8 Day Itinerary
Day 1 - Sun: Arrival in Venice & Transfer By Water Taxi
Land at Venice’s Marco Polo Airport, collect your luggage and pass through customs inspection. Your tour escort will meet you at the exit from customs and accompany you
to a water taxi for a group transfer across the lagoon to your hotel. This is a wonderful introduction to a city built on water! After checking in to your hotel you are free for the remainder of the day. In the evening get together with your tour director
and fellow travelers to discuss your vacation and then enjoy a welcome dinner.
(D)
Day 2 - Mon: Doges' Palace & Saint Mark’s Square
This morning start your walking tour of Venice at Saint Mark’s Square. Visit St. Mark’s Basilica, consecrated in 1094 and decorated to reflect the Venetian Republic’s maritime
and commercial power. Visit the elaborate Doges’ Palace, a rare example of civil Venetian Gothic architecture. See impressive state rooms with Renaissance paintings by
Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. Cross the Bridge of Sighs, linking the Palace with the Piombi Prisons. Also visit a factory to see a demonstration of traditional Venetian glass
blowing. The balance of the day is free to explore Venice on your own. You may like to take an independent gondola or a vaporetto ride through enchanting canals.
(BB)
Day 3 - Tue: Pisa’s Leaning Tower & Cathedral
Travel by motor coach through the Emilia Romagna region, which is renowned for its delicious foodstuffs, and take a brief orientation tour of its capital, Ferrara. In Pisa head
to the Piazza dei Miracoli to see the iconic Bell or Leaning Tower, the Baptistery, the Cathedral and the Monumental Churchyard. Builders started the Bell Tower in 1174 but
stopped work as it sank into the ground and it was completed a century later. The magnificent Romanesque cathedral, begun in 1063 and finished in the 13th century,
reflects the great wealth of the merchants of Pisa. Arrive in Florence, an imposing city of old stone located on the River Arno. After checking into your hotel, relax a little
before joining your group for dinner.
(BB, D)
Day 4 - Wed: Florence Cathedral & “David”
Take a half-day sightseeing walking tour of Florence, a city of artistic wealth and beauty where there are countless treasures to discover. Begin your visit in the town center
at the majestic Piazza Del Duomo to see the delicately patterned green, white and pink cathedral crowned by Brunelleschi’s dome. See the Campanile, Giotto’s Bell Tower, dating
from 1359. The 11th century Baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in Florence and famous for its exquisite bronze doors by Ghiberti. Then walk to the Academy of Fine
Arts, which was founded in 1563. Here see Michelangelo’s superb “David” and many of the master’s unfinished works. The afternoon and evening are free for independent
sightseeing, shopping and dining.
(BB)
Day 5 - Thu: Assisi & Rome
Leave Florence via the “Sun Route” through the beautiful countryside of Tuscany and Umbria to Assisi, a lovely town located on the slopes of Mount Subasio. Assisi is the
birthplace of St. Francis and you will visit the Basilica built between 1228 and 1230 especially to hold his remains. See Giotto’s famous frescos of many Biblical scenes and
see some of the houses, built from the local honey-colored stone. Continue your journey south into the metropolitan region of Rome to your hotel. Check in to your hotel and dine
with your group this evening. )
(BB, D
Day 6 - Fri: The Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica & Ancient Rome
This morning experience a guided walk around the Vatican, the world’s smallest independent state, beginning at the Corte della Pigna with an overview of the history
of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. See the Hall of Tapestries and the Maps Gallery but the highlight of the tour will be the Sistine Chapel, where the ceiling is
covered with Michelangelo’s famous paintings of the “Creation” and “Last Judgment.” Walk across St. Peter’s Square to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in Christendom,
to see the famed “Pieta” by Michelangelo and many other treasures including the golden mosaics of the apse. Lunch is included today and afterwards visit the ancient part
of Rome. Walk through the Roman Forum and all its ancient monuments and buildings, including the triumphal Arch of Constantine and the Arch of Titus. Visit the imposing
Colosseum to admire the huge walls of this iconic monument, built by Emperor Vespasian and opened in 80 AD. It was designed to hold 70,000 spectators with four
floors, completely covered in travertine slabs and decorated with huge statues.
(BB, L)
Day 7 - Sat: Free Day in Rome
Today you have a full day free in spectacular Rome. Your tour director will have suggestions on how to spend your time. You might want to visit some of the wonderful shops, galleries
and museums, or relax in a sidewalk café – there are plenty of things to do and see, depending on your interests. Tonight, a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers will provide a perfect way to celebrate your
glimpse of Italy.
(BB, D)
Day 8 - Sun: Depart Rome
This morning it’s time to say ‘arrivederci!’ to Rome and Italy. Transfer to the airport in good time to check in for your flight back to the United States.
(BB)
BB: Buffet Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner