• Explore the unique atmosphere, art & architecture of Siena

• Opportunity to visit Iris Origo’s garden La Foce

• Visit the renaissance planned village of Pienza in the magical Val d’Orcia

• Discover historic San Gimignano

• Private visit & lunch to an eighteenth century villa

• 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, painters and ‘good governance’ flowed through the city for much of the period of the republic which lasted some four hundred years (1127 – 1555) until it was inevitably absorbed by its constant rival just to the north, the Medici of Florence.

Over two hundred years, Siena produced a succession of remarkable painters working in fresco and on panel including Duccio di Buoninsegna, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers, whose images fused spatial experimentation rooted in spiritual intensity with glittering colour into a ‘Sienese School’. Much of Florence’s art was dispersed over time, but in Siena, many of its most important works remain in the city’s churches and collections which we shall contemplate during our visit to this magical city. Banking was perhaps Siena’s most lucrative activity and from its mercantile elites, two families - the Piccolomini and Chigi - emerged to prominence producing two major popes from its ranks. The scholarly diplomat Pope Pius II (1458 – 1464) and the visionary Pope Alexander VII (1655 – 1667) would both leave an indelible mark on Siena, in the villages and country villas in the surrounding countryside and on Rome itself. 

Encircled by a magnificent set of medieval walls, Siena contains a remarkable array of buildings and art collections to enjoy. Outside of its walls, a variety of visits await including a private visit and lunch to a delizia Toscana, an eighteenth century villa. We shall visit the renaissance architectural jewel that is Pienza and the magical estate of La Foce, the home of Iris and Antonio Origo whose renaissance house was enhanced by a garden, designed by Cecil Pinsent. Our day in the dreamy hill-top town of San Gimignano concludes a week of magical artistic, urban and rural vignettes in Tuscany.   

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 fine restaurant, bar, wine cellar and very well-appointed frescoed public spaces. The Campo is minutes away and all that we wish to see, including restaurants shops and bar, are easily reached on foot.

Day 1: Sunday 18 October – We fly from Heathrow to Florence, arriving just before midday.  We travel the short distance to San Casciano Val di Pesa to the south of Florence. Villa Le Corti is the winery and historic home of the Corsini family where we shall enjoy a group lunch accompanied by the estate’s wines, with a visit to the estate’s villa. We travel through Tuscany to Siena and check-in at our hotel the 5* Grand Hotel Continental. Given the early start to the day, this evening will be free.

Day 2: Monday 19 October – We stroll through 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). In the afternoon, we visit Santa Maria della Scala, the once civic hospital for children, pilgrims and the poor which still contains impressive frescos throughout. We conclude at the Oratory of San Bernardino, now a minor basilica with splendid late fifteenth century frescoes. In the evening, we shall have our first group dinner - wine, water and coffee are included with all group lunches and dinners.

Day 3: Tuesday 20 October – Our second day in Siena begins in 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. Following a coffee break, we conclude our morning at the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, the city’s main art gallery with fine paintings from the Siena School up to the baroque period. Lunch (not included) and the remainder of the day will be free simply to take in this magical place and explore it privately.

Day 4: Wednesday 21 October – We depart Siena and drive the short distance close to the village of Asciano to visit the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore. The late medieval complex is graced with fine renaissance frescoes by Luca Signorelli and his contemporaries. 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’, a ‘party villa’ and a remarkable setting for our group lunch and guided visit of the gardens and some of the interiors. We return to Siena after which this evening will be free.

Day 5: Thursday 22 October – 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). This town was remodelled by Pope Pius II according to the theories of Alberti, the great renaissance authority on classical architecture. We shall explore the village visiting the late gothic-renaissance Duomo and the almost adjacent Palazzo Piccolomini, erected for Pope Pius by Bernardo Rossellino in 1459.We return to Siena where later in the evening, we shall dine in one of the city’s best restaurants just off the Campo, our final group dinner.

Day 6: Friday 23 October – 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 final, festive 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 the return evening flight to London Heathrow.

Price £3675pp Without Flights £3475pp Deposit £495pp Single Supplement £ 795 (Double for Sole Use)

Hotel 5 nights inc breakfast - 5* Grand Hotel Continental, Siena

Flights British Airways: (based on 2025 schedule – subject to change)

Outward: BA524 Depart London Heathrow (Terminal 5) 0815 arrive Florence Peretola 1135

Return:  BA607 Depart Pisa Airport 2010 arrive Heathrow(Terminal 5) 2125

Price includes 2 Dinners & 3 Lunches with wine, water & coffee, all local transfers, entry fees & gratuities, services of Hugh Maguire, James Hill and our local guide on Day 2

Not included Travel to/from Heathrow, 4 Dinners & 3 Lunches