PREMIUM GOLDEN WEEK IN THE ITALIAN RIVIERA
AND FLORENCE:
For Women Only
SPRING 2028
Interested?
Email me at 100placesinitaly@gmail.com
led by Author Susan Van Allen
Susan Van Allen infuses her tours with enthusiasm, engagement and enchantment! She is exceptional in her knowledge of the area we visited and ensured we felt both part of a group yet individually independent. We had the trip of a lifetime…
-Christina, Massachusetts
Join Susan Van Allen, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go, for an inspiring Premium Golden Week in two extraordinary locations, the Italian Riviera and Florence. You’ll have an insider’s experience of these beauties — meeting my friends–from our cooking class chef to artisans who craft jewelry and ceramics and guides who are entertaining and passionate. We’ll have fun staying in luxury hotels, dining in my favorite traditional restaurants, and experience a range of beautiful places: enchanting coastal villages of the Italian Riviera, including chic Portofino, stunning Cinque Terre, the beautiful Tuscan town of Lucca, and masterpieces of art and architecture in Florence. The joys of Italy will be with us every step of the way, bonding us with laughs, discoveries, and heartfelt toasts.
This is a Gift of La Dolce Vita=the Sweet Life, custom-designed so that you can be fully immersed in Italy’s inspiring, delicious, and rejuvenating pleasures. AND it’s a PREMIUM Golden Week — featuring 8 nights, instead of our traditional 7.
A Peek at Golden Weeks Past…
Brief Itinerary:
Day 1: Depart USA to Genoa, Italy
Day 2: Welcome to your Golden Week
Day 3: Taste the Italian Riviera – Cooking Class and Aperitivo Time in Portofino
Day 4: Full Day in Extraordinary Cinque Terre
Day 5: Free Morning in Santa Margherita Ligure / Experience Magical San Fruttuoso / Sunset in Camogli
Day 6: Discover Lucca / Welcome to Florence
Day 7: Discover Florentine Treasures, including Michelangelo’s David
Day 8: Masterpieces of the Uffizi Galleries / Ceramic Painting Workshop
Day 9: La Dolce Vita Day in Florence / Farewell Dinner
Day 10: Arrivederci – Depart from Florence
SPRING 2028
Interested? Email me at
100placesinitaly@gmail.com
Full Itinerary:
Golden Day 1: Depart USA: ANDIAMO!
Friday, May 2
You’ll be packed (with my tips), and full of joyful anticipation, as you take the overnight flight to Genoa.
*Consider arriving a day earlier to enjoy the city of Genoa or Santa Margherita Ligure, so you can relax
before the Golden Week begins. Italy Vacations will be happy to make arrangements for you.
Golden Day 2: Welcome to Your Golden Week
Saturday, May 3
Benvenuta! You’ll land in Genoa, be welcomed by your private driver, and then transported to the Hotel Continentale in Santa Margherita Ligure…one of the Italian Riviera’s dreamiest destinations…
The views from your room’s balcony will take your breath away: sparkling harbor, elegant palm trees, and wonderful town.
You’ll have time to relax, unpack, and perhaps stroll around the pretty historic center.
In the evening, we’ll gather for an aperitivo on the hotel terrace to toast the week ahead. 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 with a view of the starry night sky, enjoying the first of many memorable meals.
Meals Included: D
Golden Day 3: Taste the Italian Riviera
Sunday, May 4
Wake up and smell the caffe. An abundant buffet breakfast awaits in the dining room with a beautiful view!
Then we’re off for a culinary adventure, in the hills above Chiavari, to immerse ourselves in the delicious flavors of the Italian Riviera.
An expert chef and cookbook author will welcome us to her home and lead us in a class, where we’ll learn the secrets of local specialties, including pesto.
Lunch, feasting on the fruits of our labors will follow.
Before we head back to the hotel we’ll visit one of the world’s most beautiful harbors: Portofino.
We’ll have time to stroll, shop at the village’s legendary boutiques, and enjoy an aperitivo.
We’ll be back at the hotel by early evening, for you to enjoy the sunset, before dinner on your own, with my recommendations. Choices nearby range from cozy trattorias to chic upscale restaurants.
