The Best of Italy

DAY 1: Tuesday, March 5, 2024 - Depart for Italy Depart Atlanta, GA for Italy

DAY 2: Wednesday, March 6 - Arrive in Venice Arrive in Venice and transfer to your hotel. The remainder of  the day is at leisure in this magical city built over a hundred  small islands and connected by 400 bridges. Your tour will  begin with an orientation meeting with your Tour Manager at  approximately 6 PM, followed by dinner. We recommend you  to select flights that arrive no later than 4 PM  Overnight: Venice  Meals: Dinner

DAY 3: Thursday, March 7 - Venice City Tour The discovery of Venice begins with a boat ride to the Island of Murano,  known for its artistic and colorful glassware. Visit one of the factories to  witness the art of glassblowing. Afterward, continue to the main Venice  island and take a walking tour with your local guide through the maze of  narrow alleyways and bridges before reaching St. Mark's Square. Upon  reaching the square, stop to view its most prominent monuments including  the Bridge of Sighs, the pink marble Doge's Palace, and golden Basilica of  San Marco, one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. It was built over  several centuries in a fusion of Byzantine, Roman and Venetian  architecture. The rest of the day is yours to explore Venice at leisure, or  participate in this afternoon's optional Gondola Ride, offering a different  perspective of this unique city built on water. Overnight: Venice  Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 4: Friday, March 8 -  Excursion to Pisa and Lucca, Montecatini Magnificent panoramas await you today. Drive through the rolling  countryside dotted with olive trees to Lucca, a jewel of medieval  architecture, with its massive 17th-century walls framing the city.  Walk along the winding streets of the original Roman grid revealing  layers of history at every turn. Arrive at the Church of San Michele  adorned by its beautiful piazza, occupying the site of the ancient  Roman Forum. Then, to Pisa to view the famous Piazza dei Miracoli  with its Leaning Tower, one of the most instantly recognizable  structures on earth. The monuments on the extraordinary Piazza dei  Miracoli create a unique architectural blend of Romanesque and  Gothic styles. Touring resumes with a scenic ride through Tuscany  prior to a late afternoon arrival in Montecatini, the spa center of Italy  known for its world-famous thermal baths and expansive parks and  gardens. Dinner this evening will be at your hotel.  Overnight: Montecatini  Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 5: Saturday, March 9 -  Town of Greve, Chianti Wine Tasting and Lunch Today begins with a visit to the small medieval town of Greve in  the Chianti region. Its famous triangular-shape square has been  for centuries the place of the Saturday market, setting of the  Monday Easter antique fair and the Chianti Classico Exposition.  Minutes from the center you will see the countryside full of  vineyards and olive groves, dotted with small medieval villages,  castles and villas – all of which have been home to muses,  explorers and artists. The day continues with more breathtaking  scenery as you continue your travel in the magnificent Chianti  region, in the very heart of the Tuscan countryside, where one of  Italy's most famous red wine is produced. Chianti offers a unique  landscape, with green, gentle hills covered with wide fields of  vineyards and olive groves, small rural villages, characteristic  parishes and countryside homes in stone. The Chianti landscape  is so stunning that it has inspired many famous photographers - so  keep your cameras ready. Stop at one of the local vineyards for a  wine tasting followed by lunch, highlighted by regional specialties.  A late afternoon arrival is planned back to Montecatini  Overnight: Montecatini  Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 6: Sunday, March 10 -  Florence, Wine Tasting & Cooking Class with Dinner Following breakfast you will travel to the lively Renaissance city of Florence,  with its priceless art and architecture. Here a walking tour is planned through  the heart of Florence. View the magnificent Duomo, with its Brunelleschidesigned dome, the renowned "Gates of Paradise" of the Baptistery by Ghiberti  and Giotto's Bell Tower. You'll be enchanted as you walk through the open-air  art museum of Signoria Square, with its Palazzo Vecchio, first residence of the  Medici family that today houses the seat of the city government. Continue to  the splendid Ponte Vecchio, also known as the "Old Bridge." A lovely end to the  day with a visit to a traditional Tuscan farm. After a warm welcome and wine  tasting, participate in a "hands-on" cooking class followed by dinner with  delicious typical local dishes and regional wines. Overnight: Montecatini Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

