Lucca, Portofino & the Cinque Terre

NEW

FOR 2023

Lucca, Portofino & the Cinque Terre

No distance at all separates Lucca and Pisa from Portofino, the Cinque Terre & Genoa, but the treasures they offer make for a diverse experience. In Pisa’s Square of the Miracles there’s the Leaning Tower, cathedral and baptistry, but much less well known are the colourful villages that cling to the Ligurian coastline.

Cinque Terra

Your itinerary

DAY 1 – Arrival in Lucca

Arrive at the airport for your flight to Pisa from where you will be taken to your hotel. (D)

DAY 2 – Lucca & free afternoon

After breakfast we take a tour with a local guide who will bring the story of Lucca to life. The city was founded by the Etruscans, and its well-preserved walls date from the Renaissance. As we explore the centre, you’ll notice the rectangular grid pattern which originated with the street plan of Roman times, while the oval Roman amphitheatre is another evocative reminder of millennia past. This afternoon you can experience more of Lucca’s wonders, exploring its cobbled streets, strolling along its shady promenades and relaxing in its elegant piazzas. (B,D) + Included Experience – Guided tour of Lucca

DAY 3 – Pisa & Free Afternoon

After breakfast, it’s just a short drive to Pisa for a guided tour. You’ll marvel at how such a relatively small space can accommodate such magnificence. The Leaning Tower – one of the world’s most instantly recognisable silhouettes – is your iconic introduction to the rest of the piazza. We conclude our visit with the Camposanto, a huge cemetery reputed to contain soil from Golgotha – the site

We stay at the same hand-picked hotel for the first three nights in Lucca, and for the following four nights, we stay in one of two hotels in Genoa depending on the departure date.

Best Western Grand Hotel Guinigi,

Lucca HHHH Grand Hotel Savoia HHHH Superior Continental Hotel HHHH

of Jesus’s crucifixion. In the afternoon we return to Lucca for you to relax or explore at your leisure. This evening we dine at a local restaurant serving traditional Tuscan cuisine. (B,D) + Included Experience – Guided tour of Pisa

DAY 4 – Porto Venere

Our morning drive north takes us past Carrara’s enormous gleaming quarries, source of the finest marble, which has been used in masterpieces by sculptors since Roman times into the great monuments now dotted across Italy’s landscapes and beyond. Our exploration of the extraordinarily arresting coast of Liguria brings us to the Gulf of the Poets, an evocative name for an inspiring area. One of its highlights is the picturesque village of Porto Venere, its fortress high on the hillside overlooking an array of colourful multi-storeyed houses lining the harbour. A stroll along the promenade reveals a network of narrow medieval lanes leading to the church and castle. We will enjoy lunch in a local restaurant before continuing to Genoa, where we stay for the rest of the tour. (B,L) + Included Experience – Visit Porto Venere and enjoy lunch in a local restaurant

DAY 5 – Genoa

This morning we enjoy a guided tour of Genoa, followed by free time in the afternoon. Known as ‘La Superba’ at the height of its maritime power, Genoa was one of Italy’s four major maritime republics and it is still home to Italy’s

Genoa

ITALY

KEY

Arrive Depart

Portofino

The Cinque Terre

Porto Venere

Lucca Pisa Grand Hotel Savoia

largest Port. We start by exploring the heart of Medieval Genoa, famous for its narrow lanes called ‘caruggi’, interspersed with imposing lateReneissances palaces built by Genoa’s wealthiest families in the 16th and 17th century. Today, it is a vibrant and eclectic city with so much to offer, from the regenerated port area to ornate palazzi and museums. (B) + Included Experience – Guided tour of Genoa

DAY 6 – Cinque Terre

We spend the next two days exploring the splendours of the surrounding coastline in the manner to which local people have been accustomed for millennia – by boat. We drive from Genoa to Santa Margherita Ligure, where our private charter takes us to the extraordinary Cinque Terre, which translates as ‘Five Lands’. We visit a selection of these five villages – Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore – cut off from the landward side by rugged terrain and steep coastline, making them almost unreachable by car. (B) + Included Experience – Visit the Cinque Terre by boat

DAY 7 – Portofino

After our morning drive from Genoa to the Italian Riviera, you can watch fine watercraft quietly going about their business on the shimmering waters as we sail the short distance to Portofino. Arriving here by boat gives you a real sense of the way in which this historic fishing village established itself and thrived around its own superb natural harbour, with a setting of cypress trees and olive groves. A walk to the headland offers a life-affirming view and the scents of thyme, pine and wildflowers hanging heavy in the air. We return to Genoa in the afternoon, where you will have a bit more free time to enjoy this intriguing coastal city. (B) + Included Experience – Sail to Portofino

DAY 8 –Return flight

Transfer to the airport for our flight home. (B)

2023

JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Your tour includes

• Return flights from a selection of regional airports with hotel transfers • Seven nights in four-star to four-star superior accommodation, inclusive of all local taxes • The services of our experienced and insightful tour manager

(B) Daily Breakfast, (L) 1 Lunch, (D) 3 Dinners Prices are per person. For departure dates, prices and flights, please call or visit our website.

YOUR EXPERIENCES • 3 guided tours including Lucca, Pisa and Genoa • Visits to Porto Venere, Portofino and the Cinque Terre • Take a private boat cruise along the

Cinque Terre and sail to Portofino

Important note: Visiting the Cinque Terre and Portofino by boat is subject to weather conditions. If safety concerns mean we can’t sail to the Cinque Terre on Day 6, we’ll travel by rail instead, visiting a selection of villages. If we’re unable to sail to Portofino on Day 7, we’ll travel there by the only other method of transport allowed – local bus. When assessing the weather, the captain’s decision to sail or not is final, so please consider this when booking this tour.

Please note: The use of air-conditioning in hotels in Italy is at the hotel’s discretion and is normally restricted to the summer months (mid-May to mid-September), depending on the temperature. Where hotels feature an outdoor swimming pool, this will be open during the summer months (weather permitting).