All Italy

Day 1

Depart for Rome, Italy.

Day 2 – Rome

Buon giorno! Welcome to Rome, where your private bus and driver will meet you at the airport and take you on a brief overview of the Eternal City on your way to the hotel.

Day 3 – Rome

You’re off on a Rome City Tour. See Palatine Hill, Circus Maximus (seating capacity: 250,000!), the Arch of Constantine, the Imperial Forums, Piazza Venezia, the Monument to Vittorio Emmanuel, and visit the Colosseum. Then on to Capitoline Hill where you’ll enjoy a spectacular view of the Roman Forum. Next leave Italy behind as you enter the independent city-state of the Vatican. See Bernini’s legacy, St. Peter’s Square, with 284 Doric columns and 140 saints ringing this oval “square” encompassing a 2000 year old obelisk. Visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. From St. Peter’s, continue to the Vatican Museum. Among the impressive works is the Sistine Chapel’s vault by Michelangelo. This stunning depiction of the Old Testament was completed in four years and is perhaps the single greatest work ever created. Tonight, enjoy a walking tour with your guide to the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and the Piazza di Trevi. Be sure to toss a coin into the beautiful Trevi Fountain to guarantee that you will return to Roma some day.

Day 4 – Rome

Explore the ruins of Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. You’ll find the reality of Roman life in the bakeries, wine-shops, groceries, villas and temples buried in giant showers of cinders and volcanic pebbles. Or spend the day exploring Rome with your advisor, perhaps shopping along the Via Veneto or the Via del Tritone.

Day 5 – Florence

Travel to Florence via Siena, a formal medieval city virtually unchanged since the 16th century. This mystical art center, encircled by ramparts, lies at the very heart of a high Tuscan plateau.

Day 6 – Florence

Welcome to Firenze, the artistic and intellectual capital of the nation. It was in Florence that the Renaissance began nearly 500 years ago. Modern Florence still reflects the glory of its past in the architecture of Brunelleschi, Giotto and Alberti; the sculpture of Pisano, Donatello and Cellini; and the paintings of Lippi, Boticelli and da Vinci. Explore Florence and take in the highlights of the city. On your city tour, see the Piazza del Duomo with the magnificent cathedral and baptistery whose east door is Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, a renowned landmark of Renaissance sculpture. Continue to the Church of San Lorenzo, the famous Ponte Vecchio, and visit the Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s David. This afternoon, shop for bargains in the Straw Market.

Day 7 – Venice

En route to Venice, stop in Pisa to see the world famous Leaning Tower. Arrive later in the romantic city of Venice. Venice is enchanting and quite different from any other European city. There are canals instead of streets, and gondolas in stead of taxicabs. Stone bridges cross the canals and beautiful 16th and 17th century palaces stand along the banks.

Day 8 – Venice

Begin your Venice City Tour at the Piazza Roma and walk along the Grand Canal to see the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs, the Clock Tower, and visit the magnificent Byzantine Doges’ Palace. Venice is famous for its crystal and you will see a Murano Glass Blowing demonstration near the cathedral. The rest of the day is free for discovery in this most magical of cities.

Day 9 – Depart

Return home with a greater appreciation of Italy, its people, and its culture, or extend your adventure with an optional 7-day cruise leaving from Venice, with ports of call in Dubrovnik, Corfu, Santorini, Rhodes and Piraeus (Athens).