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Italy
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4.6
Read 198 reviews

Savor a sampling of Italy's greatest cities

Get your first taste of the delights of Venice, Florence, Rome, and more on this enchanting Italian tour. You'll  get to enjoy the ancient ruins, architectural and artistic masterpieces, and of course, indulge in Italy's legendary food and wine.  

Trip details

Tour start Venice

trip-destination

Tour end Rome

7 icon

Days

6 icon

Nights

10 icon

Meals

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From CIE Tours, with Love

Booking window

10 Feb 2025 - 28 Feb 2025

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Highlights

Sistine Chapel

Marvel at Michelangelo's incredible fresco work on the ceiling that has been newly restored to showcase the vibrant colors.

Orvieto

Step into the mysteries and culinary traditions of this ancient walled city that rises above the surrounding landscape.

Michelangelo's David

Get up close and personal with one of the greatest sculptures of all time.

Venetian Gondola Ride

Tour the "Floating City" from the most romantic vantage point.

Roman Colosseum

See where the gladiators clashed 2,000 years ago.

Florence

Fall in love with the capital of beautiful Tuscany, the birthplace of the Renaissance.

Bologna

Explore one of the most food-centric cities in Italy, where Bolognese sauce was invented.

Doge’s Palace, Venice

This masterpiece of Gothic style is one of the most beloved landmarks of Venice. Built in 1340, it was once the residence of the Doge of Venice, the supreme authority of the Venetian Republic.

Vatican Museums with Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica
Vatican Museums with Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica*

Tour the world's largest church and Michelangelo's magnificent Sistine Chapel frescoes in the Holy See. *Visits subject to availability

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Itinerary

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slide Day 1Venice Arrival & Welcome Dinner
Meet your tour director at 4:00 PM for a welcome reception and orientation walk around the city known as the ’Queen of the Adriatic.’ Enjoy a welcome drink and dinner with your fellow travelers. (D)
Take a scenic cruise around the Venetian Lagoon to Murano Island, known for centuries for its artisanal glass industry. Tour a factory and see a demonstration of the art of glass blowing. Cruise back to the splendid Piazza San Marco for a walking tour, with visits to the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Basilica. Journey along the canals for a view of the city from a gondola. The evening is yours to explore and dine independently. (B)
Travel to historic Bologna, a culinary haven known as “La Grassa” (The Fat One). With medieval architecture, the iconic Two Towers, and the oldest university in the Western world, Bologna offers a rich blend of history, culture, and exceptional cuisine. You’ll have free time for an independent lunch before moving on to your hotel in Florence’s city center. In Florence, take an orientation walk with your tour director and then savor time to discover this magnificent city, the capital of Tuscany and the birthplace of Renaissance art and architecture. Enjoy dinner with your group. (B, D)
Take a walking tour of Florence and marvel at the sights of the city center such as the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, and Piazza della Signoria. Visit the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s iconic sculpture of David. Savor a local lunch in the heart of Florence. After lunch you’ll have the rest of the day to explore the city at your leisure. (B, L)
You’re off to the Eternal City – Rome. Along the way, stop in the scenic hill town of Orvieto for a delicious tasting of its renowned local wine. Visit the Colosseum, imperial Rome’s iconic structure, built between 72 and 80 AD. This engineering marvel could hold up to 80,000 spectators for gladiator battles and dramatic productions. Imagine the ghosts of the Caesars in the ruins of the Forum, the ancient heart of the Roman Empire. Enjoy a free evening. (B)
Discover Rome independently this morning, with free time to explore. In the afternoon, visit the Vatican to see the awe-inspiring cultural heritage of the world’s smallest sovereign state. Take a guided tour of the Museums, see Michelangelo’s masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel, and walk through St. Peter’s Basilica. Then it’s off to dinner in a local restaurant. (B, D)
Your tour ends after breakfast. (B) B: Breakfast; L: Lunch; D: Dinner>

Where you’ll stay

NH Venezia Rio Novo

Avani Rio Novo Venice Venice, Italy

The NH Venezia Rio Novo is a modern hotel in the heart of the Dorsoduro district – an...

NH Firenze Florence, Italy

NH Firenze is a contemporary hotel nestled in the heart of Florence, Italy, blending modern...
NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto

NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto Rome, Italy

Built on the site of a Vatican-owned convent, the NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto is...
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Inclusive package with no hidden extras

What's included?

  • Full daily breakfast and many meals*
  • Transportation (Buses, shuttles & ferries)
  • Welcome drinks with your group
  • Free Wi-Fi on luxury coaches
  • All entrance fees to attractions
  • Comprehensive travel itinerary and documents

 

*Breakfast is not included on Day 1

Our welcome gift to you

  • A travel backpack
  • Travel adapter
  • Rain poncho
  • Luggage strap and tags
  • Water flask

From our travelers

Rome

Great trip, great tour guide, loved the destinations, included meals were great, local guides were also good. Marco the bus driver was terrific.

