i-plan travel
... taking the guesswork out of travel planning
Tuscany and Umbria: 19 nights
Arrive in Florence
This trip starts and ends in Renaissance Florence. After you have arrived, settle in at your hotel and enjoy a part day exploring the neighbourhood. Florence boasts some of the most treasured museums in the world, including the magnificent Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia (where stands the awe-inspiring 17-foot-tall statue of David sculpted by a 29-year-old Michelangelo).
3 nights
Pick up the rental car and drive to Lucca
Lucca is only an hour from Florence. Try to stay within the intact old town walls. Once settled in, spend a half day in Lucca, walk the tree-lined walls, discover old palazzos and lush gardens, get lost in Lucca's back streets, and end the day feasting on local specialties - and don't miss the local red wine.
1 night
Drive to Siena
En route to Siena, stop at Pisa to visit the world-famous Campo dei miracoli (which includes the Leaning Tower). Explore beautiful Siena and get your taste of hill towns with various road trips to San Gimignano, Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano. Siena's duomo is one of Italy's best!
6 nights
Drive to Orvieto
Orvieto is situated on top of an extinct volcano. So, when you arrive, you have to park the car and take a funicular up to the town. A handy bus whizzes you into the town centre, where you can explore the beautiful duomo with its glittering façade and wander the back streets. Don't forget to try their eponymous white wine.
1 night
Drive to Umbria
Each leg of this journey has taken you further from big cities. Now, you're staying at an agri-turismo in the hills of Umbria across from Assisi. Enjoy a leisurely stay at this rustic farm house and wander the well-worn streets of nearby Assisi, with possible daytrips out to Perugia and Cortona.
4 nights
Drive back to Florence
After checking out of the hotel, drive back to Florence and drop off the rental car. In these final days, continue exploring the beauty of Florence ... including the Palazzo Vecchio, the famous duomo and baptistery, the bell tower (with spectacular views), the Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti (with its attached Boboli Gardens) and the Bargello (a former prison turned art gallery).
4 nights