Group of 10 · SAS via Copenhagen

Tuscany
2026

April 11 – 19 · Florence · Palaia · Chianti · Siena

9 Days
10 Travelers
3 Bases
4 Confirmed ✓
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📋 View the Full Hour-by-Hour Itinerary →

The Trip

Overview & Confirmed Bookings

Arrival

Sat Apr 11
FLR 11:30am

Your Group Departs

Sat Apr 18
FLR 12:20pm

Other Group Departs

Sun Apr 19
FLR afternoon

Groups Split

Day 8 · Sat Apr 18

Car Pickup

Borgo Ognissanti
Tue Apr 14

Accademia (David) Sat Apr 11 · 4:15pm · Keep physical ticket
Uffizi Gallery (Passepartout) Sun Apr 12 · 10:30am · 5-day pass activated Day 2
Crypt of Santa Reparata Mon Apr 13 · 1:30pm
Duomo Dome Climb Mon Apr 13 · 6:45pm · Download app on Wi-Fi, bring earphones
Altezza Winery — Tour + Late Lunch Thu Apr 16 · 4:00pm · San Gimignano · Counts as dinner

Accommodation

Where We're Staying

Apr 11–14 · Florence

Florence Airbnb

Lungarno Serristori 25
Oltrarno — 5 min walk to Ponte Vecchio

Apr 14–16 · Palaia

Palaia Airbnb

Via Antonio Vivaldi 24
Pisan hills — medieval hilltop village

Apr 16–18 · Chianti

Chianti Airbnb

Strada di Cortine 19
Barberino Val d'Elsa — heart of Chianti

Apr 18–19 · Other Group Only

Florence Return

Address TBD
One final night before departure

Day by Day

The Full Itinerary

Day 1 Apr 11
Arrival Day — Florence Saturday Base: Oltrarno
Arrive FLR 11:30am ✓ Accademia / David — 4:15pm ℹ Piazza della Signoria ℹ San Miniato al Monte ℹ Piazzale Michelangelo — sunset ℹ

Elderly traveler: take taxi up to San Miniato (~€8–10), walk down is easy. From San Miniato it's 5 min downhill to Piazzale Michelangelo.

Food: Lampredotto at Da Nerbone · Il Latini or Trattoria Mario for dinner
Full Details →
Day 2 Apr 12
Uffizi Day — Florence Sunday Base: Oltrarno
✓ ✓ Uffizi — 10:30am (Passepartout ACTIVATED) Ponte Vecchio Boboli Gardens / Pitti Palace ℹ Giardino Bardini ℹ Secret Passages — book ahead: musefirenze.it ✓ Dark Side of Florence Tour — 7:55pm ℹ
Food: Schiacciata panino · Il Santo Bevitore for dinner (⭐4.4)
Full Details →
Day 3 Apr 13
Duomo Day — Florence Monday Base: Oltrarno
Santa Croce — 9:30am ℹ Baptistery — 10:30am ℹ Bell Tower — 11:15am ℹ ✓ Crypt of Santa Reparata — 1:30pm ℹ Opera del Duomo Museum ℹ ✓ Dome Climb — 6:45pm ℹ

Book Bell Tower at duomo.firenze.it. Download Duomo app on Wi-Fi before visit — bring earphones. Bags to cloakroom at Piazza Duomo 38/r.

Lunch: Trattoria Sergio Gozzi — opens noon, opens noon (⭐4.7) · Book table in advance
Full Details →
Day 4 Apr 14
Florence → Lucca → Pisa → Palaia Tuesday Move to: Palaia
Officina Profumo Farmaceutica ℹ Car pickup — Borgo Ognissanti, 9:30am Lucca — walls, piazzas ℹ Pisa — Leaning Tower ℹ Check in Palaia ~5:15pm

Both groups pick up at Borgo Ognissanti (SMN garage level -4). Citroën C4 automatic. Leaning Tower: no bags — free lockers at ticket office. Book at opapisa.it 1–2 weeks ahead.

Lucca: Buccellato at Taddeucci · Trattoria da Leo (⭐4.1) · Pisa: Cecina to-go at piazza forno
Full Details →
Day 5 Apr 15
Larderello → Volterra Wednesday Base: Palaia
Larderello — geothermal museum (FREE, en route) ℹ Volterra — Etruscan Museum (~€9) ℹ Volterra — Pinacoteca (Deposizione) ℹ Porta all'Arco — Etruscan gate (FREE) ℹ Alabaster workshops Le Balze erosion cliffs (FREE) Roman Theatre lookout — FREE (tickets only Sat–Sun)

⚠ Larderello: strong sulfur smell — know before you go. ⚠ Enoteca del Duca closed Wednesdays. Best viewpoint: from Via Vecchia approaching town.

