Duration : 11 Hours
Get ready for a wine and cheese
extravaganza in Montepulciano, Pienza and Montalcino that will make your day trip from Rome
truly delectable!
Features of this day trip to Montepulciano, Pienza & Montalcino from
Rome:
Our excursion begins with a scenic drive through Lazio and the Tuscan countryside
with your private driver.
MONTEPULCIANO
Nestled in one of the most beautiful parts of
Tuscany, between the Val d’Orcia and the Val di
Chiana, is the hilltop town of Montepulciano.
A perfect Medieval village and “16th Century jewel”, it is
surrounded by vineyards, rolling landscapes
and thermal springs.
Stroll the narrow streets lined
with elegant palazzi that surround the visitor with a warm glow of brick and
chestnut tones. If it’s near the hour head towards the Torre del Pulcinella, and you’ll get to see the puppet a character from 17th century Neapolitan commedia dell'arte striking the bell to mark
the time on top of the clock tower.
Like Montalcino, Montepulciano is known for its
red wine, Vino Nobile being the most acclaimed.
PIENZA
A small farming community until the
beginning of the 15th century, Pienza’s future changed dramatically thanks to
the birth of Aeneas Sylvius Piccolomini, who became a great humanist scholar and,
later, Pope Pius II. Piccolomini was the first to implement the humanist concept of urban design, basically brilliant town-planning
techniques that turned his hometown into a little jewel of the Renaissance.
Today Pienza is best known for its
cheese, especially pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheese. If you aren’t hungry
when you arrive you will be when you get a whiff of the marvelous cheesy smells
wafting from the shops.
MONTALCINO
After driving across enchanting
hills dotted with vineyards and cypress, you’ll arrive in Montalcino. This
lovely Medieval town owes its wealth and fame to the wisdom of winegrowers who have created
and promoted one of the most famous Italian wines in the world: Brunello di Montalcino.
Even though Montalcino’s wine is famous, it is
the fortress that immediately catches the attention of the
tourist upon arriving. This beautiful and imposing
structure, constructed in 1361, will make you exclaim, “Now that’s a castle!” The Rocca
is wonderfully preserved and you can walk around the interior (for free
even).
As you stroll around the streets that haven’t
changed in many centuries, you’ll enjoy the many architectural points of
interest, mostly churches in a variety of styles:
Priori Palace, with its skinny
clock tower and decorated with coats of arms is another good place to get
some great Kodak moments.
As you tour the town why not taste
some wine? Eat, drink and be merry; you
have a driver!
NOT INCLUDED
1. Is this tour private?
The tour is private, just for your party.
2. Is the driver also a guide?
Our English-speaking drivers are NOT licensed guides. In order to provide you with the best-in-class service, our English speaking driving guides have been trained to offer our clients a nice overview with information regarding the major highlights avoiding the expensive charges of hiring a private guide. Due to strict Italian laws & regulations that protect officially licensed guides, our driving guides can comment and explain the sights only from inside the vehicle but are not allowed to do so once they are outside the vehicle. They are regularly licensed instead to chauffeur the public. We highly recommend that you never book with any touring company that does not make this clear.
3. Does the driver go with us inside the monuments?
No, only a licensed guide is authorized to accompany you during the visit of sights. Our driver will drop you off close to the sights but will stay with the vehicle for the duration of your visit.
4. Does this tour include lunch and admission fees to sites? Can we do wine & cheese tasting?
Tickets and lunch are not included in the rate. On request, we can make arrangements for wine and cheese tasting at an extra cost. Please contact our office for pricing and reservations.
5. What is the duration of the tour?
The duration of this service is 11 hours including pick up and drop off at your hotel in Rome.
6. Is the itinerary flexible?
Our itineraries are completely flexible, and we will be happy to operate any changes to the original itinerary (within reason). Please contact our office with all the requests you may have so that we can better organize your day.
7. Is gratuity included in the price?
Tips are never included in our quotes. We think that a tip shouldn’t be included in the rate otherwise it would be a tax!!! Once in Italy do not feel as though you have to tip everyone because someone told you to. Tip only if you really liked the service. Tips are generally: 10% not bad 15 % great 20 % best tour in my life. Please report any abuse.
There will be a full charge for bookings canceled with less than 72-hour notice for any service required. In this case, a full charge will be made on your credit card. If you miss your flight or if your airline decides to cancel the flight due to bad weather or if your flight is directed to another airport on arrival, please advise us on time (as soon as you know) or a full charge will be made.
Please give us enough time so we can accept other reservations and allocate them to our chauffeurs. If the ship does not make it to the pier for bad weather, you will not be considered responsible so NO CHARGE will be made to your credit card. A full charge will be made for a no-show-up.
Only pre-purchased skip-the-line tickets (if requested) are not refundable under the circumstance and will be charged to your card.
Transfer Services activated.