Pre - Ultimate Italy—Tuscany, Florence & Siena 2018/19 Update

[jim_in_yulee]

We, wife & self (70+) and niece & husband (40+), are taking this as a Pre to Iconic Western Mediterranean aboard Viking Star, August 22, 2019

I have picked up a lot of information from previous thread, but hopefully some 2018 travelers will join it to help us 2019 travelers.

At the moment my major concern is Day 1, Aug 19th.  We arrive in Florence at 2:30, from Atlanta via CDG.  If deplaning, baggage claim, customs and passport control take an hour we will be met by Viking Guide at 3:30.  This kinda kills day one, especially with jet lag.  

Anyone have simular schedule on their 2018 trip?

If Villa choice remains Villa il Poggiale or Villa Veronica any recommendations?  Any other recent choices?

Anyone have recent day by day itineraries?

Anyone blog about this Pre or the Iconic Western Mediterranean Cruise?

22nd will be 2:45 scenic bus ride to Civitavecchia cruise ship port, where the Viking Star awaits.

[Peregrina651]

You will do border control chores when you land in Paris; all you will have to do in Florence is to collect your luggage and find the Viking rep.  I think in the end you will be happy that you have nothing planned for your arrival day.  I don't think you will be given a choice of which Villa you will be staying in; Viking usually just tells you where you will be staying.

 

We did Iconic Med (Barcelona to Rome) just this past New Year's Eve. Other than photos, I did not post any sort of a blog; however, I'm more than happy to answer questions.

 

Viking gives a fairly complete description of your time in Tuscany on the website. Note that in Florence you will be doing a lot of walking as the town center is closed to buses. Also, Viking assumes that you will be arriving in the morning. Since you are arriving after lunch, I would confirm with Viking what the plan will be for your arrival-- are they aware that your flight arrives at 2:30pm? who will meet you? will there be a lunch stop? (And then have a back up plan to get yourselves from the airport to the villa just in case the Florence -based crew is not informed of your scheduled late arrival; stuff happens!).

 

 

Day 1 - Tuscany

When you arrive at the airport in Florence, you will be greeted by a Viking Representative who will escort you to Tuscany. Stop for lunch at a farmhouse, then continue through the scenic countryside of the Chianti region. Upon your arrival, check in and enjoy dinner at your well-preserved, historic villa. Your Viking Tour Director is available to help you plan your time in Tuscany so you can make the most of your visit. (L, D)

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Day 2 - Florence

Gear up for the day’s activities with breakfast at your villa. This morning, board your motor coach and drive to Florence, where you will take an unforgettable walking tour of the city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will see the Duomo, as well as Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its beautiful doors that Michelangelo called the “Gates of Paradise.” You will also visit the Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio and the Basilica di Santa Croce. After a three-course lunch, you will have free time to sample a gelato or an espresso, shop or explore the birthplace of the Renaissance on your own. Then, you will proceed to a Tuscan winery, where you can tour the wine cellar and taste local wines before enjoying a typical Tuscan dinner. After dinner, your motor coach will take you back to your villa. (B, L, D)

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Day 3 - Siena & San Gimignano

After breakfast at your villa, your motor coach will transport you to the mystical walled city of Siena, located in the heart of the Chianti wine region. On your walking tour, you will see the exterior of the exquisite marble cathedral, the beautiful Mangia Tower, the Town Hall, the Piazza del Campo and other historic sites that provide a glimpse into the city’s medieval past. Next, you will drive to San Gimignano, a charming medieval village, and have lunch at a typical farm. Following lunch, you will walk back in time as you explore the village’s ancient squares, narrow streets and an elegant cistern built in 1273. You will return by motor coach to your villa, where you will have dinner. (B, L, D)

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Day 4 - Tuscany

Enjoy breakfast at your villa before you check out. Then, board your motor coach and transfer to the port of Civitavecchia or Venice, where your Viking ship awaits you. (B)

 

 

[jim_in_yulee]

Peregrina651,

Thanks for the info.  We are flying Viking Custom Air, so they know the schedule.  I am confident Viking will make the necessary adjustments.  

Glad to hear that border control is taken care of in Paris.  

I guess I haven't bored down far enough on Viking site about schedule.  

Which Villa did you stay in?  

