Resorts & Renaissance

Day 1 – Air

Board your flight to Italy!

Day 2 – Lake Como Area

Welcome to Milan, fashion capital of Italy, where your private bus and guide will escort you on a guided tour to include the Milan Duomo. Travel on to the Lake Como area to stay overnight in this resort region. Extolled by poets, writers and emperors, the area is replete with shady exotic gardens and sumptuous villas.

Day 3 – Lake Como Area

Enjoy a Lake Como Boat Cruise this morning. Pretty villages, tiny ports and colorful grottos succeed one another along the banks. The rest of the day is free for exploration in the lovely Lombardy Lakes region.

Day 4 – Venice

Transfer to a magical city built between sea and sky. Begin your Venice City Tour at the Piazza Roma and walk along the Grand Canal to see St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs, the Clock Tower, and visit the magnificent Doges’ Palace with its pink marble facade. Also see a Murano Glass-Blowing Demonstration near the cathedral.

Day 5 – Florence

Travel to Firenze, where 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. An Evening Walking Tour with your guide takes you across the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in the city.

Day 6 – Florence

The day begins with a Florence City Tour accompanied by an expert guide. See Ghiberti’s Baptistery door, described by Michelangelo as “so beautiful it is worthy to be the Gate to Paradise.” Also see the Church of San Lorenzo, the Uffizi Museum, and the Bargello Palace. Then on to the Accademia to view Michelangelo’s sculpture David, symbol for the city of Florence. Your afternoon is free for discovery with your advisors.

Day 7 – Rome

Journey to the Eternal City, built on seven hills along the winding banks of the Tiber. Take a guided Rome City Tour to visit the Colosseum, and see Circus Maximus, Trajan’s Column, Piazza Venezia, and up to Capitoline Hill to view the Forum. Savor twilight Rome on a walking tour to the Spanish Steps, the Fontana di Trevi and the Piazza Navona. Throw a coin into the lovely Trevi Fountain to guarantee your return to Roma!

Day 8 – Rome

Leave Italy behind as you cross the Tiber and enter the independent city-state of the Vatican. Among the impressive works in the Vatican Museum is the Sistine Chapel’s vault by Michelangelo. See Bernini’s legacy, St. Peter’s Square, and visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. The rest of the day is free for exploration with your advisors.

Day 9 – Depart

Return home with new appreciation for the dazzling land of Resorts and Renaissance.