Italian Highlights Tour – 2012

Board your flight from your home destination to Leonardo da Vinci / Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy.

This itinerary assumes this to be an overnight flight. 

Air fare independently arranged.

Arrival in Rome (Roma in Italian).

You are picked up individually after your flight and taken to your hotel in Rome.

Time to relax in the afternoon, or to go for a stroll or start sightseeing on your own.

Tonight you'll meet your travelling companions and tour director, and enjoy a welcome dinner at one of Rome’s fine restaurants.  After dinner join your tour director for a leisurely stroll to the Trevi Fountain.

>  Your tour includes: Transfer from Rome airport to hotel, welcome dinner with menu choices and wine (or, of course,
    something else), overnight in Rome hotel

Sightseeing in ROME today starts with an inside visit to ST. PETER'S SQUARE and BASILICA.  Work started on the new basilica 500 years ago and took 150 years to complete, involving the contributions among others of Brabante, Raphael and Michelangelo, whose dome soars 119 metres above the papal altar and the site of St. Peter’s tomb.

Afterwards admire the COLOSSEUM – the greatest amphitheatre of the classical antiquity – built about 1,930 years ago.  It is considered an architectural and engineering wonder, and remains as a standing proof of both the grandeur and the cruelty of the Roman world.

In the afternoon join your tour director for a leisurely stroll to see the Spanish Steps and free time for shopping followed by dinner in a local trattoria.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance and guide fees for St .Peter’s and Colosseum, three-course dinner
    with wine, overnight in Rome hotel

Late morning departure on a country excursion to TIVOLI for a visit to the famous VILLA D'ESTE, built by Cardinal Ippolito d’Este.  The park has over 500 fountains, including masterpieces by Bernini and Pirro Ligorio.

After your visit you have time for lunch and shopping, before we continue to FRASCATI, situated on the Alban Hills.  Frascati, known for the splendid villas built from the 16th century by the Popes, Cardinals and Roman nobles as status symbols of Roman aristocracy, has been called the Roman Versailles.  Not the least of its attractions is the famous wine, which you have time to enjoy.

From here it is a short ride to CASTEL GANDOLFO, famous for its Papal Palace, the summer residence of the Holy Father.  The lovely town is situated on the edge of an extinct volcano, the Alban Lake. 

Early Country Dinner on the way back to Rome.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, three-course dinner with choices, one beverage and coffee,
    overnight in Rome hotel

Today say goodbye to the eternal city and go north.  Our first stop is PERUGIA, the capital of Umbria, for a guided tour of the city.  One of the best preserved Italian hill towns, it has a lively and bloody past.  It was also home to fresco painters like Pietro Vannicci, know as Perugino, teacher of Raphael.

After free time for lunch we go to famous ASSISI, home of St. Francis of Assisi.  Despite the millions of tourists and pilgrims it attracts every year, the town has managed to remain a beautiful and tranquil refuge.  Visit the Basilica with a Franciscan monk.

Continue to Florence, for your three nights stay.  Dinner at the hotel tonight.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees and guided tours, three-course dinner with choices, one drink
    and coffee, hotel in Florence

Today we focus on FLORENCE (Firenze in Italian), the cradle of the Renaissance, home of Dante, Machiavelli, Michelangelo and the Medicis – overwhelming in its wealth of art, culture and history, yet one of the most atmospheric and pleasant cities to visit.

Enjoy a guided tour and visit Michelangelo’s David, stand in awe of Brunelleschi’s magnificent Duomo, and Giotto’s bell tower.  Walk the Ponte Vecchio, and visit the Uffizi Gallery, the world's best collection of Renaissance paintings.  End your walk in Piazza della Signoria, the hub of the city’s political life through the centuries, which has the appearance of an outdoor sculpted gallery.

