as we pass special boutique shops, historic sights, churches and art museums that will beckon us to step inside. There will be time to enjoy shopping and lunch on your own in the afternoon. Later in the day we will meet and return to our hotel. Tonight, we will enjoy special a “farewell dinner” at our hotel and bring our Treasures of Tuscany tour to an end. B

Sunday, May 10

Today following breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and drive to the airport for our flight back to JFK in New York. B

*PLEASE NOTE: Depending on weather conditions and circumstances beyond our control, the itinerary, pricing and escorts are subject to change. We will make every attempt to adhere to the program, but we ask that you be flexible if alternative choices are made to enhance the schedule. Terms and Conditions apply once first deposit is made. Gratuities are not included in this price and will be collected in advance with the final payment. This will pay for your waiters, porterage at the hotel, your guides and the bus driver. Insurance is available and highly recommended. Single rates are available upon request.


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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:37 AM EDT

    Went two years ago, similar itinerary.... It is Fabulous!! Go, if you are able...Italy is charming!! Chao!!

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  2. How lovely. This would be so much fun

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  3. Does sound like a great trip, I worry about dietary requirement's. I am gluten free, not sure how that would work in Italy! One day I will join Bonnie :)

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  4. Hi, I am writing to Julie Kennedy in regards to the "gluten-free" necessity of her diet. I have been fortunate enough to have taken 3 different high school groups to Italy. On one of my trips I had a girl who was gluten-free. This was before it was on everybody's lips here, and I wasn't familiar with it at all and was worried. I was reassured by my tour guide that it wouldn't be a problem. She was right. Italy was light years ahead of us. The restaurants were very familiar with gluten free and I don't think my student ever had any problems.

    So, I just wanted to say we had no problems with gluten free requirements. I'm sure if you tell your tour guide ahead of time, it probably would be the same for you. Anyway, you could check with the tour company. I just wouldn't want you to miss out on such a great sounding trip for this reason. As far as I could tell, everyone in Italy, and probably Northern Europe as well, are familiar with the dietary requirements of gluten free and it's not considered a problem at all :) So, go if you can, and lift a glass of vino to all of us slaving over a hot sewing machine left behind!

    Beth

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  5. Anonymous5:35 AM EST

    Hello -- I now live in Tuscany, and my mother is gluten intolerant. She has found travelling around not to be a problem, and indeed there is a huge awareness of this issue here. Chemists (Pharmacists) stock large ranges of appropriate foods too, as do supermarkets. The only problem with travelling (and living!) in Tuscany is the near total absence of quilting shops -- although other fibre crafts are more popular.

    Don't miss the textile museum in Prato: an awful pity to come this far and not see it!

    Have a lovely time exploring this beautiful country, if only for a few days. http://www.museodeltessuto.it/
    x JJ

    ReplyDelete

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