22 Days
Arrive in Milan and meet with your English speaking assistant. Milan is the second largest city in Italy and the capital of the Lombardy Region. Hotel check in. Dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Start the guided city tour of this amazing city combying art, fashion, style and finance. See the Duomo, the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery (called Milan’s lounge), the Scala opera House and the amazing Castello Sforzesco, once home of the Sforza family, and “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci, in Chiesa Santa Maria delle Grazie. Lunch is on your own. In the afternoon free time at disposal to enjoy your shopping in the most fashionable city in the world. You will be able to explore Via Montenapoleone and Via della Spiga, where all the great stylists’ boutiques are located, and see with your eyes what you normally see on catwalks. Transfer to Stresa, hotel check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and depart from the Stresa Pier to the Borromean Islands. Visit Isola Bella with the Borromeo Palace and its beautiful botanical garden. Until 1632 the island was a rocky crag occupied by a tiny fishing village: but that year Carlo III of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of a palazzo dedicated to his wife, Isabella D’Adda, from whom the island takes its name. Then Isola dei Pescatori with its lovely landscape. Here the traditional occupation of fishing still exists, but tourism has become central to the economic life of the island, as its picturesque charms have made it a popular destination. Time at leisure for lunch. In the afternoon, continue navigation to the Isola Madre and visit its exotic garden, covering an area of eight hectares whose construction in the English style began in the late eighteenth century on the site of a citrus orchard. Particularly prized is the scala dei morti, or staircase of the dead. Evening return to Stresa. Dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and departure for Lake Garda, the biggest lake in Italy, one of northern Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. Arrival in Desenzano del Garda for the lunch on your own. Free time, you will also get the chance to stroll along the narrow city centre streets full of shops and boutiques. Transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and depart towards Verona, Romeo and Juliet’s town. The city’s main attractions includes Castelvecchio, Gavi Arch, Borsari Gate, Pietra Bridge and the Roman Theatre. Then you will walk to the Scaligera Arches before reaching Piazza dei Signori, Piazza delle Erbe, Juliet’s house and the world famous Arena, a Roman amphitheater dating back to 1st Century a.d.. Time at disposal for lunch. Afternoon drive to Lake Garda, the biggest lake in Italy, one of northern Italy’s most popular tourist destinations. Visit of Sirmione. Transfer to Venice area, hotel check in. Dinner and overnight.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Venice by train/boat. Meet the guide and start the guided tour of this city, considered one of the most beautiful in the whole world. Sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges, it is located in the marshy Venetian Lagoon which stretches along the shoreline, between the Po and the Piave Rivers. Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its spectacular architecture and its artworks. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. You will get the chance to see: St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, the Doges Palace and the Bridge of Sighs that connects the Palace to the prisons. Lunch on your own and relax time to walk up and down the romantic canals crossed by narrow bridges Return to your hotel, dinner and overnight.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to Venice by train/ boat. Morning at your disposal or optional excursion at the small Islands in the Venetian Lagoon: Burano and Murano, located north of the historic centre of Venice, Murano and Burano offer beautiful handicrafts that have made them famous worldwide: the first is characterized by the centuries-old glass manufacturing, the second for its sophisticated lace, not to mention the original colourful buildings. Visiting Murano and Burano will give you the most authentic and unusual side of Venice. Lunch at your leisure. Afternoon drive to Toscana. Arrival in Montecatini, an idyllic Spa town. Hotel check-in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Full day excursion to Florence, the wonderful heart of the Renaissance, and the capital city of the Italian Region of Tuscany. Centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, and has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. A turbulent political history includes periods of ruling by the powerful Medici family, and numerous religious and republican revolutions. From 1865 to 1871 the city was also the capital of the recently established Kingdom of Italy. The historic centre attracts millions of tourists each year, and Florence is ranked as one of the most visited cities in the world. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982, the city contains numerous museums and art galleries, such as the Uffizi Gallery and the Pitti Palace and still exerts an influence in the fields of art, culture and politics. Florence is also an important city in Italian fashion, being ranked within the top fifty fashion capitals of the world. On arrival, 3-hour guided tour of the city and get the chance, among others, to see the “David” sculpture by Michelangelo. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon free time to visit individually this magnific city. Late afternoon return to your hotel in Montecatini. Dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and whole day free for leisure in your spa hotel in Montecatini Terme. Otherwise optional excursion to visit Lucca and Pisa. For its monumental and historic wealth, Lucca has been proposed as addition to Unesco World Heritage Sites. The old town has preserved its medieval appearance with ancient churches, bell towers and monumental renaissance palaces. Lunch on your own. Afternoon arrival in Pisa, famous for the monumental Cathedral and the Leaning Tower. In the evening turn back to Montecatini. Dinner and overnight in hotel.
Hotel breakfast. Full day trip to the Cinque Terre in Liguria, where the coast is punctuated by picturesque small fishing villages. You’ll enjoy the views of these picturesque - postcards villages and a boat ride or train ride along the coast. Lunch on your own. Return to Montecatini. Dinner at leisure and overnight.
