Excursion to Tuscany

[wendyp247]

We are on Celebrity Constellation in August. We booked an excursion Tuscan Farmhouse Experience. Has anyone taken this from La spezia that could tell us if it's a worthwhile excursion. We have an excursion booked from Portofino to Cinque Terre the next day. TIA

[LGW59]

15 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

We are on Celebrity Constellation in August. We booked an excursion Tuscan Farmhouse Experience. Has anyone taken this from La spezia that could tell us if it's a worthwhile excursion. We have an excursion booked from Portofino to Cinque Terre the next day. TIA

I’ve not taken that particular excursion but I can tell you that any time spent in Tuscany is time well spent!

[Lastdance]

57 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

We are on Celebrity Constellation in August. We booked an excursion Tuscan Farmhouse Experience. Has anyone taken this from La spezia that could tell us if it's a worthwhile excursion. We have an excursion booked from Portofino to Cinque Terre the next day. TIA

Have you checked the port site of La Spezia on CC?  What about your roll call; are you on that?  Is this a Celebrity tour, or one you found?  Cinque Terre is easy by train from La Spezia, so check your times carefully, not to mention number of people on your tour if it is Celebrity.  Portofino is absolutely gorgeous, so I hope you get to see it, as it is very walkable too, just small.  Are you tendering or porting in SM?

Edited December 27, 2022 by Lastdance

[CruiserMickey]

I have done the Tuscan Farmhouse excursion…by accident. The Celebrity staff put me on the wrong bus!

 

The excursion itself was fine, and you do get to see a lot of the Tuscan countryside on the bus ride to the farm. The carriage ride was ok…just a straight line along the “driveway” past their truffle forest and pastures. Lunch was typical Tuscan fare…red and white wine, tagliere (charcuterie), two types of pasta, and cantuccini (biscotti) for dessert with Vin Santo. After lunch you had opportunity to purchase wine, of course.

 

I believe we were at the farm for about 90 minutes, so it seemed a very short time compared to the 90 minute drive each way…particularly when we were staying about 20 minutes from the farm for the two weeks after the cruise.

[wendyp247]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Have you checked the port site of La Spezia on CC?  What about your roll call; are you on that?  Is this a Celebrity tour, or one you found?  Cinque Terre is easy by train from La Spezia, so check your times carefully, not to mention number of people on your tour if it is Celebrity.  Portofino is absolutely gorgeous, so I hope you get to see it, as it is very walkable too, just small.  Are you tendering or porting in SM?

I am going to Cinque Terre excursion on a celebrity cruise from Portofino.  The only place I can  take a excursion to Tuscany is from La Spezia. Which is Celebrity's excursion Tuscan farmhouse .  I have search and searched and can't find any independent tours to Tuscany from La Spezia.  . 

[wendyp247]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Have you checked the port site of La Spezia on CC?  What about your roll call; are you on that?  Is this a Celebrity tour, or one you found?  Cinque Terre is easy by train from La Spezia, so check your times carefully, not to mention number of people on your tour if it is Celebrity.  Portofino is absolutely gorgeous, so I hope you get to see it, as it is very walkable too, just small.  Are you tendering or porting in SM?

The Tuscan Farmhouse is a Celebrity Excursion. I have search  everywhere and this is the only tour I have been able to find to Tuscany, we are taking  Celerity's excursion to Cinque Terre from Portofino.  I have tried Viatour, Get Your guide, etc.   Open to suggestions for an independent tour to Tuscany . 

[CruiserMickey]

8 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

The Tuscan Farmhouse is a Celebrity Excursion. I have search  everywhere and this is the only tour I have been able to find to Tuscany, we are taking  Celerity's excursion to Cinque Terre from Portofino.  I have tried Viatour, Get Your guide, etc.   Open to suggestions for an independent tour to Tuscany . 

What would you like to see or do in Tuscany? It is a HUGE area, so setting a specific goal would be good. I know a private tour guide who could do a tour for you, but knowing what you’d like to see or do would help me make recommendations.

[Shiba_Lover]

7 minutes ago, wendyp247 said:

The Tuscan Farmhouse is a Celebrity Excursion. I have search  everywhere and this is the only tour I have been able to find to Tuscany, we are taking  Celerity's excursion to Cinque Terre from Portofino.  I have tried Viatour, Get Your guide, etc.   Open to suggestions for an independent tour to Tuscany . 

