Classic Italy

Day 1 – Air

Take off today for Italy!

Day 2 – Venice

Buon Giorno! Your TSA Tours representative will meet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Explore this magnificent city of canals and bridges on an evening Walking Tour around the enchanting Piazza San Marco.

Day 3 – Venice

Begin your Venice City Tour at the Piazza Roma and walk along the Grand Canal to see St. Mark’s Basilica, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, and the Clock Tower. Visit the Byzantine Doges’ Palace, symbol of Venetian power and glory. Board a vaporetto for Murano Island, the main center of the Venetian glass industry since the end of the 13th century. Shop for crystal and see a glass-blowing demonstration in this canal town lined with Renaissance houses.

Day 4 – Montecatini

Transfer to Italy’s Tuscany region and enjoy a guided Florence City Tour. See the Piazza del Duomo with the city’s magnificent cathedral and baptistery. A climb up the steps leads to a magnificent viewing terrace from Brunelleschi’s Dome at the top of the cathedral. Also see the Piazza del Signoria, the Campanile and the Palazzo Vecchio. Return to Montecatini, a fashionable spa town lying between Pisa and Florence.

Day 5 – Montecatini

Spend the day in Florence beginning with a tour of Accademia, housing works of Italian sculptors including the original David. Spend your free afternoon shopping for bargains in the Straw Market, or visit the Uffizi Gallery to see Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, and Raphael’s Madonnas. Many pizzerias in Italy still use the wood burning brick stoves. See a Pizza Demonstration, and then eat the delicious results for dinner tonight.

Day 6 – Siena

Journey through the olive groves and vineyards of Chianti to a medieval walled city in the heart of Tuscany. Siena has preserved its medieval appearance, with old squares and narrow alleyways. A guided City Tour begins at the Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in the world. Visit the colorful Duomo with its exterior of white and dark green marble; and see the famous Torre del Mangia and the splendid Gothic Palazzo Pubblico. The rest of the day is free for discovery.

Day 7 – Rome

Transfer to Rome, capital of Italy since 1870. See the best of the Eternal City on a Rome City Tour. Visit the Colosseum; see Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, the Arch of Constantine, Piazza Venezia, and Capitoline Hill with its view of the Roman Forums. In the evening, enjoy a walking tour to the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona and the Piazza di Trevi with the beautiful Trevi Fountain. Toss in a coin and make a wish!

Day 8 – Rome

Leave Italy behind as you enter the independent city-state of the Vatican. Amidst the impressive works is the Sistine Chapel’s vault by Michelangelo in the Vatican Museum. This stunning depiction of the Old Testament was completed in four years, and is perhaps the single greatest work ever created. Visit St. Peter’s, the largest church in the world. Covering over six acres, St. Peter’s can accommodate 95,000 visitors.

Day 9 – Depart

Board your flight home, well versed in the classic arts of Italy.