Tuscan Countryside - San Gimignano & Volterra

[shirazcruiser]

I am interested in any information on the "Tuscan Countryside - San Gimignano & Volterra" ship excursion. We've done the Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Cinque Terre tours so we're looking for something different. How was the lunch at the farmhouse and was wine included?

[FLJudi]

I am interested in any information on the "Tuscan Countryside - San Gimignano & Volterra" ship excursion. We've done the Florence, Pisa, Lucca and Cinque Terre tours so we're looking for something different. How was the lunch at the farmhouse and was wine included?

 

Very good lunch at farmhouse. I think we had wine but husband not sure. One of our better ship's excursions, and we often do private ones instead.

[benny salami]

The gourmet lunch including "Mama's Lasagne" was excellent. But go for the wines. At least seven wines were served from the highly rated Tenuta Torciano Winery. The owner gives a hilarious description of the wines and winery life. San Gimignano is a gorgeous walled town with the world's best gelato and many wonderful shops. Volterra was an after lunch blur but another dreamlike walled town. This was the best Celebrity tour we have ever been on and highly recommend you book it.

 

 

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[shirazcruiser]

Thanks for the positive replies. Just booked it!!!

[2travel4life]

So glad to have read this. We had already booked it, and your reviews really raised our excitement level! We'll be enjoying this on August 7th.

 

Thanks again.

[az_tchr]

You roll call will have a bunch of discussion on these and other tours.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention! Having done a whirlwind Florence-in-a-day tour on a previous cruise, I want to be able to give it several days on a future visit. So this gives me a wonderful idea of a shore excursion on the next cruise that calls at Livorno. I hope you enjoy it as much as the reviewers did!

[realnice46]

If you can you are better off with private tour. We used Rome in Limo for tour from Livorno, they also worked in quick stop at Pisa if requested.

 

We also used them for tour from Civitivecchia to Orvieto.

[Azulann]

San Gimi can be really crowded during the day. But be sure to buy some Vernaccia wine, from grapes grown on the hillside of San Gimi only.

 

Volterra, is a wonderful walled city from ancient Etruscan times. It also is the source of much alabaster. Lots of wonderful artists that work in that medium.

 

Enjoy your tour.

[kalypso333]

Done this on land trip. Great food and even better wine. Do it!!!

[AC Stew]

On our November 2014 Silhouette Transatlantic, we did this identical tour. However, I booked a private tour for 8, and I can't say enough about the tour operator! (Highly recommended on Trip Advisor, and several glowing reports from friends.) Our own experience ... a definite highlight of our cruise.

 

Tuscany Taste Tour: TTT Code 8 on their website http://www.tuscanytastetour.com.

The tour operator went above and beyond when it came to correspondence. The driver was excellent; extremely well-informed. But these were self- guided visits to San Gimignano and Volterra. Really, you do not need a guide herding you around. Both towns are easily navigable; maps are available. There are many local shops that you might want to poke your head into. You might not be able to do so on an escorted ship's tour.

 

In November 2014, we paid about 68 Euros pp plus tips. Lunch at the Torciano winery near San Gimignano was really, really good. 20 Euros pp. Check out the website, http://www.torcianowinery.com. (Lots of You Tube videos as well.)

 

Bottom line, you've chosen a great day. But do look into the far superior experience (and $$$ saver) of a private tour.