There were little green grapes on vines, rows of old olive trees and shifting sunset colors in the sky, but other than those things and an occasional puff of warm summer breeze, I was entirely alone on a gravel road in Tuscany.
Just a mile or two from Hotel Le Renaie in the small Italian village of Pancole, I was revisiting some of the hike our Exodus Adventure Travels group completed that morning along the Via Francigena — an ancient European pilgrimage route covering more than 1,200 miles between Canterbury and Rome.
Pausing on a steep rise to snap a few photos, the view before me was a far-reaching patchwork of vineyards and olive orchards, draped over an undulating landscape of green hills and valleys.
Wildflowers were pervasive across the Tuscan countryside in early June.
2026 Shane NelsonPunctuated here and there by a small town or an old church perched at the top of one of those hills, that gorgeous sweep of Tuscan countryside was most definitely on brand. But what really gave me goosebumps was admiring all that iconic scenery accompanied by the fragrance of wildflowers in the air and the breeze whispering through the grapevines.
Exodus Up Close
In June, I joined a group of 15 travel advisors on an Exodus Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines fam tour, showcasing a guided group product the tour operator has now been running in the region for more than two decades.
The eight-day collection of wine tastings and leisurely-to-moderate countryside hikes paired with on-foot excursions through the Renaissance cities of Florence and Siena — as well as time in the photogenic medieval village of San Gimignano — continues to be one of Exodus’ most popular Italy trips today, according to Sasha Andrews, industry sales director for North America for Exodus.
Vacationers can soak in some of Italy’s most iconic landscapes on the Exodus Adventure Tours Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines small-group product.
2026 Exodus Adventure Tours“It’s definitely for someone with a spirit of adventure who's looking to get off the beaten track — beyond Rome, Florence and Venice — and into a more local, all-encompassing, experiential trip,” Andrews said. “And if you love wine, this is obviously a great one.”
Our home base for the week was the family-owned Hotel Le Renaie, a 25-room boutique property featuring cozy guestrooms, a terrific restaurant, a pool, a bar and — during my recent stay, anyway — a substantial serving of warm Tuscan sunshine.
Chris Wayland — owner of Wayport Travel Corp., a Jupiter, Florida-based Travel Leaders affiliate — was one of the travel advisors who joined the trip, and he was a big fan of the small hotel.
“It was like being on a movie set,” Wayland told me during a later interview. “I wouldn't want to stay in Tuscany and not be in a cute little family-run place like that. The family was so friendly, and it was just so much fun having dinner there all those nights.”
Most of the tour’s dinners did, in fact, take place at Hotel Le Renaie, but organizers worked in opportunities to enjoy evening meals elsewhere in the little village of Pancole and nearby San Gimignano. A total of five dinners and all breakfasts are included in the trip’s commissionable starting price of $3,150 per person (single-supplement costs are $945), as well as three wine tastings, transportation throughout and group transfers to and from the airport.
Wayland said he’d only previously booked one Exodus tour roughly 15 years ago for a client and described the company as “on my radar” before the fam tour. But he sounded enthusiastic about the chance to sell their products moving forward and felt like the Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines tour could be a terrific fit for all sorts of people, so long as they can handle walking 6-8 miles per day.
“[Given that], I think it'd be perfect for a lot of them,” he said. “And Tuscany was drop-dead gorgeous — every square inch of it.”
A Tale of Two Cities
Surrounded by a sea of raised hands — each working hard to capture that quintessential cell phone shot of Michelangelo’s David — I was half convinced that the world’s most iconic sculpture might come to life at any moment, step over the pulsing throng of paparazzi at his feet and duck out of the nearest exit.
Exodus travelers can schedule time with Michelangelo’s David on the tour.
2026 Shane NelsonCommissioned in 1501 when Michelangelo was just 26, the 17-foot sculpture was carved from a single block of marble and took the artist three years to complete. And everyone I’ve spoken with who’s seen the Renaissance masterpiece up close has been quick to mention just how extraordinarily lifelike the soaring sculpture truly is.
David’s celebrity status was certainly on full display during my visit to Florence, and despite the substantial June crowds, I was absolutely thrilled to spend a little time with the city’s most famous marble resident. But the wonderful day visits during our Tuscany tour to both Florence and Siena certainly presented a sharp contrast to the peaceful countryside walks we enjoyed closer to our accommodations in Pancole.
The tour combines off-the-beaten-path appeal with a chance to see some of Italy’s most popular attractions.
2026 Shane Nelson“On the day we went into Florence, so many of us were like, ‘Oh my God, this is so busy — I want to go back to the country,’” said Laura Crawford, co-owner of Aldergrove Travel, an Ensemble affiliate in Victoria, B.C.
Like Wayland of Wayport Travel’s, Crawford told me she thoroughly enjoyed the Exodus Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines product, but she felt this particular trip might make the best sense for clients who’ve already been to Italy.
“I think it's for people who are a little bit more traveled,” Crawford said. “And they're looking for something different now … something off the beaten path.”
Both Crawford and Wayland agreed that — in addition to its obvious fit for couples — the tour would also be terrific for solo travelers, a market that Exodus performs well with, according to Andrews.
“Solos are a huge demographic for us; they make up about 55% of our travelers,” she said. “One segment within that that's really popular is solo females. We find that women are usually the decision makers anyway, and they're not waiting around. So, our trips allow them to get out, experience things kind of on their own but not alone. That's been really big for us, and it’s something we're looking to grow.”
All Roads Lead to Italy
Routine sellers of Europe, Crawford and Wayland both told me their business to the continent has been solid this year, and Italy continues to be one of their top-selling destinations. The two advisors also said they would encourage clients to spend some additional time before and after in the country prior to joining an Exodus Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines tour.
“You do get into Siena and Florence on day trips, but you kind of just taste them on this tour,” Wayland said. “I would maybe encourage people to spend two or three days in Florence, which means you can get up first thing in the morning before the heat and the crowds and go see David and those important things. Then, during the hottest and busiest part of the day, hang out at the hotel, sit by the pool, go to the gym, nap — whatever you want to do — and then maybe in the evening head out again.”
Andrews noted that most North American clients end up extending trips when booking Exodus’ Italy products, and the company pays advisors a 15% commission on tour bookings and add-ons with partner hotels. The Tuscany Walks & Chianti Wines tours max out at 16 people, but Andrews noted that Exodus will work with advisors who have clients interested in booking the trip just for themselves.
“We do have a pretty robust private groups program, and that's an area where we've seen tons of growth this year,” she said. “It makes up probably about a quarter of our business at this stage from advisors.”
Crawford, meanwhile, touted the tour’s appeal for travelers who have perhaps glimpsed Tuscany on previous visits but are interested in returning to soak in more of the region’s splendor.
“If people want to see more of the gorgeous scenery and just have a more local experience, it would be a great trip,” she said. “Not to mention the food was terrific everywhere, and I didn’t have a bad glass of wine anywhere.”
Andrews also notes that Exodus is really focused on building its business with U.S. advisors, hiring its first business development manager for the region earlier this year with plans to “add a couple more next year.”
The company also launched a new online advisor booking portal in January.
“It’s super easy to use,” Andrews insisted. “It’s live availability, and advisors can book and pay completely online. All they need to do is reach out to [email protected], and we’ll set them up.”
