2008 Dates Available
Italy At Leisure

From $2769.00
Included Features

MEALS:
• 9 buffet breakfasts
• 2 lunches including one with wine tasting in Verrazzano Castle and one with wine in Burano
• 2 three-course dinners, including a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome

QUALITY HOTELS:
• ROME Grand Hotel Beverly Hills or Ludovisi Palace
• FLORENCE Albani or Starhotels Michelangelo
• VENICE Residence Palazzo Selvadego or Splendid Venice
• MILAN Starhotels Ritz

Vacation Highlights:

• ROME
Welcome dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing including headsets, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Colosseum and Roman Forum

• SIENA
Orientation including Piazza del Campo

• SAN GIMIGNANO
Orientation

• FLORENCE
Guided sightseeing including headsets, visit Michelangelo’s David, the cathedral, and Signoria Square

• PISA
Picture stop at the Leaning Tower

• VERRAZZANO CASTLE
Wine tasting and lunch

• VENICE
Private boat ride; guided sightseeing including headsets, visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs

• MURANO AND BURANO
Lagoon cruise and island visits including a glassblowers' demonstration in Murano and a lunch in Burano

• VERONA
Orientation including Juliet’s Balcony and the Arena

• MILAN
Orientation, visit the Galleria and the Duomo

Inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE in the tour description, including admission charges when applicable
 
  This is the perfect 11-day LeisureStyle vacation to see Italy’s highlights in the most comfortable way. Three nights in Rome with a special welcome dinner and with sightseeing including St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, and the Forum. The centrally located hotel gives you the opportunity to also explore this fabulous city on your own. On the way to Florence visit the Piazza del Campo in Siena and picturesque San Gimignano. The three nights in Florence, again with a centrally located hotel, do not only feature sightseeing including a visit to the Academy of Fine Arts to admire Michelangelo’s David, but also allow visits to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and splendid Verrazzano Castle where you will taste the Chianti wines and enjoy lunch. Two nights in Venice, again in the center, include not only visits to St. Mark’s and Doges’ Palace with the Bridge of Sighs, but also an unforgettable Venetian Lagoon Cruise to the islands of Murano and Burano. Stop in Verona, to take pictures
of Juliet’s Balcony, before ending in Milan with a visit to the magnificent Gothic Duomo.



Itinerary:

Day 1: Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy: Time to rest or 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 lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3 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. Afterwards, relax or explore the city on your own. Later, you may wish to join an optional walk to Trevi Fountain, Navona Square, the Roman Pantheon ,and the Spanish Steps, and finish with a Roman dinner party. (BB)

Day 4 Rome:This morning follow your Local Guide and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Then time to savor la dolce vita and enjoy independent activities. An optional excursion to Ostia Antica is available. (BB)

Day 5 Rome-Siena-San Gimignano-Florence: First stop this morning is in Siena. Walk through ancient, narrow lanes to PIAZZA DEL CAMPO, site of the biannual Palio, Sienna’s spectacular medieval-style horse race. Then continue through unforgettable landscapes of gently rolling, vine-clad hills for a stop in hilltop San Gimignano, the most picturesque of Italy’s perfectly preserved medieval towns. Afterwards on to Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany and birthplace of the Renaissance. (BB,D)

Day 6 Florence: Follow your Local Guide to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David and the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon for independent sightseeing and browsing through the shops. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. Tonight, why not try the culinary delights of a fine Florentine restaurant? (BB)

Day 7 Florence Pisa and Verrazzano Castle: A fast journey will bring you to Pisa. Here take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Today’s highlight: hear about the fine art of blending four types of grapes to obtain the famous Chianti Classico at VERRAZZANO CASTLE; enjoy WINE TASTING and lunch before returning to Florence. (BB,L)

Day 8 Florence-Venice: Morning drive through the wooded Apennine Mountains to Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. Enter its glittering maze of islands, canals, and bridges in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE, and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (BB)

Day 9 Venice: Murano and Burano Islands Excursion: Start your day with an unforgettable Venetian LAGOON CRUISE to the islands of Murano and Burano. Glide past the islands of San Giorgio and Santa Elena, and along the banks of the famous Lido. In Murano watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then continue on to the picturesque fishing village of Burano, renowned for its bright pastel-colored houses and for its lacemaking. Take pictures of traditional fishing boats, still used by the island inhabitants, and enjoy an included lunch. Return to Venice in the early afternoon. (BB,L)

Day 10 Venice-Verona-Milan: Stop in Verona, medieval setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. See Juliet’s Balcony and stroll around the lovely market square. Don’t miss the Arena, an incredibly well-preserved pink marble Roman amphitheater. Built in the 1st century A.D., it is now the magical venue for world-famous opera performances. Then on to the dynamic city of Milan, hub of Italy’s economic miracle with its famous Scala Opera House, glass domed GALLERIA, and magnificent GOTHIC DUOMO. An optional farewell dinner may be the perfect way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation. (BB)

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