June Cinque Terre Trip 2016

Marty Tennille

We aren't planning to take the morning optional hot air balloon ride/champagne breakfast in Siena. Can't tell what time the walking tour of Siena starts that afternoon and thus, how much time we will have free that morning. Does anyone know? Any ideas of what else we might do that morning? short side trip? Would like to plan ahead if so.
Also, we do have two lunches and dinners free in Florence. Would love some recommendations of great places to go, although I suspect it's hard to go wrong!

lovestravel

Although our tour was the Classic Italy tour and was about 10 years ago, you're scheduled to see most of the same things we saw in wonderful Florence. When we left the Accademia after seeing Michelangelo's marvelous David, we walked to the nearby San Lorenzo area where we lunched at ZaZa, a small restaurant recommended by both our tour director and by my niece who had dined there on an earlier trip. We devoured delicious spinach stuffed ravioli with a truffle sauce followed by wonderful tiramisu. Afterwards, we visited the nearby Medici Chapel where we viewed Michelangelo's exquisite Medici Tombs, Night and Day and Dusk and Dawn. On a free night we dined at Ristorante Paoli with several from our group. We had ribollita, a thick vegetable soup, followed by a steak dinner. The soup was so filling that I was stuffed after I finished! Had we gone there for lunch, the soup would have been more than enough. In our free time we visited the Baptistry and the Duomo. I wish we had visited the museum where the actual doors to the Baptistry are housed. The ones on it today are replicas. On another afternoon we shopped for lovely Italian jewelry. Florence is also famous for its beautiful leather goods and is home to the wonderful shoes and other products of Salvatore Ferragamo. Also, be sure you walk along the Ponte Vecchio with its many attractive shops. We adored Florence and would love to return someday since there was so much we still haven't seen because of the lack of time.

sailorguy

We are on the Tauck Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terra trip this coming October.Would love to read any recent reviews, thoughts, and especially restaurant choices. We are arriving 1 day prior to trip and staying 3 days after the end of the tour.We've taken Tauck's Amafi, Rome, Capri tour and appreciated reviews. We will be staying in Florence, so restaurant suggestions, etc. would be great..Thanks much!! Sailorguy