A Common Buzzard soars over a Tuscan village. Photo: Rick Wright
Tuscany, the heart of the ancient kingdom of Etruria, is as rich in culture as it is in birds. Famous artistic centers such as Florence and Siena perch in a landscape dotted with medieval villages, while a fine network of archaeological parks provides excellent birding amid ancient ruins.
With only two hotel changes (six nights at our first hotel and three at our last), this is a relaxed and relaxing experience of some of the greatest artistic treasures of Europe, combined with low-key excursions in search of a surprising array of breeding birds and migrants. We’ll also have the opportunity to visit some of Italy’s finest vineyards for a wine tasting or two. With the exception of Day Seven, when we travel north to Siena and Florence, all of our scheduled group activities leave individual participants the possibility of some time off to simply enjoy the bright skies, warm air, and easy-going lifestyle of Tuscany.
This tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour France: Birds and Art in Provence.
A map of our tour route is available on line.
Day 1: After assembling at 10:00 am in Rome, we’ll drive about 30 miles north along the ancient Aurelian Road to Cerveteri. The roads through this impressive Etruscan necropolis are lined with hundreds of monumental tombs, some of them 100 feet across, dating from the eighth to the third century BC. Particularly notable here are the painted tombs, among them the famous Tomba di Rilievi, the walls and pillars of which are painted with scenes of everyday Etruscan life from 2,500 years ago; some of the birds depicted in the murals can still be seen today at this wonderfully peaceful UNESCO World Heritage Site. We’ll then set out on the 60-mile drive to Manciano, where our elegant hotel—home for the next six nights—overlooks the hills of Tuscany. Night near Manciano.
Day 2: After breakfast, we’ll spend the entire day birding the Orbetello region. This is one of the most productive stretches of coast anywhere on Italy’s Mediterranean shore, and we can expect to find a wide range of coastal species and seabirds. Less tha n an hour’s drive from our hotel, the open lands surrounding Orbetello Lagoon support good populations of many typical Mediterranean species, including Little Tern, European Bee-eater, and Cirl Bunting; the shallow, enclosed bay itself provides roosting and nesting sites for Greater Flamingo, several heron species, and numbers of waterfowl and shorebirds. Montagu’s Harrier and Great Spotted Cuckoo are rare but regular in the area. A substantial causeway divides the lagoon into two parts, and leads to the Argentario Promontory. The cliffs, oak groves, and Mediterranean scrub of this prominent landmark offer breeding sites to Sardinian and Western Bonelli’s Warblers; Lesser Kestrel and Short-toed Eagle are both possible, and we’ll keep a sharp eye out for the handsome Audouin’s Gull offshore. Night near Manciano.
Day 3: Salt was harvested for millennia from the saline flats of Tarquinia. By the late twentieth century, that industry was no longer economical, and in 1980 the evaporation basins were dedicated to the conservation of the plants, birds, and mammals of what is now the Saline di Tarquinia Natural Reserve. The spectacular highlight here is Greater Flamingo, often common in the area; other long-legged waders may include Eurasian Spoonbill and Squacco Heron. Mudflats attract Mediterranean and sometimes Slender-billed Gulls and a host of migrant shorebirds, occasionally including Marsh Sandpiper and Temminck’s Stint. Before lunch at one of Tarquinia’s many charming pizzerias and trattorias, we’ll visit the collections of the archaeological museum.
In the afternoon, we’ll move on to the Etruscan ruins of Vulci. A thriving city-state in the sixth century BC, Vulci was conquered 400 years later by the Romans, who were eager to take advantage of the city’s strategic position on the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Fiora River flows through this area; a good variety of birds inhabits the reedbeds and fields here, but the hoped-for prize is a glimpse of one of the very shy resident otters. Night near Manciano.
Had a wonderful time on our tour. Rick’s expertise, generosity, understanding, helpfulness, even-handedness, good nature, and industriousness are truly outstanding.
Dave Lombardi
Day 4: Today will be devoted to a relaxing exploration of the romantic Tuscan countryside. We’ll do some casual birding along the road and visit the medieval villages for which this landscape is so justly famous, and punctuate the day with a leisurely lunch. We’ll also be certain to take in a wine tasting or two at some of the renowned vineyards near Scansano. Night near Manciano.
