Explore Italy's top attractions on a 10-day guided tour. From the iconic Colosseum in Rome to the artistic treasures of Florence, including Piazza della Signoria, a visit to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and a delightful meal on a Tuscan organic farm, and concluding with a private boat ride through the enchanting canals of Venice's Piazza San Marco.
Includes
10 Day Insight Vacations Guided Holiday
9 Nights in stylish, hand picked hotel accommodation
Authentic dining inclusive of 9 breakfasts, 1 lunch with Wine & 4 dinners with wine
Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxury, air-conditioned coach
An expert Insight Travel Director
From time to time, your Travel Director will enchant you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination
Baggage handling everywhere, we include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels
Hotel and restaurant tips are included
Personal radio headsets, gives you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights without missing any of your local expert's fascinating insights and commentaries
Additional experiences during your free time that can be purchased at an additional cost
Top Rated Highlights
Rome Orientation
Enjoy a Local Treat in Piazza Santa Croce
Pisa City Tour
Florence Accademia Museum Visit
Florence Orientation
Venice Orientation
Venice Gondola Ride
and much more!
Unique Insight Experiences
Vatican Visit with Fast-Track Entry: Gain fast-track access into the Vatican Museums, witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and view the splendid dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
Make Travel Matter Experiences
Venice Artisan Glassblowing Demonstration: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft.
Excludes
Flights
Transfers not mentioned
Visas
Travel Insurance
Items of a personal nature
Extras
On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilised.
Additional experiences that have been curated by your Travel Director from their own in-depth local knowledge can be signed up for on tour at an additional cost.
Please note that this may not be a definite departure. Ask us for alternative departures.
Highlights
9 Nights in stylish hotel accommodation
14 Meals
Unique Insight Experiences
Itinerary
Day 1: Welcome to the Eternal City of Rome
Rome is one of the world’s most historic cities, filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, renaissance palaces and baroque churches. Transfers to your hotel depart Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. Then this historic city is yours to discover. Later, join your Travel Director for a uniquely Roman Welcome Dinner. Get to know your travelling companions over a relaxed evening of dinner and wine, as you join your local host for a truly Italian, home-cooked meal.
Arrival Transfer: Depart Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO) at 09:30, 12:30, 15:30
Welcome Meeting: Meet your Travel Director at 17:30
Accommodation: Room 007 Select
Included Meals: Dinner with Wine
Day 2: Exploring Vatican City
A Local Expert introduces the grandeur of the city. Start off in the Vatican State, the richest community in the world. While others wait in line, you will be fast-tracked through the priority entrance into the Vatican Museums. Admire the collection of priceless art gathered by Popes over the ages. Your visit also includes behind-the-scenes access to parts of the Vatican denied to the general public - the famous Bramante Staircase. Then enter the sublime Sistine Chapel, to gaze up and admire Michelangelo's famous painted ceiling. Next door, in St Peter's Basilica, see one of Michelangelo's early works, the Pietà, and the splendid dome completed after his death. Enjoy an elegant dinner with local wine at a Roman restaurant, while you are serenaded with a private performance of some of Italy's best-loved operas.
Accommodation: Room 007 Select
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 3: Rome at Leisure
Spend another day enjoying Rome at your own pace. Stroll to the boutiques of the Via del Corso and Via Nazionale or visit the elegant designer stores near the Spanish Steps. Perhaps take an Optional Experience south to the ill-fated town of Pompeii, buried in 79 AD by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, to visit one the greatest archaeological sites in the world. With your Local Expert, stroll into a 2,000-year-old town revealing fascinating discoveries preserved in time. Later, take a panoramic tour of the Bay of Naples with the dormant Volcano as a backdrop. You have a few treats in store along the way and then return to Rome, passing the formidable Abbey of Montecassino, one of the greatest shrines of Christendom and the site of an epic battle in 1944. As night falls, why not sip a glass of prosecco at a sidewalk café in the Piazza Navona and enjoy life’s pageantry pass by?