Lunch: La Vecchia Lira (⭐4.6 / 1,782) — open Wed ✓, closed Thu. Book ahead. Truffle pasta + wild boar pici. Snack: La Sosta del Priore panino (⭐4.8)
Full Details →
Day 6 Apr 16
Certaldo → San Gimignano → Altezza → Chianti Thursday Move to: Chianti
Certaldo Alto — funicular (morning only!) San Gimignano — towers + Gelateria Dondoli ✓ Altezza Winery — 4:00pm (counts as dinner) Check in Strada di Cortine 19

⚠ Certaldo funicular closes at midday — do it first. San Gimignano: park at P1 Giubileo. Best skyline photo: Via Vecchia or northwest approach road. ⚠ Altezza and Tenuta Torciano share a booking system — ensure written confirmation of what's included.

Morning: L'Antica Fonte Certaldo terrace (⭐4.6, open Thu ✓) · 4pm: Altezza winery 4-course lunch = dinner
Full Details →
Day 7 Apr 17
Monteriggioni → Siena Friday Base: Chianti
Monteriggioni — circular walled village (45 min) Siena — Piazza del Campo + Torre del Mangia Siena Duomo + Piccolomini Library Afternoon wander — Via di Città, Banchi di Sopra Casa Sola winery — optional visit ℹ La Taverna di San Giuseppe — optional dinner (⭐4.6)

Park at Parcheggio San Francesco (escalators up). Siena Duomo: book at operaduomo.siena.it. Panforte + ricciarelli from Pasticceria Bini (Banchi di Sopra 24) — take home.

Lunch: Mister Pizza slices (Via delle Terme 94) → eat on Piazza del Campo. ~€12–16/person including Chianti.
Full Details →
Day 8 Apr 18
Groups Split — Departure Day Saturday
Your group: leave 9:30am → FLR → departs 12:20pm Other group: return cars at FLR → Florence Airbnb

Your group: arrive FLR by 11am for 12:20pm flight. Both groups return rental cars to FLR Airport (~€20–40 one-way fee for your group).

Full Details →
Day 9 Apr 19
Other Group — Final Morning Sunday · Other Group Only
Mercato Centrale San Lorenzo market Final Florence wander Copenhagen highlights ℹ

⚠ Cappelle Medicee closed Sundays (3rd Sunday of month) — removed from plan. April 19 is 3rd Sunday.

Copenhagen Details →

Eating & Drinking

Regional Specialties

🏛 Florence

Lampredotto — tripe sandwich, quintessential street food
Schiacciata — dense flatbread with finocchiona salami
Bistecca Fiorentina — T-bone, rare, for 2+
Peposo — peppery beef stew, historic dome workers' dish
Ribollita — hearty bean and bread soup

🏺 Volterra

Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane — DOP, walnut-aged, ask for stagionato
Cinghiale in umido — wild boar with olives and capers
Pici all'aglione — fat hand-rolled pasta, garlic-tomato sauce
Vernaccia di San Gimignano — local white DOCG wine

🗼 San Gimignano

Vernaccia — only Tuscan white with DOCG status
Gelateria Dondoli ⭐ — world champion gelato, pistachio + saffron
Truffle dishes — local black truffle throughout autumn/spring

🏰 Siena

Pici all'aglione — Siena's defining pasta, fat hand-rolled
Panforte — medieval spiced fruit-and-nut cake, buy at Pasticceria Bini
Ricciarelli — soft almond biscuits with powdered sugar
Cinta Senese salame — heritage pig, nutty and complex
Brunello di Montalcino — Siena's prestige red wine

🍷 Chianti

Chianti Classico DOCG — look for black rooster (gallo nero) seal
Bistecca with truffles — local specialty at Osteria il Carroccio
Aged pecorino — from any agriturismo farm shop

🥐 Lucca + Pisa

Buccellato — sweet anise and raisin bread, Lucca's signature
Cecina — thin chickpea flour flatbread, Pisa street food
Farinata — similar to cecina, eaten to-go

🇩🇰 Copenhagen

Flæskestegssandwich — Denmark's iconic crackling pork sandwich, red cabbage, cucumber & gravy · Skindbuksen (since 1728)
Cardamom Croissant — buttery, flaky, fragrant with whole green cardamom · Hart Bageri
Kanelsnegl — cinnamon snail pastry, far superior to anything called a "cinnamon roll" · Hart Bageri or Sankt Peders Bageri
Stegt Flæsk med Persillesovs — Denmark's national dish: crispy pork belly, boiled potatoes, parsley cream sauce
Stjerneskud — "shooting star" open-faced sandwich: fried fish fillet, cold boiled shrimp, asparagus, caviar, remoulade
Brunost — Norwegian-style brown goat cheese, fudge-sweet and caramel-flavoured · buy at CPH Airport departures
Carlsberg or Tuborg Pilsner — served cold in Nyhavn canalside bars, the only correct accompaniment to pork sandwiches