For independent tours in Tuscany and other places in Italy - I used Rome Cabs.  It worked really well as the weather was horrible in Cinque Terre (which we had planned ) on one of the trips (have been 3 times) and the driver gave us 3 options for a better day.  We opted for Pisa and Lucca instead.  That's the benefit of a private driver.  When we spoke with some people back on the ship later - they basically sat on the bus in pouring rain all day and could not see a thing.  Felt really bad for them, but we had a nice day.

 

.Shore Excursions - RomeCabs

[upwarduk]

We took the Tuscan Farmhouse experience in August 2022.

We passed the hills where they mine the chalk forbthe statues in Florence.

 

 

We rode on the carriage which took us down the track to the farmhouse.

 

 

 

 

We were seated outside under canopy’s for the meal.

 

 

At the end of the meal we were encouraged to go indoors to buy souvenirs, but I found them expensive.

 

Edited December 27, 2022 by upwarduk

[wendyp247]

17 minutes ago, CruiserMickey said:

What would you like to see or do in Tuscany? It is a HUGE area, so setting a specific goal would be good. I know a private tour guide who could do a tour for you, but knowing what you’d like to see or do would help me make recommendations.

This is the tour from the ship, I would like something similar, maybe longer than 5 hours. our adventure begins with a journey from La Spezia through picturesque Tuscany, dotted with medieval villages, its hillsides brimming with the lush vineyards and fragrant olive groves. Delight in the sights, sounds, and aromas of a traditional and welcoming Tuscan farmhouse. Board a horse-drawn carriage for a tour of the area, as you learn about the glorious fullness of the land and its gifts to those who labor here. Meanwhile, focaccia bread has been baking in the oven and is pulled out - warm, comforting, and flavorsome - when you enter the dining room. Sit, taste, and marvel at this creation while you sip white and red wines, paired with tasty Italian antipasti. Return to the ship refreshed and renewed from this taste of Tuscany

[wendyp247]

1 minute ago, upwarduk said:

We took the Tuscan Farmhouse experience in August 2022.

We passed the hills where they mine the chalk fog the statues in Florence.

 

 

We rode on the carriage which took us down the track to the farmhouse.

 

 

 

 

We were seated outside under canopy’s for the meal.

 

 

At the end of the meal we were encouraged to go indoors to buy souvenirs, but I found them expensive.

 

[wendyp247]

Looks like a lovely tour.Thanks for sharing. 

 

[CruiserMickey]

1 hour ago, wendyp247 said:

This is the tour from the ship, I would like something similar, maybe longer than 5 hours. 

If you check my original response in this thread, you will see that I did take this tour and described my thoughts in post #4.

 

My friend, Lauren, is a private tour guide with whom we have toured many times. You can find her webpage if you Google Unlock Italy. She should be able to put together a tour for you. 

[upwarduk]

9 hours ago, wendyp247 said:

Looks like a lovely tour.Thanks for sharing. 

 

Not sure why the last 2 photos were repeated. 
By the time I noticed, it was too late to edit and remove them!🙈

[Texed]

5 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Not sure why the last 2 photos were repeated. 
By the time I noticed, it was too late to edit and remove them!🙈

That is no problem at all.  There are a lot worse things to have to look at. 😊

[cruisemom42]

16 hours ago, wendyp247 said:

I am going to Cinque Terre excursion on a celebrity cruise from Portofino.  The only place I can  take a excursion to Tuscany is from La Spezia. Which is Celebrity's excursion Tuscan farmhouse .  I have search and searched and can't find any independent tours to Tuscany from La Spezia.  . 

 

Going to Tuscany from La Spezia is really too far. You won't be able to see or do much that you've heard of, hence Celebrity's "Farmhouse" tour. I was on Constellation last fall and spoke to a couple who did that tour and were not very impressed with it. 

 

Truthfully, you're better off seeing Tuscany on a land tour or at least from Livorno. You should see Cinque Terre from La Spezia and see Portofino and possibly Santa Margherita and/or Rapallo from Portofino.

 

[anniegb]

21 hours ago, wendyp247 said:

We are on Celebrity Constellation in August. We booked an excursion Tuscan Farmhouse Experience. Has anyone taken this from La spezia that could tell us if it's a worthwhile excursion. We have an excursion booked from Portofino to Cinque Terre the next day. TIA

La Spezia is in Liguria.  Enough to see in Liguria before I would travel to Tuscany.  Cinque Terre and Portovenere for starters.