| Golf, Food & Wine
The Italian art cities are some of the most-visited destinations in international cultural tourism. Of course, many are Italy’s art cities: Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, Bologna, Parma, Ferrara, Turin, Milan, Mantua, Padua, Verona, Vicenza, Perugia, Siena, Palermo just to name a few, but when touring Italy, you will soon discover the hundreds of Medieval villages that adorne this magic land!
Almost all of them preserve an important historic, artistic and architectonic heritage that narrates the succession of century after century: walking along the narrow street, you will soon find yourselves lost in the history because they are rich in signs of the events of the men who moved about in them. In fact, Italy’s art cities were often the seats of governments and principalities, and the stages for the events that changed the course of history.
More specifically these cities, due to their particular relationship with various axes of power, were made over several times – i.e. as residences of princes, dukes, popes, kings and emperors.
Frequently characterized as an urban textile that preserves the original framework, such as a Roman stronghold or a Medieval borgo, Italy's art cities represent vestiges that each seem to be frozen in different times – some even seem to straddle the divide between more than one historical period, perhaps not having completed the transformation initiated by one conqueror or another.
Marked by the initiatives of great artists and patrons, these cities are not only the repositories of poignant artistic expressions, but are themselves true masterpieces of art. They are open-air museums that can be enjoyed and admired on foot.
Considering such a heavy bargain of culture, history, arts, when we prepare a golf tour touching these places, we take in account that golf plays only a little part of the day because the remaining part is taken by your curiosity to visit, to understand what these magic places have to offer.
We have prepared great golf proposals based in these cities; you could spend all the stay in one location or make various combinations. Here are our some of our suggestions:
Florence 6 nights
Siena 3 nights + Florence 4 nights
Rome 3 nights + Florence 4 nights
Rome 3 nights - Florence 3 nights + Venice 2 nights
Rome 3 nights + Perugia 2 nights + Florence 3 nights
Florence 3 nights + Venice 3 nights
Verona 6 nights
Verona 4 nights + Venice 3 nights
Rome 3 nights + Florence 3 nights + Milan 1 night
Turin 4 nights + Milan 3 nights
Bologna 3 nights + Parma 2 nights + Verona 2 nights
The proposals based on these art cities, apart playing golf and visiting the towns and their museums, include various local features typical of that area: food, wines, cooking classes, food tours, craftsmanship, motors, botanical gardens, etc.
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To explore the courses in these areas, please click on the following links:
Tuscany for Florence and Siena
Rome for Rome
Umbria for Perugia
Veneto for Venice, Verona
Piedmont for Turin
Milan for Milan
Emilia Romagna for Bologna, Parma
The Golf in Italy - Golf Tours are a personalized formula and have matured over the years, only possible thanks to years of personal relationships and trust with Golf Courses and Resorts.
For any request, doubt or information write us at: info@golfinitaly.org
Your Golf in Italy Team
Tuscany is located in central Italy and stretches from the Apennines to the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Its landscape, artistic heritage and stand-out cities - first among them Florence - make Tuscany an unquestioned protagonist of international tourism. In this region, nature has many different facets, starting from the coast that alternates long and sandy beaches, like the Versilia beach, with rocky cliffs and steep headlands. The islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, surrounded by Mediterranean vegetation, a crystal-clear sea and rich seabeds, are peerless.
You can admire sceneries of uncontaminated nature in the Apuan Alps and in several protected areas, such as the Orbetello Lagoon, home to many species of migrant birds, including pink egrets.
However, the most typical sceneries of the region are those that merge the beauty of nature with the millenary work of man. The amazing Gulf of Baratti and the sites of Vetulonia, Vulci and Pitigliano guard necropoli and vestiges of the Etruscan civilization, while Roselle and Cosa evoke memories from the Roman Age.
Medieval villages, historical towns, castles and defense systems, country churches (the so-called pievi) and beautiful abbeys, like the one of Sant'Antimo, are scattered all over the territory and their profiles stand out in the landscapes of the Crete Senesi, Orcia Valley, Garfagnana, Chianti and the Maremma.
Finally, Tuscany is full of spas: Montecatini, Saturnia, Montepulciano, Monsummano and Bagno Vignoni, which offer relaxing holidays thanks to their thermal waters and well-equipped facilities for all types of treatments.
The provinces of the region are: Florence (regional capital), Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.
FLORENCE
Situated in northeast Tuscany, the Province of Florence covers areas with different geographical and environmental characteristics, including Mugello, Montagna Fiorentina, Valdarno, part of Chianti and Empolese-Valdelsa.
At the Province's center, in a basin crossed by the Arno River, stands the magnificent City of Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, filled with historical relics and artistic masterpieces by the greatest masters of Humanism and the Renaissance. These creative geniuses made an indelible mark on the world’s architecture and art: Giotto and Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and Vasari, Michelozzo and Leon Battista Alberti, just to mention a few.
Every year, Florence, unanimously recognized as the cradle of the Renaissance, attracts crowds of Italian and foreign tourists to admire the marvelous churches, sumptuous buildings, and museums that make it so unique.
The city’s charm also extends to its territories, beginning with the natural amphitheatre created by the hills surrounding Florence, where unique places such as the small towns of Fiesole and Certosa del Galluzzo stand.
