Travel to Florence with a stop at Villa La Pietra where magnificent early 20th-century Renaissance Revival gardens were created by Arthur Acton and his son, Sir Harold Acton. In Florence after dinner, Judith and Tom give a nocturnal walking tour. We spend four nights at the centrally located Hotel Brunelleschi or similar accommodations. We ascend by our private bus to Fiesole to visit Villa Medici's 15th-century terraced gardens and next door, Villa Le Balze's 1913 gardens ingeniously arranged within a narrow space. Next is Villa Gamberaia's water garden at nearby Settignano.
Lunch is at the villa.
Free afternoon in Florence. We start the morning at the Romanesque church of San Miniato al Monte, afterward visiting ViUa Capponi at Arcetri with its greendsward, secret floral garden, and its breathtaking view of Florence. A garden tour and lunch at nearby Villa Agape is hosted by the Sisters of Carita. In the afternoon, there is free time or a tour of the Boboli Gardens. Sunday, June 3, 2001.