Hidden Italy, the Lands of the Etruscans

Discover the idyllic town of Pienza, "Under the Tuscan Sun".

Savour lunch on a shady terrace with spectacular views over the Lazio countryside.

A hidden land with ancient Etruscan cities and frescoed tombs, spectacular perched medieval towns, catacomb labyrinths, water cascades, a colossal man-made waterfall, and a park full of giants and monsters. Visit perfect Pienza, ‘Under the Tuscan sun’ Cortona, dine in amazing locations, explore the undulating Tuscan Hills of the Val d’Orcia which so inspired the Renaissance painters. So different – so absolutely delightful!

  • Travel in a first-class air-conditioned touring coach

  • Welcome drink Rome 15 meals including breakfast daily (B), 1 lunch on a tree shaded terrace overlooking the Lazio countryside (L) and 5 evening meals including one in a labyrinth of ancient Etruscan caves, one in a Val d’Orcia farmhouse and private farewell dinner in a vineyard (D)

  • Free WiFi at hotels Hotel porterage of 1 bag per person (where available) 9 nights specially selected hotel accommodation

  • Personal audio system whilst on tour (where available) Fully escorted by our experienced Tour Manager ALL tips for your Tour Manager, Driver and Local Guides

  • Hand Selected Albatross Experiences including the underground Etruscan tombs, Villa Lante cascading gardens, Parco dei Mostri, Civita di Bagnoregio experience, Etruscan Via Cava walk, Val d’Orcia wine and Pecorino cheese tasting and the amazing Marmore Falls ALL excursions, scenic drives, sightseeing and entrances as described

Tour itinerary

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Hand Selected Experiences

Be guided through the Etruscan Necropolis and fascinating National Museum in Tarquinia and see inside the ancient hill top tombs

Dates and Prices

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* The itinerary and hotels featured are based on 2024 tour departures and may be subject to change. For 2023 tour departures, please refer to your pre-departure documentation. Any questions, please contact our European Tour Specialists for further details.

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To register your early interest in our 2025 Europe and UK Summer tours, please complete our pre-registration form.  We will keep you informed as our tours are developed and released.

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Your Hotels

Tour Suitability

Our tours require a moderate level of fitness due to the unique places we visit and stay. This tour is not suited to anyone who has mobility issues.

  • In mid-summer, the heat may be energy sapping.
  • This tour visits a larger number of ancient hilltop towns and villages. Fortunately, the hardest, highest ones like Orvieto, Perugia, Todi all have either escalators or lifts up to the top of town.
  • One city visit is quite taxing. It is the very nature of the difficulty which make the visit amazing. Civita di Bagnoregio is a medieval gem of a hilltop town accessed by a huge pedestrian viaduct. We drop you at the Belvedere lookout and from there you have about a 300 metre downhill walk to the viaduct and then about a 300 metre walk across the viaduct. In itself it’s not hard, but the last 100 metres of the viaduct up to the old city entrance gets quite steep. Take your time and you can do it. Whilst this is the only way into town and it is a standard pedestrian walkway, we flag this because it can be quite hard if you have fitness challenges. If you don’t want to do it, then the perfect alternative is to stay up on the shaded terrace of the Belvedere. You will get the absolute best views of the perched city from here, and you can relax in the café and gelato bar terrace. This is a splendid alternative.
  • Two other cities stand out as having harder access. Cortona is accessed by uphill, cobbled streets about 200 metres in length.
  • Montepulciano has a much longer uphill street. But here, if you want, you can catch a bus to the top and back down again. You have the choice. From experience you will take your time (and you have easily enough time!) to enjoy the uphill walk as this main semi pedestrian street is so enjoyable with its rows of wine cellars, shops, cheese and produce houses and cafes.
  • The Via Cava– the carved Etruscan roads outside Pitigliano - are fascinating but being over 3,000 years old, the surfaces are uneven and heavily rutted! The total walkway is about 1 km each way, but the good news is the best bit is an easy walk along the first 200 metres. Again, you have choices.
  • Marmore waterfalls – it is very straight forward to get to the main viewing area. An easy walk. If you want you can walk up alongside the waterfalls, which includes wooden steps and boardwalks, which can be slippery.

Please refer to our Tour Suitability section for more information.

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