[Peregrina651]

Jim -- you are being over confident. Ground operations are run by an outside contractors in each city.  If Viking is not at the airport to meet you, for whatever reason, you will have to get yourselves to the Villa. Stuff happens and when stuff goes wrong, those people manage to find their way to CC to complain about how it was or was not handled. I've learned a lot from reading the tales of woe and that is why I suggested having a back up plan--even though you probably won't need it.

 

We did just the cruise, actually a B2B with Southern Med Discovery from Barcelona to Barcelona, so no chance to do an extension in Italy.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by Peregrina651

[Florida Jim]

Thanks, I will be sure and  have villa phone number programmed, just in case.

[LFS517]

Following...we are doing this pre-cruise excursion next April before our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise.  Only difference, we are catching our ship in Venice, not Rome.

[Florida Jim]

LFS517, look forward to your review.  You should have milder weather.   

[Homosassa]

We are doing the same pre cruise trip in July 2019.  We were also offered the same choice of Villa il Poggiale  or Villa Veronica.

 

First thing I learned was that trying to goggle Villa Veronica was tricky. Using Villa Veronica pulled up several less than stellar hotels. I finally managed to find the establishment used by Viking  and it does not officially go by Villa Veronica.  Unfortunately, I don't remember the name on the website.

 

In any case, the only difference I could see between the two was in the age and ambiance of the two.  

 

Villa il Poggiale is the older of the two. The building was first started somewhere around 14__ and has been added to over the centuries. As one might expect, walls are thick, windows are small. The guest rooms vary in size and the bathrooms that were added over the years also are different from each other. The stairs can be narrow, steep and uneven.  In short, what one might expect from a building that is over 500 years old.

 

The Veronica establishment is newer and more modern.

 

My party of six all agreed to book the Villa il Poggiale. We want the experience of being in  an old building vs a modern day building.

Edited November 28, 2018 by Homosassa

[Florida Jim]

Homosassa,

From previous CC post I believe this is the Villa Veronica link, let me know if it looks like what you found.

Please take the time to do a review after your stay, I look forward to reading it.

Have you determined the winery?

I had forgotten about the narrow steep stairs in the older buildings, Carol has a bad back so we may want to consider Villa Veronica.  We managed steep winding stairs on our train tour of Scotland, but that was three years ago.  I will be sure to ask about ground floor rooms.  

[Homosassa]

The link you provide comes with has huge Red Warnings from my virus scanner, so I did not click on it. 

 

I also found that previous post and used the photo of the grounds entry way in it to match the Veronica that Viking used. I think it came up as La Veronica Resort.

 

I do know that il Poggiale has ground floor rooms, but I read reviews from people who had those rooms and found that the sounds from the common rooms noisy (non- Viking people - one warned to make sure that there was not a large excursion group booked at the same time as they tended to take over the facility).

 

In any case, bad knees run in my family, so that was also a consideration for us. We decided we still could mange il Poggiale.

 

Otherwise, Veronica appeared to be a better choice if steep, narrow  stairs are a consideration.

Edited November 29, 2018 by Homosassa

[Homosassa]

I went back to the original thread started in 2016 on this excursion and found my brief discussion on Villa La Veronica (La Veronica Resort).

 

Here is a link to their website:

 

https://www.laveronicaresort.com/ 

[SquatsandChampagne]

I am going on this pre-extension tomorrow, I will give you some info, I was told we are staying at Villa I barronci which is down the road from villa i poggali.

The first day we don't arrive in Florence airport till roughly 1:50, so probably won't be getting to the hotel until
3pm or so which is fine, The extension stated we would be given lunch the first day but as we won't be there till 3 probably won't be happening.

If you have any specific questions add them on here and I will answer.
We arrive in Florence Dec. 1st!

[LeRenardrouge]

On November 26, 2018 at 8:10 PM, jim_in_yulee said:

We, wife & self (70+) and niece & husband (40+), are taking this as a Pre to Iconic Western Mediterranean aboard Viking Star, August 22, 2019

I have picked up a lot of information from previous thread, but hopefully some 2018 travelers will join it to help us 2019 travelers.

At the moment my major concern is Day 1, Aug 19th.  We arrive in Florence at 2:30, from Atlanta via CDG.  If deplaning, baggage claim, customs and passport control take an hour we will be met by Viking Guide at 3:30.  This kinda kills day one, especially with jet lag.  

Anyone have simular schedule on their 2018 trip?

If Villa choice remains Villa il Poggiale or Villa Veronica any recommendations?  Any other recent choices?

