• Piazzale Michelangelo - Chianti wine tour and landscapes. Experience an unforgettable day trip in the Chianti region with amazing scenery, fun facts about the Italian cooking habits, stops in the cities of San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Siena, and a visit to a winery to learn something about Classico and drink lots of good wine. A small group tour lets you save money by sharing a Black Mercedes Minivan (8 pax max). Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) is a square with a panoramic view of Florence, Italy, located in the Oltrarno district of the city.This Florentine piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hill just south of the historic center, during the redevelopment of Oltrarno, the left (South) bank of the Arno river. In 1869, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in an urban renewal, the so-called “Risanamento” or the “Renovation” of the city’s neighborhoods. Lungarni (riverside walkways; “lungarno”, singular) were built on the riversides. On the right bank, the fourteenth-century city walls were removed and turned into the Viali di Circonvallazione, mimicking the French “boulevard” design, six lanes wide and lined with trees. On the left bank winding up the hill of San Miniato the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view of the city.

Bronze cast of David facing Florence from the center of the square

The square, dedicated to the Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, has bronze copies of some of his marble works found elsewhere in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. The monument was brought up by nine pairs of oxen on 25 June 1873.

Poggi designed the loggia in the neoclassical-style that dominates the whole terrace, which today houses a restaurant. Originally it was intended to house a museum of works by Michelangelo, never realized. In the wall of the balcony, under the loggia, there is an epigraph in capital letters referring to his work: Poggi turned this into his monument in 1911.

The view captures the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, across the lungarni and the bridges crossing the Arno, including the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello and the octagonal bell tower of the Badia Fiorentina. Beyond the city are the hills of Settignano and Fiesole

• Historic Centre of San Gimignano - Your day trip takes you through the picturesque countryside of the Chianti region, a magical landscape of cypress trees, vineyards and olive groves you should recognize from Renaissance paintings. You will be picked up at your hotel and driven through the countryside of Florence.

You will first go to San Gimignano, where you will have about 30 minutes of free time. It is famous for its many towers or the many Vernaccia wine bottles if you prefer. It served as an important relay point for pilgrims traveling to or from Rome on the Via Francigena. The patrician families who controlled the town built around 72 tower-houses as symbols of their wealth and power. Although only 14 have survived, San Gimignano has retained its feudal atmosphere and appearance.

• Piazza del Campo - You will then reach the famous Palio city, Siena, around 12pm. Free time. Located in the heart of Tuscany, this is Italy´s best preserved medieval city and once was a wealthy, war-like independent state during the Middle Ages. Siena stores offer many locally made items, such as leather products, neckties, fabrics, glazed terracotta, gold jewellery, and of course local food, such as, Panforte, Ricciarelli, Pici and many wines. Every Wednesday morning a huge market is held around the Fortezza Mediceana. Here you will have time to look around and have lunch if you are hungry.

• Private tour max 8 people in a Mercedes Van
• Bottled water
• Lunch
• Hotel pickup and drop off for centrally located Florence hotels only
• Wine tour and Wine tasting