Italian Treasures

Arrive in Rome, where you are met and transferred to your hotel in the center of the city. Tonight, join your Resident Tour Director for dinner at the hotel.

Begin your day at Palatine Hill, then pass the imposing Arch of Constantine to visit the mighty Colosseum. After lunch at a local restaurant, stop at the lovely Campo de Fiori, one of Rome’s thriving markets. Visit the Piazza Navona, dominated by the Baroque Fountain of the Four Rivers, and continue to the Pantheon. Later, enjoy a moment at the Trevi Fountain to perhaps toss in a coin, and finish your day at the foot of the picturesque Spanish Steps.

Today, tour Vatican City, admiring the stunning collections in its vast museum. Behold the Sistine Chapel with its glorious ceiling painted by Michelangelo, and wonder at St. Peter’s Basilica. View the poignant Pietà of Michelangelo and the exuberant Baldaquin of Bernini.

Drive to Florence, stopping en route at the small hilltop town of Orvieto for lunch. Enjoy a guided walking tour, entering the magnificent Piazza del Duomo and the cathedral housing Signorelli’s Cycle of the Apocalypse. Continue through the breathtaking Tuscan countryside, amid hill-towns encircled by Etruscan walls and slender cypress trees. Visit a local wine producer and enjoy a tasting on a lively Artisan Visit. Continue to Florence.

Join a local art specialist for a guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, home to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Da Vinci’s Annunciation. Then, enjoy a very special private entry to the Vasari Corridor, built by the court architect to the Medici family. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant, and later, stroll the impressive Boboli Gardens.

Drive to Pisa to view its famed Leaning Tower. Visit the inspiring 11th-century Duomo and then enjoy lunch before returning to Florence. This evening, dine at a local farm-to-table restaurant for an authentic — and delectable — Chef’s Table experience.

Discover Florence on foot, visiting its Duomo and then the Galleria dell’Accademia to view Michelangelo’s David. Visit the San Lorenzo district’s famous Central Market with time for lunch on your own, and then drive to Venice for a private after-hours tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, guided by an expert. Enjoy views of Venice on a Scenic Sundowner with your Resident Tour Director and fellow guests.

Visit Murano Island for a private glass-blowing demonstration. Then, on a walking tour of Venice, visit the lavish Doge’s Palace and explore St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal, before an afternoon and evening at leisure.

Visit the market district near Rialto Bridge, and sample some truly Venetian cuisine at a bacaro. Continue to Frari Church to admire Bellini’s Madonna and Child, and Assumption of the Virgin by Titian. Enjoy a romantic gondola ride before a farewell dinner at a fine restaurant.

After breakfast, transfer to the airport and depart.