TourCrafters introduces bargain-priced package to Tuscany

LIBERTYVILLE, Illinois – There’s no better time to visit Tuscany than springtime. That’s when days turn sunny, vineyards sprout their first green, markets display their gorgeous produce, and sidewalk cafés and restaurants come to life. And — difficult as it is to believe — spring is coming.

TourCrafters has made a spring trip affordable with their one-week Florence and Tuscany Countryside package, which starts at US$739 from New York and includes round-trip air from New York, three nights at the 4-star Hotel Roma in Florence, three nights at the 4-star Villa Aurea in Cortona, daily buffet breakfast, three days’ car rental, a free spa course (with sauna, Turkish bath, and tea) at the Villa Aurea, a free gelato at Florence’s famous Vivoli, service charges, and taxes.

Florence, as everyone knows, is the world’s greatest repository of Renaissance art, but it also boasts great restaurants and fabulous shopping (everything from designer shops on via Tornabuoni to the San Lorenzo Market). Cortona, a hilltop town of steep, narrow streets and the setting for the popular memoir, Under the Tuscan Sun, also has its art and architecture. Between the two lies the Chianti region with its hillside vineyards, olive groves, medieval towns, and picturesque castles — easy enough to explore with a three-day car rental.

All prices are per person, double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include airport taxes of approximately US$115 and a fuel surcharge of approximately US$360. Reservations must be paid for within 72 hours of booking. Add-on air fares are US$40 from Boston and Washington DC, US$135 from Miami and Chicago, and US$250 from Los Angeles.

For additional information about this and other Hot Deals of the Week, visit www.tourcrafters.it . For reservations, call 800-482-5995.