Walking in Tuscany Tour 2024

What a special trip this was with a lovely group of ladies. This was a different women's only small group tour to the normal i.e. hiking in the mountains (or mootins as our Italian guide pronounced it 😊). You had to be more than walking fit and did we get our exercise each day!

We arrived in Florence (Firenze), the capital of Tuscany and stayed at a delightful hotel with easy access to all we wanted to see. The group split up into pairs, or threesomes, depending on what was on their list. Florence is a beautiful small city with a maze of cobbled streets. The ladies visited various museums, Ponte Vecchio, the Farmacia di Santa Maria Novela (a famous, historical perfumerie, open uninterruptedly since 1621), popping into eye catching shops and many tastings of gelato.

The next day we caught a tram to meet Jamie who drove us into the mountains. Jamie and Ailsa, our hosts for the week, are originally from Scotland. Jamie is the guide and his wife, Ailsa, is a chef and nutritionist and prepared the most delicious and healthy meals for us. On our hikes we had lunch boxes filled with different salads, cheese and something sweet. At breakfast and dinner we sat outside on the veranda, looking out onto a view that we never got tired of. The scenery at the farmhouse was stunning and each day we saw more spectacular views on our different routes in the mountains. Safa, the wire haired terrier, Jamie and Manuel, our Italian guide, also accompanied us.

Every morning the ladies did stretching exercises, on the yoga deck overlooking the valley, before breakfast. Only two of us braved the pool. It was still a bit chilly for most of us. One of the best things about a women’s only small group tour is the flexibility. Some days some of us chose to stay behind and enjoy the farm and farmhouse. One of the ladies painted on her “day off”.

Our hikes and drives took us through various terrain and villages each with their own historical background. Our first day we hiked through the Orecchiella Natural Reserve where red deer, golden eagles and wolves live around the peaks and dense beech forests. We stopped for lunch high on a ridge overlooking the mountains and valleys. We visited quaint picturesque villages high up in the mountains, one being San Pellegrino, the highest village in the Apennines.

Barga was very pretty and understandably, we came across some women on an art holiday painting the scenery. We stopped at Devil’s bridge, a medieval bridge with three arches and the legend about the pact with the devil to complete construction. Later in the week we had a break from hiking and spent a day in Lucca, a famous walled city and treated ourselves to a delicious lunch at one of the restaurants with prosecco, of course. We also visited the Cathedral of San Martino, where the Holy Face of Lucca, considered the oldest wooden statue in the West, is undergoing restoration. Every day, when hiking, we stopped for gelato on our way back to the farm. That was our reward for completing the hike.

Our farewell dinner was held in a typical Italian restaurant, with lots of atmosphere, where we were served by the owner. Starters was an anti-pasta platter, main course steak fiorentina, absolutely delicious, theatrically flambéed at our table and dessert, a choice of crème brûlée, tiramisu, or panna cotta. It was a difficult choice and a fantastic ending to our Walking in Tuscany tour 2024.

What a wonderful trip it was travelling in Tuscany with our women's only small group tour, experiencing the best of Italy with a lovely group of ladies on The Adventurous Ewe’s Walking in Tuscany tour 2024.

Have a look at our tours to book your next women's only small group tour with The Adventurous Ewe.

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"This was my first group tour other than family trips and I had such a good time. We enjoyed delicious food and wine, and the company of fellow travellers was great fun. The views from the top of the Apennines are spectacular, and there was always gelato to revive the company. I am sold on small group tours and am so appreciative of Mandy who was attentive and organized and has become a friend. I’m trying to decide between Portugal and Turkey for next year and definitely Morocco in 2026"

Prof Liz Gwyther, Argyll

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"This was a suberb tour, walking the hills of Tuscany.It was beautifully crafted taking us through Chestnut forests, old towns like Lucca and Barga, and relaxing for two days in inspiring Florence. The accommodation was wonderful and the food and wine plentiful and delicious.I would highly recommend The Adventurous Ewe to any one wanting a fun,relaxed holiday with a small group of like minded ladies."

Vanessa - Walking in Tuscany Tour 2024

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"Our walking/hiking trip to Florence and Tuscany, with The Adventurous Ewe women’s tour group, was wonderful! Well organised, all bases such as travel and transfers, meals, accomodation and hiking destination , superb and remarkably excellent. Highly recommended! Thank you Mandy for ensuring we had a most memorable Tuscany hiking experience!"

Cathy Barnett - Walking in Tuscany Tour 2024

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Map from Wandering Italy