Villas and Gardens of Tuscany
|
|
|
|
9-16 June 2008 with Sidney Blackmore |
Italy has some of the grandest gardens in Europe, but the fact that they are so widespread throughout the country makes a comprehensive study a somewhat challenging task. However, Tuscany provides the answer to that dilemma, being blessed with an enormous number of fine gardens, thus making Tuscany the ideal destination for a tour of this kind.
Many of the Tuscan gardens date back to the 16th century and a number of these survive to this day. Many more have been redesigned, or even created, by foreigners who came to Italy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, to enjoy a milder climate than they had at home. Tuscany benefited from this invasion of gardeners from other countries, notably those from England. A further development in the history of gardens in Italy is the fact that, in more recent years, the Italians have taken more pride in their horticultural heritage.
|
|
| Many gardens which were strictly private have now been made accessible to the public in a way which was unheard of even as little as twenty years ago. Even now, some of the gardens in Tuscany we are hoping to visit are seldom open to the public and are therefore an exceptional treat. During this Villas and Gardens of Tuscany tour, we will be spending two days in Florence, visiting not only some of that beautiful city's historic gardens but also the Uffizi Gallery. |
 |
|
 Dr Thomas Tuohy's Thomas Tuohy read history of art at the Courtauld Institute and obtained his
doctorate from the Warburg Institute. His particular passion is for the
Italian Renaissance and his book on the history of the d'Este family and
their court in Ferrara, was immediately acclaimed as the leading volume on the subject. Thomas Tuohy has led countless tours throughout the world.
|
|
Itinerary
| Day 1 |
(Monday): We begin with Titan's VIP Home Departure Service™ to the airport. We fly from London to Pisa and transfer to nearby Lucca, where we will stay for the duration of the tour at the modern and comfortable Hotel Celide, just outside the city walls but located close to the historic centre. Welcome dinner tonight. |
|
| Day 2 |
We begin our holiday with a walking tour of historic Lucca, during which we will see the house where the composer Giacomo Puccini was born. We will also see the Cathedral and the small but classically perfect Baroque garden at the Palazzo Pfanner. |
|
| Day 3 |
Today we will see three of the many fine gardens in the vicinity of Lucca. The Villa Torrigiani is famous for its enormous and very beautiful plane trees, as well as its sunken 17th century garden. At the Villa Garzoni at Copllodi, we enjoy one of the most theatrical and flamboyant of all Italian gardens; the ornate staircase and falling water combine to
create a dazzling effect. Finally, at the Villa Reale - so called because of the royal associations of many of its owners - we will see an impressive lemon garden, much fine statuary and the first green theatre in Italy. |
|
| Day 4 |
We will drive today to Volterra, an ancient Etruscan city which even today maintains an air of mystery. Our visit to this city, where there will also be some free time, will be framed by two garden visits: the first to Venzano, owned by two Australians and planted with a multitude of aromatic plants. Here we find a series of intimate terraces and garden rooms, many of which have stunning views across the Tuscan Hills. Later, we will see one of the grandest and most important gardens in Europe, the Villa Chigi Cetinale. This garden was created by the late Lord Lambton, who bought the estate in the late 1970s. Dramatic hillside gardens, majestic avenues of cypresses and exquisitely planted 'compartments' all combine to create the most magical effect, and in every direction there are fabulous views across the Sienese countryside. Group dinner tonight.
|
|
| Day 5 |
We go to Florence today where we will visit the Villa Gamberaia. The garden here has many of its original features including the grotto, a nymphaeum and formal parterres. Our second Florentine garden is at the Villa La Pietra, once the
home of the art dealer Harold Acton. Landscaped in the 19th-century, the garden is notable today for the planting by Acton and the skilful use of antiquarian fragments which he collected.
|
|
| Day 6 |
There will be a free morning in Lucca today, followed by a visit to the Villa Grabau with its balustrades, lemon trees and attractive fountains all of which look out to the Lucchese hills.
|
|
| Day 7 |
Today we make our second visit to Florence where we go to the Uffizi Gallery, avoiding the long queues with our timed-entry tickets. We will also go to the Villa i Tatti, a most important garden created by the English architect Cecil Pinsent for the art historian, Bernard Berenson. Farewell dinner tonight.
|
|
| Day 8 |
En route to the airport for our return flight, we will visit the final garden of this fascinating exploration of Tuscan gardens. The historic botanic garden in Pisa dates back to 1544 and is today packed with a fascinating plant collection.
On arrival in London, Titan staff will greet you and transfer you to your transport for your journey home to your front door.
|
|
