From cultural highs in Florence, to remarkable country residences set amid olive groves and grapevines galore, this trip follows a timeline of old masters, lavish monuments and storied countryside and cuisine.
Anything mentioned in this five-star Tuscan trip can be tweaked to fit the unique Italian getaway you crave. A gallery visit here, a wine tasting there: there are few requests too great for our Smith24 team, who are on hand round the clock to ensure you have the time of your life…
This eight-night trip is £1,449 a person (approximately US$1,820), based on two guests sharing.*
To kick off your trip, contact the Smith24 team around the clock on:
+44 (0)330 100 3180 from the UK,
+1 800 464 2040 from the US.
When to go
Tuscan weather is at its best between May and September when the temperature rises from the low 20s, climbing to around 30 degrees in July and August – book in late-May or mid-September to enjoy bellissimo weather without the crowds and sweltering city heat.
Getting there
Florence and Castiglione della Pescaia, where you start and end your journey respectively, are serviced by the same three airports; Florence, Pisa and Rome. Many major European cities have direct flight routes to Pisa and Florence; however, direct routes from the UK only operate on certain days. International travellers should fly to Rome’s Fiumicino and then board a connecting flight to Florence. This trip is self-drive, but the Smith24 Team can arrange a set of wheels on request.
Driving through Florence’s restricted central zone (colloquially known as the ZTL) can incur a hefty fine; send your vehicle details to the hotel (and give reception an estimated arrival time) so they can arrange a temporary permit for you.
Packing tips
The birthplace of the Renaissance, the seat of the Medici, home to of some of the world’s greatest art and architecture: Florence is a cultural time-capsule lorded over by Brunelleschi’s miraculous Duomo.
You’ll stay in cool contemporary bolthole Gallery Hotel Art a mere wander from the Ponte Vecchio, within walking distance of all the city’s grandest parts.
Located on the Vicolo Dell’Oro, Gallery Hotel Art is in prime position for perusing Florence’s piazzas and palazzos. The coolly modern interiors and contemporary paintings, photographs and sculptures that adorn the hotel (both inside and out) are a welcome counterpoint to Florence’s ancient treasures.
Smith Extra A bottle of wine and Salvatore Ferragamo bath products
Day 1: Once you’ve claimed your bags and breezed through passport control, an English-speaking driver will whisk you to your hotel.
The drive to Gallery Hotel Art is 90 minutes from Pisa or 30 minutes from Florence Airport. After settling in, take a leisurely stroll along the Arno – which is practically on your doorstep – maybe popping in to a museum or two, before filling up on fusion-fare in the hotel’s restaurant, where the menu's a Japanese and Peruvian culinary culture-clash.
Day 2: Wake at 9am to make the most of the hotel’s lavish breakfast buffet before meeting your personal Florentine guide for an insider tour of the city (included in your package). Skip the queue at Galleria dell’Accademia to gaze at the chiselled features of Michelangelo’s David, before a stop at the Uffizi to view its myriad masterpieces. From one piazza to another, gaze up at the almighty Duomo atop Florence Cathedral and stop by the Baptistery opposite to admire its door’s castings. After wandering through Palazzo Vecchio in Piazza della Signoria, cross the Ponte Vecchio to Florence’s south bank; pop into the Palazzo Pitti and enjoy open-air art in the Boboli Gardens before ending with a stroll around Santa Croce.
Day 3: After time-travelling to the Renaissance, spend today with your feet firmly planted in the present. Florence is the birthplace of Ferragamo, Gucci, Pucci and Cavalli; learn your fashion A-to-Z at the nearby Gucci and Salvatore Ferragamo Museums – entry to the latter is included in your room rate – after all, the hotel's owned by the family Ferragamo. Spend the rest of your day, and money, in the designer stores along Via de’ Tornabuoni and artisan jewellery shops on the Ponte Vecchio.
Day 4: Spend your morning lazily dunking cornetti into a cappuccino in one of Florence’s picture-perfect palazzos before packing your new fashion-finds into your Gucci racing-striped steamer trunk (you know, that old thing you have lying around…). Don't go too grande with your luggage; for the next self-driven leg of your trip we supply you with a sporty Alfa Romeo GTV Spider: its bags of style make up for a slightly compact boot.
