Day 1 ARRIVE IN ROME, ITALY.

Welcome to Rome! At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions, and enjoy a special welcome dinner with wine at a local restaurant.

Day 2 ROME.

Guided sightseeing includes inside visits to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL with Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgment, and monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA to admire Michelangelo’s Pietà. Then, drive to the Roman Forum and visit the amazing COLOSSEUM, where gladiators once fought. An optional walking tour with a Local Guide is available to further explore famous sites for those who wish to see it all.

Day 3 ROME–ORVIETO–TUSCANY.

Following the Tiber Valley, reach Orvieto, perched high atop a volcanic rock. Time to browse through tempting shops in the lanes off Piazza del Duomo and to visit the gothic CATHEDRAL with its San Brizio Chapel. Next, drive through the Chianti wine area to the spa resort of Montecatini in Tuscany. Here, you will taste the traditional Cialde di Montecatini, a local biscuit made of almonds and sugar.

Day 4 TUSCANY. EXCURSION TO FLORENCE.

The whole day is dedicated to Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Your guided walking tour includes a visit to Michelangelo’s David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. The afternoon is free to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce, which are attractive buys, or to join an optional excursion to the Uffizi Gallery.

Day 5 TUSCANY–PISA–VENICE ISLAND.

A short drive to Pisa. Take the traditional picture pushing back the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Next, arrive in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the world. Board your PRIVATE BOAT to Lido Island. This evening, enjoy [LF] a ride by PRIVATE WATER-TAXI to ST. MARK'S SQUARE to discover Venice by night. Later, an optional gondola ride is available.

Day 6 VENICE ISLAND.

Highlights of your guided walking tour are visits to the byzantine ST. MARK’S BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch a skilled GLASSBLOWER fashion delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. An optional excursion is available to the island of Burano.

Day 7 VENICE ISLAND–ASSISI.

A scenic drive through the Apennine Mountains to peaceful Assisi, where your Local Guide will take you for a visit to ST. CLARE’S CHURCH and ST. FRANCIS’ BASILICA built above the Saint’s grave.

Day 8 ASSISI–POMPEII–NAPLES–CAPRI.

Arrive at fascinating 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 that give a striking picture of what day-to-day life was like in Rome at its apex of power. Next, drive to Naples, cross the blue bay by JETFOIL to the beautiful Isle of Capri for your 2-night stay, and ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village.

Day 9 CAPRI.

This morning, [LF] your Capri experience features: sightseeing with a Local Guide, an OPEN-TAXI RIDE to Anacapri to visit famous VILLA SAN MICHELE, and a BOAT CRUISE (weather permitting) around the island. Time to browse through the little shops on the piazzetta, and tonight, a special dinner and sea view—the perfect ending to your Capri visit.

Day 10 CAPRI–SORRENTO–ROME.

Speed across the glittering bay to the charming resort of Sorrento. Enjoy time to stroll around and check out the local shops before returning to Rome. This evening, a special farewell dinner at a local restaurant has been prepared for you to say arrivederci, Roma.

Day 11 ROME.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.