Getting Around

Cars & Logistics

Both Groups — Car Rental

Pickup locationBorgo Ognissanti, SMN garage level -4
Pickup dateTuesday Apr 14, ~9:30am
VehicleCitroën C4 automatic
Boot space380L — fits 4 carry-ons + 4 backpacks
Your group returnFLR Airport, Sat Apr 18, by 11am
InsuranceCDW + zero-deductible mandatory

ZTL Zones — Important

What is ZTL?Restricted traffic zones in all historic centres
Fines~€80 per infraction, charged to rental card
FlorencePark at Borgo Ognissanti — don't drive in
San GimignanoP1 Giubileo at first roundabout
SienaParcheggio San Francesco (escalators up)
VolterraParcheggio Docciola, outside walls

Before You Go

Important Reminders

🚫
Florence Street Eating Ban — €150–€500 Fine It is illegal to stop and eat on the street in four specific areas of central Florence during peak hours: noon–3 PM and 6–10 PM. The four restricted streets are: Via de' Neri, Piazzale degli Uffizi, Piazza del Grano, and Via della Ninna.
This directly affects Day 2 — All'Antico Vinaio is on Via de' Neri. Buy your sandwich there, then walk 5 minutes to the Lungarno riverbank or Piazza della Signoria to eat. Do not stand and eat in front of the shop.
🎟
Leaning Tower of Pisa Book at opapisa.it — 1–2 weeks ahead. No bags at all inside — free lockers at ticket office, arrive 10 min before slot.
🎵
Duomo Dome Audio Guide Mobile app only — no rental units. Download on Wi-Fi before your visit. Bring your own earphones.
🕐
Certaldo Funicular Closes at midday. Visit Certaldo Alto first thing on Day 6 — do not leave it until afternoon.
🧾
Altezza Winery Booking Confirmed Thu Apr 16 at 4pm. Verify written confirmation of exactly what's included and cancellation terms. Shared booking system with Torciano — ensure clarity.
💨
Larderello Sulfur Smell Strong sulfur odor throughout the geothermal area. Completely safe but notable — tell the group before arrival so nobody is surprised.
🏦
Uffizi Passepartout Keep the physical ticket safe — it's a 5-day pass activated on Day 2. Do not lose it.
📮
Buy Postcards & Mail! Pick up postcards in Florence or Siena and mail them home — Italian post is slow (2–4 weeks), so send early. Look for yellow La Posta Italiana boxes or tabacchi shops for stamps (francobolli). A postcard to the US costs ~€2.40.
🤳
Pickpockets — Florence is a Target City Florence's professional pickpockets work the T2 tram from the airport, Accademia queues, Uffizi queues, Ponte Vecchio, and the All'Antico Vinaio crowd on Via de' Neri. Standard countermeasures: phone in a front trouser pocket only, bags worn across the chest in crowds, wallets in inside jacket pockets or money belt. The teenagers are more confident and therefore more vulnerable than they think. Watch for distractions — someone bumping into you, a group crowding around, a "dropped" item drawing your attention downward.
📵
Download Google Maps Offline Before You Fly On the plane, download offline map regions for: Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Siena, and Tuscany (covers the rural Palaia and Chianti areas). The SS439 road to Larderello, the approach to Palaia, and the Barberino Val d'Elsa area around Strada di Cortine all have extended dead zones. Having offline maps means no data needed for navigation between cities. Open Google Maps → search for each area → tap the three-dot menu → "Download offline map." Also download the Duomo Florence app on Wi-Fi before departure.
⛽
Diesel vs Petrol — Confirm at Pickup The Citroën C4 is almost certainly diesel (gasolio in Italian). Putting petrol (benzina) into a diesel engine destroys the fuel system instantly and is not covered by rental insurance — repair bills start at €3,000+. At Italian fuel stations: the black or yellow nozzle labelled Gasolio or Diesel is what you want. The green nozzle is unleaded petrol. Confirm the fuel type at the Borgo Ognissanti counter before leaving and write it on your phone. The Eni station near FLR Airport (Day 8) is the most convenient for the final refill before return.
🛣
Rental Car — Photograph Everything & Avoid Telepass Before driving out of the Borgo Ognissanti garage: walk slowly around both cars and video every panel, bumper, wheel, and windscreen. Italian rental companies are known for charging for pre-existing scratches if they're not documented. Send the video to yourself immediately so it's timestamped. On the autostrada, never use the Telepass lane — marked with a yellow "T" or orange electronic sign. These are transponder-only lanes; driving through without one generates a fine plus a surcharge. Use the cash/card lanes (white or blue signs) or the Viacard lanes. Tolls on your route: A11 Florence–Lucca (~€3.50), A12 Lucca–Pisa (~€2.50).
🔒
ZTL Cameras Fines arrive weeks later charged to your rental card. When in doubt, park outside and walk. GPS may route you through ZTL zones — ignore it.