Cypress Trees in Tuscany

Olive groves & vineyards cling to the hillsides, proud little villages perched above the sea and hidden coves nestled at the foot of dramatic cliffs .... these are just a few of the things that make the Ligurian Coast one of Italy's most poplular and stunning regions. We tour and paint iconic areas including Lucca, Cinque Terre ("Five Lands" of Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore) Santa Margherita and Portofino (the most exclusive harbour and resort town in Italy).

  • In Brief
  • Tour Map
  • Full Itinerary
  • Photo Gallery
  • Tour Details
  • Terms and Conditions
Day Date Itinerary Meals
1 Sunday May 2nd Arrive Lucca, Italy     -----
2 Monday May 3rd Monterosso/Cinque Terre, Italy Breakfast
3 Tuesday May 4th Monterosso/Cinque Terre, Italy Breakfast
4 Wednesday May 5th Monterosso/Cinque Terre, Italy Breakfast
5 Thursday May 6th Monterosso/Cinque Terre, Italy Breakfast
6 Friday May 7th Monterosso/Cinque Terre, Italy Breakfast
7 Saturday May 8th Santa Margherita, Italy Breakfast
8 Sunday May 9th Santa Margherita, Italy Breakfast
9 Monday May 10th Depart Margherita, Italy Breakfast

Saturday May 1st - Depart Home City Board your international flight to Italy. Closest airports to the town of Lucca and the beginning of our tour is either Florence or Pisa, Italy. (As a full service travel agency were happy to assist with flight arrangements to join this tour. We suggest booking early to obtain the best flights and rates available.)

DAY 1 - 2: Arrive Lucca, Italy Welcome to Italy! Meet up with Henry Vyfvinkel and the other participants in Lucca. There is frequent bus service from Pisa Airport and train service from Florence to Lucca. Our hotel is tucked inside the walls of Lucca, referred to as Tuscany's most graceful walled town.
Meals: (BD) Breakfast, Dinner

The Town of Lucca Is actually in Tuscany and its where we begin our Italian journey. This ancient walled town has remained 'Roman-medieval'. It has a fascinating story to tell from its prominence as a major Roman 'municipum', it's growth from the middle ages to the renaissance as a major silk marketing town to its feast of classic architecture and famous son like Puccini. The ramparts that completely surround the town are so wide that everyone promenades them.

DAY 2 - 7: Monterosso / Cinque Terre We will spend the next 5 nights at our base in Monterosso, 1 of 5 quaint villages that make up Cinque Terre. Our hotel is in the 'Oldtown' (even the 'Newtown' is 500 years old), overlooking the beach and the Mediterranean offering a beautiful vista to paint right from our hotel terrace! Over the next five days we will travel between the five villages of Cinque Terra by train and ferries and take in a few extras like the charming Portovenere with time to sketch and paint a terrific array of sea, cliff, and town scapes.
Meals: (BD) Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7: Santa Margherita Today we move further north to Santa Margherita for the next two nights.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

DAY 8: Santa Margherita Most of the architecture here is of liberty style and the amount of 'trompe l'oeil' on the beautiful turn of the century buildings is amazing. While in Santa Margherita we visit Portofino (the most exclusive harbour and resort town in Italy).
Meals: (BD) Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 9: Depart for Home City Our program finishes after breakfast. We are within a taxi trip to Genoa for departing trains or flights and will be happy to assist with further arrangements.
Meals: (B) Breakfast


