Cinque Terra • Almalfi Coast • Lake Maggiore
Isle of Capri • Siena • Naples • Sorrento
Positano • Roma • Sestri Levante • Lucca
Pisa • Firenze • Ravenna • Venice • and Milan
We depart our gateway international airport for Rome, Italy. We must be at the airport at least three hours before the flight. Enjoy our on-board transatlantic experience.
ENROUTE TRANSATLANTIC
Upon arrival at Rome Fiumicino airport, be met by your Italian escort who will be with you throughout the tour. Board the coach and drive south to Sorrento, stopping on the way in Pompeii for a guided tour. Pompeii lay buried and forgotten for hundreds of years. The town is a must-see and the excavations begun in the 18th Century are still being carried out. At the end of the guided tour transfer to Sorrento to check into your centrally located 4-star hotel .
Dinner and Overnight Sorrento
After breakfast in hotel, transfer to the port where you will catch the hydrofoil to Capri. Capri is a Mediterranean island of calcareous origin that has been visited over the centuries by intellectuals, artists and writers, all enthralled by its magical beauty. In early afternoon return to Sorrento and enjoy an unforgettable tour of the Amalfi Coast. We start in the direction of Positano. On the way are breathtaking views. Once in Positano you can stroll through the narrow streets, relax and have a drink on one of the many terraces, visit shops and small factories of ceramic art or perhaps walk along the sea. Then move to Amalfi, admiring the crib of Praiano, the fjord of Furore, the Emerald Cave and Sofia Loren's villa in Conca Dei Marini.
Pizza Dinner and Overnight Sorrento.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning depart Sorrento for Rome for a guided tour. Starting at the Colosseum, you will enter with skip-the-line tickets and bypass the long queue. Once inside the world's most famous amphitheater your guide will explain to you all about the bloody gladiator combats and other spectacles that took place inside . Your tour continues to the picturesque Palatine Hill and the impressive Roman Forum, the meeting point of Ancient Rome. At the end of the tour, transfer to your 4-star centrally located hotel to check in.
DInner at a local restaurant and Overnight.
Breakfast in hotel. In the morning, you’ll be visiting the Vatican with tours of the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel, the official residence of the Pope, in the Vatican City. Its fame rests on its decoration, frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists, including Michelangelo whose ceiling is legendary. At the end of the guided tour enjoy a free afternoon.
Dinner at a local restaurant and Overnight Rome.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning board the coach and drive North to Sestri Levante, stopping on the way in Siena for a free visit. You will admire Piazza del Campo, the famed site of the Palio di Siena, the horse races held twice a year. Continue on to Sestri Levante and check in your hotel.
Dinner and Overnight Sestri Levante.
After breakfast in hotel, transfer to the train station and start a full day excursion to the Cinque Terre, an enchanting region made up of five charming villages. On arrival at the Cinque Terre, follow your tour escort on a walking tour of each distinctive town; stop first at Riomaggiore, an enclave replete with pastel colored houses that appear to tumble into the sea, and then travel onward to Manarola, the oldest village on the stunning landscape. Next, admire sweeping vistas of the Mediterranean Sea from the elevated perch of Corniglia; revitalize with a delicious Italian lunch in one of Vernazza’s sophisticated open-air restaurants (own expense); and then conclude with a rejuvenating stint on of one Monterosso’s beaches, famed for their silken sands and warm water.
late afternoon Dinner and Overnight Sestri Levante.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning depart Sestri Levante for Florence, calling at Lucca and Pisa. Lucca is a beautiful old city that sparks love at first sight thanks to its rich history, handsome churches and excellent restaurants. Continue on to Pisa. Once a maritime power to rival Genoa and Venice, Pisa now draws its fame from an architectural project gone terribly wrong: its Leaning Tower (Torre Pendente). But the tower is only one of a trio of Romanesque splendors on the green carpet of the Piazza del Miracoli.
Dinner and Overnight Florence.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning meet your local guide and travel first to the neighbor for its open-air market, a popular spot with visitors and locals alike find a wide array of food of San Lorenzo, leather goods, clothing and more. As you go, your guide will discuss the rule of the Medici family and their significant impact on the city's politics and art during the Renaissance. Next, wander over to one of Florence’s most iconic landmarks, the Duomo, with Brunelleschi’s Dome. Visit the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower while learning the history of the architecture. Continue through the bustling square of Piazza della Signoria, home to the Palazzo Vecchio, outdoor cafes and a collection of famous sculptures, including Giambologna’s Rape of the Sabine Women. Visit Il Porcellino, the bronze piglet statue that offers luck to those who rub his nose. You’ll also visit the Accademia museum, the Uffizi Art Gallery and Santa Croce Church. The afternoon is free at owns leisure.
Dinner and Overnight Florence.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning depart Florence for Venice, stopping in Ravenna: one of the greatest cities of the Mediterranean from the fifth to the eighth centuries — it was the capital of the Western Roman Empire, the Visigoth Empire, and the Byzantine Empire — Ravenna has brick palaces, cobbled streets, and spectacular Byzantine-period mosaics. Our visits include the Basilica of San Vitale; the Mausoleum of Galla Placida; the Sant’Andrea Oratory; and the Neoniano Baptistery. In the afternoon have a short visit of Bologna. Home to the world’s oldest university, Bologna lives on its redbrick towers and stately colonnades and is almost universally considered to be Italy’s gourmet capital. Arrive in Venice in the evening, check in your 4-star centrally located hotel, dinner and overnight.
Dinner and Overnight Venice
After breakfast in hotel, meet your local guide for a guided walking tour of Venice. Admire Doge's Palace, from where the doges of Venice once ruled: you will see masterpieces of famous artists, such as Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto, as well as richly decorated rooms, sumptuous sculptures and decorative elements. You will also cross the famous Bridge of Sighs and visit the terrible dungeons where the famous Giacomo Casanova was imprisoned. Then head inside St Mark’s Basilica (Basilica di San Marco) to see Italian Byzantine architecture at its finest. Free afternoon at leisure.
Dinner at a local restaurant and Overnight Venice.
Breakfast in hotel. This morning depart Venice to Lake Maggiore, calling at Verona for an independent visit of the town of Romeo and Juliet. Arrive Lake Maggiore in the afternoon and check in your 4-star hotel.
Dinner and Overnight Lake Maggiore.
Breakfast in hotel. Departure for a full day boat tour of the Borromean Islands, made up of Isola Bella, Isola dei Pescatori, and the Isola Madre. The Isola Bella, the beautiful island, boasts a Palace with delightful views of the lake, terraced gardens, wildlife and sparkling fountains. Isola dei Pescatori, the fishermen’s island, is a series of little lanes and houses inhabited by lakes fishermen for centuries. Isola Madre, the Mother Island, is the largest of the three-islands, where a huge Botanical Garden was created.
Dinner and Overnight Lake Maggiore.
After breakfast board the coach and depart for Milan. Upon arrival, enjoy a guided tour of the city including the gorgeous Duomo, one of the most beautiful churches in the world. Then walk through nearby Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and stop in front of La Scala, one of the most renowned opera houses in Europe. Next, the imposing Sforza Castle, where you can take some time to admire the late-medeival fortress. The last stop and the highlight of the day is your admission to Leonardo de Vinci's The Last Supper: then you’ll head inside the former food hall of the convent.
Farewell Dinner and Overnight Milan
After breakfast in hotel transfer by bus to Milan airport for your return flight.
Arrivederci Italia!
