Wonderful Week in the Stunning Hills of Tuscany After having to change the departure date several times due to Covid, this walking week in the Stunning Hills of North West Tuscany was truly worth waiting for.
The area is blessed with stunning scenery in every direction, and throughout the week you get a front row seat in experiencing it up close and personal. The trip notes accurately reflect the walks and the summit finishes will get the blood pumping and lungs working overtime, however the reward for this effort is plain to see. A good level of fitness is required, however our group leader, Sara Bull, looked after us all and made sure everyone felt comfortable. She is a truly amazing person, with such local knowledge and obvious passion for the history of the locality and family run business. She delivers the experience with such professionalism and attention to detail, which is to be applauded. From arranging evening outs at local restaurants, taxi's, train tickets & information to Lucca for the day off excursion, she has everything covered.
The Agriturismo Braccicorti is charming, and is a typical restored Tuscan Farmhouse, complete with its own cast members strolling the grounds. Accommodation is simple but comfortable, the Italian homecooked food is lovely, as is the red wine, and dining alfresco each evening made for a great opportunity to mix in our small group of eight people, and re-live the experience of the days hiking.
My tip to anyone thinking of going on this trip (or any trip to Italy) is try to learn a few words of Italian, as I had done during lockdown. Whilst I've a long way to go to call myself an able Italian speaker, my efforts in using my limited vocabulary were met with wonderful enthusiasm and delight on every occasion.
I would therefore thoroughly recommend this trip to anyone considering it - just go for it and you wont be disappointed.
Execellent tour. Excellent Guide! I usually don't take the time to write reviews- however I need to express how wonderful Cristina was as a tour guide. I was the only one to show up for the tour and Cristina immediately made me feel comfortable and still showed the same enthusiasm as if there were 10 of us touring. Very professional. She was extremely knowledgeable about everything relating to the tour as well as the city in general. She even went out of her way after the tour had ended to help me find a very specific gift to bring back to my family. She was extremely personable and the most genuine tour guide I have ever had. As far as the tour itself- I appreciated the blend of cicchetti tasting as well as history of the city. My only complaint is that the length of the tour was not specified in the online description.
Tremendous organization and coordination with the result of total satisfaction. The guides, Manuela (tour leader in the bus), Giorgio (Naples and Pompeii) and Alessandra (Florence) EXCELLENT !!!!!, Good hotels and food. Strongly recommend it.