Tour: Painting the Cinque Terre and Portofino - 8 Nts / 9 Days
Artist/Instructor: Henry Vyfvinkel
Dates: Sunday May 2nd to Monday May 10th, 2010
Arrival City: Lucca, Italy
Departure City: Santa Margherita, Italy
Overnights: - 1 Nt Lucca (Tuscany)
- 5 Nts Monterosso (Cinque Terre)
- 2 Nts Santa Margherita
Price: - $2,689 per person (Double or Shared)
- Single rate upon request
- All taxes
Tour Highlights: Stay and visit in Cinque Terre ("Five Lands" is an area covering the five villages of Monterosso, Vernaza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore) which since 1999 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tour Inclusions: - 1 Nt Lucca Hotel (Tuscany)
- 5 Nts Monterosso Hotel (Cinque Terre)
- 2 Nts Santa Margherita Hotel
- Transfers between tour cities
- Morning and afternoon painting sessions
- Included day trip to the resort town of Portofino
- Fully escorted by Artist/Instructor Henry Vyfvinkel
- All taxes
Meals Included: - Breakfast daily
- 7 Dinners
Tour Exclusions: - International airfare to Florence or Pisa, Italy and from Genoa, Italy
- Airport transfers and baggage handling
- Tips and Gratuities
- Personal insurance (medical, baggage, cancellation, etc.)
- Passports, Visas and Immunizations
- Meals and Beverages not included in itinerary
- Laundry, Hotel and Personal charges
- All optional excursions or deviations from itinerary
- Items of personal nature and souvenirs

Terms & Conditions:

Creative Arts Holidays (hereinafter referred to as CAH) and/or their agent's act solely as agents for the Travel Service Suppliers such as airlines, hotels, local sightseeing and adventure companies, bus companies etc... who are providing their facilities as described on CAH's website and in CAH's brochures. We do our best to select such suppliers but exercise no control over them and cannot be held responsible for the failure of these suppliers to carry out any obligations. Any and all bookings made with these suppliers by us, for you, are subject to the terms and conditions of each and every such supplier.

Suppliers' liability may also be limited by law, tariffs, or conditions set forth in their documentation, tickets, etc. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, CAH and its agents are not responsible for any and all claims for losses, damages, delays, illness, injuries, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment, or anxiety arising from:

  1. Fault of negligence or omissions on the part of said travel suppliers;
  2. Illness, theft, strikes, mechanical problems, quarantine, governmental intervention, weather conditions, acts of hostility or violence and any other grounds beyond their control;
  3. Your failure to obtain passport, visas, inoculations or other ground documents;
  4. Your failure to report on time at an airport or ground transfer facility;
  5. Material damages, theft or other mysterious disappearance of your goods;
  6. Personal injury or death;
  7. Force Majeure - event(s) beyond our, or our suppliers' reasonable control including, but not limited to, acts of God, strikes, lockout or other labour disputes or disruptions, wars, blockades, insurrections, riots, earthquakes, weather conditions, floods or acts or restraints imposed by governmental authorities.

Liability:

Where travel services are purchased separately, and not as part of an inclusive package, CAH's responsibility shall extend only to the provisions of advice as to industry standard or supplier recommended, connection and check-in times. Provided CAH supplies such advice, it shall not be responsible for missed connections or departures, regardless of the cause.

Promotional Material:

CAH programs very often include photographs of our past tour participants that may be used on our websites and promotional material. If any of our passengers do not wish to have pictures, which include their image used by CAH, said passengers must advise CAH prior to departure in writing.

Website and Brochure Accuracy:

Every effort has been made to describe the travel services on our website as accurately as possible, but please note there may be different living standards and conditions with respect to the provisions of utilities and services than you are accustomed to at home. Information and photographs contained herein were accurate at time of printing and are subject to change: however, we will do our best to inform you should any significant changes occur. CAH reserves the right to decline any passenger as a member of any tour at any time. It is understood that all passengers reserving on any CAH program are personally physically mobile.

Itinerary Changes:

Although every effort will be made to keep itineraries, hotels and carriers as they are shown on our website and in our brochures, we reserve the right to substitute itineraries, hotels or carriers due to conditions beyond our control. In such cases, we will do everything possible to ensure that the locations visited, the excursions taken and the hotels offered are similar to the ones originally planned. Any change to itineraries will not result in eligibility for a refund.

