Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Italy. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document that will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING ITALY: United States citizens need a passport valid for six months beyond the intended length of stay. At the time of writing, no visa is required for US citizens spending 90 days or less in Italy. Citizens of other countries should consult their Italian embassy or consulate to inquire about entry requirements and visas.
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of Italy in the University of Texas collections here. The US Department of State background note on Italy is also available on line.
HEALTH: This tour is not a strenuous one: walking, occasionally over rough or steep terrain, is the only physical requirement, but participants always have the option of sitting out any activity they’d prefer not to take part in, or simply perching in the sun to enjoy the beauty of the Tuscan spring.
Mosquitoes and other biting insects are generally scarce to non-existent, but on a still day they can be a minor annoyance in the mornings, so bring an insect repellent or headnet; ticks are present in some areas but unlikely to be encountered unless you stray into tall grass. Sunburn can be avoided by the conscientious use of a hat and sunscreen; sunglasses will be very welcome on bright days.
It may be impossible to obtain certain prescription medications during the tour, so bring all you are likely to need with you in their original labeled containers.
The Centers for Disease Control advise that all travelers make certain that their routine vaccinations (such as for influenza, chickenpox or varicella, polio, measles/mumps/rubella, and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus) are up to date. The CDC also suggests that vaccination for hepatitis B and a booster for tetanus-diptheria may be needed for visitors to western Europe. Check with your personal physician or local health department for more information well in advance of traveling, and review the latest CDC advisories.
Tap water is safe and widely drunk in hotels and restaurants in Italy.
Please note that any health/medical information contained herein is gleaned by WINGS from websites that are dedicated to traveler’s health issues. Advisories and recommendations by agencies such as the CDC can and do change frequently. We urge you to consult with your physician, local health department, or the CDC for the most up-to-date health advisories for travel to Italy. You can check with the CDC on line.
ALTITUDE: We will be birding at elevations from sea level to approximately 6,000 feet. Our highest altitudes—slightly above that of the Denver airport—are not generally great enough to occasion any difficulties, and we will walk slowly whenever we are high in the mountains; should you experience any discomfort, it will be possible to rest, return to the vehicle, or even be driven a short distance downhill, where recovery should be swift.
CLIMATE: Temperatures in central Italy at this time of year typically range from morning lows in the mid-50s to highs in the mid-70s F; it will be cooler at our higher-elevation sites, where warm clothing (including hat and gloves) may be helpful. Afternoons along the coast can be quite warm, but there is usually a pleasant moderating breeze. You will be most comfortable if you dress in layers that can be shed as the day goes on. May is usually relatively dry and sunny, but rain showers are possible at any time, and it is best to be prepared with a light rain jacket or umbrella.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: This is a relaxed tour, with only two hotels, sparing us the strain of frequent packing and unpacking. We will drive from the hotels to our birding and sightseeing localities each day; none of our drives will be more than two hours, and most are signigicatly shorter. None of our other destinations are much more than an hour from our hotel. Our group departures will be relatively late, after breakfast in the hotel. Most of our lunches will be hot meals in restaurants. We’ve scheduled breaks at the hotel before dinner, and make every effort to be seated before 8:00 pm.
Our birding walks are all easy to moderately easy, on good paths or trails. Our short walks in the Apennines and Apuan Alps necessarily include some uphill stretches, but we will opt without exception for gentle, well-engineered trails, and there will always be the opportunity to stop and rest. In some of the coastal marshes, we’ll be birding mostly from the roadsides; elsewhere we’ll walk up to a mile on level trails and roads to blinds or overlooks.
The most extensive walking of the tour will be found at historical and cultural sites. Though public buildings in Italy are required to provide access for visitors with limited mobility, there are nevertheless certain areas that can be reached only with the ascent and descent of stairs. Because Siena bans vehicles from the historic center, we will need to walk about 45 minutes from our parking area. In Florence, we will walk a cumulative total of about 45 minutes from the Uffizi to the train station by way of Santa Maria Novella. In general, it is well to recall that European cities—including hotels, restaurants, and museums—have more stairs, curbs, and other obstacles than you may be used to.
ACCOMMODATION: Our hotels are modern, comfortable three-star establishments conveniently located for our birding and cultural excursions. All rooms have private bathroom facilities, heat, and air conditioning.Our hotel at Manciano is a renovated country estate with 12 rooms in two buildings; there is a swimming pool, and we’ll take advantage of the fine restaurant for most of our dinners. Click here for a full list of bird species present on the hotel grounds.
In Florence we stay in a comfortable and conveniently located hotel housed in a former monastery once owned by the composer Rossini. The rooms are smaller here and the views less pastoral, but the setting is quiet and relaxing. There is free wireless internet and a computer terminal in the breakfast room.
Our Castelnuovo hotel’s rooms are large, modern, and comfortable, with air conditioning, private bathrooms, satellite television, and, for a daily fee, high-speed internet access; there is birding in the handsome garden, an outdoor pool, and a sauna, and even rental bicycles are available if you’d like to explore the town on your own.
FOOD: The food of Tuscany is one of the great appeals of this tour, and we will enjoy it to its fullest. Our breakfasts in Manciano are lavish buffets, with cereal, milk, juice, yoghurt, fruit pastries, and prosciutto among the offerings; tea and coffee (including decaffeinated) are prepared fresh to order. Our restaurant lunches are an opportunity to relax between the activities of the morning and the afternoon; we’ll choose restaurants with a variety of pasta dishes, salads, or pizza. Any picnic lunches we decide to have will include local breads, cheeses, meats, and fruits. Italians eat late in the evening, and though we‘ll make every effort to be seated as early as possible, some dinners may go until after 10:00 pm. On most of our nights in Manciano, we’ll take advantage of the gourmet meals prepared by our hotel’s excellent chef, and on other evenings we may explore a couple of equally good and equally authentic Tuscan restaurants in the near vicinity. In Castelnuovo, breakfasts are less extravagant but still satisfying, and we’ll plan on eating in the hotel’s very good restaurant each evening.
TRANSPORTATION: We will travel by minibus from our hotels to our birding sites. Participants will switch seats each day and must be able to sit in any seat in the vehicle. The ferry to Giglio Island is a large, stable boat; on Giglio, we’ll ride the sometimes crowded public bus to the summit of the island. Our trip in Diaccia - Botrona uses a slow, flat-bottomed boat.
DRESS: Dress will be “birder casual” during our time in the field, though somewhat nicer (but still informal) clothes are recommended for evening meals out and for visits to museums and churches. Sleeveless shirts, shorts, or short skirts are generally not acceptable in churches in Italy.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered. Smoking is not permitted inside in Italian restaurants or hotels. If any accommodation or location where the group is gathered has a stricter non-smoking policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information and Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Italy will be sent to each registrant on receipt of the booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be sent to you about three weeks before the tour starts. Other news will be communicated as necessary.
Updated: June 2011