Villa Cora or similar - 4 nights
(Florence, Chianti)

Villa Cora is a love letter in art and architecture. Our exclusive luxury hotel is located in a centuries-old park that overlooks the Boboli Gardens, on the hills just outside the historical center of Florence. The villa is an aristocratic residence built at the end of the XIX century reflecting the architectural styles of that period. Villa Cora is part of The Leading Hotels of the World group, and has only 29 rooms each with its own style. This sophisticated boutique hotel is the perfect place from which to base our strolls around lesser-known Florence.

Castello di Gargonza - 5 nights
(Gargonza, Arezzo, Cortona, Anghiari)

The fortified village of the Castle of Gargonza is a superbly restored 13th-century medieval hamlet. It is surrounded by more than 1500 acres of forest, olive groves and vineyards and overlooks the Val di Chiana, a wide green valley punctuated by gently rolling hills. Gargonza's rooms and suites are located in different houses inside the village, they have maintained the authentic structures and the careful restoration by the Guicciardini family has preserved their original character. The comforts are modern while the atmospheres have remained those of the past.

Enjoy aperitivo in the private lemon garden of our charismatic host, Neri Guicciardini, who will regale us with stories of his aristocratic family's past.

Dana fell in love with international travel during college while studying art and politics at the Stanford-in-Florence program. She majored in International Relations and has traveled to over 50 countries in search of authentic adventures, beautiful meals, and life-changing moments to share with her private and organizational clients. Via Conley & Silvers LLC, her goal is to provide guests with the highest level of customer service while creating unique and magical itineraries and events. Before co-founding Conley & Silvers with long-time Stanford mate Alison Silvers, Dana’s career spanned from being a researcher at the Pentagon and International security think tanks to art appraisal and directing a gallery. When Dana is not tour managing or on a reconnaissance mission, she divides her time between Europe, Great Guana Cay (Bahamas) and New York City where cheese consumption, yoga, snorkeling, antiquing, museum going and walking puppy Ruby reign as her favorite pastimes.

Tim Jepson is a British, London-based writer, traveler, and broadcaster. He began his traveling life at the age of 12, exploring the mountains of Britain and Ireland. After graduating from Oxford University with a BA in English Literature and Language, he lived and worked in Italy for six years, writing for a variety of British newspapers and leading high-level expeditions in the country’s remotest corners. His experiences were recorded in a book, Wild Italy, published in the U. S. by the Sierra Club. He has since written more than 20 books, including several titles for National Geographic, and numerous articles for publications worldwide.

Elaine Ruffolo has been teaching art history in Florence, Italy since 1990 and is a popular instructor for students and adults alike. Her special interests include the history of patronage and the economy of Italian Renaissance city-states. Ruffolo firmly supports the idea that the best way to fully understand a work of art is by exploring the context in which it was made. This approach gives the viewer the fullest understanding of the work of art under consideration and at the same time, brings the past to life.