Tuscan Hills & Chianti Wines - Premium Adventure

Enjoy idyllic guided walks from your exclusive country home in Tuscany

Settle into your own private villa on the cusp of the Chianti winelands for a walking adventure in Tuscany. From your base near the medieval town of San Gimignano, you'll join our expert leader to visit illustrious Florence and Siena, timeless villages and the quaint walled town of Certaldo. Activities include three handpicked wine-tasting experiences, a visit to the birthplace of chianti, a welcome aperitivo, and two dinners with wine-pairing menus. When you're not exploring, you may be next to your pool enjoying vineyard views or sampling regional produce cooked by your private chef for the week. There's also free time to choose your own adventure: perhaps a trip to medieval Volterra, featured in the Twilight Saga; a tour of ancient Lucca; or an introduction to classic Tuscan cuisine in a hands-on cooking class.

Responsible Travel

Tourism can be a real help to local communities, providing income, positive cultural exchanges and a financial incentive to protect their natural environment. Ours is a 'total approach' to responsible tourism, covering everything from the way we plan and operate our trips to the practices of Exodus as a company.

On this trip, we spend the nights in Villa Arnilu, a renovated traditional Tuscan farmhouse in the heart of Chianti. Where meals are provided, the ingredients used are locally sourced and follow local traditional recipes wherever possible. This ensures our visit benefits local communities. The villa owners minimise their environmental impact as much as possible through recycling and energy conservation within the property.

The wine-tasting sessions are a great opportunity to support local producers and promote traditional methods of wine production. Walking trips have very little detrimental impact on the environment and residents as it is a quiet, low-impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.

In March 2019, Exodus Travels launched the Exodus Travels Foundation where we support initiatives all around the world. But it cannot exist without travellers who care. Get involved or learn more about what Responsible Travel means to Exodus here…

Visa

Italy

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html

Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.

Vaccination

Italy

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for tetanus, rabies and tick-borne encephalitis. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

All breakfasts, one lunch, five dinners, one aperitivo, a welcome pack and three wine tastings are included.

The food and drink on this premium trip has been carefully selected to showcase the best of the region, considered one of the finest gastronomic destinations in Italy.

The culinary adventure starts immediately, with an aperitivo upon arrival at Villa Arnilu: a glass of local sparkling wine and a selection of tasty nibbles.

You will also have a private chef visiting the villa on five evenings to prepare a four-course feast exclusively created with regional, seasonal ingredients. Expect restaurant-quality dishes exhibiting the best in traditional Italian cooking. The chef is also trained to cater for several dietary restrictions, including vegetarian, vegan, lactose-free and gluten-free. Please advise us of dietary requirements on booking.

The delicious breakfasts typically include tea/coffee, juice, a selection of homemade pies, cheese, cold cuts, tomatoes, cereals, yoghurts, eggs and fresh bread. They're casual meals, so you may want to enjoy them by the pool overlooking the vineyards or while relaxing in bed.

Furthermore, a courtesy pack with juice, fruit salad and water will be placed in your room.

Weather

Tuscany can be very hot during summer, especially from June to August but heatwaves can also happen in April and May. During summer, temperatures can possibly reach the high 30Cs (around 100F). We will try to start our walks earlier to avoid the hottest hours of the day but please be aware that temperatures and humidity will be high. You should feel comfortable and be used to walking in the heat. The presence of mosquitos may increase (significantly) in summer, so we recommend you take mosquito repellent with you.

April and May departures can expect warm days; rain is possible, but it seldom lasts long. Nights may still be rather cool. We strongly recommend a fleece-lined jacket or warm sweater in these months. June sees the start of summer and July and August can become quite hot by mid-afternoon, so this time is kept free for lunch. Although rain is unusual, torrential bursts can happen. September and October are cooler and wetter, yet visibility is often better. Swimming is usually still possible at this time.

Is this trip for you?

This trip offers a good mix of city and countryside walks. During the days with walking included, the terrain and path type will include paved tracks, roads, forest trails and gravel. The walks are not technically difficult, but there are some ascents and descents, so a reasonable amount of fitness is required. The area is quite hilly and the majority of drives, although short, follow mountain roads through areas.

Summer 

Tuscany can be very hot during summer, especially from June to August but heatwaves can also happen in April and May. During summer, temperatures can possibly reach the high 30Cs (around 100F). We will try to start our walks earlier to avoid the hottest hours of the day but please be aware that temperatures and humidity will be high. You should feel comfortable and be used to walking in the heat. The presence of mosquitos may increase (significantly) in summer, so we recommend you take mosquito repellent with you.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.