Hotel breakfast in hotel and leave for Siena, driving through the beautiful region of the Chianti wine. The tradition of cultivating vines in Chianti goes back a long time in history, back to the Etruscans that inhabited the area before the Roman empire. In 1984, Chianti obtained the denomination D.O.C.G. (Denominazione d’Origi ne Controllata e Garantita, or Controlled and Guaranteed Denomination of Origin), which is the highest type of recognition for quality Italian wines. Stop for wine tasting. Travel to Siena. Lunch on your own and 2 hours guided visit of Siena, one of the most beautiful medioeval towns in Italy. Its historic centre has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation’s most visited tourist attractions, and its famous for its cuisine, art, museums, medieval cityscape and the Palio, a horse race in traditional costumes. Meet the guide for the city tour: the City Hall, Piazza del Campo, the Cathedral. Lunch on your own. Drive to Naples, check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and leave for Pompei, visit the archeological museum and see how life was before the vulcano Vesuvius hit in 79 B.C.: the alleys, the town forum, the bakery, the spas, the homes, a perfect reconstruction of family life at that time. Lunch on your own, in the afternoon panoramic tour of Naples the capital of the Italian region Campania and the third-largest municipality in Italy, after Rome and Milan. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Bronze Age Greek settlements were established in the Naples area in the second millennium BC. Naples’ historic city centre is the largest in Europe, is enclosing 27 centuries of history, is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Naples has long been a major cultural centre with a global sphere of influence, particularly during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras. Back to your hotel. Dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Transfer to the pier where you will embark on the ferry going to Capri, one of the most spectacular islands on the Mediterranean Sea, right in front of the Sorrentine Peninsula. Enchanting and picturesque, Capri is an island made of limestone rock, a favorite of Roman emperors, the rich and famous, artists, and writers, it’s still one of the Mediterranean’s must-see places. The island’s top attraction is the famous Blue Grotto, Grotta Azzurra. Beaches are scattered around the island. There are only two towns -Capri, just above Marina Grande, and Anacapri, the higher town. Lemon trees, flowers, and birds are abundant and altogether privide that special Capri atmosphere. Spend the whole day on the island where you will have a panoramic tour and lunch on your own. You will also enjoy some spare time to do some shopping in the small boutique shops the world’s jetsetters love so much. Return back to the mainland for dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Hotel breakfast. Whole day at leisure to explore the city on your own or option excursion to the Amalfi Coast. Panoramic tour along a coastal stretch with an explosion of Mediterranean colors and scents, stop in Amalfi, Positano and Sorrento. Lunch at your leisure. In the late afternoon turn back to Naples for dinner and overnight in your hotel.
Hotel breakfast and departure for Apuglia, the region called “the heel of Italy”. Stop in Trani to visit the astonishing cathedral. Free lunch and ahead to Bari, the capital of the region. Guided city tour. The Saint Nicholas basilica, together with the Cathedral and the Theatre Petruzzelli, are the most important sites in town. Transfer to you hotel in area Alberobello. Check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Morning guided tour of Alberobello, this blindingly white typical Apuglia town famous for its unique prehistoric “trulli” buildings. The Trulli of Alberobello have been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996. Lunch on your own and continue to Ostuni, the “white town”, carachterised by it’s white buildings and the ancient olive groves. Free time for leisure in the city center. Transfer to Lecce, hotel check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Morning guided tour of Lecce. Because of the rich Baroque architectural monuments found in the city, Lecce is commonly nicknamed “The Florence of the South”. The city also has a long traditional affinity with Greek culture going back to its foundation; the Messapian who founded the city, are said to have been Cretans in Greek records. Lunch at your leisure and then transfer to Otranto, fishing town famous for its breed of horses, located on the east coast of the Salento Peninsula. Return to Lecce, dinner and overnight in hotel.
Hotel breakfast. Transfer to Matera in Region Basilicata. The town lies in a small canyon carved out by the Gravina. Known as “la Città Sotterranea” (the Subterranean City), Matera is well known for its historical center called “Sassi”, considered World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1993, along with the Park of the Rupestrian Churches. Italian host of European Capital of Culture in 2019. Guided visit and free lunch. Transfer to Bari, hotel check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast. Transfer to Rome. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon meet with English speaking guide for a tour of Rome, the capital of Italy and also of the Lazio Region. Rome’s history spans more than 2500 years, since its legendary founding in 753 BC and it is referred to as “The Eternal City”. In the ancient world it was successively the capital city of the Roman Kingdom, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, and is regarded as one of the birthplaces of Western civilization. You will see the Fori Imperiali, the Colosseum, Constantine’s Arch, and all the other most astonishing sights of Ancient Rome. In the late afternoon hotel check in, dinner and overnight.
Hotel breakfast and continue with the guided visit of the city. Time for a stroll in Piazza di Spagna, with world-famous Trinità dei Monti steps, take a picture by the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and, finally reach the Pantheon. Lunch on your own. Afternoon free for leisure. Return to hotel, dinner and overnight.
