ABSOLUTE ITALY 9 DAYS
Tour overview:
Your tour begins in Rome at the Vatican Museum including the sacred Sistine Chapel. Continue to visit the Pantheon and Spanish Steps. Travel to the picturesque region of Tuscany, home to vineyards and enchanting villages. Stop in the walled city of Siena. Experience the culture, food, architecture, and art of the Renaissance period in the amazing city of Florence. Travel on the canals to explore the city of Venice and end the trip with an authentic Venetian dinner.
Day 1 - Arrive Rome
Meet your private driver upon arrival in Rome and transfer to your hotel in Rome. Early afternoon meeting with your Tour Host in the hotel. You will learn more about your tour and familiarize yourself with travel companions. Later enjoy a walking tour of the Baroque Town with Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza di Spagna, the Italian Parliament and the fascinating narrow streets of ancient Rome. In the end, walk to the restaurant and enjoy a tasty welcome dinner. Overnight in Rome. (B)
Day 2 - Vatican & Cooking Experience
After breakfast, transfer from your hotel to the Vatican Museum to meet your guide. Access the Museum easily with your skip the line tickets. Your visit will be memorable: our guides have drawn up a route to include all the major sights as well as some unexpected surprises. See the Belvedere Courtyard with Apollo Belvedere & Laocoön & His Sons, Raphael Rooms, the Galleries of the Candelabra, of the Maps and of the Tapestries, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pinecone Courtyard. In the end, exit on the St. Peter’s Square and enjoy the magnificent view of the imposing Cathedral.
You will return to your hotel to relax after a challenging morning. Spend the early evening diving into the secrets of pasta-making in a cooking class with a local chef. After some sips of beautiful Prosecco and a bite or two of Roman *aperitivi*, get a crash course on making authentic pasta that you can recreate at home. Dust the flour from your fingertips and cleanse your palette with the perfect wine while you sit down with your fellow classmates to enjoy your meal. In the end, return transfer to your hotel Overnight in Rome. (B,D)
Day 3 - Rome
Today it will be free at leisure. Overnight in Rome. (B)
Day 4 - Rome to Florence (Montepulciano and Montalcino)
Private transfer to your hotel to Florence passing along Montepulciano and Montalciano. In Montepulciano, you will meet your guide for a walking tour of the town. Later, move to Montalcino for a wine tasting and lunch. Arrive in Florence late. Overnight in Florence. (B,L)
Day 5 - Magnificent Florence with Accademia
Start your exploration of Florence from the unknown and most picturesque sides of the city: visit the market of San Lorenzo, where it’s possible to see the food arriving from the Tuscan countryside. It’s a chance to taste many local cheeses, fruits, vegetables, and bread varieties. If you are still hungry, there’s free time for lunch. In the afternoon, meet your guide in the hotel and get ready to explore the heart of the town. Lorenzo de Medici transformed Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance by attracting the best artists, architects, and writers of the time; Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli, who he commissioned to produce various works of art and architecture. We’ll visit Piazza della Signoria, walk by the Palazzo Vecchio, the Duomo with Giotto’s bell tower ( from outside), and Ponte Vecchio. Our walkthrough of Florence will end with a visit to the Accademia to admire, among the many masterpieces, the jewel of Michelangelo: the statue of David. Overnight in Florence. (B)
In the afternoon, you can join an option tour of Siena & San Gimignano with dinner in a boutique winery.
Siena & San Gimignano with dinner in a boutique winery.
Leaving Florence in the afternoon, enjoy the drive to Siena, the first stop on tour. Enjoy a guided tour of its UNESCO-listed historic center, which includes the unique shell-shaped square where the legendary Palio race takes place twice a year. Next, reach San Gimignano, the stunning medieval town with an impressive skyline crowned by 14 towers that have survived through the centuries, earning it the nickname “Medieval Manhattan”. Get some time to explore its atmospheric cobbled lanes, then take the road to the hills of Chianti and admire the beautiful colors of Tuscany at sunset. Dinner will take place at a charming wine estate, where you’ll visit the cellars and dine on traditional Tuscan dishes paired with their fine wines.
Day 6 - Florence
Today is free at leisure. Overnight in Florence. (B)
Optional CinqueTerre Tour
Spend a day exploring the enchanting fishing villages along UNESCO-listed Cinque Terre coastline, amid breathtaking scenery and authentic local flavours. After meeting your guide in central Florence, travel in a comfortable minivan and enjoy a relaxing ride towards Cinque Terre, Italy’s smallest national park with one of the world’s most dramatic coastal landscapes. Upon arrival, board the little coastal train that runs between the five villages within the park, scenically sneaking through dark tunnels cut into the mountains that open out to glorious views of the Ligurian Sea. Discover their history and unique features as you tour some of the villages on foot and by boat accompanied by your guide. Come lunch, enjoy fresh seafood accompanied by fine local wine, then continue with a leisurely hike through seafront vineyards to learn about the region’s unique grape harvesting process.
Day 7 - Welcome to Venice
After breakfast, you will be transferred to the Florence train station. Board your train to Venice. Enjoy the ride by high-speed train to Venice.
The city does not have roads and cars but only boats and canals. It is built on several small islands linked by hundreds of bridges. Arrive late morning and transfer to the hotel in Laguna. Free time to explore Venice on your own. Overnight in Venice. (B)
Day 8 - Enjoy “La Serenissima” Venezia
Start your day early in the morning near the Rialto Bridge, where you’ll learn how the city grew from the lagoon mud. You’ll learn to identify how its sea-borne origins have impacted its history and culture. Begin your stroll from the bustling Rialto Fish Market, where professional chefs mix with home cooks, competing for some of the freshest fish you’ll ever see. You will then pass through the backstreets of Venice, passing quiet piazzas and picturesque bridges, occasionally stopping at landmarks like the childhood home of Marco Polo. Later, enjoy a 30-minute gondola ride that takes you through busy thoroughfares and quieter residential canals.
After a break for lunch, you’ll meet again in St. Mark’s Square and stroll into St. Mark’s Basilica with pre-reserved, skip-the-line tickets. Learn how a Byzantine-style building became Venice’s most significant landmark while pointing out some of the more remarkable stories featured in the golden mosaics that cover the ceilings. Finally, enter the Doge’s Palace, once the political nerve center for an empire stretched across the Mediterranean and Asia. In this building, the Doge, or Duke of Venice, lived where he lorded over an empire of immense wealth but almost no actual land. In the end, return to your hotel on your own. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner in a lovely restaurant. Overnight in Venice. (B,D)
Day 9 - Depart Venice
Transfer to the Airport or Railways Station. (B)