Page 6 - Tuscany & Umbria: Rustic Beauty in the Italian Heartland

Witness Italy’s lush, rolling vineyards

and hilltop villages …

Lucca Pienza Trevi
Below the terra-cotta roofs of Lucca, Nestled in the shadow of a dormant volcano, Winding down the slopes of Monte Serrano,
pedestrians fill the winding lanes between the village of Pienza is the first example of the medieval lanes of Trevi are rife with
piazzas and Romanesque churches. town planning executed after the fall of the history. The town’s tiny churches speak
Stone ramparts encircling the city were Ancient Roman Empire twelve centuries of this storied past through a variety of
originally designed to defend Lucca from earlier. Later, Pope Pius II commissioned architectural styles, including Gothic,
cannon attacks during the Renaissance. the 15th-century artist Bernardo Rossellino Renaissance, and Baroque. And Trevi’s
No battles took place, but in the centuries to rebuild the city based on the ideals of charming old center, encircled by thick
since then, Lucca’s walls have protected the Renaissance. Today, Pienza is a virtual walls, is thought to be of Roman origin. The
the city’s charming interior from traffic open-air museum anchored by its piazza, village square and its stately watchtower
and modernization. On the cobblestone which is flanked by a cathedral on one side offer a spectacular view of the Umbrian
streets, it’s easy to imagine life here in the and the Palazzo Piccolomini on the other. countryside below—including row upon
mid-19th-century, when opera composer The piazza here is one of the places in the row of leafy olive trees—from which Trevi’s
Giacomo Puccini called the town home. With Orcia Valley where scenes in the motion world-famous olive oil is born. Excursions
the help of our local Trip Leader, we’ll learn picture The English Patient were shot. during our stay in Trevi include A Day in
a bit of the local dialect during an Italian During our time in Pienza, our small group the Life of an Umbrian mountain village,
language lesson—and we’ll try out the local of no more than 8-16 travelers will visit a where we’ll try our hand at cooking Italian
modes of transport by riding bikes atop the family-run winery and enjoy opportunities pasta and have lunch with local villagers.
city walls. for scenic hikes into the countryside, a We’ll also set off on four-wheel-drive
UNESCO World Heritage Cultural Landscape. vehicles to meet with local truffle hunters—
Chianti Region, Italy and their sharp-nosed truffle-hunting dogs.
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