Grand Tour of Italy - July 2017
Need to Plan a Trip? Honeymoon? Call the Gurus: 337-453-1932
Need to Plan a Trip? Honeymoon? Call the Gurus: 337-453-1932
-Gondola Ride: Venice Canal Cruise $79
-Private Gondola Ride: Canal Cruise for Two $159
-Accademia Gallery $59
-Siena & Gan Gimignano: Tuscan Hilltops $119
-Perugia: City Highlights & Wine Tasting $99
-Capri: A Day on the Iconic Island $115
-Iconic Sights: Vatican City $115
-Rome
A land full of history and stunning sites.
The true question on a tour of Italy is, “Where not to go?” The country is bursting with personality and beauty, making the possibilities for cultural discovery virtually endless. On this sweeping Italian tour, you’ll see the best of the country, exploring legendary cities like Venice, Florence, and Rome and smaller-yet-iconic towns like Ferrara and Assisi.
Your tour package includes
Included highlights
Day 1: Travel day
Board your overnight flight to Milan today.
Lake Como Region 2 nights
Day 2: Arrival in Milan & transfer to Lake Como Region
Included meal: Welcome dinner
Welcome to Italy! Transfer to your hotel in the Lake Como region. Then, meet your Tour Director and fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.
Day 3: Como & Villa Carlotta
Included meal: Breakfast
Head out on a morning trip to explore Como, a city known for its mix of cultural and natural attractions.
Enjoy free time in Como for lunch and shopping, while admiring the lakeside vistas Transfer to the beautiful Villa Carlotta to soak in spectacular views from the elaborate villa gardens Please note: From April through October, a funicular to Brunate will replace the visit to Villa Carlotta.
Enjoy a free evening in the Lake Como region or add an excursion.
$99 per person
Hop aboard a scenic cruise of Lake Como to soak in some of Italy’s most beautiful estates and gardens. Float past charming lakeside towns to Bellagio, a village whose scenery has inspired poets and young lovers for centuries. You’ll have time to take in Bellagio’s classic beauty before heading to a local restaurant, where you’ll sample cuisine from a carefully chosen menu. Please note: Your included meal may be lunch or dinner as departure time varies by season. This excursion is weather-dependent.
Day 4: Venice via Verona
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
En route to Venice, stop in Verona and walk through the city with your Tour Director.
Stroll through the city’s UNESCO-recognized historic center
Admire the Roman arena, Piazza delle Erbe, and the balcony of Shakespeare’s Juliet
Enjoy free time before continuing on to Venice where you’ll enjoy an included dinner.
Day 5: Sightseeing tour of Venice
Included meal: Breakfast
Admire historic churches, winding canals, and picture-perfect piazzas on a guided tour of the city known as the Queen of the Adriatic.
Enjoy a free afternoon in Venice or add an excursion.
$79 per person
More than 100 canals crisscross Venice, and boarding a sleek, black gondola to explore them has become a time-honored tradition. On this memorable excursion, join your fellow travelers for a tour through the canals of Venice, with a gondolier deftly guiding your boat along. Please note: This excursion runs as weather permits, and travelers should feel comfortable getting into and out of the gondolas. A private, two-person gondola ride is available for an additional cost.
$159 per person
More than 100 canals crisscross Venice, and boarding a sleek, black gondola to explore them has become a time-honored tradition. On this memorable excursion, you’ll enjoy a private gondola cruise for two through the canals of Venice, with a gondolier deftly guiding your boat along. Please note: This excursion requires two passengers. Cost is per person, and each traveler must book the excursion. Travelers should also feel comfortable getting into and out of the gondolas. This excursion runs as weather permits.
Florence 3 nights
Day 6: Florence via Ferrara
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
On your way to Florence, stop in Ferrara. There, you’ll have free time to eat lunch and explore the city’s historic center, home to beautiful Renaissance architecture including Este Castle and Palazzo dei Diamanti.
Continue on to Florence and sit down for an included dinner.
Day 7: Sightseeing tour of Florence
Included meal: Breakfast
Set off on a guided tour of Florence, the city at the center of the Renaissance.
Enjoy free time in Florence or add an excursion.
From $59 per person
Home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece David, the Accademia Gallery is one of the most famous museums in Florence. Skip the ticket lines, and join a local guide on a tour of the museum as you learn about Renaissance art history and view a variety of pieces, including the marble statue of David.
Day 8: Free day in Florence
Included meal: Breakfast
Spend a free day in Florence or add an excursion.
From $119 per person
Discover the essence of Tuscany on a full-day excursion. In Siena, a local guide introduces you to the town and its black-and-white marble duomo, where you’ll find brilliantly colored 16th-century frescoes in the Piccolomini Library. You’ll have some free time to explore the Campo, the square that serves as the center of civic life in Siena. Then, journey through the countryside to the town of San Gimignano, where you’ll have some free time to explore the city’s medieval towers or simply admire the Tuscan hills. Later, you’ll head to a nearby vineyard, where an included wine tasting awaits. Please note: This excursion involves a moderate amount of walking.
Assisi
Day 9: Transfer to Assisi and sightseeing tour
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Drive through spectacular Umbria to hillside Assisi, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the town’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Sit down for an included dinner this evening.
Day 10: Free day in Assisi
Included meal: Breakfast
Spend a free day in Assisi or add an excursion.