If time isn’t of the essence, take the scenic route down to Macciano along the SR222 route, past vineyards, olive groves and many a picturesque village. Stop off in Siena for a spot of lunch in the Piazza del Campo: tortellini with a side (view) of Torre del Mangia and Palazzo Pubblico. Don’t miss the (smaller, but no less impressive) Duomo before hitting the road again.
Beyond Florence’s boundaries there are vast expanses of green-and-yellow fields, neat rows of trees and vineyards that stretch out over the hills. Farms are topped with crumbling stone villas that have stood for centuries; one such is luxury hotel Poggio Piglia, a honey-hued residence that’s white-walled and modern on the inside.
Pint-sized stay Poggio Piglia is set on an 150-year-old estate, steeped in Tuscan wine country. The luxurious hotel produces its own wines and olive oils, both served in its elegant Italian restaurant alongside traditional Tuscan dishes. Indulge in watching time go by, taking in the sun-soaked scenery from the infinity pool, which smells as divine as it looks thanks to the herb garden nearby.
Smith Extra Welcome drink on arrival and a bottle of wine in your room; GoldSmiths get a bottle of the hotel’s olive oil instead of the wine
Day 4: After so much sightseeing, take the day easy. Polish off your Smith Extra then relax by the infinity pool and roam the gardens, admiring the olive grove of more than 900 trees.
Day 5: Enjoy a buffet breakfast of fresh fruit, cold meats, and your pick of pastries, while sitting outside on the terrace, admiring the charming campagna. For more traditional Tuscan gastronomy, head to the mediaeval towns of Arezzo or Chiusi for a late lazy lunch, or dine in the hotel’s stylish restaurant where the view is almost as good as the food.
Day 6: Sweep through your adopted Tuscan estate for one last time before you zip into the hills with your car.
Take a detour along the SP146 route to visit the hilltop towns of Montepulciano and Pienza. Embrace three of Italy’s best assets on this little diversion: wine, cheese and art.
A private driver will take the wheel for a wine tasting in one of Montepulciano’s subterranean cellars with an expert guide; then you'll head west to Pienza, where you can try the rumoured best pecorino cheese in Italy and a wander round Piazza Pio II – the first example of Renaissance town-planning and a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Getting a taste for turrets poking through thick forests, sprawling sunflower yellow fields, and dignified villas? Add a glimpse of sparkling blue sea and you have Maremma, a green stretch on the west coast. Regarding those regal homes – you'll be holing up in classically Italian, Mr & Mrs Smith stay L'Andana, a former Medici villa turned magical country retreat that's more magnetic than the Mona Lisa.
L'Andana hotel's pedigree is instantly discernible: its approach passes tree-lined avenues, tall gateposts and and a pool shaped like a diamond in a lavish engagement ring. However, before you think this is the kind of place only a nobleman could feel at home in, have a bounce on the luxurious baroque-style beds, have lavender-scented potions rubbed gently into your skin in the spa, and let the wonderful staff spoil you. Titled or not, you'll feel like a blue-blood in no time…
Smith Extra Two free cocktails on arrival
Day 6: In lieu of a horse and carriage, pulling up to L'Andana in your Alfa Romeo will make an equally memorable first impression. Today, relax at the hotel; it's not hard to do. First, let off steam in the hammam, bubble away in afternoon in the open-air Jacuzzi, and cash in your Smith Extra.
Day 7: Now that your fully relaxed, you're ready to explore… Get a lungful of fresh Tuscan air in the Maremma Nature Park, an unspoilt beauty spot of wildlife-roamed forest with a beach and beautiful coves beyond.
Day 8: Ask the ever-helpful staff to arrange a kitesurfing session at the coast. After hit the spa again for something as serene as a clay body wrap, or as seriously revitalising as laser re-shaping.
Day 9: L'Andana offer the breakfast to end all of the Italian breakfasts on your trip: orange-blossom-infused brioches, freshly-baked doughnuts, home-made yoghurt, cheeses and meats and eggs all of the ways. Dine well, then bid arrivederci to L'Andana, your Alfa Romeo and your Italian epic.
*The package includes all accommodation in Mr & Mrs Smith boutique hotels; and all applicable taxes.
Not included in your package
General conditions