Tuscany & Cinque Terre Walking Tour

Itinerary at a glance

We gather in Florence (1 night) for a glorious afternoon stroll and settle into our palazzo-turned-hotel. Our first morning, we visit an artisan who still crafts terra cotta pots by hand. In the nearby countryside, a shepherd shows how he makes sheep's -milk cheeses…and a chance to sample some of the traditional specialties. A walk leads to our hotel, a palace that once belonged to the noble Ricasoli family (3 nights).

In the lovely Chianti hills, a vineyard walk ends with a home-cooked lunch and wine-tasting in the private cellars of Castello della Paneretta. San Gimignano, fortified with more than a dozen medieval towers, shimmers in the near distance as we approach along a rural footpath.

Along the Apuane mountains, we drive to Santa Margherita (3 nights), where our hotel overlooks the Ligurian Sea. By day, we walk to the colorful, isolated villages of the Cinque Terre—Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Rio Maggiore—with time out for shopping or a picnic. (Or skip the walking, and take a little coastal train that runs between the villages.) A day's exploration includes the tiny monastery of St. Fruttuoso reachable only by foot or boat, and after a seaside lunch, we sail to Portofino. On our final day, we conclude our time together in Pisa.