Walks of Italy runs small group tours from different parts of Italy. I’ve done a few day tours with them and thought I’d share my experience of their tour, Tuscany Day Trip from Florence.

Our meetup point for the start of the tour was a fairly easy to find cafe.  I’ll leave it at that, since meetup points are likely prone to change.  After a brief check in process our small group of nine climbed into two separate vans and we headed out.

Our first stop, Siena. 

The drive from Florence to Siena was comfortable and went by quickly.  It’s supposedly an hour, but felt a lot shorter, maybe because we were all excited :). We were dropped a short walk from the Piazza del Campo in Siena and as we walked our guide brought the buildings and architecture to life, pointing out little details I likely would have missed on my own.  We stopped briefly for a treat and learned about three of Siena’s traditional desserts, Cavallucci, Ricciarelli, and of course, Panforte. After a scrumptious sampling we continued on to the Piazza del Campo and learned about the Palio, Siena’s famous and historic horse race. 

I would have loved to have seen the murals inside the Palazzo Pubblico, but there isn’t time to see everything on a day trip, one must pick and choose and so we next made our way to Siena’s crown jewel, the Cathedral.  Our guide asked us who all wanted tickets to go inside and after procuring them for those of us who did, we were left on our own for the remainder of our time in Siena.  I was a little worried my visit to the Cathedral might feel rushed, but I had ample time to meander at a peaceful pace and see everything, including the piccolomini library. 

The interior of Siena’s Cathedral is so beautiful.  We also happened to be there during one of the months of  the floor uncovering which was phenomenal, this only happens a few months out of the year. (see the cathedrals official website for exact dates as they may vary year to year.)

Upon exiting the cathedral I was further delighted to find our vans waiting right there to pick us up.  I had read some previous mixed reviews about the “Walks of Italy” vans dropping people off and picking them up from the different sights at inconveniently long distances and while there is certainly some variation between tours, I thought our pick up spots were excellent and literally could not have been any closer.

Next, Our Vineyard Lunch

At this point it was onto lunch and our winery visit.  There was a vegetarian option for the pasta sauce which was pretty good, but not nearly as yummy as the balsamic vinegar and cheese plates. (I don’t know if there were options for vegan or gluten free diets.) While there was plenty to eat there was even more to drink.  Honestly, there was too much wine to even drink it all.  At least I certainly couldn’t drink as much as was being offered.  

Onward To… San Gimignano

Our group lingered over lunch enjoying ourselves, but perhaps we lingered too long because our last stop, San Gimignano, definitely felt hurried.  Again we were dropped off at what had to be the closest possible spot. Our guide gave us a brief introduction and then we had some free time to explore, but not much.  I did have time to make it up one of the towers, which was a fun little adventure and was definitely something I had wanted to do.  Sadly I didn’t have time to wander and see anything else.  Most of the others in my group chose to wait in line to try the famous gelato.  We really needed about thirty minutes more and it would have been just right. Still, being just shy of perfect isn’t bad 🙂 

I’m pretty sure everyone in our small group had a great time and it’s a day trip experience I would definitely recommend.

A Break Down of the Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Small Group 
• Driven right to the sights being seen and picked up afterwards.
• The guides personalize the experience for each group.
• A good amount of time in Siena and at the winery.

Cons:

• Not quite enough time in San Gimignano
• Because the guide makes small adjustments to cater to each group you might need to speak up and ask for what you want, which not everyone will feel comfortable doing.