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WEEK
1
Tuscany + Umbria
Map
ARRIVE MILAN
TRANSPORTATION: From
Malpensa
Airport Shuttle Bus (,2/hr, 50 min.) --> Malano Centrale Station (
1/hr, 60 min) --> Varenna on Lake Como about 2 hrs. depending on
connections. purchase
point to point ticket
Create an Easy Entry into Italy
--Enjoy small Village life as you "Jet Lag"
--Select one of the following:
--Varenna -- easiest to reach
--Menaggio - more urban than others
--Bellagio -- more upscale
tourist town
--Como-- 30 min. from Milan - least interesting.
Stroll your village & Enjoy low key Italian Ambiance in Alp
foot hills
--Dine Leisurely - You are in Italy!!!
--Try to stay up till 8PM
LODGINGS:
--TERC's Accommodations
for Italy
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Lake Como Area
Varenna
SIGHT SEEING:
Varenna Map
link Varenna
+
--Take it easy & absorb the Italian ambiance..
--Walk along Water
Front
--Visit Church
--Hike to Castle on Hill
--Walk to waterfall just beyond Hotel Cipressi
--stroll Hotel Cipressi & next door monastery garden (fee to hotel
guests)
TRANSPORTATION
--Get mid-lake. Boat Pass and Visit Menaggio & Bellagio
today.
--You can also tour Lake So. to Como or No. to Lecco. Contact
I Viaggi del Tivano in Varenna or email:
sberet@tin.it for information &
reservations.
--Finish Sights in Varenna
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Cortona
TRANSPORTATION: Train From Varenna
--> Milano Centrale -->Arezzo to Pick up your Car.
-->Cortona 35 min. --> Parking
Use Italy Rail Pass DAY
1 + Car DAY 1
SIGHT SEEING:
Arezzo
City
Map with sights.
--on first Sunday of the Month Arezzo has a wonderful
Antiques Market in Piazza
Grande worth going to
--San
Francisco Basilica--14th C Gothic Church has The Legend Of
the True Cross" by Piero della Francesca (XV cent.)
Open daily:
8:30-12
&
2:6:30r
--Pieve
di Santa Maria--12th Century Church--closed Sat &
Sun.
--Chiesa
di Badia
-- Duomo with its fresco of Mary
Magdalene
--San Domenico Basilica with painting:
Crucifixion
--Santa
Maria delle Grazie--an exceptionally pretty
cathedral
--Museo
Archeologico on Roman ruins Open:
Mon-Sat 9-2 1st & Last Sun. 9-1
--Roman
Amphitheatre remains have become a park
LODGINGS:
Cortona
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Cortona
TRANSPORTATION Parking in Cortona:
Don't park in first
Parking Lot. Find the Park end
of town and park on street to
avoid MAJOR climb into
village.
SIGHT
SEEING:
Cortona city
Map
Cortona
Festivals
Market: every Sat.
--Museo
dell'Accademia Etrusca --Museo Diocesano closed
Mon. Open: 10-1 &
4-7
Lots of different Churches in this small Village.
--San Francisco Church 1245
--San
Nicolo--1440s Romanesque
Church
--San Domenico church w/elegant
interior & Signorelli's Mandana with
Angels
Hike or Drive to:
***Santuario
di Santa Margherita
1247-97
+
--gates of
Cortona: Porta Colonia - Porta
Berarda
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Cortona
Start Village Hopping Pack picnic lunch
and head to Umbria's Riviera:
(Lake)
Lago
Trasimeno.
TRANSPORTATION Drive Cortona --> Castiglinne
del lago--> Ferry to Isola Maggiore
See Driving
Map
Castigliane
del
lago
the Island of
Isola
Maggiore information
Isola
Maggiore
Photos --colorful
fishing village with 14 & 15th century
houses
History
of St Francis's vist ito Isola Maggiore
The island is easy to hike in a
couple of hours. Walking to the Guglielmi
Castle (Villa Isabella), ruins, built in 1885 is worth
the views and time!
--Church
of San Salvatore
--Gothic
Church of San Michele Arcangelo
--
Franciscan Monastery
--local
women make"Irish stich"
lace.
--Lace Museum
--
On way back to Cortona
homebase, check out some small
villages.
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Cortona Day trip to Chianti & Cheese
country TRANSPORTATION Drive Cortona
--> Montepulciano a--> Pienza --> Cortona
SIGHT SEEING: Drive about 35 milles through very
scenic
Tuscan
Countryside to:
Montepulciano
is Tuscany's highest hilltop town, built along a narrow limestone
ridge. Stroll the charming streets packed with Renaissance-style palaces
and churches
Montepulciano
city Map
--Palazzo Communale .--climb tower for fantastic
views. open 9- 14:00 Mon- Sat
--Cathedral
--Piazza
Grande
--Via
dell'Opio & Via di Voltaia
--Sant'
Agnese
-Taste its
Vino Nobile
wine
When you leave town check out
***Madonna
di San Biagio, a pilgrimage church on the outskirts of town
Sheep Cheese Dairy is on right side of
road between Montepulciano & Pienza
closed 12-14:00
Pienza
MAP
where first use of Renaissance urban design were applied in
Italy.
Attractions
+ Photos
Pienza
Hisory
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Cortona to
Assisi
Truffle country buy
White Truffle Oil cheaply in this
area.
TRANSPORTATION Drive Cortona -->
Deruta--> Spello --> Spoleta --> Assisi
Map for
drive
SIGHT SEEING:
Deruta,
is Italy's ceramic capital since the 14th century.
Spello
home of the greatest number of monuments
dating back to the
Roman period
in Umbria,
Spoleto.
if you have time:
Montefaico and
Todi
.
Arrive
Assisi
do
orientation
stroll before dinner.
LODGINGS:
Assisi
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