Tuscany Daily Tours - the best Tours in Tuscany and more...

Tour/Package Length: 8 hours.
Dates: Every season.
Departure Point: From your accomodation.
Departure Time: Between 8.00-9.00 am.
Days of Week: Everiday.
Note: During this excursion transport will be made in a de-luxe limousine or minivan or motorcoach which offers the maximum comfort, with air-conditioning, large panoramic windows and comfortable seats.
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San Gimignano - the "Manhattan of Tuscany"

When you'll arrive in San Gimignano and walk through the ancient gates, you'll think the time had stopped many centuries ago. Inside the town-walls everything had preserved its Medieval shape, with the exception of the hotels where you'll find all the modern comforts and the restaurants where you'll taste the best Tuscan cousine with its very good wine.

The town of San Giminiano is probably of Etruscan origin. The first legend about the town can be dated back to the Roman period when Silvio and his followers are said to have settled here leaving Roma after Catilina’s conspiracy. Therefore Silvia, the ancient name of the town, probably came from Silvio. The town was later named San Giminiano after St. Giminiano, bishop of Modena, to thank him for helping its people to fight the Barbarians. After the Roman period the town was ruled by the Longobards and according to tradition King Desiderio stayed in the Pesciolini Tower. In 1227 the town had 7000 inhabitants and it was the most important producer of saffron that was exported to Pisa, Lucca, Genova and also to France and the Low Countries.

In the first half of the XIII century the most important buildings of the town were erected and the squares, with their fountains, were also planned. In the XIV century the town developed in trades and enjoyed a period of great splendour in poetry, art and architecture. The plague of 1348 caused the decadence of the town which decided to submit itself to Firenze in 1353. For this reason, San Giminiano lost most of its ancient autonomy even if many artists continued to work there.

In the XVI century the town completely lost its prestige and splendour.
Here the plague raged again in 1464 and 1631, starting a period of decadence for the town: the town-walls fell to pieces, the Medieval mansions fell into disrepaire and no one had enough money to stop all this, as the richest and most important families had left the town because of the plague. Consequently, the architectural and artistic heritage remained untouched for four centuries.

Certaldo - The "Boccaccio Town"

A few steps from Florence, in the territory of the Val d'Elsa Certaldo find interesting art cities, which gave birth to Boccaccio, and that its beauty was awarded the Orange Flag by the Italian Touring Club.

The territory of Certaldo was given by Frederick Barbarossa in 1164 to the Counts Alberti, however, that in 1184 you had to submit to the hegemonic power of the Florentine broke down all the towers, the symbol of nobility and a half of defense. It is from the XIII century Certaldo vienne finally taken by the Florentines after battling against Siena in the battle of Montaperti of 1260.

The fortunes and misfortunes of Certaldo will bind tightly to the fortunes of Florence. After being the most important center of Val d'Elsa in the Renaissance under the Medici, Certaldo with the dynasty of Habsburg-Lorraine lose part of its strength, leaving the Vicariate and some Podesteria. Today for its historical tradition and for its artistic beauty, Certaldo is a town worth visiting, a land transit and privileged place to live and work.

Chianti

Chianti, the area in which Chianti Classico wine has been produced for centuries, is that part of Tuscany that is bordered to the north by the suburbs of Florence, to the east by the Chianti Mountains, to the south by the city of Siena and to the west by the valleys of the Pesa and Elsa rivers. The area is traversed by the Superhighway of the Palio. It is a land of ancient traditions that was civilized in remote periods first by the Etruscans, who left many traces of their activity in the wine sector, and then by the Romans. In the Middle Ages, the cities of Florence and Siena battled for control over the zone.Villages and monasteries, castles and fortresses appeared during that period and many of them were later transformed into villas and country residences when times were more tranquil.It was then that spaces were cleared in the vast forests of chestnuts and oaks for the cultivation of vines and olive trees, an activity that progressively assumed major economic importance and established an international reputation.