Rome (3 nights) Florence (3) Naples (2)
Visit Pompeii, plus the most exquisite cities in all of Italy on this first-class, fully escorted tour. A perfect combination of big cities and small towns, covering all the highlights of Italy...

Begin your tour in Rome. This will be your home base for your first night. While your accommodations will be in the romantic city of Florence for the next three nights, take an excursion to Venice with its awesome Grand Canal and St. Mark's Square. Enjoy a sightseeing tour and an enchanted dinner in Florence, the fountainhead of the Renaissance. Then we're off to Naples, a city bursting with life. Marvel at Pompeii, the city of ruins dug out from the ashes rained on it by Vesuvius. Last stop - Rome. We're back to sightsee majestic Rome, the Eternal City, where you will attend a fabulous feast at our exclusive Gala Dinner Dance. Visit places like the Vatican and the grandiose Colosseum.

Depart Rome for the USA after ten stupendous days in the lovely land of Italy!

Day 1 DEPART FROM USA
Boarding our overnight flight, we're off on the adventure that most can only dream about.

Day 2 AWAKEN IN ROME!
Benvenuti a Roma! Starting November 2007, we are pleased to offer complimentary transfers from the Rome airport to your hotel at 8:45am, 11:30am and 12:30pm. Your Perillo representative will be at the airport to greet you. This afternoon is free to wander, to shop, to sip at a cafe, whetting our appetites for what's to come. This evening we enjoy a welcome drink followed by dinner with fine local wines.

Day 3 OVER THE HILLS TO FLORENCE
This morning, we're off to Florence via the Highway of the Sun. As we traverse the hilly countryside to this capital of Tuscany, we're reminded of the exceptional talents who traveled this very path long before us. Dante. DaVinci. Michelangelo. Galileo. Botticelli. It reads like a 'who's who' of brilliance. As we arrive, we can add our own names to the list, for who knows what ideas will be born of our days here. After getting settled into our hotel, we meet for dinner at a lovely local restaurant and toast our good fortunes with Tuscan wine.

Day 4 LET'S GO TO VENICE!
This morning, we board our first-class train to Venice. We'll arrive in time for a great Venetian style luch with wines of the Veneto region.

After lunch, we'll meet our local expert for a walking tour, seeing St. Mark's Square, the great Byzantine Basilica, and inside the Doge's Palace, one of the world's most stunning examples of gothis art.

This evening we return to Florence for dinner on your own.

Day 5 FLORENCE -- BIRTHPLACE OF THE RENAISSANCE AND A SHOPPER'S PARADISE
Today we'll enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the town atop Piazzale Michelangelo, followed by a tour of the Academy of Fine Arts where Michelangelo's proud "David" stands. We'll see the majestic Duomo built in 1296, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned "Gates of Paradise" doors. We follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria and then to Santa Croce Church. There's plenty of time to shop this afternoon, followed by dinner at our hotel.

Day 6 THE ROAD TO NAPLES
Our relaxing drive to Naples takes us through the rolling hills, scenic vineyards and dreamy olive groves of Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Campania. Each view is more picturesque than the last. Along the way, we'll pass the medieval villages of Orvieto and Orte and travel through the beautiful Tiber River Valley. At last, we see the sapphire seas of the Gulf of Napoli and the imposing presence of Vesuvius. Home in Naples, we go on a panoramic tour before we nestle in for dinner at our hotel.

Day 7 THE ISLE OF CAPRI
Naples at our stern, Capri at our bow, this morning we cross the Bay of Naples to the world's most enchanting island. The vacation spot of Roman emperors and today's movie stars, I promise you'll be equally captivated by the charms of Capri.

Later this afternoon, we sail back to Naples for a great dinner out with our new found friends.

Day 8 TO ROME, VIA ANCIENT POMPEII & GALA DINNER DANCE
This morning it's off to Pompeii. A city perfectly preserved as it was on that fateful day 2,000 years ago, when ash and lava literally stopped it in its tracks. You'll see the tragic fossils of people attempting to escape along with their children and dogs. You'll also see the 'secret room'. But I'll say no more about that - you'll just have to take the tour!

Back to the present day, along the Highway of the Sun, we're soon in Rome. Eight days in Italy? How's your Italian? "Chi viaggia con Perillo, viaggia tranquillo!"

Until Oct 2007 - Tonight, get ready for our Gala Party at the Brancaccio Palace -- an extravagant dinner with flowing wines and dancing to our own orchestra. A memorable night with your new friends. Salute! (Not included on departures Nov 1 - Apr 20, where the Gala will be replaced by dinner out at a local restaurant.)

Starting November 2007 - Tonight get ready for our Gala Party at the Casina di Macchia Madama - an extravagant dinner with flowing wines and dancing to our won orchestra. A memorable night with your new friends. Salute! (Not included on departures Nov1-Apr13 where the Gala will be replaced by dinner out at a local restaurant)

Day 9 EXPERIENCING COLOSSAL ROME - CHRISTIAN AND IMPERIAL ERAS
Today we'll visit the birthplace of two great pillars of Western civilization -- the Roman Empire and Christianity. With our expert local guide we'll tour the Vatican Museums, a treasure trove of ancient Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings.

Our visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, the room where the Pope is elected. We enter in total silence, not wanting to disturb Michelangelo's famed frescoes depicting the 'End of Times'. You'll be fascinated by which of Michelangelo's contemporaries he assigned to heaven, and which to hell!

Next we visit St. Peter's Basilica, by far the largest church in Christendom. We'll see Michelangelo's Pieta, sculpted when he was just 24, as well as Bernini's seven-story bronze canopy located above the main altar.

After a break for lunch, we board our coach for a panoramic tour of Imperial Rome including Castel St. Angelo, the Roman Forum, Largo Argentina (where Caesar was stabbed by Brutus), the Jewish Ghetto and the Circus Maximus. Then we'll enter the Colosseum, reliving the brutal entertainment of the gladiators and the lions, refereed by the Emperor himself.

Tonight we'll enjoy dinner at our hotel (dinner out in Rome starting Nov. 2007). No tears, you'll meet your new friends again. Why not plan a reunion party back home?

Day 10
FLIGHT HOME
This morning we board our flight home, but we realize we're taking a little piece of Italy back home with us. Thanks for traveling with the Perillo family, and please return soon!