From Lucca to the Cinque Terre - A Tuscan Road Trip

Six days from a walled Renaissance city to the Ligurian coast, with a bicycle and a boat doing the two most memorable parts rather than the car.

Lucca gets two nights and is reached via Pisa. The city walls were built in the sixteenth century, are over four kilometres round, and were never needed for defence, so instead of being demolished they were planted with trees and turned into a promenade. Cycling them with a private guide is the best possible introduction to the place. The Guinigi Tower, which has oak trees growing on its roof, and an olive oil tasting are also included.

Levanto in Liguria follows for three nights, reached past the marble quarries of Carrara, where Michelangelo chose his stone and the hillsides are still cut white. An optional private guided hike runs through Cinque Terre National Park between Manarola and Volastra, up through the terraced vineyards above the sea.

The finish is the best of it. A boat with a private skipper traces all five Cinque Terre villages at sunset, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, which are stacked into the cliffs and look considerably better from the water than from the crowded footpaths above them. Original Travel include the hire car, the accommodation, the private cycling tour, the sunset boat, local concierge access, a 24-hour helpline and carbon absorption through their own programme. Flights and most meals are separate. Prices run from 2,050 to 2,900 pounds per person depending on season, booking window and choices.