Day 1 Board your overnight transatlantic flight. |
Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy. Time to rest or to start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your tour director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine in one of Rome’s fine restaurants. (D) |
Day 3 Rome-Pompeii-Sorrento-Capri. South on the highway of the Sun to Pompeii. Meet your local guide and start your highlight visit of this Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See a patrician home, public baths, and shops which
give a striking picture of what day-to-day life was in Rome when at its apex of power. Then on to the charming resort of Sorrento. Time to stroll around and to check out the local shops before crossing the blue bay to the beautiful Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since for its beauty. (BB,D) |
Day 4 Capri. This morning a local expert will take you to the shimmering BLUE GROTTO (weather permitting; otherwise visit VILLA SAN MICHELE in Anacapri), and up to pretty Capri village. The afternoon and evening are at leisure to stroll around and discover the beauty of this
famous island. (BB) |
Day 5 Capri-Naples-Assisi. Board your Jet/Hydrofoil to Naples for an orientation drive of this lively and colorful city. A smooth drive north through the Apennine Mountains brings you to peaceful Assisi. Visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above
the Saint’s grave. (BB,D) |
Day 6 Assisi-Venice. Enjoy the town at your own pace before continuing along the Adriatic Coast for a visit to the ABBEY OF POMPOSA. Arrive in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. (BB) |
Day 7 Venice. Start morning sightseeing in style as you glide by private boat along the Giudecca Canal to meet your resident expert. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK'S SQUARE and its BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES' PALACE and the Bridge of Sighs. Also watch
VENETIAN GLASS BLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional excursion to the island of Burano. (BB,D) |
Day 8 Venice-Pisa-Tuscany. Today is dedicated to Pisa. Your orientation focuses on the SQUARE OF MIRACLES. Take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Next a short drive following the valley of the Arno
River to the spa-resort of Montecatini. (BB) |
Day 9 Tuscany. Excursion to Florence. All day dedicated to the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence. Guided sightseeing includes the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded Signoria Square. To top it
off, admire Michelangelo's David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. Afternoon for independent sightseeing and browsing through the many shops. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (BB,D) |
Day 10 Tuscany-Siena-Rome. Drive through the Chianti wine area to Siena. Follow your tour director on a 30-minute walk through ancient, narrow lanes to beautiful Piazza del Campo, site of the biannual Palio, Siena's spectacular medieval-style horse race. Time on your
own before continuing to Rome. Why not join an optional dinner tonight in one of Rome's fine restaurants? (BB) |
Day 11 Rome. 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. Proceed across the Tiber for
a stroll along the Via Sacra in the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph, and finally visit the COLOSSEUM and hear about gladiatorial combats. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities to celebrate the success of your vacation. (BB) |
Day 12 Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB) |
