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Day
2 - Highlights of Venice
- In the morning we will meet our local Venetian guide
for our historic walking tour of the famous
sites and
secret alleyways of Venice. We start with the art
and
architecture of Doges Palace. It is a wonderful example
of Venetian Gothic and houses the treasures collected by
the rulers of Venice. After an introduction to St.
Marks Piazza/Square we will go through the grand
Basilica with its gold mosaics. It holds the relics of
St. Mark brought to Venice (i.e. stolen) from
Alexandria. We will continue with some wandering the
back streets of Venice and the historic Rialto Bridge
area and finish with a late sidewalk café lunch. Your
late afternoon is free to wander to other fine churches
or museums in the area or just relax and soak in the
magic of Venice. Dinner is on your own. (B,L) Sleep
Venice
Day 3 -
Venice
Discovery Day
- The entire day is dedicated to the things that you want to do and your
discovery of Venice. You could wake up late and wander
through the old city or do some shopping for anything
from local artists works to Italian leather to the
specialty of Viennese glass and jewelry. There are so
many things to choose from – Glass blowing on the Island
of Murano, Titian in the Gothic Frari Church or just
skipping from gelato to gelato – the choice is yours.
(B) Sleep Venice
Day 4 -
Venice to Siena and wander Siena -
We will have a relaxing morning in Venice and take the
mid morning scenic train to heart of Tuscany- the
medieval city of Siena. We will have a fun picnic lunch
on the train (from Venice fresh market), and arrive in
the early afternoon and head to our hotel in the heart
of the old city. There will be plenty of time to wander
and have a bit of Tuscan wine to kick off the evening.
We will have dinner together at a local restaurant
serving a wonderful combination of Italian and local
Sienese specialties. The Il Campo center of Siena is one
of the most beautiful in all of Italy and especially at
night a fun place to drink in Italian ambiance. (B,L,D)
Sleep Siena

Day 5 -
Tuscan Village hopping and Wine
tasting -We
will be picked up at our hotel around
9:00 by our private mini-bus and driver
and head out to the hill towns of
Tuscany. We will
start
with the medieval village of San
Gimignano. It is surrounded by an
ancient wall and complete with 14 still
standing medieval towers from feudal
lords of the past and a beautiful
cathedral. It’s hilltop views and fun
shopping make it a fun first stop. As
no tour would be complete without one,
after San Gimignano we will head o an
old winery for a tour and some tasting
of the local wine with some fun
explanation of the various Italian
wines. After our wine, we will head to
the lovely village of
Colle
Val d'elsa for some more exploring and
lunch on your own and then back to Siena
with plenty of time to take in the
historic sights of the city. Dinner is
on your own tonight. (B) Sleep Siena
Day 6 -
Art and Culture of Florence -
We will depart for Florence by “rapide”
bus pretty early(8:00) so that we can
kick start our day with the cultural
capital of Tuscany – Florence. We will
meet our Florence expert guide at the
station and embark on a 2-3-hr historic
walking tour of this city. The tour
will include the beautiful white and
green marble Duomo Cathedral and Tower
followed by skipping the lines and going
directly into the Accademia museum with
Michelangelo’s
David - A perfect place to discuss and
admire the beauty of the great Italian
Renaissance artists. We will continue
with our outdoor visit of Renaissance
architecture with the Battistero and its
famous bronze gates by Ghiberti,
Signoria square and the Old Bridge area
and then say good bye to our guide and
take a break with a tasty “real” pizza
lunch. After lunch, we will skip the
lines(reserved time at 2:00) and head
straight into the famous UFFIZI museum
where you will have a personal audio
guide and wander the museum at your own
pace. The works of Italian Renaissance
artists such as Botticelli, Titian,
Raphael and many more will keep you
amazed. After the Uffizi, you are on
your own to continue to enjoy Florence,
do some shopping, stay for dinner or
head back to Siena. Dinner is on your
own. (B, L) Sleep Siena
Day
7 - On to Rome
-
You can either do some morning shopping or catch up on
your sleep as we will get on our train around noon for
the
4-hr journey to the center of Rome. We will settle into
our hotel in the center of the old city, stay together
for a little “Rome 101” and then you have some time to
relax and wander around some of the Campos and sights in
our area. Dinner is on your own and there are streets
and Piazzas lined with the cutest little restaurants for
you to choose from. If you still have energy and the
weather is good, it is a perfect night to wander the
glorious Piazzas(Navona, Rotunda, Trevi Fountain) that
are all within walking distance of our hotel and come
alive at night. (B) Sleep Rome
Day 8 -
A Day
walking in Caesars' footsteps - We
will meet our local guide at the entrance to the Roman
Colosseum for our 3 hour walking tour of ancient Rome
and its people. We will begin by
skipping
the lines and touring this ancient structure inside and
out, imagining exactly how it looked when it was
completed and used by Emperor Titus in 80AD. After the
Colosseum we will wander next door through the Forum – a
set of buildings and temples which represented the
center of Roman civilization for nearly 500 years. If we
have time we will also visit the Capitoline Hill and
museum which is the new home of the Equestrian statue of
Marcus Aurelius, the only surviving bronze status of a
pre-Christian Roman emperor. After our tour we will
find a cozy Roman café for pizza, pasta or whatever
suits your fancy for lunch. The rest of the afternoon
and dinner is on your own for you to explore Rome. The
Pantheon, National Museum, or even the ancient site of
Ostia Antica outside of Rome are all good choices. (B,L)
Sleep Rome
Day 9 -
The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel morning plus free
afternoon -
We will head out to the Vatican and
again,
skip the long winding queue, and pick up our guide at
the group desk inside the Vatican museum for our 2-hr
walking tour. With the fall of Rome, the church became
the great preserver of art and civilization which
you
will see with exhibits on ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome
in addition to works by Michelangelo and Raphael. We
will finish with the famous Sistine Chapel – the Last
Judgment - by Michelangelo. It took him four years on
scaffolding to complete this masterpiece which is often
judged to be the single greatest work of art by one
human being. You can see if you agree – prepare to be
in awe! The afternoon is free for more wanderings of
Rome. We will get together in the evening for our “Roman
feast” at one of the local Roman specialty restaurants
situated on the peaceful Piazza Farnese to say our
“good-bye” to Rome, to each other and to Italy. (B, D)
Sleep Rome
Day 10 -
Tour over after breakfast -
You can head to the airport to go home or stay on in
Europe on your own. Whew, what an awesome 10 days! (B)
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