Arrive Florence. ‘Get-acquainted’ dinner in our hotel.

After breakfast depart by coach to the gardens of Villa La Pietra and the famous Boboli Gardens. Late afternoon and evening are free.

After breakfast depart Florence for Pienza where we will visit the Palazzo Piccolomini. After lunch in Pienza we will tour the Villa la Foce which is considered to be one of the most beautiful modern gardens of Tuscany. The evening is free.

After breakfast depart Florence for Fiesole where we will visit the gardens of the Villa Medici. After lunch we will visit the Villa Gamberaia The late afternoon and evening are free.

This will be a free day in Florence. At 5.00 p.m. we will depart Florence by coach for our hotel in a charming village close to Siena. Dinner will be served at the hotel.

After breakfast we will travel by coach to visit the gardens of Villa Centinale, a private garden near Siena. The afternoon and evening will be free to explore the beautiful city of Siena.

After an early breakfast we will travel to Arezzo to visit the famous Antiques Market. There will be sufficient time to tour Arezzo. The evening is free.

After checking out of the hotel we will be visiting La Petraia, an organic farm which is owned by Canadian cookbook author Susan McKenna Grant (Piano, Piano, Pieno). Included in the visit is a tour of the farm (see photo below), a ‘tasting’ and a sumptuous lunch. We will then visit the beautiful rose garden ‘Roseto di Cavriglia’. Dinner will be at our hotel in Lucca.

After breakfast we will head north of Lucca to visit the gardens of the Villa Garzoni in Collodi (where Carlo Collodi is said to have drawn inspiration for the story of “Pinocchio”). We will then visit the nearby Parco Villa Reale de Marlia. The evening is free.

Today we will have a tour of Villa Massei, a private garden which was featured in Architectural Digest, March 2000. The rest of the day will be free to explore the charming city of Lucca.

Early morning departure for Pisa Airport for those connecting to flights back to Canada.

MARJORIE HARRIS is one of Canada’s leading garden writers. She is editor-at-large for Gardening Life magazine and the national gardening columnist for the Globe and Mail. Marjorie is the author of numerous gardening books, the latest of which ‘How to Make a Garden’ has recently been released. Marjorie and her husband spend part of each winter in the South of France and travel into Italy. She is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the area’s gardens and food.

For fifteen years LINDA THORNE owned and operated Thorne & Co., a store for gardeners in Ottawa. She has organized and lead garden tours to England and Ireland and looks forward to this collaboration with Marjorie Harris. The two women met in 1990 when Marjorie’s first gardening book, ‘The Canadian Gardener’ was published and Linda was about to open Thorne & Co. Linda is also a national judge for Communities in Bloom.

$4,475.00 per person twin sharing

The hotel charge for single supplement is $935.00

A deposit of $1,500.00 is due on booking. No spaces will be held without payment. Final payment is due on or before April 4th, 2008. The tour requires 15 participants before it will be confirmed. Cheques only (credit cards not accepted) should be made payable to Algonquin Travel* and sent to:

Irene Eyford, Manager
Algonquin Travel
90 Sparks Street
Ottawa, On K1P 5B4

(*Algonquin Travel is acting as Thorne & Co’s banker in order that
the funds are insured.)

Accommodation with breakfast in four-star hotels.
Three dinners and two lunches.
The services of a full-time guide/tour manager and first-class coach
services throughout the tour.
All entry fees and pre-booked guided tours.
All gratuities and porterage for one bag.

Air Fare.
Most lunches and dinners.
Alcoholic beverages.
Items of a personal nature.