Meals Included: B, L
Golden Day 4: Full Day in Extraordinary Cinque Terre
Monday, May 5
The extraordinary stretch of coastline called the Cinque Terre (meaning Five Lands), is comprised of five colorful fishing villages that cling to the rugged coastline, surrounded by vineyards and terraced gardens.
With our local guide, we’ll have an insider’s experience of three of these unique villages, reaching them by trains and ferries. Along with breathtaking views, we’ll stroll the cobblestoned vias of quaint Manarola, have lunch on our own in the stunning village of Vernazza, and enjoy the shops and Capuchin Monastery in Monterosso.
After this exhilarating day, we’ll transfer back to Santa Margherita Ligure, where you can enjoy the sunset and a relaxing dinner at the hotel or harbor.
Meals Included: B
Golden Day 5: La Dolce Vita in Santa Margherita Ligure / Discover Mystical San Fruttuoso / Sunset in Camogli
Tuesday, May 6
We’ll have the morning at leisure, giving you time to sleep late, enjoy a swim at the hotel’s private beach or a spa treatment. Or you may enjoy a stroll in town, for shopping or a visit to the Villa Durazzo, a 17th century summer residence-turned-museo, surrounded by lovely gardens.
After lunch we’ll take a short ferry ride to one of the most magical spots on the Ligurian coastline: San Fruttuoso.
This secluded bay can only be reached by boat or hiking. The setting is dreamlike: shimmering turquoise waters and a 10th century Abbey, (UNESCO World Heritage Site), which we’ll tour with our guide Alessandra.
We’ll continue by boat to the village of Camogli, that got its name from case delle mogli, (house of wives), because it was a fishing village named for the women who managed things here while their husbands were away at sea.
The soul of Camogli from those days remains in the ornate Duomo, artisan shops and fishing boats.
We’ll have time for strolling and aperitivo on our own and then join for dinner at a beloved seaside restaurant.
After dinner, we’ll be transported by private driver back to Santa Margherita Ligure.
*In case of bad sea/weather, the visit to San Fruttuoso bay will be replaced with a visit to the villas and gardens of Santa Margherita Ligure village.
Meals included: B, D
Golden Day 6: Discover Lucca / Welcome to Florence
Wednesday, May 7
After breakfast, we’ll depart Santa Margherita Ligure for a beautiful drive through Tuscany to Florence. Along the way we’ll stop at one of Italy’s most beloved towns: Lucca.
We’ll meet our entertaining local guide Paola who will guide us through the historic center to admire splendid Gothic churches and have a relaxing caffe in a pretty piazza.
There will be time for shopping in Lucca’s artisan boutiques and lunch in a favorite osteria.
We’ll arrive in Florence by late afternoon and check into the 4* Hotel Plaza Lucchesi, a luxurious, historical property from 1860, set right on the Arno, close to Piazza Santa Croce, and a short walk to the Ponte Vecchio and Piazza Duomo.
We’ll have time to settle in and then stroll to a nearby trattoria for dinner together, enjoying our first tastes of Florentine specialties.
Meals Included: B, L, D
Golden Day 7: Discover Florentine Treasures, including Michelangelo’s David
Thursday, May 8
After a lovely breakfast in the hotel, with a view of the River Arno, we’ll go deeper into exploring the range of treasures that abound in Florence. We’ll follow Freya, our local guide, on an orientation walk, starting at the Piazza Santa Croce, moving on to Piazza della Signoria, a meeting point for Florentines since the Middle Ages, and then to the Piazza Duomo’s breathtaking architecture. Taking it slow, we’ll enjoy a caffe break in the historic Caffe Gilli in Piazza Repubblica.
Then we’ll visit the first Florentine Basilica, a true glorification of feminine inspiration: Santa Maria Novella.
Highlights inside this church include Renaissance fresco cycles painted by the master Ghirlandaio.
We’ll end our tour at the Santa Maria Novella Farmacia, a wonderland of beauty products, founded by Dominican monks over 400 years ago.
There will be free time for lunch, shopping, and resting back at the hotel.
In the late afternoon we’ll meet for a visit to stand awestruck before Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery.
The evening is on your own, for dinner with my recommendations. Our hotel is nearby delicious wine bars and eateries–from elegant to rustic. I’ll help you make the best choices.
