WHEN WE GO off the beaten path and explore this region of Tuscany, we will become familiar with the streets and faces and feel like we live in Montecatini. Staying at the same hotel for a week allows us to unpack and settle in. Each day you can go out into the area with the tour coach or be on your own to live La Dolce Vita, the sweet life. By the time we leave Montecatini, it will be our own little village. Then we enjoy two nights in Rome before returning. 

• Montecatini Terme • Vinci • Greve in Chianti • Supertuscan Wines • Lucca • Bolgheri • Florence option • Orvieto • Rome • Become a local • Many special dining
experiences included

Click here for Print Friendly PDF Flier. Tour operated by CHR Travel. All prices are per person, based on occupancy, double: $4310, single: $5015; ask if you want us to watch for a roommate for you. • Document required for US Citizens is Passport valid through 11/2/22 with two blank pages; no visa or shots at this time; however various health measures may be required. Other citizens should consult their consulate. • Insurance coverage included in the package price is the Vacations & Cruise Plan from Travel Guard, and for coverage details, please see steviejaytravel.com/insurance covering cancellation charges; other terms at steviejaytravel.com/terms, which are incorporated by reference. • Price and details are subject to change pending final airfare confirmation in mid-June. If the price must increase more than 3%, those already booked may cancel for an immediate, full refund. You can land with Euros in your pocket... each person paying his balance due (by January 14, 2022) with an e-check (or paper check) gets a €50 Euro note! Acct#201002s 23DEC21 12:01.

Montecatini Terme (7) Bellavista Palace Hotel

Rome (2) NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto

If you will be using frequent flier miles or will be in Europe already, apply the following discount code NO-AIR and $1011 will be deducted from your price. Or if you do not want to be covered by travel insurance, apply discount code NO-INSURANCE and $290 will be deducted. If you do not want either air flights or insurance, apply discount code NO-AIR-NO-INSURANCE and $1301 will be deducted. There is no deduction for not using the free Central Illinois departure coach.

If you are uncertain about whether you will be arranging your air flights, just let us know by January 14 and we will give you the same credit of $1011 then. After that, cancelling the airfare will give you partial credit only due to airline's penalty. If flying separate from the group, we recommend either staying overnight at a Rome airport hotel on April 22 to join our private motorcoach which will head north to Montecatini after the flight's arrival on the morning of April 23 or must get to Montecatini Terme and meet us at the hotel there.

Travelers who pay their balance by check*will get a €50 note to spend! 

*Paper check mailed by 1/13/22 or "e-check" paid by 1/14/22 both qualify. The link we send you via We Travel will have an option to securely pay by credit card (no €50 euro note) or "e-check" (€50 euro note awarded! €50 is per person.) 

• Some of you have asked for the price to upgrade for more legroom in Economy class. As of December 28, this cost is $330 round trip per person. This will must be requested after paid in full and tickets issued in January. Price and availability are subject to change. So do not include it in your balance-due payment. We are keeping a list of all who have requested it.

• To upgrade to Business Class would cost about $3250 more.

• A few are flying to Rome the day before our Chicago flight's arrival so they will be ready when our flight arrives. If you might use frequent flier miles on the airline that we announce, we will need to know that by January 14 to give you full credit for not using our group rate ticket. After that, we lose money deposited for cancellations of unused air seats.

Larry and Alaina welcome you aboard our private motor coach to Chicago to our overnight, non-stop flight to Rome.

Arrive in Rome and are met by your tour manager and touring coach driver. We head north and move into our home in the spa town of Montecatini Terme. Here we are “off the beaten path” of Venice-Florence-Rome and in the heart of magical Tuscany. This provides us a “hub and spoke” sort of vacation where we’ll have the luxury of settling in and need not unpack and repack frequently. Most of day trip destinations are less than an hour away.

Enjoy a Tuscan welcome dinner prepared for our group. (D)

Picture, a hot springs spa in Montecatini Terme

This morning, we travel through the chestnut and oak trees of the Montalbano hills, and estates, vineyards and olive groves, on your way to the village birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Here, we will learn all about the quintessential Renaissance man and his many interests: painting, sculpture, anatomy, inventions and music. Later, visit a bakery in a local village to discover Italian bread making, then enjoy fresh bread, local cheeses, cold cuts and with a glass of wine. We return to our home base, where we can discover the local cuisine in Montecatini. 

Note: if there is a day you would like to have a free for La Dolce Vita or a private excursion, you can do that any of days 3-8. (B, L)

We visit Tuscany’s Chianti Valley between Florence and Siena that has been famous for excellent wines for eight centuries and visit bucolic Greve where we will have a delightful lunch. In the afternoon, we visit a Tuscan estate renowned for its Chianti and “Supertuscan” wines. (B, L)

Greve in Chianti Arcades

You have a free morning to wander through Montecatini. Join Larry and bring your camera and meet locals in this spa town. This afternoon we head to a rustic farmhouse in the Tuscan countryside. We start by picking ingredients from the garden and learn about the principles of Italian cuisine. Then you are welcome to help prepare and cook the meal so you can learn by doing. We look forward to enjoying the wonderful dinner we prepare together. (B, D)

You can ascend to Montecatini Alto (the image at the top of the tour's webpage) during your free time by riding the funicular (above) from Montecatini Terme

Visit another off-the-beaten path town, Lucca, a wonderful walled medieval town rich history and culture. Immerse yourself in the cultural collections at the Palazzo Mansi Museum. Then a local guide will show us the Old Town’s cobblestones and cafés. Then we have Cafe Crawl snack brunch with main course restaurant. Then, see the gardens of Palazzo Pfanner with its lovely views has become a film site such 1996’s The Portrait of a Lady. (B, L)

 Palazzo Pfanner gardens in Lucca is pictured

We travel among vineyards and cypress trees to tiny Bolgheri, population 131. The gate of its red-brick castle welcomes us to the Old Town and its wineries. Later we stop for a wonderful view of the Etruscan coast and have lunch. (B, L)

Cypress trees line the way to Bolgheri

Today is yours to do as you please. You can ride up the funicular to Montecatini Alto, schedule a spa day for yourself or to join an optional excursion to Florence. Dinner is included tonight. (B, D)

Florence Cathedral

Free morning. Drive to Rome via the almost impregnable Orvieto in Umbria. Built on a flat-topped butte of high cliffs from the 1290s, its site was an important refuge after the fall of the Roman Empire. Continue on to Rome. Free evening in the eternal city. (B, L)

Photo: Orvieto

In our sightseeing of ancient Rome, we see the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Pantheon. We are working on a few more features and a surprise or two before our included farewell dinner tonight. (B, D)

The Pantheon in Rome

We say arrivederci to our Italian home, and board the airport transfer for American Airlines non-stop to Chicago. Motor coach to Central Illinois with memories of a unique visit to Italy Off the Beaten Path. (B)

Included meals are noted each day in parenthesis with the initials of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Photo: Tuscan countryside