Italy

Tour Duration: 16 Nights / 17 Days
Tour Destination: Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan

Day 1: ARRIVE ROME

Arrive Rome Airport; transfer & check in to hotel. Rest of the day free at leisure. Overnight stay hotel.

Day 2: SKIP THE LINE: VATICAN MUSEUMS, SISTINE CHAPEL AND RAPHAEL’S ROOMS HALF DAY

Breakfast at the hotel. Then proceed to visit all of the most important sights of Vatican City with this unique guided Vatican City Tour with the added advantage of avoiding the queue. Avoid the lengthy queues and explore one of the world’s most extensive art collections with an expert local guide on this fascinating tour of the Vatican. Your guide will share the stories and secrets contained within the Museums’ walls, pleasures originally meant for the exclusive enjoyment of the Pope. Experience Michelangelo’s famous Creation of Adam with you own eyes as you explore the Sistine Chapel and wander Raphael’s Rooms. After taking in the Museums, be humbled by the imposing beauty of Saint Peter’s Basilica, where you will encounter another of Michelangelo’s masterpieces, La Pieta’. For a fascinating finish, you will stop to admire the magnificent Saint Peter’s Square, as your guide points out Bernini’s ingenious use of optical illusion. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 3: NAPLES-CAPRI-ANACAPRI

Breakfast at the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure or you can proceed for full day trip to Naples and Capri. We travel southwards along the Autostrada del Sole and arrive in Naples to board the jetfoil for the island of Capri. Upon arrival and weather permitting we visit the Blue Grotto, a miracle of equilibrium between water, light and reflections of the wonderful sea-floors. Returning to Marina Grande we proceed by minibus to Anacapri for lunch. Then there will be free time for shopping and it’s back to Marina Grande to embark for Naples.

Day 4: ROME – FLORENCE

After breakfast transfer to the station. Take a train from Rome to Florence. On arrival at Rome station, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Florence.

Day 5: EXCURSION TO PISA

Breakfast at the hotel then proceed for a splendid excursion through the fertile and picturesque Tuscan countryside towards the historic university city of Pisa, famous for its architectural beauty. After a panoramic drive along the beautiful riversides, the tour proceeds with a guided tour to Piazza dei Miracoli to find the celebrated Leaning Tower, the Cathedral, an unequalled masterpiece of Romanesque art carried out between the 11th and 12th centuries, the Baptistery and other important monuments. You will then walk to Piazza dei Cavalieri, where the Scuola Normale, one of the most famous universities in the world, resides.

Day 6: FLORENCE – VENICE

After breakfast transfer to the station. Take a train from Florence to Venice. On arrival at Venice station, transfer to the hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Venice.

Day 7: HALF DAY TO MURANO, BURANO AND TORCELLO

Breakfast at the hotel. Then proceed for Murano to see how the beautiful coloured glass is made, then on to the pretty islands of Burano and Torcello. After sailing past the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Public Gardens, the tip of Sant’Elena and the famous Lido beach resort, the boat arrives in Murano, known throughout the world for its glass manufacturing industry. Here we stop for around 40 minutes to visit to one of the factories. The second stop is at the picturesque island of Burano, famous not only for its lace but also for the fishermen’s houses painted in bright colours. The stop will last about 30 minutes. Then after a short cruise, we reach Torcello, the earliest centre of civilization in the estuary. Only the Cathedral with its magnificent mosaics and the church of Santa Fosca remain as testimony of its former glory. The stop will be for about 30 minutes then we return to St.Mark’s Square.

Day 8: GONDOLA SERENADE

After breakfast day is free for leisure activities. In the evening you can enjoy the Gondola ride. Just sit back in your gondola and allow yourself to be serenaded as you float past the palaces of the Grand Canal. We join a flotilla of gondolas gathered around a barge containing the musicians and singers to float along the fascinating Grand Canal, glittering in the reflection of the illuminated facades of the sumptuous ‘Palazzos’. Return in the dark stillness of some of Venice’s interior canals. Overnight in Venice.

Day 9: VENICE - MILAN

After breakfast, transfer to the station. Take a train to Milan. On arrival at Milan station, transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Milan.

Day 11: MILAN CITY TOUR WITH LAST SUPPER

Breakfast at the hotel. Then take a guided coach and walking tour of the historical city centre of Milan, passing many of Milan's most important monuments. Visit the Duomo and see Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece - The Last Supper.

After beginning the tour with a visit to the Scala museum and theatre we proceed with a stroll through the sumptuous Galleria Vittorio Emanuele (the world's oldest arcade) reaching Piazza Fontana. We continue the tour on foot to view the Palazzo Reale and to visit the breathtaking Duomo and the courtyard of Milan's magnificent Sforzesco Castle.The tour proceeds with a panoramic drive by coach past many of Milan's most important sights including the Arco della Pace, the churches of Santa Maria delle Grazie (home to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper) and San Lorenzo, Corso Venezia and Piazza San Babila. Our final stop is to see Leonardo da Vinci's great masterpiece - The Last Supper. The local guide will bring all of these great monuments to life.

Day 11: DEPARTURE

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the Airport. Take a flight back to home.