The whole area is made up of stunning landscapes such as the Chianti Valley, where visitors can follow numerous art or wine and food itineraries, and other areas, from Mugello to Valdarno, that hold a wide variety of surprises: ancient castles, Medieval rural churches, and villas.
Wherever one turns, historical towns and art treasures make this province absolutely unique, a place where nature and culture intertwine as in a dream. Each and every town, with its own particular features, is a world to be discovered: Empoli with its rich cultural heritage contained within 15th-Century city walls; Sesto Fiorentino with the famous “La Montagnola” Etruscan tomb; Impruneta, with its terra-cotta production; or Borgo San Lorenzo, with the remains of its 14th-Century fortifications and a magnificent church; and Castelfiorentino and Barberino Val d’Elsa, among many others.
The Florentine territory provides a surprising number of itineraries, making a vacation here an ideal occasion to explore this enchanting area.
SIENA
Situated in central-southern Tuscany, the Province of Siena extends over some of the most famous and fascinating Tuscan territories, e.g. the southern hills of Chianti, Val d’Elsa and Val di Merse, Val d'Arbia, Val di Chiana and Val d'Orcia, right up to the slopes of Mount Amiata.
The Province’s Capital, Siena, is a magnificent city of art with characteristic alleys, wards (rioni) and towers, artisan shops and buildings that make it a not-to-be-missed touristic destination for Italians and foreigners. Moving through Siena’s lands and immersing yourself in this atmosphere is a magical adventure, a trip through many landscapes, from dense woodlands to old farms, from clay hills to stupendous paths.
Furthermore, the territory preserves numerous remains from the Middle Ages, springing out along the Via Francigena, the great pilgrimage road to Rome that crossed Val d’Elsa, the city of Siena and Val d’Orcia.
Walking through this countryside, you can admire impressive abbeys such as Sant’ Antimo, Romanesque parishes (pievi) and characteristic small towns (borghi) such as San Quirico d’Orcia or San Gimignano, which preserve their original appearance to this day.
The Chianti area, home to the famous wine, is also an enchanting part of Tuscany that hosts tucked-away towns such as Castellina, and dense vineyards, such as those of Radda in Chianti, Gaiole in Chianti or Castelnuovo Berardegna, as well as delicious enogastronomic itineraries.
The landscape south of Siena leading towards the Medieval center of Asciano is dominated by the typical Crete, clay lands where erosion has created crevices, openings and cracks. It is an impressive area where the imposing Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore stands out. Val d’Elsa is also very impressive with its characteristic towns Colle di Val d’Elsa, Poggibonsi and San Gimignano, that boasts inestimable artistic heritage.
Val di Merse is constituted of solitary but fascinating places, including the ruins of the San Galgano Abbey that date back to the 13th Century. Val di Chiana provokes emotion and offers its visitors elevated health and well-being, thanks to its thermal spa centers in Chianciano Terme, Montepulciano and San Casciano dei Bagni.
Hills and gullies, Tuscan cypress trees, the river, olive groves and vineyards: this is the landscape animating Val d’Orcia, protected by UNESCO. Here magnificent towns abide, from Pienza and San Quirico to Montalcino and Castiglione; in the west lie Mount Amiata and the solitary Rocca di Radicofani.
GROSSETO
The Province of Grosseto lies in southern Tuscany and reaches from the slopes of the Colline Metallifere (Metalliferous Hills) to the border with Lazio, comprising the multifarious landscapes of the Maremma.
The coastline between the Gulf of Follonica and the mouth of the Chiarone River offers sceneries of singular beauty dominated by pine forests and crystal-clear waters. It is home to famous resorts such as Marina di Grosseto, Principina a Mare, Castiglione della Pescaia, Punta Ala and Punta Talamone.
Tourist destinations of international renown include Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole, the two pearls of Monte Argentario - the green promontory stretching out to the sea and surrounded by a high and rocky coastline. It is connected to the mainland by the long sandy beaches of Giannella and Feniglia, nicknamed “the necks”. Pristine landscapes and magnificent views are the characterizing features of the Islands of Giglio, Giannutri and Formiche di Grosseto, favorite diving spots thanks to the population of colorful seabed flora.
The hinterland is also rich in possibilities. In the Monterondo Marittimo area of the wild Colline Metallifere, the Biancane Natural Park is just waiting to be discovered. An area noted for the emission of hot, white steam from the depths of the earth, it boasts extraordinary landscapes and a surreal atmosphere.
Another typical environment here is Maremma Grossetana, where the wide plains of Ombrone, Fiora and Albegna intersperse with hills.
The Maremma is the land of the buttero (the typical local cowboy), of authentic local products, of rural traditions handed down over the centuries, and of pure, wild nature.
Numerous protected zones thrive in this area, including the Parco Naturale della Maremma e Monti dell’Uccellina; the Natural Reserve of the Lagoon of Orbetello, an immense mirror of water that welcomes many species of birds every season; and Burano Lake, a magnificent coastal saltwater lake and WWF Oasis.
In the southeastern corner of the Province, the so-called “Tufo area” is characterized by erosive phenomena, beautiful villages and very important Etruscan necropolises.
Apart from its natural beauty and the variety of its environments, the Province of Grosseto is home to considerable artistic heritage, art settlements, small and fascinating centers impressed by the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and archaeological sites that conserve Roman and Etruscan finds.
A rich gastronomic tradition and the excellent local wines add an extra touch of magic to this fascinating land.