DAY 1: ROME, ITALY

Benvenuto—welcome! Your Local Host is on hand to help you feel right at home in the “Eternal City.”

DAY 2: ROME

Your morning guided sightseeing, with headset, is rich in religious and ancient history. Visit the VATICAN MUSEUMS to see its amazing treasures. In the SISTINE CHAPEL, where the Conclave is held to elect new Popes, view Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment and his famous ceiling paintings.

Also on the agenda today: see monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA, built in 313 AD above St. Peter the Apostle’s tomb and home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece Renaissance sculpture, the Pietà. Cross the Tiber River and continue your immersion in history at the iconic COLOSSEUM, built for 50,000 spectators, and the ROMAN FORUM, where the oldest structures of the ancient city are located.

DAY 3: ROME

Full day at leisure to enjoy a choice of activities—your Local Host will have suggestions, such as an “underground Rome” excursion, a cooking lesson with lunch, a visit to ancient Ostia by train, a stroll along Via Condotti with its famous boutiques—and much more!

DAY 4: ROME–FLORENCE

Travel to Florence by HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (First class).

 DAY 5: FLORENCE

Morning guided sightseeing with headset includes a visit of the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS featuring Michelangelo’s original David. Walk through Cathedral Square; sculpture-studded Piazza della Signoria, the center of the city’s political life since the 14th century; and Santa Croce Square. Also admire medieval Ponte Vecchio, the arched, stone merchant bridge spanning the Arno River.

DAY 6: FLORENCE

Your Local Host has many ideas to help you enjoy this splendid Renaissance city: visit bustling Mercato Centrale, dedicated to Tuscan cuisine; experience “Firenze by Night” on a guided walking tour; create your own pizza; or stroll through the Boboli Gardens and Silver Museum.

DAY 7: FLORENCE

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.