Provence and Northern Italy with Ciscoe Morris: Itinerary

September 7th (Monday) -- Depart

Board the plane for the British Airways departure, over the pole, via London. This flight departs from Seattle at 6:50pm. Meal service applies on-board. 

September 8th (Tuesday) -- St Remy de Provence

On arrival at Nice Airport we transfer to St Remy-de-Provence in the magical Alpilles Hills.  En-route to the hotel, we make a scheduled stop for dinner in the town of Le Muy. After an early evening arrival in St. Remy, and hotel check-in (Hotel Gounod), you’re free to meet in the bar for a welcome cocktail or rest up for our first day of touring. (D)

September 9th (Wednesday) – St. Remy de Provence, Arles, Alpilles, Les Baux,

This morning we enjoy St Remy's weekly market in the center of the town. There is nothing quite like a Provencal Market. After lunch on our own, we will travel by coach the short distance to Arles for a walking tour of the town. The focus of the tour will cover over two thousand years, from the Roman to the more recent life of Vincent Van Gogh. On the way back to St. Remy, we will stop for a late afternoon visit to the hill top ruins of Les Baux before returning to the hotel and dinner. (BD)

September 10th (Thursday) – Pont du Gard, Uzes

We are out the door early today to travel the short distance to the Pont du Gard, that magnificent monument to roman engineering. Pont du Gard is the largest intact aquaduct in existence, designed and build in the first century AD to carry water from a spring near Uzes to the Roman city of Nimes.

We then visit a private contemporary garden near Uzes, called Jardin de la Noria, named after an irrigation system used on the property. On the way back to the hotel, we will indulge in a wine tasting before returning to the hotel for free time to explore St. Remy, the archeological site of Glanum or a visit to the mental institution where Vincent Van Gogh was confined. (BD)

September 11th (Friday) -- Luberon Hills, Bonnieux, and Grasse

After an early breakfast, we bid adieu to St. Remy and journey east through the Alpilles to the Luberon Region and the village of Bonnieux. Here we will visit the private garden of La Louve, designed by Nicole de Vésian. After lunch, we will enjoy a wine tasting at Chateau la Canorgue, parts of which were used in the filming of “A Good Year”, based on the book by Peter Mayle.

From Bonnieux, we leave the Luberon and enter the Riviera region with a stop in the medieval town of Grasse for a demonstration of perfume making, which has it’s roots in the region from the 16th century. We will visit the factory of Fragonard, located in the old town. From here, we are on to Nice, the capital of the Cote d’Azur. After we check-in to the hotel (Gimaldi) and enjoy dinner, take some time to stroll the Promenade des Anglais. (BD)

September 12th (Saturday) Nice, St Paul-de-Vence, La Chevre D’Or Gardens

We begin the day with breakfast, followed by a guided walking tour of the old town of nice, wrapping up near the flower market. We’ll then board our coach for the short drive to St-Paul-de-Vence for lunch and a visit to the sculpture garden of La Fondation Maeght. Later this afternoon, we drive to the hilltop town of Biot to visit a very Mediterranean garden, La Chevre D’Or. We return to Nice in the early evening for an outdoor dinner in Plaza Massena. (BD)

September 13th (Sunday) Rothschild Villa Ephrussi, Eze, Monaco

This is a garden intensive day, beginning with the Pallazo and gardens of Villa Ephrussi in St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, followed by a stop in Eze for lunch and a visit to the Jardin d’Eze. We wrap up the day at the Monaco Succulent Garden before returning to Nice for our final night there. (BD)

September 14th (Monday) Val Rahmeh, Menton, Hanbury Garden

We leave Nice shortly after breakfast this morning on our way to Santa Margherita, located near Portofino on the Ligurian Sea. En-route, we will tour the Val Rahmeh Garden near Menton. After lunch, we continue our journey east through Genoa to our second garden visit, La Mortola the exotic garden created by the Hanbury Family. We will arrival at our hotel (Jolanda) in the late afternoon and have dinner later that evening after some free time to explore the town. (BD)

September 15th (Tuesday) Cinque Terra Villages

We will be taking the train to the villages of Monterosso and Vernazza this morning to tour the Five Lands, or Cinque Terra. We will allow free time to explore and have lunch before returning in the late afternoon to Santa Margherita. (BD)

September 16th (Wednesday) Carrara Marble, Lucca

Lucca, a walled Tuscan town, with a history stretching back to the Etruscans, is our first stop of the day to shop, stroll the town and its squares, and the market. We’ll have lunch here before traveling on to the Quarries of Carrara, which have been the source of marble used in sculpture and building construction for thousands of years. We will tour a working quarry and see a demonstration of quarrying techniques before returning to our hotel in the late afternoon. (BD)

September 17th (Thursday) Cremona, Sirmione

We are en-route to Sirmione, (Hotel Continental) a unique settlement situated on a spit of land jutting into Lago di Garda, largest body of water in the Italian Lake District. The lake waters around Sirmione are known for their curative properties, attracting thousands of people each year.

We’ll stop for lunch in Cremona, home of Antonio Stradivari, genius maker of musical instruments and a museum housing a number of these instruments. We’ll take some time here to see how these instruments were made then and now. You should have some time to explore the castle and town in Sirmione before joining the group for dinner this evening. (BD)

September 18th (Friday) Isola del Garda, Gardone Riviera

We travel by boat to Isola del Garda, owned and managed by the Cavazza family, who give guided tours of the gardens, house, and locally produced olives and other items. From there, we will travel to the western shore to the Gardone Riviera to Il Vittoriale, a combination garden/war museum/monument to tour the garden and a portion of the museum as time allows. The Heller Garden, which is located nearby will also be visited. We return by motor coach to our waterfront hotel this evening. (BD)

September 19th (Saturday) Verona, Giardino Sigurta

We are taking a side trip to Verona to see the town, it’s very attractive main square, Roman Amphitheatre. We’ll have lunch, followed by a wine tasting at a local cooperative. On the way back to Sirmione, we will be stopping to visit Parco Giardino Sigurta, a few miles south of Lake Garda. We will have our final farewell dinner this evening.

September 20th (Sunday) Milan

After an early breakfast, we are en-route for the 90 minute drive to the airport in Linate for our flight to Seattle via London. Our arrival time in Seattle is scheduled for 3:55pm.

Updated: Monday, February 23rd, 2009