The afternoon is at leisure to do more sightseeing on your own, or shop for leather, fashion or art.  On the way back south we stop for a moment in Piazzale Michelangelo for a fantastic view over the city and then head for our perfect Tuscan garden dinner.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, guided tour of Florence, all entrance fees, three-course garden dinner with
    menu choices, wine and coffee, hotel in Florence

Our first stop today is PISA to take your pictures of the most famous bell tower in the world. The top of the tower is more than 12 feet from where it is supposed to be.

Our next stop today is SIENA.  Go for a walk with a local guide in this beautiful, gentle city built on three hills and still surrounded by its ramparts.  Its medieval centre has streets lined with majestic Gothic buildings in various shades known as burnt sienna.

On a hilltop in the heart of Tuscany, just a few miles down the road from Siena, stands SAN GIMIGNANO, a majestic medieval walled town, its profile bristling with tall towers that are famous all over the world.  It has retained all its old streets, its walls, gates, palaces, strongholds and 14 of the original 72 towers.

San Gimignano is one of the most spectacular cities in Italy, and one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the world.  It has a quiet majesty about it, sitting on the top of a hill with 360-degree views into the surrounding valleys.

Dinner tonight is on your own in Florence.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees and local guide in Siena, hotel in Florence

Today we go northeast.  Our first stop today is BOLOGNA, the capital of Emilia-Romagna and home of the oldest university in Europe.  Perfectly situated on one of the main crossroads of Italy, between the Po River and the Apennine mountains, Bologna is one of the most developed cities in Italy.  Try some of the famous mortadella, and enjoy strolling around one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe.

Continue on to VERONA, perfectly located on the Adige River at the southern slopes of the Alps, the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  See “Julia’s” balcony and the well preserved Arena, home of a world famous opera festival each summer.  Enjoy free time to stroll in the market square, before we head to Venice for an late afternoon arrival.

Check into your hotel on Lido Island – home of the Venice Film Festival, the Casino and the sandy beaches.  Enjoy a first impression of St. Mark’s Square in the evening, and a nice dinner by the canal.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, three-course dinner with choices, one beverage and coffee,
    hotel in Venice Lido

Today see Venice with a local guide.  Arrive by boat at St. Mark’s Square and join the tour of this most unusual city.  See St. Mark’s Basilica, which blends the architectural and decorative styles of East and West to create one of the greatest buildings in Europe.  Tour the elegant Doge's Palace, the official residence of Venice's rulers.  The 14th century façade of the Palace inspired architects all over the world.  Walk across the Bridge of Sighs, and maybe go up the Bell Tower for an incredible view.

We see the Grand Canal in style on a gondola ride.

 Dinner on your own tonight with lots of suggestions.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, hotel in Venice Lido

This morning we cruise the Venetian Lagoon and stop in Murano, the glass blowing island.  Murano has been the centre of the Venetian glassmaking industry since 1291, when the furnaces were moved here from the city.  Watch the creative process, and perhaps shop for upscale souvenirs.  Our next island stops are Burano, the fisherman island, and Torcello island, once the largest and most important settlement in the Venetian Lagoon, now a largely abandoned island with a very old basilica.

This afternoon go back into Venice or enjoy the sandy beaches of the Lido.

Tonight we are having a fantastic farewell dinner.

>  Buffet breakfast, door-to-door transportation, entrance fees, three-course dinner with choices, one beverage and coffee,
    hotel in Venice Lido

After breakfast we have arranged for individual transfers to Venice Marco Polo Airport to reach your homebound flight, which arrives home the same day.

Buon Viaggio!

>  Buffet breakfast, transfer to airport

Astrid Baur is a German native who has successfully conducted over 250 tours throughout Europe and Germany for thousands of happy clients.  Astrid will take you around Italy, which she knows by heart.

You will see not only the highlights but also the spots where only the locals go. The days are well planned to offer you many highlights, but you are not rushed.  And there is relatively little packing and unpacking, as we stay for three nights each in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

The tour language is English only.

Astrid organizes the tour personally, and you can contact her directly as explained in the Contact Information section below.

Astrid has posted a short video clip on YouTube introducing herself and her tours.
            > Castles Intro Video