DAY 1: ROME, ITALY
Benvenuto—welcome! Your Local Host is on hand to help you plan your time, so you can create lasting memories in the “Eternal City.”
DAY 2: ROME
Your morning guided sightseeing and orientation, 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. Across the Tiber River, 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, like an excursion to the Isle of Capri, a visit to the Catacombs, or shopping along Via Condotti with its designer boutiques.
DAY 4: ROME – FLORENCE
This morning, board the HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first-class) to Florence, arriving in the early afternoon.
DAY 5: FLORENCE
Morning guided sightseeing and orientation with headset: Visit 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 can offer ideas to help you enjoy the best of this splendid Renaissance city: visit Boboli Gardens and the Silver Museum, experience “Firenze by Night” on a guided walking tour, or try bistecca fiorentina (Florentine steak) or pappa al pomodoro (bread and tomato soup).
DAY 7: FLORENCE – VENICE
Morning transfer to the HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first-class), with early afternoon arrival in Venice.
DAY 8: VENICE
Morning guided sightseeing and orientation with headset; see ST. MARK’S SQUARE and BASILICA with its exceptional gold mosaics. Visit DOGES’ PALACE and the evocative BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in the age-old manner and learn why glassmaking was so important in Venetian history. Afternoon at leisure. ENTRANCES to Marciana Library, and the Correr and Archaeological Museums are included; ask your Local Host for details
DAY 9: VENICE
Full day to explore this intriguing city of canals and bridges at your own pace. You might choose a gondola ride with music, a candelight dinner at a well-known Venetian restaurant, or a classical Vivaldi or Verdi concert. Your Local Host can help you with suggestions for your day.
DAY 10: VENICE
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
