Cypress Trees in Tuscany

Tuscany is arguably the most beautiful part of Italy. We will make our base the stunning hilltown of San Gimignano. The entire town has been claimed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its architecture. It began its life as a town in the 10th century taking its name from the Holy Bishop of Modena, St.Gimignano who is said to have saved te village frombarbarian hordes. The town increased in wealth and developed greatly during the Middle Ages thanks to the "Via Francigena" (the trading and pilgrimage route between Paris and Rome). Known as the "City of Beautiful Towers" (14 of the original 72 towers built by the noble families to show off their wealth from the production of spices - in particular saffron - still exist!).

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Day Date Itinerary Meals
1 Thursday August 5th Arrive Florence, Italy     -----
2 Friday August 6th Florence, Italy Breakfast
3 Saturday August 7th Siena, Italy Breakfast
4 Sunday August 8th Siena, Italy Breakfast
5 Monday August 9th San Gimignano, Italy Breakfast
6 Tuesday August 10th San Gimignano, Italy Breakfast
7 Wednesday August 11th San Gimignano, Italy Breakfast
8 Thursday August 12th San Gimignano, Italy Breakfast
9 Friday August 13th San Gimignano, Italy Breakfast
10 Saturday August 14th Florence, Italy Breakfast
11 Sun August 15th Depart Florence, Italy Breakfast

Wednesday August 4th - Depart Home City Board your international flight to Florence, 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 Florence, Italy Welcome to Italy! Florence shows its historic qualities beautifully. It's important to have the time to visit the famed Uffizi Gallery, David in the Academia, the Ponte Vecchio and the markets invite you to wander. It is easy to imagine Dante or Machiavelli walking beside you.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

The City of Florence The Renaissance was a rebirth that occurred throughout most of Europe. However, the changes that we associate with the Renaissance first occurred in Florence and continued to be more pervasive there than anywhere else. The city's economy and its writers, painters, architects and philosophers all made Florence a model of Rennaisance culture. A walk through this beautiful city can take you into the fifteenth century - so much of that time is still here!

DAY 3 - 4: Siena We will spend two nights right in the medieval quarter of this ancient city. Siena was on the pilgrimage route from Paris to Rome and there are many winding streets that it is so easy to imagine pilgrims walking along in their robes with their staff and water gourds looking for an Inn for the night's shelter .
Meals: (B) Breakfast

The City of Siena Siena stands on three hills and preserves its original character better than any other Italian city. Not only is Siena's medieval character at the forefront of the city's image it is still very much alive in its daily life through its 'Contrade' - a series of city parishes whose ancient rivalries are still acted out in the twice-yearly 'Palio' - Loyalty to the contrade of one's birth is fierce. As you wander the streets you will see the parishes' symbols (of animals - Unicorn, Turtle, Goose, etc) repeated on flags, plaques and carvings.

DAY 5 - 9: San Gimignano San Gimignano is one of the most important hilltowns in Tuscany and is visited everyday by tourists from around the world. As we have made our base here we can appreciate and enjoy the town in the mornings before the tourists arrive and later in the afternoon when they have all left. Each morning after breakfast we will go out on location in the town to paint in the morning light. Each afternoon after the tourists have left we will again set up in the town to paint, taking advantage of the afternoon light and shadows. Midday you are free to be a Tuscan, to enjoy long lunches in the piazza and explore the nooks and shops of this amazing old town. Late in the afternoon when all the tourists leave we have the town to ourselves to enjoy each evening.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

The Town of San Gimignano The "town of the beautiful towers" is located in the heart of Tuscany, between Siena and Florence which dominates the entire Elsa valley from a hill top. Once an Etruscan settlement, it became a town in the 10th century and in its heyday boasted 72 towers, of which 14 remain. The town is famous for having maintained the architecture of the medieval period when it was one of the most important communes in Tuscany. San Gimignano offers incredibly rich evidence of its glorious past: buildings, monuments and churches, it is a truly enchanting spot, immersed in an atmosphere that seems to be suspended in time. Due to its great popularity and unlike other provincial towns the shops do not close at midday.

DAY 10: Florence Today we will take you back to Florence for the last night of our tour.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

DAY 11: Depart for Home City The program finishes this morning after breakfast.
Meals: (B) Breakfast

View of Florence, Italy
Ponto Vecchio in Florence
Market on the streets of Florence

The Piazza del Campo in Siena
The Cathedral of Siena - Duomo di Siena
The Palio di Siena

Arial view of San Gimignano Piazza
San Gimignano Piazza la cisterna
Painting in San Gimignano

Tour: Come Paint in Tuscany - 10 Nts / 11 Days
Artist/Instructor: Valerie Kent
Dates: Thursday August 5th to Sunday August 15th, 2010
Arrival City: (FLR) Florence, Italy
Departure City: (FLR) Florence, Italy
Overnights: - 3 Nts Florence
- 2 Nts Siena
- 5 Nts San Gimignano
Price: - $2,949 per person (Double or Shared)
- Single rate upon request
- All taxes
Tour Highlights: Chance to visit San Gimignano where the entire town has been claimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tour Inclusions: - 3 Nts Florence Hotel
- 2 Nts Siena Hotel
- 5 Nts San Gimignano Hotel
- Breakfast daily
- Transfers between tour cities
- On location workshops in Siena and San Gimignano
- Fully escorted by Artist/Instructor Valerie Kent
- All taxes
Meals Included: - Breakfast Daily
Tour Exclusions: - International airfare to/from Florence, 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:

Come Paint in Tuscany -
10 Nts / 11 Days

Artist/Instructor:

Valerie Kent

Dates:

Thursday August 5th to
Sunday August 15th, 2010

Arrival City:

(FLR) Florence, Italy

Departure City:

(FLR) Florence, Italy

Overnights:

  • 3 Nts Florence
  • 2 Nts Siena
  • 5 Nts San Gimignano

Price:

  • $2,949 per person
    (Double or Shared Twin)
  • Single rate upon request
  • All taxes

Meals Included:

  • Breakfast daily

August Weather
(Min to Max):

  • Florence
    (66°F/19°C to 89°F/32°C)
  • San Gimignano
    (66°F/19°C to 89°F/32°C)
  • Siena
    (66°F/19°C to 89°F/32°C)