The City of Love & Country of Wine - Kvareli, Telavi, Signagi

Itinerary

Day 1: Kvareli

Stop At: Tunnel Winery Khareba's, Meurneoba District Kakheti, Kvareli 383320 Georgia
The largest storage of Georgian wines kept in the 7.7 km long tunnel-shaped wine cellar which consists of 2 large parallel tunnels linked with 13 small galleries. The dampness of 70% and the ideal temperature (12-14˚C) for storing and aging wine stays throughout the year. In Khareba winery you can taste 30 varieties of the company’s best wines. 60 meters above the tunnels there is a nice building mixed with nature, the waterfall falling by, and garden with century-old trees, restaurant terrace, and the tower, which offers splendid views over the Alazani Valley and Kvareli vineyards.

All this beauty is located in Kakheti region, the village Kvareli, near the bank of Alazani Valley and is carved in the rock of the Caucasus mountain range.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Nekresi Monastery Complex, Nekresi Monastery Road, Kvareli 0101 Georgia
Nekresi in Kakheti, in Eastern Georgia, situated in Kvareli region not far from Shilda village, represents the complex of ecclesiastical buildings and is one of the most important cultural centers of Georgia. Beautifully set on the hilltop in the woods the monastery includes several structures built in different periods. The oldest is a chapel of the small basilica type built in the 4th century, when King Trdat, a grandson of King Mirian was on the throne; In 5-7th centuries here was erected the main temple - St. Virgin's Church of the triple-church basilica type, which has several important inscriptions and wall-painting of 16th century; In 9th century was built the domed church; There are also other buildings for different purposes - a bishop's palace, etc. In the second half of 6th-century Abibos (one of the famous 12 Great Syrian Fathers) became the head of Nekresi eparchy. He was fighting against Persians’ attempts to implant the fire-worshiping into Georgia and finally was executed for insulting of Persian God. The monastery remembers numerous Muslim invasions. The legend tells us about one of them: Nekresi was attacked by Muslims and the defenders of the monastery let pigs out of the monastery. When Muslims soldiers saw pigs on their way, they ceased hostilities and left the monastery in peace. In commemoration of this rescue the pig was announced as Nekresi protector and up to now the Nekresi st. Virgin temple is the only church in Georgia to which the pig can be sacrificed.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Shua Kalakshi, Local Family Hotel

Day 2: Telavi

Stop At: Gremi Citadel and Church of the Archangels, Gremi village, Gremi 383330 Georgia
Standing above the green valley of Alazan, Gremi attracts travelers whose road goes between Telavi and Kvareli. Gloomy and monumental, the castle is one of the most visited tourist points in Georgia.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Tsinandali Palace, Tsinandali village, Tsinandali Georgia
The manor in the village of Tsinandali is an ancestral estate, a palace of the princely family of Chavchavadze. There are many amazing, beautiful and tragic events in the history of Georgia are connected with this family.

Garsevan Chavchavadze was the first owner of the manor. He was sent by Heraclius II to Imperial Russia to negotiate the main treaty between Russia and Georgia at the time, and the 1783 Treaty of Georgievsk has his signature. He was well-educated, and his family was part of the royal rulers of Georgia.

His son, Alexander was a poet, military figure, and one of the most famous aristocrats in Georgia at the time. He participated in the war against Napoleon in the campaign to Europe in 1812 through 1814, fighting for the Russian Empire. He arrived in Paris and achieved the rank of general-lieutenant. After tired from the military campaigns, Alexander Chavchavadze decided to leave the capital. He took his family from Saint Petersburg and moved to a quiet village of Tsinandali, where he started his project on the Europeanization of Georgia. He built the palace that stands on the grounds in 1818, though little of the original palace remains.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight at Hotel Shua Kalakshi, local family hotel

Day 3: City of Love

Stop At: Signagi City Walls, Signagi Georgia
An old trading town with 17th c defensive wall around; Cobbled streets and terra cotta tile-roofed homes with colorful carved balconies and breathtaking views of the Alazani Valley give it a very charming character.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Bodbe Monastery of St. Nino, Signagi Georgia
The Monastery of St. Nino at Bodbe is a Georgian Orthodox monastic complex and the seat of the Bishops of Bodbe located 2 km from the town of Sighnaghi, Kakheti, Georgia. Originally built in the 9th century, it has been significantly remodeled, especially in the 17th century. The monastery now functions as a nunnery and is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Georgia, due to its association with St. Nino, the 4th-century female evangelist of Georgians, whose relics are shrine there.

The Bodbe Monastery nests among tall Cypress trees on a steep hillside overlooking the Alazani Valley, where it commands views of the Greater Caucasus Mountains.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.