Golden Week in Florence: For Women Only
October 15-23, 2016
5 Spots Left! – Registration deadline August 24
Led by author Susan Van Allen
Join Susan Van Allen, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, for a Femme-Friendly adventure in Florence: the Cradle of the Renaissance. The week beautifully blends exquisite experiences in this jewel of a city: Standing awestruck before masterpieces and discovering hidden treasures, learning cooking and ceramic painting from the locals, blissing out in the thermal waters of a countryside spa, tasting the best wines and cuisine of Tuscany, and extraordinary shopping—from luxury to outdoor markets. At harvest time, the celebration of new wine and olive oil is at its peak, and tourist crowds have thinned: It’s the ideal season to experience Florence!
This is a Gift of La Dolce Vita=the Sweet Life, custom-designed and led by Susan so that women can fully experience Italy’s rejuvenating pleasures.
What’s Included
- Entertaining hosting and guiding by author Susan Van Allen, focusing on Italy’s celebration of all things female
- 7 nights at First-Class Plaza Hotel Lucchesi in Florence
- Transportation by private minibus, including roundtrip transfers
to/from Florence airport or train station - Daily buffet breakfast at the hotel
- 2 multi-course dinners, with wine
- 1 cooking class followed by lunch
- 1 ceramics painting class
- Guided tours of Santa Maria Novella Basilica and Cloisters, Uffizi Gallery, and Vasari Corridor by charming expert Freya Middleton of Freya’s Florence, with whisper headsets included
- Entrance fees at Grotta Giusti Spa, including access to thermal pools, steam room, sauna, grotto, and restaurants
- Entrance fees to museum and monuments
- Gratuities for group activities: guides, drivers, and servers at group meals
- Travel journal and optional writing workshops
Not Included
- Airfare
- Meals not specified in itinerary
- Gratuities for private transfer drivers and hotel staff
- Spa treatments, such as massages or facials
- Optional travel insurance
- Everything not mentioned under “What’s Included”
Rates: $3990/per person, double occupancy
$4490/per person, single occupancy
Small Group Tour: 14 guests maximum
The week is expertly designed with a balance of planned group and free-time independent experiences
Brief Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday – Depart USA to Florence, Italy
Day 2: Sunday – Welcome to Florence, with Aperitivo and Dinner
Day 3: Monday – Fun Hands-On Cooking Class
Day 4: Tuesday – Discover Florentine Treasures:
Santa Maria Novella, Pitti Palace Costume Gallery & Boboli Gardens
Day 5: Wednesday – Ceramics painting workshop & Michelangelo’s David
Day 6: Thursday – Bliss out at Grotta Giusti Spa in Monsumanno Terme
Day 7: Friday – Marvel at Masterpieces:
Ferragamo Museum, Uffizi Gallery & Vasari Corridor
Day 8: Saturday – Free Day: Enjoy La Dolce Vita in Florence
Day 9: Sunday – Transfer to Florence airport for Flight Home
In Collaboration with Perillo Tours, America’s Leading Tour Operator to Italy for 70 years.
To reserve your space, or for more information, contact Irene today at:
Irene@perillotours.com or 855-784-7687
Full Itinerary
Benvenuta! You’ll be met by our driver at the Florence airport or train station, then transported to your home for the week: the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi. It’s a luxurious, historical property from 1860, set right on the Arno, close to the Ponte Vecchio bridge and Piazza Santa Croce, and a short walk to the Piazza Duomo.
In the evening we’ll gather for an aperitivo to toast the week ahead, savoring our first tastes of Tuscany’s beloved wine. I’ll give you tips about keeping a travel journal, so you can create a treasured souvenir of your week through journaling. We’ll dine nearby, enjoying specialties of this harvest season, the first of many memorable meals.
Meals Included: D
Wake up and smell the caffe. An abundant buffet breakfast awaits in the riverside dining room…get used to such elegance for the rest of the week.
Then we’re off for a culinary adventure to immerse ourselves in the delicious flavors of Tuscany. An expert chef will lead us through a hands-on cooking class to learn local specialties, including pasta-making, and a tasting that will introduce us to the region’s varieties of fantastic wines. We’ll have a leisurely lunch from the fruits of our labors.
In the evening, you can stroll through the historic center at twilight and have dinner on your own, with my recommendations of delicious choices.
Meals Included: B, L
Today we’ll go deeper into exploring the range of treasures that abound in Florence. In the morning we’ll walk through the historic center, stopping at the Piazza Signoria and Piazza Duomo to admire the amazing architecture, and then we’ll land at the first Florentine Basilica, that glorifies its feminine inspiration: Santa Maria Novella. Highlights inside include gorgeous Renaissance fresco cycles in the Tornabuoni and Spanish Chapels. We’ll end our tour at the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy, a wonderland of beauty products, that was founded by the basilica’s Dominican monks over 400 years ago.