Anyone have recent day by day itineraries?

Anyone blog about this Pre or the Iconic Western Mediterranean Cruise?

22nd will be 2:45 scenic bus ride to Civitavecchia cruise ship port, where the Viking Star awaits.

 

Ultimate Italy: Tuscany, Florence & Siena

 

We did this as a post extension to our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise in Oct 2018 Barcelona to Venice.  So, our experience will be slightly modified from doing it as a pre-extension to a cruise starting in Rome. 

 

First, when we booked our cruise and the extension, we were not given a choice of where we would be staying.  Our original invoice documents in August 2017 said we would be staying at Villa la Veronica.  On an updated invoice on Aug 10, 2018 it still showed this as where we would be staying.  However, on our CC roll call, other passengers booked on the same extension were showing in either Villa I Barronci or Villa Il Poggiale.   I think when Viking lists an "or" it does not imply you have the choice--only that they may use one or the other locations.  This is the same as when they say you will be in a named hotel "or similar." I believe every extension we have done it has been in something other than actually named in the extension description and we never had a complaint. 

 

A few days before we were scheduled to fly over for our cruise, we received an email from Viking informing us of a change and that we would be staying at Villa I Barronci.  

 

This was how our extension ended up.  We disembarked the Viking Sky in Venice as scheduled in the morning after breakfast on the last day of the cruise.  We went through the cruise terminal and were met at the exit by the Viking Rep who would be our Program Director and stay with us for the entire extension.  We traveled by coach to the Villa in San Casciano in Val di Pesa (which was about a 30-40 minute drive from Florence).  Our original itinery said we would stop for lunch at a farmhouse on the way.

 

What we did was to stop in Modena at Acetaia Villa San Donnino for an informative and enjoyable demonstration of balsamic vinegar production with a "tasting." Afterwards we were treated to a buffet.  My only complaint was the food that should have been hot was only tepid.  This event broke up the rather long drive between Venice and Florence.

 

After our arrival and check-in at Villa I Barronci, we had only a short time before dinner to enjoy the grounds.  It was dark early and this location is pretty isolated so nothing really to see.  If it had been light, the views would have been gorgeous.  We were served dinner  at the villa--fixed menu.

 

The first day was our scheduled tour of Florence which was as described.  This involves a lot of walking but it is flat with no steps that I recall other than curbs.  One lady had a walker and she only had trouble with the curbs.  Our lunch was at the restaurant Boccadama on the square of the Santa Croce Basilica.  Very nice.  

 

After touring Florence, the itinerary says you will travel by coach to a typical Tuscan winery where you can tour the wine cellar, taste local wines before enjoying dinner.  The name of the winery we visited was the Dianella winery and estate.  Nicely done.

 

https://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/wine-tasting/dianella.html

 

Our last full day was a morning trip to Siena which was delightful.  The only deviation from what was described in the itinerary was that instead of having lunch in a farm house we had a wonderful meal (seemed like at least 5 courses) in a local restaurant on a side street (lots of locals) in Siena.  I failed get the name but the food was delicious. This excursion is demanding with lots of walking over rough cobblestones and lots of inclines.  

 

After lunch we drove to San Gimignano which is another medieval hill top town in Tuscany with spectacular views.  After a drive back to the villa and packing our bags, we had a late farewell dinner at our villa.  

 

The final morning after breakfast we were taken to the Florence airport (small) about a 30-minutes drive.  The program director saw that we all knew where to go for our flight check-ins

 

We have done lots of extensions on our Viking cruises and this was the best one we have had: Jam packed with included excursions, with the same program director accompanying us, and includes all meals.  Our guides in Florence and in Siena and San Gimignano were good--enough information without overloading us with history.  

[Florida Jim]

LeRenardrouge,

 

Thanks, sound great.  We should have much more daylight in August, along with heat.

[SquatsandChampagne]

Currently on this extension if you have any questions feel free to ask, so far it has been great, we were told we were staying at Villa Borronci but when we got to the airport we were told we were staying at Poggiale, there is a big group of us, around 30.

 

We got in around 3pm and enjoyed some wine while watching the sun set over Tuscan wine country, really nice dinner at the Villa as well

[Marykatesmom]

I am considering this extension for my Italian Sojourner in 2021 and I wish I had this information for my last trip as I found very little on the website.  They must have updated the website.