There is so much to see in Rome but there were other surrounding places I wanted to explore. I found Dark Rome which is now part of City Wonders online which offered a variety of tours in various cities in Italy including Rome, Vatican, Venice, Florence, and Milan.
A tour that interested me was the Tuscany in One Day from Rome. I booked the excursion on the day I wanted to go. When that day came, we had to meet up at Piazza del Popolo at 7:30 am where a bus took us to our first stop of Montepulciano.
This place is a beautiful town on the hilltops in Tuscany. We followed a tour guide along the small districts going up and down the streets and learning about the history and taking in the views.
We also went inside the Montepulciano Duomo Cathedral where we got to see the beautiful Assumption of the Virgin triptych by Taddeo di Bartolo which dates from 1401.
The next stop on our journey was at the town of Montalcino where we were just in time to hear the Gregorian chants at the Abbey of Sant’Antimo.
The views of the countryside are also breathtaking.
The tour also included lunch and wine tasting in the same town at the Poggio il Castellare which produces Brunello di Montalcino. We were surrounded by wine barrels and it was a fun experience because you get to sit on a family style table and eat, drink, and enjoy the company.
Full and happy, the bus took us on our next stop to Pienza were we got to do some shopping, take pictures, and enjoy some gelato at a cafe.
I absolutely loved the whole experience and I also enjoyed the knowledgeable and great tour guide. She had a wealth of information to share about this beautiful area.
For price, the tour costs $147 USD at the moment but can fluctuate. Was it worth the price in my opinion… absolutely!
I also did a tour with City Wonders to Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius which I wrote about here and also recommend.
Love it! So many things to do in Italy it takes several trips! I’ll have to make my way to Tuscany at some point.