Board your overnight flight to Genoa and you're off to your exciting Premium Golden Week in the Italian Riviera and Florence! 
*Flights are not included in the price of this package.  We are happy to arrange them for you.

Benvenuta! You’ll land in Genoa, be welcomed by your driver, and then transported to the Hotel Continentale in Santa Margherita Ligure, one of the Italian Riviera’s dreamiest destinations. The views from your room’s balcony will take your breath away: sparkling harbor, elegant palm trees, and wonderful town.
You’ll have time to relax, unpack, and perhaps stroll around the pretty town.

In the evening, we’ll gather for an aperitivo on the hotel terrace to toast the week ahead. Susan will give you tips about keeping a travel journal, so you can create a treasured souvenir of your week through journaling. We’ll dine with a view of the starry night sky, enjoying the first of many memorable meals.

Meals Included: D

Wake up and smell the caffe. An abundant buffet breakfast awaits in the dining room with a beautiful view.

Then we’re off for a culinary adventure, in the hills above Chiavari, to immerse ourselves in the delicious flavors of the Italian Riviera. An expert chef and cookbook author will lead us in a class, where we’ll learn the secrets of local specialties, including pesto. Lunch, feasting on the fruits of our labors will follow.
Before we head back to the hotel, we’ll visit one of the world’s most beautiful harbors and a choice spot for jet-setters: Portofino. We’ll have time to stroll, shop at the village’s legendary boutiques, and enjoy an aperitivo.

We’ll be back at the hotel by early evening, to enjoy the sunset. Dinner is on your own, with Susan’s recommendations. Choices nearby range from cozy trattorias to chic upscale restaurants.

Meals Included: B, L

The extraordinary stretch of coastline called the Cinque Terre (meaning Five Lands), is comprised of five colorful fishing villages that cling to a rugged coastline, surrounded by vineyards and terraced gardens.

With our local guide, we’ll have an insider’s experience of three of these unique villages, reaching them by trains and ferries. Along with breathtaking views, we’ll stroll the cobblestoned vias of quaint Manarola, have lunch on our own in the stunning village of Vernazza, and enjoy the shops and Capuchin Monastery in Monterosso.

After this exhilarating day, we’ll return to Santa Margherita Ligure, where you can enjoy a relaxing dinner at the hotel or harbor.

Meals Included: B

This morning is at your leisure, giving you time to sleep late, enjoy a swim at the hotel’s beach, or treatment at the spa. Or you may want to stroll into town, to enjoy shopping and a visit to the Villa Durazzo, an elegant 17th century summer residence-turned-museo, surrounded by pretty gardens.

In the afternoon we’ll take a short ferry ride to one of the most magical spots on the Ligurian coastline: San Fruttuoso. This secluded bay can only be reached by boat or hiking. The setting is dreamlike: shimmering turquoise waters and a 10th century Abbey, (UNESCO World Heritage Site), which we’ll tour with our guide.
We’ll continue by boat to the village of Camogli, that got its name from case delle mogli, (house of wives), because it was a fishing village named for the women who managed things here while their husbands were away at sea.
The soul from those days remains in Camogli, with its ornate Duomo, artisan shops, and fishing boats. We’ll have time for strolling and aperitivo on our own at the glowing sunset hour, and then join for dinner at a beloved seaside restaurant.

After dinner, we’ll be transported by private driver back to Santa Margherita Ligure.
 
*In case of bad sea/weather, the visit to San Fruttuoso bay will be replaced with a visit to the villas and gardens of Santa Margherita Ligure village.

Meals Included: B, D

After breakfast, we’ll depart Santa Margherita Ligure for a beautiful drive through Tuscany to Florence. Along the way we’ll stop at one of Italy’s most beloved towns: Lucca.

We’ll meet our entertaining local guide who will guide us through the historic center to admire splendid Gothic churches and have a relaxing caffe in a pretty piazza. There will be time for shopping in Lucca’s artisan boutiques and lunch at a local trattoria.

We’ll arrive in Florence by late afternoon and check into the 4* Hotel Plaza Lucchesi, a luxurious, historical property from 1860, set right on the Arno, close to the Ponte Vecchio bridge and Piazza Santa Croce, and a short walk to the Piazza Duomo.

We’ll have time to settle in and then stroll to a nearby trattoria for dinner together, enjoying our first tastes of Florentine specialties.

Meals Included: B, L, D

After a lovely breakfast in the hotel’s Sala Parlamento with its dazzling frescoed ceiling, we’ll go deeper into exploring the range of treasures that abound in Florence. We’ll follow our local guide Freya on an orientation walk, starting at the Piazza della Signoria, a major meeting point for Florentines since the Middle Ages, moving on to the Piazza Duomo’s breathtaking architecture, and enjoy caffe in the historic Caffe Gilli in Piazza Repubblica.

Then we’ll visit the first Florentine Basilica, a true glorification of feminine inspiration: Santa Maria Novella. Highlights inside this church include Renaissance fresco cycles painted by the master Ghirlandaio. We’ll end our tour at the Santa Maria Novella Farmacia, a wonderland of beauty products, founded by Dominican monks over 400 years ago.

There will be free time for lunch, shopping, and resting back at the hotel.

In the late afternoon we’ll meet for the awe-inspiring experience to stand before Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery, complete with skip-the-line entrance tickets.

The evening is on your own, for dinner with Susan’s recommendations. Your hotel is surrounded by delicious wine bars and eateries–from elegant to rustic.

Meals Included: B

After breakfast, we’ll begin our day at one of the world’s most famous museums: the Uffizi Gallery. Freya will guide us through sumptuous rooms, focusing on masterpieces that glorify females–by such greats as Botticelli, Raphael, and da Vinci. We’ll take time to savor the experience with a stop at the terrace caffe, enjoying magnificent views.

After the museum, there will be free time for lunch, shopping, and sight-seeing at leisure.

Then we’ll meet for a hands-on experience at an ceramics shop and workshop, that’s been turning out masterpieces since 1857. An award-winning Florentine artisan will lead us in the basics of ceramic painting, and each of us will paint a piece to take home for a precious souvenir.

Dinner is on our own tonight–some may want to join Susan at a trattoria to enjoy the Florentine specialty bistecca (beefsteak), exquisitely prepared in lively surroundings.

Meals Included: B

This is your day to immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, and experience Florence according to your desires, with Susan’s guidance.

There are many museums and churches with masterpieces to enjoy, shopping from high fashion to outdoor markets, or we can arrange a ride out to the Chianti countryside for wine tasting (at additional cost).

In the evening we’ll gather for our final celebration of this inspiring week: a Farewell Dinner at an elegant Florentine restaurant.
 
Meals included: B, D
 

Our driver will transport you to the Florence airport or train station, where you’ll depart with Golden Memories of our week together...

Meals Included: B