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 4: On to Florence
Drive through Lazio and the rolling hills of Umbria, regarded as Italy's green heart. Admire the Medieval hilltop towns perched like crown jewels overlooking the valley's below. Journey to the Chianti Hills and the city of Florence.
Accommodatin: Hotel Albani Firenze
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 5: Florence, Birthplace of the Renaissance
Indulge yourself this morning in exploring Florentine luxury goods. Learn about the craft involved in the local leatherwork during a demonstration and be entranced by the intricate creations of the goldsmiths art. Admire the rolling green hills of Tuscany and the impressive medieval towers of San Gimignano on an Optional Experience this afternoon.
Accommodation: Hotel Albani Firenze
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 6: Pisa and the Tuscan Countryside
After a leisurely morning in Florence, explore the nearby town of Pisa with a Local Expert. See the Leaning Tower, baptistery and the colonnaded bell tower, lurching out from behind the cathedral. Visit the organic farm Il Poggio and join a guided walk, exploring olive oil and wine production. After taking in beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills, enjoy tasting the farm’s fine wines and olive oil, in addition to an authentic Italian meal prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
Accommodation: Hotel Albani Firenze
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 7: On to Venice
Today we travel through the Emilia-Romagna region, and stop to sample the flavors of the region and learn about Italian food culture over a delicious lunch with wine. Take the autostrada east to Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. Your luxurious hotel has elegant Venetian touches and views over an unforgettably romantic city.
Accommodation: Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine
Day 8: Venice and the Magic of ‘La Serenissima’
Your private boat takes you past historic churches and 13th century palaces to St. Mark's Square. The first sight is the pink marble of the Doge's Palace, connected to the prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. It was from here that Casanova made his daring escape. Turn the corner, and the gilded facade of St. Mark's Basilica comes into view.
Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional arts centre. See how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills.
This afternoon there is plenty of time to explore the museums, galleries and churches or browse through the shops on the Rialto Bridge. Perhaps cruise out to some of the other islands in the lagoon to experience the age-old lifestyle of Venetian fishermen and lace-makers.
Accommodation: Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione
Included Meals: Breakfast
Day 9: Venice at Leisure
Who could refuse another day to take in the unique atmosphere of this wonderful city? Lose yourself in the back lanes and quiet squares, where tourists seldom tread and the Venetians go about their daily lives. Maybe visit some of the 90 churches housing masterpieces of Venetian art or explore the modern artworks in the Guggenheim? Perhaps relax at a canal-side café sipping local wine or sample delicious lagoon-fresh fish? Later, board a traditional gondola for a serenade through the romantic canals. This evening, indulge in traditional Venetian dishes that are enriched with inspiration from seasonal produce.
Accommodation: Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Day 10: Arrivederci Venice
Your departure transfer arrives at Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 08:00, 09:30
Included Meals: Breakfast
Terms & conditions
Prices are per person twin share, include discounts, and are subject to availability and rate of exchange changes. Offers above are a guide only and will vary depending on departure date, our guide price is based on the cheapest departure within the stipulated season and availability is correct at time of loading. Visas may be necessary and insurance is essential. Pentravel and Tour Operator terms and conditions apply, and can be requested. Excludes flights, transfers, visas, travel insurance and anything not mentioned. Savings are not valid on all itineraries and/or departure dates, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn/changed at any time without notice. High season supplements and block out dates may apply, pricing varies pending departure date. Package excludes flights. You can do optional free-time add-on experiences in your free time and pay for them as you travel (additional costs apply). Insight Vacations reserves the right to withdraw promotional offers and adjust savings anytime. All savings / discounts mentioned have already been included in the advertised price. Pentravel and Tour Operator reserves the right to withdraw or amend promotional offers at any time. Other conditions may apply. Advertised price is based on 21 December 2024 departure. At time of loading this may not be a definite departure. These packages are based on CASH price. E&OE;.
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