HIGHLIGHTS:

EVERY DAY IS A HIGHLIGHT BUT THE FOLLOWING ARE TWO OF OUR FAVOURITES: 

THE TOWN OF SIENA
Surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, Siena is one of the most beautiful cities of Italy. It is proud of its past and trumpets the she-wolf as its emblem - myth has the town founded by the sons of Remus, younger brother of Rome's legendary forefather. It has always made a point of offering an image different from that of Florence, its old medieval rival: Siena is as inscrutable in its culture, decorous in its art, and festive in its life attitude as Florence is forthright, precise, and serious on all counts. Where Florence produced hard-nosed mystics such as Savonarola, Siena gave forth saintly scholars like St. Catherine (1347-80). Sienese merchants established the Council of Nine, an oligarchy that ruled Siena's greatest republican era, when civic projects, the middle-class economy, palace building, and artistic prowess reached their greatest heights. Artists invented a distinctive Sienese art style that was an excellent artistic foil to the emerging Florentine Renaissance. Then, in 1348, the Black Death hit the city, killing more than three-quarters of the population, decimating the social fabric, and devastating the economy. Siena became, on paper and in fact, merely another part of Grand Ducal Tuscany. Since the plague of the 14th century, Siena was so busy defending its liberty it had little time or energy to develop as a city. As a result, it has retained a distinctively medieval air and offers a chance to slip into the rhythms and atmosphere of the Italian Middle Ages.. 
Wine-lovers will be interested in the Enoteca Italiana. This "Wine Library"  is located in Siena's Fortezza Medicea. Built in 1561, this fortress holds a unique selection of more than 1,000 wines of 520 member producers from all Italy exhibited in its cellars. Only the best wines are permitted here due to the fact they have to pass a classification of recognition before being admitted into the Enoteca. One can browse, learn, taste and buy.

TOURING THE  UFFIZI GALLEY IN FLORENCE
The Uffizi Gallery is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western World. Building of this palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo de Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices").  Over the years parts of the palace evolved into a display place for paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family.  After the house of Medici was extinguished, their art treasures remained in Florence and  formed one of the first modern museums.

With an expert guide, we journey back to the 13th century to study the master artists of Florence.   Our guide helps us understand the masterpieces with stories about how these artists changed art forever. It's not all serious. Find out how Michelangelo out-smarted a famous skinflint. Hear about the mysterious and stunningly beautiful models in Botticelli's famous "Birth of Venus".  Understand why Raffaello was such an incredible genius. This tour will change the way you look at art.