Tuscany tour---HELP PLEASE--narrowed down to 3

francine, Depending on your budget and other factors, you could also consider one of the Rick Steves Italy tours. Although they cover other areas, many of them also include Tuscany. They're not typically "wine focused" although there will be some emphasis on the wine industry. If you don't want to take part in a winery tour with the group, you could certainly opt-out and do something else. I'm not familiar with the two Guides / Tours that you mentioned, so can't offer any comments. Good luck and happy travels!

I second the suggestion that you consider a Rick Steves tour, specifically the Hill Towns Tour. You will visit towns in both Umbria and Tuscany, as well as the CT and a short visit to the Lake District. There is one wine tasting which was combined with a great lunch; also meals at two agrotourismas and as well as some other great meals. Rick loves his food and his wine, and his tours reflect this and, of course they are a huge part of Italian culture. Talking of culture, you will see ancient sites, fantastic frescos, and the wonderfully friendly people of the area.

Thanks Lesley and Ken, Guess I wasn't clear in my post. The rest of our itinerary is planned out. We will be in Rome, Sorrento, then Florence area and finally Venice. We will be based in the Florence area for 4 1/2 days. We are planning a day trip to the Tuscany area. Does Rick Steves conduct day tours? I thought his tours are several days. thanks again

We took a tour with "Tours by Roberto" and it was amazing. We spent the morning touring the scenic clay hills area then tour of Mont Oliveto Abbey with it's wonderful artwork. Then we went on to a delightful small family winery for a tasting of the wine and other products from the farm and a wonderful meal. Roberto is a delight and he's recommended in the latest Rick Steves guide.

Like Maggie, I heartily recommend Tours by Roberto. We did a combined history/scenery/wine tasting tour that included only one small family winery. Perfect day! Roberto is lots of fun and very knowledgeable, and the tours are small: only 8 people.

One of my most memorable and favourite days in Italy was a wine tour my girlfriend and I took from Florence in the Tuscan countryside. www.tuscanwinesociety.com Ilaria was our tour guide, and she was not only fun, but knew so much about wine. She took us to 2 wineries, 1 of which was organic, and also made olive oil and pasta. YUM! I keep my olive oil in a secret place in my pantry, as it is liquid gold. I almost convinced my husband to let me go back in October for their harvest.... Also the butchers shop we stopped at for lunch was OMG good! I salivate thinking about it. Check out my blog to read about my day. www.bellasabroad.wordpress.com You will LOVE Florence and Tuscany!
Ciao!

We had a really special day celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary with Simon on the slow day in Tuscany. It was just as described- a relaxed day visiting villages, a vineyard and a castle with one other couple. Simply perfect.

My husband and I took a private day tour with Maurizio today and had such a wonderful day! His website is www.mauriziobellini.com. He speaks fluent English and is a history and art buff. We visited San Gimignano, drove the hillsides of Chianti, and stopped at a winery (private wine tasting as well as olive oil and balsalmic vinegar tasting) for lunch and an educational tour of how the wine is made (including going into the cellar) . We stopped in Greve on the way back to Florence. It was a wonderful day! He also has other tours on his website and communicated the price upfront via email and confirmed pick up time (he was on time and professional).

Thank you everyone. After much research we have booked Tuscan Sunshine Tours. They've received good reviews and seem to be adaptable to what our wish list is. I will let you know more after we get back. Thanks for all of your help.