12 days incl. air, or 11 days Rome/Rome (ZBGJ)

Itinerary

Day 1

Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2Arrival in Rome

Time to rest or to start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3Rome–Pompeii

South on the Highway of the Sun to 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 A.D. See a patrician home, public baths, and shops that give a striking picture of what day-today life was like in Rome at its apex of power. Then on to the charming resort of Sorrento. Time to stroll around and check out the local shops before crossing the blue bay to the beautiful Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since for its beauty. (BB,D)

Day 4Capri

This morning enjoy sightseeing with a Local Guide. Highlight is a visit to VILLA SAN MICHELE in Anacapri. Afternoon and evening are at leisure to stroll around and discover the beauty of this famous island. (BB)

Day 5Capri–Naples–Assisi

Speed across the bay and drive through lively and colorful Naples. Then turn north through the Apennine Mountains to peaceful Assisi. Meet your Local Guide and visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the Saint’s grave. (BB,D)

Day 6Assisi–Ravenna–Venice

A scenic drive to Ravenna to visit the 6th-century BASILICA OF ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. Arrive in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. (BB)

Day 7Venice

Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional excursion to the island of Burano. (BB,D)

Day 8Venice–Pisa

A comfortable morning drive to Pisa. Admire the Square of Miracles and take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Next, a short drive following the valley of the Arno River to the spa resort of Montecatini. (BB)

Day 9Tuscany

All day dedicated to the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence. Guided sightseeing includes a visit to Michelangelo’s David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS and the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon for independent sightseeing and browsing through the many shops. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (BB,D)

Day 10Tuscany–Siena–Rome

Drive through the Chianti wine area to Siena. Walk through ancient, narrow lanes to beautiful PIAZZA DEL CAMPO, site of the biannual Palio, Siena’s spectacular medieval-style horse race. Time on your own before continuing to Rome. Why not join an optional dinner tonight in one of Rome’s fine restaurants? (BB)

Day 11Rome

Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities to celebrate the success of your vacation. (BB)

Day 12

Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)