There will be free time for lunch on your own, a visit to the Duomo or Mercato Centrale, and shopping, before we meet in the afternoon for a drive across the river to the elegant Pitti Palace. There we’ll visit the Costume Gallery’s magnificent collection and have time to discover the delightful Boboli Gardens.
The evening is on your own, to perhaps enjoy time at a wine bar in the Oltrarno, and then a relaxing dinner.
Meals Included: B
Ceramic making has been a tradition in Florence since Renaissance days. We’ll have a hands-on experience of this craft at Sbigoli Terrecotte, a family run shop that’s been turning out masterpieces since 1857. An artisan will lead us in learning the basics of ceramic painting, and each of us will create a piece to take home for a precious souvenir.
To round out this artful day, in the late afternoon we’ll visit the Accademia Gallery to stand awestruck before one of the world’s greatest sculptures: Michelangelo’s David.
In the early evening you may join in for an optional journal writing workshop, and then, artfully inspired, have dinner on your own.
Meals Included: B
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Spa in Latin stands for, Salas Per Aqum=Health through Water. This day is dedicated to doing as the Romans did: immersing ourselves in the curative waters that have been rejuvenating Tuscany’s visitors since ancient times. We’ll begin the day with a rarely seen masterpiece: on the drive to the spa, we’ll stop by the Duomo in the town of Prato to admire Fra Filippo Lippi’s fantastic Salome Dancing fresco.
Our destination is Grotta Giusti, an exclusive historic villa hotel set in the hills of Monsumanno Terme, where we’ll soak in warm thermal pools and steam in the unique grotto=cave, that was discovered during a 19th century renovation of the villa. There will be time for options: spa treatments, lunch by the pool with a view of the mountains, and even a cocktail, (alcoholic or non), before we depart, created by Grotta Giusti’s award-winning bartender, and served in the hotel’s gorgeous salon.
Back in Florence, rejuvenated, you’ll have time to shop and dine on your own. Tonight may also be perfect to experience live music in Florence, at one of many venues I can recommend to you.
Meals Included: B
Today we’ll discover Florentine masterpieces from Renaissance times to modern days.
The morning’s visit is to the Ferragamo Museum, that pays homage to Salvatore Ferragamo, the Grandpapa of Italian shoe design. On fashionable Via Tornabuoni, below the Ferragamo flagship store, we’ll discover rooms that display the master’s creations for 20th century celebrities—from Audrey Hepburn to Andy Warhol, and videos that tell the fascinating story of Ferragamo’s life.
There will be a break for shopping, sight-seeing, and lunch at your leisure.
In the afternoon we’ll meet at the Uffizi Gallery, where we’ll be guided through splendid rooms, focusing on masterpieces that glorify females—by such greats as Giotto, Botticelli, and da Vinci. By sunset, we’ll arrive for a visit to the Vasari Corridor, the exclusive passageway built by the noble Medici family, that sits atop the Ponte Vecchio, with breathtaking views over the Arno River. There we’ll be guided to the stunning self portraits collection, including ones painted by amazing women, centuries ago.
After such an exhilirating day, a fortifying Florentine meal may fit the bill. Those who wish to join me for a Dutch treat dinner may come along to one of my favorite trattorias, where the specialty is bistecca=beefsteak, exquisitely done in lively surroundings.
Meals Included: B
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This is your day to immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, and experience Florence according to your desires, with my guidance to assist you. There are still more museums and churches with masterpieces to enjoy, shopping opportunities ranging from high fashion to outdoor markets, or you may want to go in for an active adventure.
Some Suggestions:
Museums/Churches: Santa Croce, Museo San Marco, Medici Chapel, Bargello , Baptistry
Walks: To the top of the Duomo or Piazzale Michelangelo, for beautiful views
Travel Writing Workshop
We can pre-arrange, for additional cost:
–Winery Tour and Olive Oil Tasting in Chianti
–Hike in Chianti Hills
–Bike ride in the Chianti Hills
In the evening, we’ll gather for our final celebration of this inspiring week: a Farewell Dinner at a restaurant set next to the starlit Arno River.
Meals Included: B, D
Our driver will transport you to the airport or train station, where you’ll depart with Golden Memories of our time together…
Meals Included: B
*Itinerary subject to change. If because of weather or unforeseen circumstances changes need to be made, replacement events will be equally as awesome as above.
*Activity Level: Most of the Historic Center in Florence is a pedestrian-only zone, so we will be walking through this lovely area along cobble stoned streets to our destinations. The itinerary does include mini-van transportation for walks longer than 20 minutes from our hotel. You do have the option to take a taxi (at your own expense) for the shorter walks, which we can arrange for you. In any case, bring comfortable walking shoes!
CLICK HERE for Testimonials
In Collaboration with Perillo Tours, America’s Leading Tour Operator to Italy for 70 years.
To reserve your space, or for more information, contact Irene today at: Irene@perillotours.com or 855-784-7687
What makes Golden Weeks in Italy unique? Click to read Susan’s interview
on Dream of Italy’s Blog
