Livorno

There are few better ways to start your day than to walk up to the 17-foot-tall David, Michelangelo’s masterpiece. This wonderful tour of Italy's Renaissance capital begins at the Galleria dell’Accademia and continues to the stunning Gothic architecture of the Piazza del Duomo, where you will see Florence Cathedral and the Baptistery. Then you’re off to the political center of town, the Piazza della Signoria, which is also a splendid open-air museum built on the site of a 1st-century Roman theater.

This tour lets you look before you leap into Florence. Start at the Piazzale Michelangelo, a wide terrace on a hill that affords superb views of this iconic city. Take in the panorama before being escorted to the Piazza Santa Croce, from which you will set off to discover whichever sights intrigue you most. Florence is a vibrant medieval city, and the town center is a compact labyrinth of alleys and piazzas begging you to stroll and explore. Check out the Uffizi, the Galleria dell’Accademia or the Bargello, among the world's greatest museums.

Experience all that is magical about Lucca in perhaps the best way to do so – by bicycle. Cars are mostly banned inside the city walls, making exploration by bike a true pleasure. Follow your guide into the heart of the city to see the Piazza San Michele, overlooked by the ornate Palazzo Pretorio and the ancient Church of San Michele in Foro. Riding on, you will visit the Piazza del Mercato, Cathedral of San Martino and Church of San Frediano, a melting pot of art and history. You will then enjoy a Tuscan snack atop Lucca's tree-lined walls.

The northern Tuscan city of Carrara has produced marble since the Roman era. In the city’s quarries, up in the Apuan Alps, you’ll explore the history and heritage around this celebrated material with a quarryman-guide. Relax on the drive up the coast from Livorno. In Carrara, you’ll transfer to 4x4 vehicles to head up to the mountain quarries, where you’ll meet your guide, Marco Bernacca. Bernacca’s family has worked here for four generations and now owns quarry 177, one of the oldest in the world.

On this wonderful experience for foodies, your day begins with a journey to Forcoli to reach the estate of the Savini family, whose business has been linked to Tuscan truffles since the 1920s. Handing this passion down over generations, they follow a cycle each season from gathering, selecting and cleaning truffles to product creation, packaging and sale. You will meet the Savini staff, who will teach you to spot the prestigious underground delicacy, and then you will enter the Tuscan woods to begin the hunt, assisted by the dedicated and adorable Savini hunting dogs.

This excursion unveils Siena, famous for its cuisine, art, museums and the medieval cityscape cast in warm brown bricks that gave the color its name. Near the hub of Piazza del Campo, one of the few structures of a different hue is the black and white marbled Duomo. Tour this marvelous Romanesque and Gothic cathedral and its Piccolomini Library, renowned for the Pinturicchio frescos covering the ceiling and walls and for its hand-illuminated manuscripts.

After a drive north to the medieval city of Lucca, much of it alongside a lovely natural park, you will be guided through the remarkably preserved city center and cathedral. Atop the walls that encircle Lucca are parks, gardens and a tree-lined promenade. You will see the Church of San Frediano with a Byzantine mosaic on its façade, the elliptic Roman amphitheater and the Church of San Michele. Then you will explore the gardens of Palazzo Pfanner, attributed to the genius of architect Filippo Juvarra.

Tuscany’s powerful ruling family, the Medici, built Livorno’s waterways in the 17th century so that goods could be transported more easily from ships in the bustling harbor to merchants’ homes and storehouses in town. Barges have since been replaced by pleasure craft along these canals, offering unique perspective on Livorno’s picturesque historic center. This tour combines evening sightseeing by boat with a tasting of Italian sweet wines.