Cornucopia
Thanksgiving in Tuscany & Umbria
November 18 - 28, 2010
HORN OF PLENTY
The cornucopia is a symbol of food and abundance dating back to the
5th century BC. This symbol is also referred to as the food of worship
and holiness, Horn of Amalthea, and the harvest cone. Having its origins
in
Greek mythology,
first depictions of cornucopia were of the goat’s horn filled
with fruits and flowers. Deities, especially Fortuna, were depicted
with the horn of plenty. This symbol for fertility, abundance and
good fortune was so revered that its image was preserved on ancient
Roman coin.
Cornucopia is
a perfect name for a tour that celebrates the American holiday of Thanksgiving
in a land known
for
its fertile
fields and abundant
harvests – Tuscany.
The soil here is rich in mineral resources, prompting a bounty of vegetables,
rice, tobacco and sunflowers in the low-lying marshlands, and grains, potatoes,
olives and grapes inland. Yet even its reputation for great wine and cuisine
cannot hold a candle to Tuscany’s reputation as a repository of glorious
man-made treasures.
Florence seems little changed since the days
of the Medici, the city’s
rulers for hundreds of years. The memory of the Medici, who for centuries commanded
the city’s fortunes and were instrumental in unleashing
the Renaissance, lives on. The city’s artists and sculptors, supported
by the Medici and other powerful families, regaled the city with their finest
creations. Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello, Giotto, the Lippis, Masaccio,
Botticelli, Pontormo and a host of others left their mark. Formidable galleries
such as the Uffizi, Pitti and Accademia today house many of their works.
Its neighbor to the east, Umbria has an overwhelmingly
medieval character that harkens back to the mysticism and mysteries of the
Dark Ages. The beautiful
rolling hills are dotted with castles, fortresses and watchtowers. Well-preserved
hill towns produce world-renowned handmade ceramics. Umbria’s many monasteries
were founded by a host of local saints, and its valleys are laced with countless
gleaming rivers and host Italy’s largest lake. The towns of Assisi and Spoleto
have pleasures to rival those in Tuscany.
A renowned philosopher once wrote, “A man
who has not been to Italy is always conscious of inferiority.” The miracle
of Italy is that all its treasures come packaged in a gorgeous country and
this tour visits no less
than five UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Florence, Siena, Pisa, Assisi, and
San Gimignano. Come with Toto Tours to savor the regional delights in cuisine
and
wine, and
the cultural highlights of Tuscany and Umbria. This lovely region of Italy
will gratify your inner gourmand, artist, poet and connoisseur.
ITINERARY
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Depart for Florence, Italy
This is a travel day, with tour services beginning tomorrow in Italy.
Book a flight from your home city to the Florence International
Airport (use the code FLR when searching for flights online). Try to
schedule
your flights to arrive in Florence by the early afternoon tomorrow.
We will be happy to arrange an additional night’s stay if you
prefer to arrive today, one day before the tour begins. It is a quick
and easy matter to get to Florence by train from Rome, so
you might
want to fly into Rome and spend a couple of days in that city before
continuing on to Florence.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Florence
Your flight or train should arrive in Florence sometime today. Because
we are not traveling together as a group, transfer to our hotel via
public transportation after arrival. You will have the day to rest
up from jet lag or set out to do some early
exploring
on
your
own from our centrally-located hotel. Florence is not just one of the
world’s
foremost cities of art, but as the birthplace of Dante it is the real
cradle
of the
Italian language. Following years of economic decline, this jewel of
Renaissance Italy was rediscovered by the rest of Europe
from the late 18th century on. Curious and admiring travelers, particularly
the English, descended on the city as part of their Grand Tour.
Florentines are born into a world of
extraordinary timeless beauty, so it is hardly surprising that they
cultivate their appearance, and
do it so effortlessly.
Home to the likes of Gucci and Ferragamo, Florence means one thing: style,
both past and present, which can been seen in the churches, museums, shops
and boutiques, but most of all on the grand Florentine stage: the street. Our
group gathers together for the first time this evening in the lobby of our
hotel for cocktails and introductions. Afterwards, we walk to a nearby
restaurant for our Welcome Dinner. Overnight in Florence. (Dinner
included)
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Florence Sightseeing
After breakfast at our hotel, take a full day city tour of Florence
on foot. At the entrance to the Accademia museum, see Michelangelo’s
never-finished sculpture “Prisoners” (intended for Pope
Julius II’s tomb) and his most famous work. The statue of “David” is
poised in the moments before he launches his slingshot at Goliath.
Crafted between 1501 and 1504, the statue symbolized the Florentine
Republic’s struggle to retain its independence against more powerful
enemies.
From the Accademia, we continue to the
convent of San Marco to view the frescoes of Fra Angelico, a Dominican
monk who decorated the cells
in the convent with
subjects to inspire prayer. We also see the Cathedral of Santa Maria del
Fiore and Signoria Square, the power center of the city during its Renaissance
heyday. Finally, we come to the Ponte Vecchio, the city’s oldest bridge,
which was built at the narrowest point on the river Arno. Enjoy dinner together
tonight at a local restaurant. (Breakfast / Dinner)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Lucca & Pisa
After breakfast, we depart the hotel for a full day excursion to
the towns of Lucca and Pisa. Lucca was already a large town when Pompey,
Crassus and
Caesar met to form the First Triumvirate, but enjoyed its greatest period
of prosperity when exporting silk across Europe in the 14th century.
Around 200
years later the city walls were built, and are among the best preserved
in Europe, while within the walls the patrician palaces, churches,
shops and balconies
are steeped in charm.
