FEAST OF THE CONQUERORS RIDE

Feast your eyes, senses and appetites with this horse-riding itinerary that explores Tuscan landscapes and culinary delights. This itinerary can be scheduled to coincide with the long tradition of Il Palio, an Italian festival filled with horseracing, flags, and costumes. Itineraries that encompass Il Palio will include the Contrada Dinner the night before the race and a balcony view of the race around Piazza del Campo in Siena.

Details of the Ride

Skill Level: Good for intermediate-strong intermediate riders, who are capable of being in the saddle for multiple hours a day. The pace of each trip is set according to the level of the riders.

Horses: Lipizzaners, Anglo-Arabs, Sicilians , Murgese and Maremmano. All horses are friendly, willing to please, fit and forward-moving. No bad habits are allowed.

Training: Most of our horses are trained in both, English and Western riding. Please request your preference when scheduling.

Tack & Equipment: We provide quality equipment and saddles, including: English saddles (comfortable, endurance, all-purpose saddles created of fine leather); Western saddles (high quality and comfortable); Australian saddles as well as some interesting traditional working saddles used by local cowboys.

Dates: On request

Rates:

VILLA FERRAIA
$3690 per person, double occupancy, minimum of 4 riders and 12-28 people per group
$3950 per person, double occupancy, minimum of 4 riders and 4-11 people per group (November to April only)
$850 single occupancy supplement

CASTELLO DI TOCCHI
$2990 per person, double occupancy, 7-12 riders per group
$3250 per person, double occupancy, 4-6 riders per group
$800 single occupancy supplement

IL PALIO
Race dates are July 2 and August 16 annually
$1290 per person

The price includes 7 days plus 6 nights with 3 full days and 2 half days of riding. See detailed itinerary below. This all-inclusive holiday includes meals, excursions, taxes and transfers from the Siena railway station. We can also arrange for a taxi to the airport, at an additional fee. Airfare and gratuities not included.

Itinerary: Feast of the Conquerors Ride
(The daily itinerary may be subject to change in case of bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances.)

DAY ONE:
Settle into your suite at the Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia. Relax with drink and dinner before retiring for the evening in one of these 1,000-year old hamlets.

DAY TWO:
After proper introductions to the horses, we begin the day by exploring the forests and meandering hills on our way to the village of Casciano di Murlo. From horseback, we delight in the Tuscan hilltop vistas with the Sienese skyline at the horizon as we ride past Castello de Capraia.

We refuel after the morning ride with a Tuscan-style picnic lunch at Castello di Poderina, resting ourselves and the horses. After lunch, we venture towards Via Maggio where we will leave the horses for the night.

We travel back to Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia by car, where we feast on Tuscan food and local wines.

DAY THREE:
We reacquaint with the horses at Via Maggio. We trot and canter through vineyard-blessed landscapes and past medieval and renaissance-era farms.

We return to Via Maggio for an Italian-style lunch. After lunch, we enjoy locally created wines at the enoteca, or wine cellar, of a fortress.

We again leave the horses at Via Maggio and return to Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia for a feast with wines of the region.

DAY FOUR:
We return to the stables at Via Maggio where the horses are ready for our ride through the Tuscan country side. We visit the Castello di Montepescini where we enjoy an Italian-style picnic lunch.

From horseback, we witness the evolving Mediterranean landscape as it transforms from ancient forests into rolling clay hills. After a beautiful day of riding, we return to Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia for dinner, wine and conversation.

DAY FIVE:
We join our horses for a morning ride through the land of woodsmen on our way to the medieval village of Iesa. This remote area is rich with impressive medieval ruins of towers and farms.

We canter and trot on a return trip to Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia for lunch, before traveling to the farmhouse of a Sardinian shepherd’s family. We will tour the farm, taste the cheeses and learn some traditional Sardinian recipes.

Following this theme, dinner includes Sardinian ravioli as well as roasted piglet and lamb at the table of the shepherd.

DAY SIX:
We start the day cantering through a fragrant pine forest and along a river. We follow an ancient road on the way to San Galgano, a magically silent place that echoes with historic battles. San Galgano, from a historical and architectural perspective, is one of the most important buildings of the Sienese area. An awe-inspiring structure that is open to the sky, it sits along the pilgrims’ road Via Francigena, that once connected Rome with France. We see where the knight Galgano Guidotti, dedicated his life to God and set his sword in a rock. (Yes, this story is very similar to the English legend of King Arthur and Merlin!) While here, we indulge in an Italian-style lunch and tales of Tuscan legends.

We wind down the event-filled day with a memorable last dinner at Castello di Tocchi or Villa Ferraia.

DAY SEVEN:
This itinerary ends with a Tuscan breakfast and trip to the Siena train station.

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