Day 5: Maremma Regional Park preserves a dazzling range of habitats, from 100 miles of unspoiled coastline to the Uccellina Mountains; fields, Mediterranean scrub, rocky slopes, pine woods, marshes, and sandy dunes attract an equally impressive diversity of birds. Though our leisurely walk will merely scratch the surface of this splendid park—recognized by the Italian League for the Protection of Birds as one of the country’s top ten birding localities—we’ll hope to encounter such species as Common Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Common Kestrel, Common Turtle-Dove, Green Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, European Robin, European Blackbird, Blackcap, Subalpine Warbler, Corn Bunting, Greenfinch, and Serin. The marshes at the mouth of the Ombrone shelter Purple Heron, Pied Avocet, and Cetti’s Warbler, while spring shorebird migrants can include Marsh and Curlew Sandpipers and Temminck’s Stint. After lunch, we’ll move a few miles north to Diaccia-Botrona Natural Reserve. These extensive wetlands, protected under the Ramsar Convention, can be a good site for Eurasian Spoonbill, Squacco Heron, Little Grebe, Western Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, and Common Reed-Bunting. Night near Manciano.
Day 6: We’ll drive this morning to Porto San Stefano, where we’ll board the ferry to Giglio Island, which glistens in the Mediterranean a scant ten miles off the Argentario Promontory. The seascape itself will capture our attention during the one-hour ride, but there will be birds to see as well; we’ll look especially for Shag, Scopoli’s and Levantine Shearwaters, Audouin’s Gull, and Caspian Tern on our crossing. The mountainous island’s dozen miles of smooth granite cliffs are cut by bays, coves, and sandy beaches, and the landscape bursts into riotous color every spring when its more than 700 species of plants bloom. The island’s tiny port city was first occupied by the Romans, who left behind a first-century villa. A remarkably well-preserved twelfth-century castle perches nearly 2,000 feet above the sea. We’ll take the public bus up to the island’s Castello, then take advantage of gentle paths as we work our way back downhill (some participants may choose to ride the bus back down to the harbor). This will be our final night in our hotel near Manciano.
Day 7: We’ll drive north this morning to Siena, Florence’s great historic rival. The Piazza del Campo, perhaps the finest surviving medieval square in all of Europe, is dominated by the massive Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, which houses a rich store of Gothic art and ornament, first among many equals the famous fourteenth-century pulpit by Nicola Pisano. After lunch we’ll continue to Florence, the city that more than any other created the Italian Renaissance. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring Florence and its artistic treasures, visiting the magnificent Uffizi Gallery, where every turn brings us to paintings and sculptures that are iconic in western culture. Night in Florence.
Day 8: In a real sense, all of Florence is a museum, filled with world-famous works of art. We’ll spend the entire day here today, visiting the cathedral, the baptistery, and Giotto’s belltower, and perhaps a selection of the city’s elegant Renaissance palaces. We’ll also hope for a walk in the beautiful (and often birdy) Boboli Gardens before driving out into the beautiful Garfagnana valley, where we’ll spend the next three nights in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana.
Day 9: Castelnuovo lies at the heart of the lush Garfagnana region, nestled between the high Apennines and the Apuan Alps. The mountains of northern Italy remain surprisingly wild, though we’ll be fortunate indeed to glimpse a wolf (brown bear no longer occurs in this area). Among our more realistic hopes today in the Apennines are such high-elevation and forest species as Golden Eagle, Alpine Chough, Coal Tit, Firecrest, Serin, and Common Crossbill. Woodpeckers are notably diverse here, with good chances to see the “spotted” species and Green Woodpecker. The sites we plan to visit include San Pellegrino, with its 15th-century pilgrim’s hostel, and Corfino; lunch will probably be in the beautiful small town of Castiglione. Night in Castelnuovo.
Day 10: The massive Apuan Alps are famous for their deep canyons, steep slopes, and striking marbles, quarried since antiquity. Rising to over 6,000 feet, these dramatic peaks hold such desirable (and sometimes elusive) high-altitude species as Alpine and Red-billed Choughs, Crag Martin, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, and Tawny Pipit. The mixed forests and open pastures can produce Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Woodlark, and Red-backed Shrike. In the Orto di Donna, we’ll walk a short ways up a paved road from the welcoming cafe, then move to Equi Terme for lunch; after lunch, we’ll check an area that can be good for Dipper and take a leisurely stroll on another abandoned road. On the way back to Castelnuovo, we’ll stop to admire the striking and weird early Romanesque carvings in the parish church of Codiponte. We’ll enjoy a festive farewell dinner on this, our last night in Castelnuovo.
Day 11: The tour ends this morning at Pisa airport.
Updated: 30 July 2009
Prices
- 2010 price about $4,990
- Single Occupancy Supplement $380
- 2011 price not yet available
Notes
Maximum group size 14 with two leaders.