Itinerary

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 in 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. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

Day 4:
Rome–Pisa–Florence. Drive along the Aurelian Way and 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 and visit 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, take pictures of the Arena, and 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 BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch 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. Speed south along the Highway of the Sun through the lush plains of the mighty River Po, across the wooded Etruscan 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 at one of Rome’s fine restaurants may be just the way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation. (BB)

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

 

Dates & Prices

ROME
Welcome dinner in 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