Meals Included: B
Golden Day 8: Marvel at Masterpieces in the Uffizi / Follow Florentine tradition in a Ceramics Workshop
Friday, May 9
After breakfast, we’ll begin our day at one of the world’s most famous museums: the Uffizi Gallery.
We’ll be guided through sumptuous rooms, focusing on masterpieces that glorify females–by such greats as Botticelli, Raphael, and da Vinci. We’ll savor the experience with a stop at the museum’s terrace caffe, enjoying magnificent views.
After the museum there will be free time for lunch, shopping, and sight-seeing, at your leisure.
Then we’ll meet for a hands-on experience at a ceramics shop and workshop, that’s been turning out masterpieces since 1857.
An award-winning artisan will lead us in the basics of ceramic painting, and each of us will paint a piece to take home for a precious souvenir.
Dinner is on our own tonight–some may want to join me at a trattoria to enjoy the Florentine specialty bistecca (beefsteak), exquisitely prepared in lively surroundings.
Meals Included: B
Golden Day 9: La Dolce Vita in Florence / Farewell Dinner
Saturday, May 10
This is your day to immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, and experience Florence according to your desires, with my guidance.
There are many more museums and churches with masterpieces to enjoy, shopping from high fashion to outdoor markets, or we can arrange a ride out to the Chianti countryside for wine tasting (at additional cost).
In the evening we’ll gather for our final celebration of this inspiring week: a Farewell Dinner at an elegant Florentine restaurant.
Meals included: B, D
Golden Day 10: Arrivederci!
Sunday, May 11
Your driver will transport you to the Florence airport or train station, where you’ll depart with Golden Memories of our week together.
*Or you may choose to stay for extra time in Florence, move on to Rome, or another Italian destination. Italy Vacations can help you with any arrangements.
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: Bring comfortable walking shoes! Florence and the lovely towns of the Italian Riviera are mostly pedestrian only, and our time there will include walking together to discover their treasures and time for you to go at your own pace–which may range from settling into a caffe to people watch or exploring further if you wish. There are also ferry rides and drives on curvy roads, which require precautions to be taken for those with motion sickness.
What’s Included:
- Entertaining hosting by author Susan Van Allen, focusing on Italy’s celebration of all things female
- 8 nights at First-Class Hotels, 4 nights Hotel Continental in Santa Margherita Ligure and 4 nights Plaza Hotel Lucchesi in Florence
- Transportation by private minibus, including arrival transfers from Genoa airport or train station and departure transfers to Florence airport or train station.
- Daily buffet breakfast at the hotel
- 4 multi-course dinners, with wine
- 1 cooking class in Chiavari, followed by lunch
- 1 lunch in Lucca
- Excursion to Portofino, with shopping and aperitivo
- 1 ceramics painting class
- Guided tours by charming local experts, with whisper headsets in Florence Historic Center, Santa Maria Novella Basilica and Cloisters, Skip-the-Line at Uffizi Gallery, Cinque Terre, San Fruttuoso Abbey, and Camogli
- Entrance fees to museum and monuments, including Accademia (Michelangelo’s David)
- All gratuities for group activities: guides, drivers, and servers at group meals
- Travel journal
- Pre-Trip Booklet with helpful packing information
- $25 Donation to Friends of Florence, for art restoration projects
This week is expertly designed with a balance of planned group and free-time independent experiences
What’s Not Included:
- Airfare
- Meals not specified in itinerary
- Optional Travel Insurance
- Everything not mentioned under “What’s Included”
La Dolce Vita!
Perfection! You gave us just want you promised and then some.
–Diana, Oregon
The week is expertly designed and hosted by Susan Van Allen, with a balance of planned group and free-time independent experiences.
[testimonial_pro id=”13098″]
Ready to Experience La Dolce Vita?
Say YES to this Adventure TODAY!
Space is limited and this tour Sells Out.
In Collaboration with PERILLO TOURS, America’s Leading Tour Operator to Italy for over 70 years.
Contact Info:
TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE FOR GOLDEN WEEKS, or for more information, contact Christine at info@italyvacations.com
Would you like me to custom-design a Golden Week in Italy for you and your family or friends?
Italy Vacations can also arrange for early arrivals or later departures, with discounted rates at hotels in Genoa, Florence, or any Italian destination
