Tuscan art and Tuscan countryside
For experienced riders (English saddle) and non-riders who like walking – 2-4 participants
Embark on a journey through the heart of Tuscany with this exciting holiday programme, where every day unfolds a tapestry of history, art and natural beauty. Hosted by charismatic author Jenny, this weeklong adventure promises a harmonious blend of Tuscan culture, rides or walks through Tuscany’s enchanting countryside and the tantalising flavour of Tuscan cuisine.
2025 dates: 12-19 April; 10-17 May; 13-20 September; 4-11 October
SATURDAY: Meet your host Jenny at the main Florence station, S-M.N., outside the Feltrinelli bookshop opposite platform 14 at 17.50. By train (Jenny has the tickets) to Montevarchi (40 mins), then by van (10 mins) to Rendola. After settling in, your welcoming dinner.
SUNDAY: For riders a morning ride with Eraldo, your guide: for non-riders a stroll round vineyards and olive groves with Jenny, author of two books about the countryside. After lunch, a talk about that medieval marvel, ‘the cycle of the months’, and then a woodland walk. Dinner at home.
MONDAY: For riders, a morning ride with Eraldo. For non-riders on what is called ‘Pietro’s walk’: you will soon learn why! After lunch a short train journey to Arezzo to see a 2,500-year-old Etruscan statue, a Roman amphitheatre and a 13C ‘cycle of the months’ in a beautiful medieval church. Then a drink in the picturesque main square where the Joust if the Saracen takes place. Back home for dinner.
TUESDAY: Walk to the medieval tower of Galatrona, then have a drink at a local bar. Lunch in the medieval village of Loro Ciuffenna and then visit the medieval church of Gropina, the most interesting of its kind in Tuscany, with its rare 9th-century pulpit and animal carvings. Dinner at home.
WEDNESDAY. For the horses – a free day! For humans, go by train to Florence for Jenny’s fun tour of the city centre – unlike any other! Lunch at Jenny’s favourite restaurant, then up to the 11C church of San Miniato and a stroll round Piazzale Michelangelo for a panoramic view of the city. Alternatively, an unaccompanied visit to Assisi or Orvieto, both easily reached by train. Dinner at home.
THURSDAY: For riders a morning ride, for non-riders a walk to have coffee with a neighbour. After lunch a walk and then a talk about the Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca and his world-famous frescoes in Arezzo about which Jenny is writing a book. Dinner at home.
FRIDAY: By train to Arezzo to see Piero’s frescoes in the Basilica of San Francesco, as well as other interesting artworks there, both medieval and modern. An opportunity to shop, then lunch in a trattoria, followed by a stroll up to the cathedral and ‘Il Prato’, the city park, with its Medici fortress and wonderful views. Back home for dinner.
SATURDAY: After breakfast your departure by train, back to Florence or on to Rome (you can buy your own tickets at Montevarchi station).
NB. Some items on the programme may switch times due to weather or some other circumstance.
Price: 1.950 € – all included. No supplement for singles.
Other dates may be available for shorter programmes, please ask!
- For further information or to book, please contact rendolariding@gmail.com
- If you wish to contact Jenny personally, please write to jennifer.bawtree@gmail.com
Recent reviews (all unsolicited!)
“Thank you for entertaining us in Florence in your inimitable way. Your historical knowledge of the area is boundless.”
Julia Bromhall (UK)
“Our trip with you to Arezzo was the highlight of our stay with you. We learnt a lot in the nicest possible way.”
Sir Raymond Jack (UK)
“Your wonderful presentation of Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross was much livelier and more
informative than anything that I had read.”Andrea Beauchamp (USA)