Personal Documentation Requirements:

All passengers must travel with a passport valid for at least 6 months after the return date of the trip. Visas may be required by some passengers for entry into another country - please contact a CAH representative at 1.888.830.5324 for further details. Please note that entry into any country may be refused even if the required information and travel documents are complete. It is the passenger's responsibility to obtain at the passenger's expense, all documentation required by all relevant authorities. In the event that the passenger does not possess the proper documentation, the carrier (cruiseline, airline etc...) reserves the right to refuse passage. It is absolutely necessary for CAH to be aware of the citizenship/nationality of all its passengers to ensure that we provide correct information regarding personal documentation requirements.

Pricing:

Prices in this brochure or on our website are for the most part per person, based on two persons sharing a room, and are in effect at the time of printing or loading and are subject to price increases. Costs for this program are based on the exchange rate at the time of printing and are subject to currency fluctuation. Please note that no price increases are permitted after the customer has paid in full. If the price increase is more than 7% (except for increases resulting from an increase in retail sales or federal tax), the customer has the right to cancel the booking and obtain a full refund.

Bookings, Payments, Cancellations and Refunds:

A deposit of $500.00 (CAD) per person plus the applicable insurance premium is payable at time of booking. The balance of payment is due no later than 70 days prior to departure. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable and the balance subject to cancellation charges according to the date of cancellation by the by the passenger. Please see applicable cancellation charges below:

  • Cancellation notice received more than 60 days prior to departure - Forfeits full deposit of $500 (CAD) per person
  • Cancellation notice received 60 - 30 days prior to departure - 50% penalty of full fare †
  • Cancellation notice received 29 - 0 days prior to departure - 100% of full fare †

† Full Fare is defined as the cost of any tour, land and air element purchased from Creative Arts Holidays. Voluntary or involuntary termination by the passenger of a tour in progress will result in no refund, nor can they be exchanged for alternative travel arrangements. There is no refund for unused services or if portions of the tour are missed.

Note: Please contact a CAH representative for suggested insurance options which could protect you from the above cancellation charges.

Insurance:

Please note that Cancellation, baggage, medical, emergency medical and various additional insurance coverages are strongly recommended and are available at the time of booking your vacation. A CAH representative would be happy to offer you an insurance quotation for your upcoming vacation. Please feel free to contact an CAH representative at 1.888.830.5324 or info@creativeartsholidays.com

Tour Documents:

A tour document packet is sent two weeks prior to a passengers departure. If you request documents earlier there is a $100 CAD handling charge to cover the extra costs of early processing. If a reservation is made within three weeks of departure, a late booking fee of $100 CAD may be assessed to facilitate RUSH documentation

Booking Revision Fee:

A $100 CAD revision fee per revision is charged for any changes made to a reservation after the written confirmation is sent. Please use the names of the travelers exactly as they appear on their passports. A change in name or departure date may constitute a cancellation, and penalties may apply.

Tour Registration

To register for any of our tours, please call our office Toll Free at 1-866-830-5324

Tour:

Painting the Cinque Terre and Portofino - 8 Nts / 9 Days

Artist/Instructor:

Henry Vyfvinkel

Dates:

Sunday May 2nd to
Monday May 10th, 2010

Arrival City:

Lucca, Italy

Departure City:

Santa Margherita, Italy

Overnights:

  • 1 Nt Lucca (Tuscany)
  • 5 Nts Monterosso (Cinque Terre)
  • 2 Nts Santa Margherita

Price:

  • $2,689 per person
    (Double or Shared Twin)
  • Single rate upon request
  • All taxes

Meals Included:

  • Breakfast daily
  • 7 Dinners

May Weather
(Min to Max):

  • Lucca
    (53°F/11°C to 72°F/22°C)
  • Monterosso
    (18°F/15°C to 57°F/14°C)
  • Santa Margherita
    (59°F/15°C to 70°F/21°C)