• Explore the unique atmosphere & the art & architecture of Siena

• Opportunity to visit Iris Origo’s magical La Foce in the Val d’Orcia

• A day spent in two private gardens in Fiesole

• Discover historic San Gimignano

• Private lunches & visits in three villas

• Well-appointed 5* hotel in the heart of Siena

Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s great panoramic fresco, The Well-Governed City in Palazzo Pubblico, is symbolic of the unity of the buildings, squares, streets, paintings and frescoed spaces of Siena. Art and life share a commonality in Siena’s place in medieval Italy and in the quite unique political culture and system of government that supported it. Borne out of the communal system of autonomous rule, the city-republic’s wealth was initially based on Siena’s station on the Via Francigena, the ‘Pilgrim’s Way’, linking northern Europe and Rome. Pilgrims, merchants, bankers and painters flowed through the city for much of the period of the republic which lasted over four hundred years (1127 – 1555) until it was inevitably absorbed by its constant rival to the north, the Medici of Florence. Banking was perhaps Siena’s most lucrative activity and from its mercantile elites, two families emerged to prominence producing two major popes. The scholarly diplomat Pope Pius II (1458 – 1464) and the visionary Pope Alexander VII (1655 – 1667) would both leave an indelible mark on Siena, its surrounding countryside and on Rome itself.

Siena’s urban harmony extended beyond its medieval walls in the context of the ‘secret gardens’ that garlanded both Siena and Florence. Humanist inspired geometry as prescribed by Vitruvius and Alberti inspired tightly arranged walled formality graced with ornament and water. Amidst Tuscany’s pastoral surroundings, many of these gardens were forlorn and forgotten over time only to be revived by the resident Anglo-American community in the twentieth century. 

Our week in Siena is a conversation between the urban and the rural, the well-governed city and the garden. We shall engage in Siena’s great medieval achievements and visit several private gardens where we shall also be entertained for lunch both outside of Siena and at Fiesole near Florence, including the Villa Gamberaia. No visit to this part of Tuscany can omit the magical estate of La Foce, the home of Iris and Antonio Origo whose renaissance house was enhanced by their garden, designed by Cecil Pinsent. Pienza is its nearby renaissance architectural jewel and our final day in the dreamy hill-top town of San Gimignano concludes a week of magical urban and rural Tuscan vignettes. 

We stay in the heart of Siena’s historic centre at arguably its finest hotel, the 5* Grand Hotel Continental. The former sixteenth century palazzo has a restaurant, bar, wine cellar and very well-appointed frescoed public spaces. The Campo is minutes away and all that we wish to see in the city, including restaurants shops and bar, is easily reached on foot.

Day 1: Monday 12 April – We fly from Heathrow to Pisa, arriving just before midday. We travel to nearby Villa di Corliano, the home of the Counts Agostini Veronesi della Seta. Sixteenth century in origin, it has a series of fine reception rooms and renaissance-themed gardens. The Count and Countess will be our hosts for our first group lunch and early afternoon visit. We then travel through Tuscany to Siena and our hotel to check-in at the 5* Grand Hotel Continental. Given the very early start to the day, the evening will be free for rest and initial wanderings.