Continue to Pisa, one of the most powerful
maritime republics of the middle ages, trading all around the Mediterranean.
This trade provided the wealth
to build the ‘Campo dei Miracoli’, or Field of Miracles, where
the ensemble of Cathedral, Bell Tower, Baptistry and Cemetery make up one
of the finest collections of buildings worldwide. The Bell Tower, begun in
1173,
was built on alluvial soil, not strong enough to bear the slender but heavy
marble tower, and the lean was first noticed as early as 1178. Pisa’s
misfortune, however, became its fortune, as nowadays millions of visitors
come to see the Leaning Tower. After shopping for leaning souvenirs, return
to Florence
for the night. (Breakfast)
Monday, November 22, 2010
Siena & San Gimignano
After breakfast, depart our hotel for a full day excursion to Siena
and San Gimignano. Set on three hills of yellow-brown clay (burnt Siena),
Siena is a mystic city of art and architecture which was once one of
the most powerful in Europe. The great plague of 1348 cut its population
in half, and the city never recovered, meaning that the Gothic buildings
and churches have been largely preserved as they were. The resulting
ensemble led UNESCO to name the historic center a World Heritage site
in 1995. See the Piazza del Campo, the main square of the city and
one of the most famous worldwide, where twice a year the famous ‘Palio’ race
is run, and visit the Cathedral, a treasure trove of marble and frescos.
Continue to San Gimignano, set in some
of the most beautiful Tuscan countryside. The town is famous for its
14 towers which are visible
for miles around, the
only ones remaining of more than 70 from the Middle Ages. Probably used to
dry cloth which had been dyed a saffron yellow color, the towers also served
to protect the families who owned them. We partake of lunch in a typical
Tuscan farmhouse and enjoy an atmospheric walk around the town, which remains
unchanged hundreds of years later. Return to Florence for overnight. (Breakfast
/ Lunch)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Free Day in Florence
Full free day for individual pursuits. If you’d like, we can
arrange an optional visit to the Uffizi museum, formerly the offices
(uffizi in Italian) of the Medici family, now a world class painting
and sculpture collection, willed to the city by the last of the Medici
family. Early in our visit we will introduce you to a local gay guide,
who may have some good ideas for activities today. Overnight in Florence. (Breakfast
/ Dinner)
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Arezzo to Perugia
Travel from Florence to Perugia via Arezzo, one of the centers of
Etruscan civilization nearly three thousand years ago. Visit the church
of San
Francesco to see the frescos of Piero della Francesca, considered
to be one of the most outstanding examples of Renaissance painting
in
Tuscany, depicting the Legend of the True Cross in ten scenes. Then
continue into the region of Umbria to Perugia for three nights. Arriving
in the afternoon, we check into our hotel and the remainder of the
day is at leisure. (Breakfast / Dinner)
Thursday, November 25, 2010 — Thanksgiving Day
Perugia Sightseeing
A morning tour of the historic center of Perugia includes part of
the Etruscan city walls and gates, the Rocca Paolina fortress built
by
Pope Paul III to dominate the city when it rebelled against his salt
tax, and the National Gallery of Umbria. This gallery houses one of
the finest collections of pre-Renaissance and Renaissance paintings
anywhere in Italy, including works by Piero della Francesca and Perugino,
the teacher of Raphael and Perugia’s most famous painter, who
also decorated part of the Sistine Chapel. The afternoon is free, followed
by a special Thanksgiving dinner. Overnight in Perugia. (Breakfast
/ Dinner)
Friday, November 26, 2010
Assisi & Spoleto
After breakfast, depart our hotel for a full day excursion to Assisi
and Spoleto. Assisi, home of St. Francis, has retained its rural setting
despite millions of visitors per year, with olive trees and cultivated
fields reaching right up to its medieval walls. The town is the second
most important place of pilgrimage in Italy, but its ancient streets
and buildings, made with pink stone quarried from nearby mountains,
offer the same tranquility which inspired St.Francis over 800 years
ago. Visit the Basilica containing his shrine, and see frescos by Giotto
and his followers telling the story of the saint’s life in 28
scenes, among the most important frescos in Italy. The town’s
main square features an intact façade of a Roman temple dedicated
to Minerva from the 1st century BC.
Continue on to Spoleto, best known these
days for the Festival of Two Worlds, which takes place every summer.
In the past, however, Spoletium
was an important
Roman town, repulsing the attacks of Hannibal in the 3rd century BC and occupying
an important strategic site on the Via Flaminia. The theatre and amphitheatre
are still in good condition, and are used regularly. The Cathedral has one
of the most beautiful facades in Italy, containing probably the best works
by Filippo Lippi, an artistic monk who fell in love with and had a son by a
nun. From Spoleto, return to Perugia for our final night in Umbria. (Breakfast)
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Return to Florence
After breakfast, we check out of our hotel and begin the journey
back to Florence. Upon arrival, we check into our hotel and the
afternoon
is free for last-minute shopping or sightseeing. We gather together
one final time this evening to walk to a nearby restaurant for our
festive Farewell Dinner.
Overnight
in
Florence. (Breakfast / Dinner)
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Departure
The tour officially ends after breakfast this morning. Because of
the ready availability of rapid transit services to the Florence International
Airport, and the variety of departure times and options available,
we have not organized a group departure nor included the cost in
the
tour price. The tour manager will assist you with your travel plans,
and can help to organize taxis or minivans for small groups that
wish to travel together. (Breakfast)
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