Italy's Great Cities
9 days incl air, or 8 days Rome/Rome
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This 9-day trip will show you the highlight cities of Italy, covering all the notable features from St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Forum in Rome to Michelangelo’s David in Florence and St. Mark’s Basilica and Doges’ Palace with the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. Loca Guides in these cities will answer all your questions. Also included are a special welcome dinner in a lively Roman restaurant, and stops in Pisa to admire the Leaning Tower, and in Verona to see Juliet’s balcony. Scenic rides will show you the Tyrrhenian coast, the Lombardian plains, the flat Po area, the wooded Etruscan Apennine mountain range, and Tuscany’s Chianti wine country. In Venice a private boat ride and a glassblowers’ demonstration are included.

ROME
Welcome dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing including headsets, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Colosseum and Roman Forum

PISA
Picture stop at the Leaning Tower

FLORENCE
Guided sightseeing including headsets, visit Michelangelo’s David, the cathedral, and Signoria Square

VERONA
Orientation including Juliet’s Balcony and the Arena

VENICE
Private boat ride; guided sightseeing including headsets, visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblowers’ demonstration

-MEALS:  7 buffet breakfasts (BB); 2 three-course dinners (D), including a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome

-AIRPORT TRANSFERS Airport transfers may be included when you make your flight arrangements with the tour company

-INSIDE VISITS are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable

-Hotel Accommodations Twin-bedded rooms with private bath or shower, hotel taxes, service charges, and tips for baggage handling
Quality Hotels: ROME Albani (F), FLORENCE Hilton Florence Metropole (SF), VENICE Carlton & Grand Canal (F), ROME Holiday Inn Rome West (F) or Albani (F)

-Professional Tour Director while touring, cruise director on River cruises, host services on Independent Vacations, and 50 hosts in London alone to assist you at airports and hotels

-Private deluxe motorcoach with air-conditioning, extra leg room, and emergency washroom while touring

-Travel bag and travel documents

Day 1 Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy
Time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Rome
Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL (arranged next morning if closed today), world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

Day 4 Rome–Pisa-Florence
Follow the Aurelian Way along the Tyrrhenian coast to Pisa. Here take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then on to Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany. (BB,D)

Day 5 Florence
Follow your Local Guide to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. The afternoon is free. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. You may wish to join an optional dinner outing to a fine Tuscan restaurant. (BB)

Day 6 Florence–Verona–Venice.
North to Verona, medieval setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. See Juliet’s Balcony and the well-preserved Arena. Stroll around the picturesque market square. Tonight you are in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. (BB)

Day 7 Venice
Start the day in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Afterwards, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional cruise to the charming island of Burano. Tonight is your chance to sample the city’s fine restaurants. (BB)

Day 8 Venice–Rome
A scenic drive today through the lush plains of the mighty River Po, across the wooded Apennine mountain range, and past the vine- and olive-clad Tuscan Hills, which are the home of the popular Chianti wines. An optional festive dinner may be just the way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation. (BB)

Day 9
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)