Tour Overview
A visit to Italy is a lesson in living well. Open-air vegetable and fruit markets, neighborhood bakeries and fresh cheeses made daily are fixtures of Italian life. Tradition reigns: Neighbors still meet in the piazza to discuss the day, laundry is still line-dried, even in the largest of cities, and the passeggiata (leisurely stroll) is still made in the evening air – preferably with a gelato in hand. From the mountains to the coasts, the emphasis is on simple pleasures and high quality. On this essential highlights tour, visit Italy’s most magical cities: Venice, Florence and Rome. Built on over 100 islets, linked by 400 bridges, Venice is the only city in the world that is built entirely on water. The city has captivated poets, painters and writers for centuries and continues to charm visitors with its fragile beauty. Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance, is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Its palaces, churches and museums overflow with masterful paintings and sculpture. The Eternal City of Rome, sprawling among its seven hills, is fascinating for both its ancient and its modern wonders. All that surrounds a visitor in Rome – the stunning art and architecture, the grandeur of scale and the city’s lively citizens – guarantee an unforgettable visit.Day by Day Itinerary
Day 01: Venice, ItalyUpon arrival at the Venice airport, you will be met by your chauffeur and your local Customer Service Coordinator and transferred by private launch to your hotel in Venice, where you will be assisted with check-in. Venice is one of the few cities in the world that can be described as truly unique. It survives against all the odds, built on a series of low mud banks amid the tidal waters of the Adriatic, and regularly subject to floods. Millions visit the city each year and succumb to the magic of this improbable place whose “streets are full of water” and where the glories of the past are evident at every turn. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure. Day 02: Venice
This morning you will be met at your hotel by your local English-speaking guide for a half-day walking tour (3-hours) of Venice including visits to St. Mark's Basilica, with its rich decoration of marbles and golden mosaics, and the Doge's Palace. This afternoon, enjoy a half-day private boat excursion (4-hours) to the Lagoon Islands, accompanied by an English-speaking escort. Visit the island of Murano, where glass has been produced for centuries, and Burano, known for its lace, and the most colorful island of the lagoon with its houses painted in the brightest of colors. (B)
03: Venice - Florence
Today you will be met at your hotel and privately transferred to the Venice railway station to begin your assisted rail journey. Upon arrival at the Florence railway station you will be met from the door of the train and your luggage will be handled for you. You will then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in. Florence is a vast and beautiful monument to the Renaissance, the artistic and cultural reawakening of the 15th century. Writers such as Dante, Petrarch and Machiavelli contributed to its proud literary heritage, though it was the paintings and sculptures of the artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo and Donatello that turned the city into one of the world’s greatest artistic capitals. Enjoy the balance of your day at leisure. (B) Day 04: Florence
This morning you will enjoy a half-day walking tour of Florence (4-hours) with your local English-speaking guide. Your tour will include a visit to the Duomo (Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), the famous landmark of Florence, and the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. You will also visit San Lorenzo Church and chapels, once the parish church of the Medici family, where most of the family is buried. (B) Day 05: Florence
Today enjoy a full day excursion (8-hours) to San Gimignano and Siena with your private vehicle and English-speaking driver. Your first stop will be the picturesque medieval town of San Gimignano, known for it's surviving towers, where you will be at leisure to explore on your own. You may wish to visit the Collegiata containing 15th century frescoes, the Palazzo del Popolo, now the municipal museum containing Renaissance paintings, and the Church of Sant’Agostino. Continue on to the scenic Tuscan town of Siena where you shall meet your local English-speaking guide for a 3-hour walking tour. Siena was built on three hills and is enclosed by a set of walls and gates. Visit the Piazza del Campo, one of the finest main squares in Italy. See the Palazzo Pubblico which has served as Siena's Town Hall since the 1300s and visit Siena's Duomo considered to be one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy with unforgettable frescoes in the Piccolomini Library. (B) Day 06: Florence - Rome
This morning you will enjoy a half-day walking tour of Florence (4-hours) with your local English-speaking guide. This tour will include visits to the Uffizi Gallery, housing some of the world's most important art treasures, and the Church of Santa Croce, where many famous Florentines are buried such as Michelangelo and Galileo. You will have the opportunity to view the remarkable exterior of the Palazzo Vecchio before walking through the Piazza Signoria. Before being escorted back to your hotel. In the afternoon you will be met at your hotel and privately transferred to the Florence railway station to begin your assisted rail journey. Upon arrival at the Rome railway station you will be met from the door of the train and your luggage will be handled for you. You will then be privately transferred to your hotel where you will be assisted with check-in. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure. (B) Day 07: Rome
In the morning you will be met by your local English-speaking guide and private vehicle for a half-day sightseeing tour (4-hours) of Imperial Rome. Your tour will include a visit to the famous Colosseum, scene of gladiatorial battles, and the Roman Forum and Palatine which was the center of Imperial Roman life. You will also visit the basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli housing Michelangelo's statue Moses, before returning back to your hotel. The afternoon is at leisure. (B) Day 08: Rome
This morning you will be met by your driver and private vehicle and escorted to the Vatican City where you will be met by your local English-speaking guide for a half-day sightseeing tour (4-hours). Created as a result of the Lateran Treaty in 1929 between Pope Pius XI and the Italian government, the Vatican is the smallest independent state. Explore the treasures of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel with its famous frescoes by Michelangelo. Visit St. Peter's Basilica, the dominant structure of the Vatican that was erected on order by Constantine, over the tomb of the crucified St. Peter. The present structure is mostly Renaissance and Baroque, formed under the hands of masters such as Michelangelo, and the inside is an elaborate and detailed display of marble, mosaic, gilt and bronze. Visits to the Vatican Museums are scheduled early in the morning to take advantage of priority access with your private guide. First priority entry is at 8:00 a.m. so you will depart from your hotel at 7:15 a.m. (B) Day 09: Rome - Depart
Today you will be privately transferred to the Rome airport. (B)