CIE Tours Customer
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See what people are saying about this trip

4
CIE Tours Customer
2 months 3 weeks ago
2024 Taste of Italy - 7 Days/6 Nights
A nice introduction to the country of Italy

As the name suggests - A Taste of Italy - gave the opportunity to experience several larger cities and to briefly visit two other towns. The hotels were modern and very nice. Transportation was provided to and from the airport and to anywhere else we needed. Our Tour Guide handled all logistics well and shared background information on the cities and more so on Italy, as a whole. Local guides toured us through Florence, the Vatican and the Colosseum. Breakfast was always included and provided at the hotels. We had half of our dinners with the tour group and were on our own for dinner three nights.
One activity which I wouldn't give top marks for was the visit to the leather store in Florence. Rather than being educational, it felt heavily like an opportunity to deliver tourist dollars to a specific business. Many in the group felt a hard sell vibe. I'd suggest that be replaced with something non-commerce oriented.
It would be helpful if there would be an opportunity to have a presentation or video that would educate the group more on some of the history, as the guide had a bit of an extemporaneous style.
We'd love to go back to Italy and explore some more of the rural areas next time!

5
Carolyn Cox
3 months ago
Italy Tour October 26

Add this to my review:

Loved Deanna our your guide. You really need to take care of her as she is a superb guide and historical knowledge beyond belief. She is also professional and has a great sense of humor. I want to go on another tour with her..

5
CIE Tours Customer
3 months ago
Taste of Italy with Sorrento - 10 Days/9 Nights
Truly a taste of Italy

This is our second trip with CIE. First to Ireland in 2002 and now Italy. Both were wonderful and we would recommend CIE to others. The trips are well coordinated with transportation, hotels, restaurants, and tour guides. Lia, our guide, was fantastic!

The accommodations ranged from new and modern to older and traditional. Staff were all very helpful and friendly. Transportation between cities clean and safe. All the sites were as expected - some were crowded, but manageable.

5
CIE Tours Customer
4 months 2 weeks ago
Taste of Italy with Sorrento - 10 Days/9 Nights

We loved the itinerary; it was like we handpicked each destination.

5
Michel Prévost
5 months 1 week ago
Taste of Italy with Sorrento

This was my third trip with CIE. The first two were in Ireland and Scotland. Here are a few comments about the trip. First and foremost, we had a great time and made great new friends. Lia, our tour guide went above expectations to meet the group's needs. The two day guides in Rome were excellent but a special nod to Matt on the first day. Here are some of the issues with this trip. They are for improvements for future Italy tours as this is a new foray for CIE.
My sister in law joined us on this trip so we were 3 to a room. In Venice and Sorrento she had a single bed but in Rome and Florence, she had a converted couch as a bed.
The day guides for a walking tour in Venice and Florence had a very strong accent and were hard to understand. As the group was not divided, she had to mange 40 people so if you were at the back of the group, she would be talking about another feature by the time you reach the previous one and left to guess at what she had pointed out. In Florence, the guide also was walking too fast and seemed in a rush to finish the walking tour.
The walking tours of the Coliseum and the Vatican were delightful an the guides were knowledgeable. Matt provided just enough information without overloading us. Tee group was split in two in Rome for the walking tours and that made a big difference.
The Gondola ride in Venice was a big disappointment. The driver did not interact with the passengers in any fashion and was more busy talking to the other drivers. The ride was in very small streets. He understood English as he answered a question about the depth of the water in the canal we were using.
Add-Ons: The documentation states there are no add-ons but tips are constantly being 'suggested' and the trolley trip on Capri was extra.
Suggestions:
1- Get day guides for the walking tours that do not have such a heavy accent and split the group in two for the tours with one guide each.
2- The guide should be assigning seats in the bus on a daily basis with name over the seats and switching them around. Leaving it to group members does NOT work.
3- Change Gondola ride company for the tours.
4- Do not have so much free time.
5- The stop in Bologna needs to have a planned activity instead of just free time.
6- Change the Bologna stop for Pisa. At least if there is no planned activity, we get to see the Tower.
7- The needs to be an included group activity and free time on the Isle of Capri.
8- I am for tipping the tour guide and the main drivers but stop pushing for tips for every driver along the way. Pay them more and stop requesting tips.
9- The welcoming greeting needs to have something to get the guests to know each other. In Scotland our first supper was at the Scotch experience and after that, the group was open to other people and more talkative. Hint: Provide free wine to taste with the supper.
Kia was our guide and she was amazing. She was knowledgeable, very friendly attentive to us. She went over and above and organized activities for us on the free time.
The suggestions are to improve a trip that we thoroughly enjoyed.

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