Superior Touring

• Arrival & departure transfers between Rome Airport & your tour hotel at specified times on Day 2 & Day 13.

• Comfortable Moderate First Class & First Class hotels specially selected for each departure.

• Luxury, air-conditioned touring coach with 49 reclining seats.

• Hotel service charges, taxes & porterage.

• Traveler document wallet, map book journal and information pack.

Professional Service

• Experienced professional Tour Director to escort you.

• Qualified local city guide in Rome.

More Included Meals: 11 Breakfasts (B)7 three course evening meals (D)

Highlights & Sightseeing

• Guided tour of Rome

• Orientation tours of Assisi, Venice, Lugano & Sorrento

Italy

• Visit St. Francis’ Assisi In Venice, cruise to St. Mark’s Square by private launch & see the Bridge of Sighs & Doges’ Palace

• Demonstration of Venetian glass-blowing

• See Juliet’s balcony & the Roman arena, Verona

• Lake Maggiore excursion to Stresa

• See the Leaning Tower of Pisa

• View the city of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo

• Demonstration of leatherwork

• Scenic clifftop drive to Sorrento

• See Sorrento’s inlaid woodwork

• In Rome see the Colosseum and the Forum

Vatican City: Visit St. Peter’s Basilica See Michelangelo’s ‘Pieta’
Switzerland: Visit the Swiss lakeside resort of Lugano

Day 1 – Depart USA
Overnight flight to Rome.

Day 2 – Rome at Leisure
Welcome to Rome - the 'Eternal City'! You will be met on arrival at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport and transferred to the Cristoforo Colombo Hotel. After checking in, the rest of the day is yours to relax. Perhaps sip a cappucino at a sidewalk cafe in the Piazza Navona (the 'Living Room of Rome') and watch life go by! Tonight, get to know your fellow travellers and Tour Director at a Welcome Meeting.
Hotel: Cristoforo Colombo.

Day 3 – Rome – Venice
Pass Etruscan hill towns and olive groves on your way to Assisi where you will see the great Basilica of St Francis. Cross the Appenine Mountains and descend onto the vast Venetian plain.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Marghera. (B,D)

Day 4 – Venice Sightseeing
A private launch takes you along the Guidecca canal past monumental architecture to St Mark’s Square; see palatial residences which seem to float on the water, while gondolas bob beneath the Bridge of Sighs. Cruise by St George Island, then see a glass-blowing master create a work of art. Consider combining a lagoon cruise with a delicious seafood lunch. (B,D)

Day 5 – Venice – Lugano – Italian Lakes
Stroll the narrow streets of Verona to see Juliet’s balcony and the Roman arena. Continue past the Italian fashion capital , Milan , before heading north to briefly enter Switzerland to visit mountain ringed Lugano. Then continue to your hotel for the next two nights.
Hotel: Le Terrazze. (B,D)

Day 6 – Italian Lakes Excursion
A drive around the shores of Lake Maggiore brings beautiful mountains, tranquil islands and picturesque towns and villages together. Stop in the lakeside resort of Stresa for a chance to take an excursion to Isola Bella, one of the Borromean Islands. (B,D)

Day 7 – Italian Lakes – Tuscany
Marvel at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which has sat in the Field of Miracles since 1350. Next to the tower, see also the white marble Cathedral, which dates from the 11th century. Continue onto the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini.
Hotel: Tuscany Inn. (B,D)

Day 8 – Florence Sightseeing
Drive to Florence, which began life as an Etruscan village centuries before Christ and flourished during the Renaissance as a centre of art and culture. View the city from Piazzale Michelangelo before watching a demonstration of leatherwork. Spend the afternoon at leisure: see the cathedral, Giotto’s Belltower and other highlights of the city. (B,D)

Day 9 – Tuscany – Sorrento
Drive through the patchwork of vines, olives and cypresses that typify the Chianti hills. Continue south along the 'Highway of the Sun' past Naples, nestling in the shadow of fuming Mount Vesuvius. Finally the road twists its way round the rugged coastline to clifftop Sorrento.
Hotel: Grand Hotel Due Golfi. (B)

Day 10 – Sorrento at Leisure
Relax in this peaceful resort, known for its many beautiful gardens. Maybe join an optional excursion to the isle of Capri, which has welcomed famous visitors for over 2,000 years? (B,D)

Day 11 – Sorrento – Rome
This morning consider visiting the excavations at Pompeii where, in AD79, the city was covered after the volcanic eruption of Vesuvius. The incredible preservation of the site means visitors are able to visualise life in Roman times. Stop at the Commonwealth cemetery at Cassino, overlooked by the imposing abbey, before driving through vine-covered hills to return to your hotel in Rome.
Hotel: Cristoforo Colombo. (B)

Day 12 – Rome Sightseeing
Rome is one of the world’s most historic cities. Join your local guide for a tour which begins with a visit to the Vatican City and the awe-inspiring St Peter’s Basilica. There’s time for an optional visit to the Sistine Chapel to see Michelangelo’s amazing ceiling which depicts the creation. Cross the river Tiber to see the Colosseum, built in 72AD and the scene of many gladiatorial contests. The model for all subsequent stadiums, it still has the power to impress. See the ancient Forum before spending time relaxing and exploring. Why not say ‘arrivederci’ to your new friends over a farewell dinner party? (B)

Day 13 – Return to USA
Your tour ends after breakfast with a transfer to Rome Airport. (B)

• Taxes not included.

• This list indicates brochure rates and dates.

• Air price is based on departures from New York. Additional add-on airfares from other cities are available.

• The displayed prices are based on twin-share accommodation. A single supplement price is available on request.

2008
Additional Visa Requirements
Please note that this tour also enters Switzerland , for which some passengers may also require a visa. Please check with your Travel Agent.

 

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