From $99 per person
Discover Perugia on a guided tour. While the city is the capital of the Umbria region, it still maintains a charming feel thanks to its rich collection of Renaissance art and sweeping countryside views. You’ll see Perugia Cathedral, Palazzo dei Priori, Fontana Maggiore, and the shops of Corso Vannucci. Enter the Collegio del Cambio, home to the historic exchange guild. The building dates back to the 13th century and you’ll step inside to view famous, well-preserved frescoes by Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino. Then, head to the Rocca Paolina fortress for a lunch of typical Umbrian cuisine that incorporates seasonally fresh ingredients. Warm, hearty foods like lentil soup will be served in the fall and winter. Whereas summer will bring fresh, bright pasta dishes. You’ll also visit a cave wine cellar to enjoy a tasting of three wines—a local white, red, and Vin Santo, or dessert wine.
Sorrento Peninsula 2 nights
Day 11: Sorrento Peninsula via Pompeii
Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner
En route to the Sorrento peninsula, stop in Pompeii for a guided tour of the city’s famed ruins.
Continue on to the Sorrento peninsula and sit down for an included dinner.
Day 12: Free day on the Sorrento Peninsula
Included meal: Breakfast
Spend a free day on the Sorrento peninsula or add an excursion.
From $115 per person
Travel by ferry to the fabled isle of Capri, a beloved resort since the days of the Roman Republic. Weather permitting, you’ll enjoy a boat ride around the island. Later, you’ll enjoy free time to discover why everyone from Roman emperors to Sophia Loren has spent their vacations in Capri. If the weather prohibits a boat ride, you’ll travel to the village of Anacapri, which offers stunning views of the surrounding scenery. Please note: This excursion is weather-dependent. Travelers prone to seasickness should take the proper precautions.
Rome 2 nights
Day 13: Transfer to Rome & sightseeing tour
Included meal: Breakfast
Travel to Rome and follow in the footsteps of the ancient Romans on a guided tour of the Eternal City.
Day 14: Free day in Rome
Included meals: Breakfast, Farewell dinner
Enjoy a free day in Rome or add an excursion. Then, join your group at tonight’s farewell dinner. Tonight, as you dine, you’ll be treated to a multi-course traditional Italian meal with a live musical entertainment.
From $115 per person
This guided tour takes you inside Vatican City—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most sacred places in Christendom. This independent city-state within Rome serves as the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and is home to the Pope. Upon arrival, turn on your pre-distributed headset and dive into the Vatican’s rich history with your local guide. First, visit the Vatican Museums, which are more than 500 years old and house many of the world’s most important Classical- and Renaissance-era sculptures. Next, step inside the Sistine Chapel, whose frescoed ceiling is arguably Michelangelo’s greatest masterpiece. Finally, pay a visit to the enormous St. Peter’s Basilica, the epicenter of the Roman Catholic faith. The artists who have contributed to its glory are some of the best Italy has ever known: Bramante, Peruzzi, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Masterpieces await at every turn, from Bernini’s magnificent bronze canopy to Michelangelo’s Pietà. Please note: Should this excursion fall on a Sunday, it will be moved to another day of the tour. Backpacks are not allowed in the Vatican, and shorts and sleeveless shirts are strictly prohibited. Due to closures of certain entrances and pathways, wait times may extend to several hours during busy travel months.
Flight Home
Day 15: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your stay in Rome.
Extension to Rome
Have your sights on more art, history, and street life? Rome is sure to deliver. Only in the Italian capital can you sip cappuccino in front of the Pantheon and have an audience with the pope all in one morning. Your Tour Director will tell you their favorite ways to savor the city, and all you have to do is soak it in.
Rome 2 nights
Day 15: Free day in Rome
Included meal: Breakfast
Enjoy a free day in Rome or add excursions.
From $115 per person
In this hands-on cooking class led by an experienced Italian chef, you’ll learn to make pasta—perhaps pillowy ravioli or castellane, a ridged shell pasta that’s rolled into a long, oval shape—using traditional techniques you can keep on practicing when you get back home. Then, sit down for dinner and enjoy the dishes you’ve prepared, along with wine.
From $65 per person
Set out for a stroll through central Rome with a local expert. From the Spanish Steps, where Bernini’s Baroque-style fountain has stood since the 1600s, head to the intricately carved Trevi Fountain. (Don’t forget to toss in a coin and wish for a return trip to Rome!) Enjoy a gelato tasting before entering the Pantheon, the best-preserved ancient Roman temple. Your walking tour ends at Piazza Navona, the city’s most famous square, where you’ll view Bernini’s stunning the Fountain of the Four Rivers. Please note: Comfortable shoes are recommended, as this excursion involves a moderate amount of walking on cobblestone streets. Entrance is not guaranteed to the Pantheon depending on the day of the week and public holidays.
Day 16: Free day in Rome
Included meal: Breakfast
Spend a free day in Rome or add an excursion.
This evening, enjoy a farewell drink as you celebrate your trip with your fellow group members.
From $79 per person
Descend into Rome’s ancient catacombs, where early Christians buried saints and popes alongside commoners. A local guide will lead you through the burial chambers before your visit to St. Paul’s Basilica, one of the four most important basilicas of Rome. Originally founded by Constantine the Great, the Basilica also houses the tomb of St. Paul. Please note: Shorts and sleeveless shirts are not permitted within the Basilica. Also, this excursion involves extensive walking and may be challenging for claustrophobic travelers.
Flight Home
Day 17: Departure
Included meal: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)
Transfer to the airport for your flight home
