A fantastic week of walking in golden hued countryside, sampling local wines and enjoying local food. The group was great, the guide (Mark) top notch, the hotel and staff lovely, the organisation seamless - who could ask for more.
Exodus tours were recommended to me, and as someone who knows little about wine but loves to drink it I was keen on this trip. I also fancied some exercise and activities thrown in. I was slightly dubious about going alone but soon realised when I got there that exodus caters for people like me. I would say the trip is scaled correctly in terms of activity level, I particularly enjoyed the panzano and San gimignano walks. There's also loads to do on your free day, I rented a vintage fiat from castellina, some of the group went riding and others cooking so plenty of options. Couldn't recommend this trip enough.
A fabulous combination of walking the Tuscan countryside, combined with wine tastings and city visits. Alejandro was a brilliant leader. Villa Castalta is a perfectly adequate base for a walking holiday. The meals at the Villa are basic but wholesome. The restaurant used in the village were all different and very good. The best being Il Re Gallo. The 3 main walks are all interesting, each finishing in an interesting town for lunch and gelato! Despite the high temperatures during our week (highs of upper 30s) all the walks were at a a relaxed pace with plenty of stops along the route.