DAY 7: Monday, March 11 - Full Day Cinque Terre Today, travel to the spectacular Cinque Terre, one of the most beautiful  areas of the Liguria region. Here, the five small villages of Riomaggiore,  Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza & Monterosso are all part of the Cinque  Terre National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your tour will  include a visit to at least two of these spectacular villages, nestled in the  cliffs overlooking the sea and the surrounding hillsides. This active trip  covers a fair amount of ground. Expect from three to four hours walking  where you will encounter some uneven surfaces, stairs, steps and  significant slopes. Trains and/or boats will be the means of transportation.  * Exact tour itinerary and villages visited to be advised locally. Operation of  the tour is subject of weather condition and group size.  Overnight: Montecatini  Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 8:  Tuesday, March 12 - Depart for Rome via Orvieto Following breakfast and hotel check out you will depart south for  Orvieto, a small city perched on a rock cliff in the Umbria region. At its  heart, Orvieto is a picturesque medieval city, replete with a  quintessentially Italian atmosphere – centuries old, charming, with winding  cobblestone streets, broad piazzas, and one of the most important Gothic  cathedrals in Italy. Here you will visit the historic Duomo di Orvieto, dating  from 1290, with its mosaic facade that houses a marble Pietà sculpture. A  late afternoon arrival is planned in the capital city of Rome.  Overnight: Rome  Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

DAY 9:  Wednesday, March 13 - Pompeii Excursion Depart Rome this morning on a full day excursion to Pompeii. Drive along the Sun  Route motorway through the scenic regions of Lazio and Campania, rich in astonishing  natural beauty. At a distance, you can view the magnificent Abbey of Montecassino  perched high on the mountaintop (weather permitting). This was the scene of a huge  battle near the end of World War II in which the abbey was completely destroyed but  has since been restored. As you pass the Bay of Naples, majestic Mt. Vesuvius marks  the way to Pompeii, the city that was frozen in time under a thick carpet of volcanic ash  almost 2,000 years ago. Explore Pompeii's original streets with its winding alleyways,  steps and inclines. View the tragic fossils of people attempting to escape beside their  children and dogs, along with the preserved ruins of the Temples of Apollo and Jupiter,  and the Forum. Spend time on your own for lunch before returning to Rome Overnight: Rome Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

DAY 10: Thursday, March 14 - Vatican Museums & Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Today, visit the Vatican Museums and Michelangelo's masterpiece, the Sistine Chapel.  Stroll through one of the most important art collections of the world. Admire the Gallery of  Tapestries and the Geographical Maps before arriving to the Sistine Chapel, with its great  frescoes by Michelangelo. Continue to St. Peter's Square, passing Bernini's famous  colonnade to view St. Peter's Basilica, built on the burial site of Saint Peter. This afternoon  brings you on a walking tour to explore the grand piazzas of the Eternal City. Stand in awe  in front of the majestic Spanish Steps, the longest and widest decorative steps in Europe,  and with your local guide stroll through the most characteristic "piazzas and vias" of Rome.  Stop to admire the breathtaking grandeur of the Trevi Fountain and take the opportunity to  toss in one, two, or three coins, each of which is supposed to bring a unique kind of good  fortune. View the monumental Pantheon, the best preserved of any Roman building and  admire the baroque Piazza Navona, which follows the shape of the ancient Roman  Domitian Stadium, with Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers and the Egyptian Obelisk.  Overnight: Rome  Meals: Breakfast 

DAY 11:  Friday, March 15 - Depart Italy Transfer to the airport in Rome for your departure flight  Meals: Breakfast