Day 2: Tuesday 13 April – We spend the day exploring Siena and begin at the Duomo and Baptistry, one of the best medieval church complexes in Italy. Begun in 1150 the Duomo has remarkable inlaid floors, the famous pulpit by Pisano and his workshop, sculptures by Michelangelo and Bernini and the remarkable Piccolomini Library, named for Pope Pius II and adorned with frescoes of his achievements painted by Pinturicchio. Nearby is the Museo del Opera del Duomo Metropolitana which has many of the Cathedral’s treasures, of which the most important is Duccio’s masterpiece, the famous Maestá of 1308 – 11, formerly placed on the high altar but now much more easily seen in this museum. We pause for lunch (not included) and in the afternoon conclude at the Palazzo Pubblico with its remarkable frescoed halls and galleries, including the famous scene of Good and Bad Government by the Lorenzetti workshop. Within the building is also housed the Museo Civico, of which the principal glories are the Sala del Mappamondo, decorated by Ambrogio Lorenzetti about 1320 – 30 and a fresco of the Maestá painted by Simone Martini in 1315. In the evening, we shall have our first group dinner - wine, water and coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 3: Wednesday 14 April – Today, we travel northwards to the outskirts of Florence to spend the day in and around Fiesole. We begin at Villa Medici, one of the, if not the first villa created for the Medici family. The privately-owned villa is built on a severely sloping site, its garden now a simple layout but with additions by Sybil Cutting with, as you might expect, outstanding views of Florence! We continue the short distance to Settignano for a private group lunch and visit at what many consider the finest garden in Tuscany - Villa Gamberaia. From the arcaded gallery of cypresses to the formality of the parterres, this justly famed garden is the triumph of a seamless journey from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. After our visit to both the garden and villa, we return to Siena where the evening will be free.

Day 4: Thursday 15 April – This morning we visit privately Castello di Celsa to the west of Siena. Built in the thirteenth century by the Celsi family, the villa is an amazing amalgamation of renaissance and later ‘Gothic Revival’ elements, while the gardens look out over a landscape are a mix of renaissance and baroque features. After a coffee break, we drive the short distance to Villa di Geggiano where we shall be the guests of wine-maker Count Andrea Boscu Bianchi Bandinelli, a descendant of Pope Alexander III (1159 – 1181). This is a charming delizia Senese, and a remarkable setting for our guided visit and group lunch. We return to Siena where the remainder of the afternoon and evening will be free.

Day 5: Friday 16 April – Today, we travel down the Via Cassia through the Val D’Orcia, a wonderful stretch of countryside, to La Foce, the fine garden designed by Cecil Pinsent for Marchesa Iris Origo from the 1920s onwards. It is probably the best inter-war garden in Italy and we shall have a private visit. We then continue to nearby Pienza for lunch (not included) and some free time to explore. The town was remodelled by Pope Pius II according to the theories of Alberti, the great renaissance authority on classical architecture. We return to Siena mid-afternoon where later in the evening, we shall have our final group dinner in one of the city’s best restaurants just off the Campo. 

Day 6: Saturday 17 April – Our final day is spent in the other-worldly San Gimignano, not far from Siena. Dominating the skyline is an ensemble of medieval towers and buildings emblematic of the town’s status. Following a pause for coffee, we visit the Palazzo Comunale which displays the town’s art treasures from the late medieval period onwards whilst the Collegiate Church (duomo) is fully frescoed with a major chapel frescoed by Ghirlandaio. We pause for a festive, final group lunch in the town and after a little free time to explore, we drive across western Tuscany to Pisa airport to check in for our evening return flight to London’s Heathrow.

Price £3575 Without Flights £3385pp   Deposit £495pp Single Supplement £890 (Double for Sole Use)

Hotel 5 nights with breakfast at the 5* Grand Hotel Continental, Siena

Flights British Airways:

Outward: BA520 Depart London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 0820 arrive Pisa 1135

Return:  BA617 Depart Pisa Airport 2015, arrive Heathrow(Terminal 5) 2130

Price includes 2 Dinners & 4 Lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, services of James Hill, Rachel Lamb and our local guide on day 2

Not included Travel to/from Heathrow, 3 Dinners & 2 Lunches

Please note our tours generally involve a significant amount of standing and walking, sometimes across uneven ground, or over cobbled streets, or up and down steps and inclines. We do not have an upper age limit for participants, but we require you to have a level of fitness which does not affect other participants' enjoyment of the tour. Please also note that many palaces, gardens, villas, museums and galleries have limited seating and perhaps do not have lifts. You should be able to walk at a reasonable pace and/or stand for at least twenty minutes without aid or requiring a rest. If you are in any doubt, please do contact us for advice on the tour’s suitability for you.