Italy: Tuscany, Marche & More
Tour Details
Main Tour: Tuscany, Marche and Florence
April 27 - May 8, 2027
Our tour will take us to iconic Tuscany and Florence. But have you ever been to the Marche region? We will start the main tour in the town of Pesaro, located in the Marche region directly on the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.
Pre-Tour Option: Bologna & Parma
April 24 - 26, 2027
Tour Overview
Join Explore Flower Tours for a tour through the heart of Italy that will take us from the coast of the Adriatic, through Umbria and Tuscany, and finally to Florence. If you join us for the Pre-Tour Option you will experience 3 nights and 2 days filled with the culinary specialties of Bologna and Parma.
Our Main Tour begins in Marche, colloquially known as ‘Le Marche’. This region is a hidden gem that sits between the hills of Umbria and the Adriatic coast. We will be based in the coastal town of Pesaro, where we will visit private villas and gardens, take part in artisanal experiences, explore the UNESCO town of Urbino, birthplace of the artist Raphael, and create beautiful flower arrangements at a countryside villa and winery.
While in Tuscany we will be based in a historic villa lovingly restored and boasting over 1000 botanicals, including a vegetable and cut flower garden. We will visit the Tuscan towns of Cortona and Montepulciano, enjoy the spectacular food and wine that Tuscany is famous for, and take a flower workshop at a family-owned farm - the first organic flower farm and floral design studio in the region.
Our time in Florence takes us to multiple gardens, led by an expert tour guide, including Boboli Gardens, Giardino delle Rose, and Società Italiana dell’Iris - an iris garden open for only 20 days a year. We will visit the Uffizi Gallery and tour the newly restored Vasari Corridor, the private corridor above the Ponte Vecchio built in 1565 for the Medici family.
Because we are so close to one of the most famous culinary centers of Italy - the region of Emilia- Romagna - we are offering a Pre-Tour Option that will focus on local, artisanal food experiences led by 2 food experts and chefs. We will be based in Bologna, capital of Emilia-Romagna and home to the oldest university in the Western World. We will spend one day at a chef’s country home learning to cook local Bolognese specialties and then enjoy the meal we’ve made together. A chef and sommelier will take us in and around Parma to visit local purveyors of Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, local wine, and we will be treated to lunch and a tour of Parma. Beyond food, we will tour Bologna with an expert local guide who will show us the famous UNESCO porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, Basilica of San Petronio, and more.
Main Tour Highlights
Stays in picturesque, thoughtfully chosen locations - a coastal hotel and spa in Pesaro; a historic, luxurious villa in the countryside near Cortona; and a well-placed, elegant hotel in Florence that has meticulously restored details dating back to the 14th century
A full day at a countryside villa and winery where we will take part in a flower workshop and flower installation with Federica Carlini, enjoy lunch prepared by the villa’s chef, and end with a classic aperitivo
Flower workshop, farm tour and lunch at Puscina Flowers, Tuscany’s first organic flower farm
Visit La Ménagère, a flower shop, bistro, and ‘emporium of beautiful things’ in the heart of Florence, where we will make a flower arrangement, enjoy a cafe lunch, shop and peruse their library of botanical titles
Tour multiple villas along the Adriatic coast with beautiful Italianate gardens
A day in the hilltop, walled town of Urbino, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of the Renaissance painter Raphael, where we will tour the Ducal Palace and Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Le Marche is known as ‘Shoe Valley’ because it is the birthplace of shoe-making in Italy. We will follow in this tradition by taking a shoe-making workshop with an artisan designer and maker. You will go home with your handmade sandals.
Visit the Umbrian town of Deruta, home to the famous maiolica ceramics since the early 15th century. We will tour a ceramics workroom and have plenty of time to shop.
Time to wander the hilltop Tuscan towns of Cortona and Arezzo
Visit the famous ‘Wine Cathedral’ of Montepulciano - centuries old cave and cellar under the streets of the city where the Ricci family makes wine
In Florence, an expert guide will lead us on tours of Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace, the Uffizi, and the newly restored Vasari Corridor, which was the private corridor above the Ponte Vecchio built in 1565 for the Medici family
Visit Florence’s Giardino delle Rose, and Società Italiana dell’Iris - an iris garden open for only 20 days a year
And of course, spectacular Italian food and wine throughout our tour!
Registration
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April 24 - 26, 2027
We will be based in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region. Our Pre-Tour Option will focus on local, artisanal food experiences led by two food experts and chefs. We will spend one day at a chef’s country home learning to cook local Bolognese specialties and then enjoy the meal we’ve made together in her garden. On our 3rd day a chef and sommelier will take us in and around Parma to visit local purveyors of Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano, local wine, and we will be treated to lunch and a tour of Parma. Beyond food, we will tour Bologna with an expert local guide who will show us the famous UNESCO porticoes, Piazza Maggiore, Basilica of San Petronio, and more.
Pre-Tour price to be announced soon.
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Pre-Tour Option: April 24 - 26, 2027
Main Tour: April 27 - May 8, 2027
Tour pricing to be announced soon.
Pre-Tour Option Deposit: In order to register for the Pre-Tour option a $1,000 non-refundable deposit is required.
Main Tour Deposit: In order to register for the Main Tour a $3,000 non-refundable deposit is required.
After registration for one or both options you will be sent an installment schedule to pay for the remainder. Subsequent installments are non-refundable. See Terms & Conditions for full payment details.
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Pre-Tour
3 nights in Bologna
See below for further inclusions
Main Tour
4 nights in Pesaro, 4 nights in Tuscany, 3 nights in Florence
Hotel stays
Breakfast everyday and multiple lunches and dinners
Most ground transportation, including driver tip
Entrance and group tour fees
Porterage
Tour Guide Book
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Pre-Tour & Main Tour Exclusions
Airfare
Cost of airport transfers
Travel insurance (very strongly recommended)
Additional, specified beverages
Please see Terms & Conditions for the full list of exclusions
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For both the Pre-Tour Option and the Main Tour:
Recommended arrival at Bologna G. Marconi Airport (BLQ). We will assist with arranging ground travel (cost not included in tour price).
Other options: Florence airport is about 60 miles from Bologna. You are responsible for arranging and paying for local transportation from Florence to Bologna.
Please note that airfare of all kinds is NOT included in the tour price. Therefore, it is your responsibility to reserve and pay for your flights.
