CINQUE TERRE AND TIGULLIO GULF

1° Day Genova

Your group arrives in Genova in the afternoon, where you will visit the famous aquarium, and, if already on, the exhibitions in the Palazzo Ducale. Departure for hotel chosen,where you will have your evening meal and accommodation.

2° Day Cinque Terre

After breakfast in hotel, departure for La Spezia, where you will embark the 10 o’clock ferry (you must be there at least 30 minutes before) to Cinque Terre: from the sea you can admire the picturesque coastline and the steep drop, diligently carved out from the mountains so as to have terraced vineyards for the production of the famous D.O.C. Cinque Terre wine and the precious Schiachetrà, their “passito” wine (made from dried grapes). As you sail along the coast you can see the small towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, until you reach the biggest of them all, Monterosso, at about 12 noon. Here you disembark for a tour of this characteristic town and some free, local wine tasting in a wine shop. Fish speciality lunch in a restaurant. Departure from Monterosso Mare for Manarola by train. An easy walk of about 1 kilometre along the romantic and famous “Via dell’Amore”, cut out of the rocks with a sheer drop down to the sea, takes you to Riomaggiore, the town in Cinque terre with the highest number of inhabitants. Return journey to La Spezia by train, where the bus takes you back to the hotel. Evening meal and accommodation.

3° Day Gulf of Tigullio

Breakfast in hotel then departure for Rapallo, in the Gulf of Tigullio, famous for its mild climate all year round. Here you will embark for San Fruttuoso, a very suggestive inlet where the Medieval Abbey of the Benedictine monks sits set like a jewel in the heart of lush vegetation; the Abbey has been recently restored by the FAI (Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano, the Italian National Trust Fund). While on the boat, you will also be able to admire the statue of Cristo degli Abissi. Departure for a visit to the worldly town of Portofino. Crossing back to Rapallo for lunch in a restaurant, then a short visit in the afternoon to Santa Margherita, famous for its elegant hotels, the beautiful walk surrounded by greenery by the sea, and the pastel coloured houses that are so typical of Liguria. Return to hotel for evening meal and accommodation.

4° Day Lucca

After breakfast in the hotel, departure for Lucca, a dynamic city thanks to its commerce and crafsmanship. Inside the city walls, even today it resembles a city-state that clings to its past. It is on the left hand side of the river Serchio, on a fertile, rainy plain between the Apennine slopes of the Pizzorne Mountains and Monte Pisano, an area rich in olive groves and hills. The tour of the city consists of: Piazza Napoleone, Palazzo della Provincia, Church of San Giovanni and Santa Reparata, Duomo, Piazza San Martino, Museo della Cattedrale, Piazza San Michele, Church of San Michele, Palazzo Mansi, Pinacoteca Nazionale. Lunch in a restaurant.