Tour price land only-  -  -  -   -  -  from    $ 2449 to $ 2549
Airline tickets from your home city also available

ROME  Welcome dinner; guided sightseeing including headsets; visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, and the Colosseum and Roman Forum
VERRAZZANO CASTLE  Wine tasting and lunch
FLORENCE  Guided sightseeing including headsets; visit Michelangelo’s David, the cathedral, and Signoria Square
LUCCA  Orientation
PISA  Orientation and picture stop at the Leaning Tower
PADUA  Visit St. Anthony's Basilica
VENICE  Private boat ride; guided sightseeing including headsets; visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblowers’ demonstration; farewell dinner

MEALS: 9 buffet breakfasts (BB); 1 lunch (L) with wine tasting in Verrazzano Castle; 3 dinners (D) including a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome and a farewell dinner with wine in Venice

INSIDE VISITS Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable.

Day 1 (Sun.) Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy. (Mon.) Time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions for a special welcome dinner with wine in one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Rome. (Tue.) Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. This afternoon time to explore the city on your own, relax, or join your Local Guide for an optional walk that takes you to the magnificent marbled Trevi fountain, Navona Square, the well-preserved Roman Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, and finishes with a Roman dinner party. (BB)

Day 4 At Leisure in Rome. (Wed.) Savor la dolce vita and enjoy independent activities. Take a stroll along beautiful Via Condotti, discover Rome’s hidden treasures at your own pace, or just sit on a terrace and watch people go by. Tonight, why not join an optional dinner with local specialties at one of Rome’s famous restaurants? (BB)

Day 5 Rome-Verrazzano Castle-Tuscany. (Thu.) Travel north into Tuscany through the lush Apennine Mountains. Leave the highway and enter the Chianti wine area; visit VERRAZZANO CASTLE, where you will hear about the fine art of blending four types of grapes to obtain the famous Chianti Classico; here enjoy WINE TASTING and lunch, before you reach your hotel in Montecatini. (BB,L)

Day 6 Tuscany. Excursion to Florence. (Fri.) All day is dedicated to florence, cradle of the Renaissance. follow your Local Guide to the ACADEMY Of fINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Time for independent sightseeing and browsing through the shops. florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (BB,D)

Day 7 Tuscany. Excursion to Lucca and Pisa. (Sat.) This morning visit first charming Lucca, a beautifully preserved medieval town. Next continue to nearby Pisa to take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular, and balance of the day at leisure to relax at your hotel. (BB)

Day 8 Tuscany-Padua-Venice. (Sun.) A scenic drive through the Apennine Mountains and the fertile Po area to Padua, city of St. Anthony, for a visit to the majestic six-domed BASILICA. In the afternoon a scenic drive following the Brenta canal brings you to Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. You may want to join an optional dinner tonight. (BB)

Day 9 Venice. (Mon.) Highlights of your walking tour with a Local Guide are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE, and the BRIDGE Of SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Remainder of the morning and the afternoon to spend as you wish. (BB)

Day 10 At Leisure in Venice. (Tue.) A full day to enjoy Venice at your own pace. This city has attracted and inspired photographers from all over the world because of its setting and translucent light. You may also wish to take an optional cruise through the lagoon, and have lunch on one of the islands. This evening an included farewell dinner celebrates the success of your Italian vacation. (BB,D)

Day 11 (Wed.) Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)

Quality Hotels

ROME Starhotels Metropole (SF), TUSCANY Grand Hotel & La Pace (D), VENICE Residence Palazzo Selvadego (F)

Hotel Rating Abbreviations:

SF = Superior First Class
F   =  First Class
ST  = Superior Tourist Class

Price varies based on the season of travel .
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