Italian Wonders

Benvenuto in Italia! Starting from Venice is like jumping into a dream where little alleys and canals form a fascinating maze in the lagoon and the elegance of centuries-old palaces is mirrored in the water. In Venice the aroma of good food and wine, together with the sound of laughter from the bacari (local inns), create a multisensory experience you’ll never forget.

Your tour starts at 6:00pm with a Welcome Meeting where you’ll meet your local leader and fellow travellers. (Upon arrival at the hotel you’ll find a note telling you where this welcome meeting will take place.) Following the meeting, you’ll discovery one of Italy’s most famous wonders – the food! The group will enjoy a special welcome dinner at a local restaurant where you will dine like the Venetians do.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Ca’ Pozzo Inn or similar
• Meal: Welcome Dinner.

After a good breakfast and a real Italian coffee, we’ll set out to explore Venice. And you’ll find the city alive! The Rialto market is full of colours and flavours and the canals fill up with gondolas and life. Today your tour director will take you for a “Like a Local” walk where you’ll mingle with locals, hear curious stories and see the authentic side of this fascinating city built on the water. We’ll cross the Canal Grande like the Venetians do, walk along calli (alleys) and campielli (small squares) and after taking a few hidden twists and turns we’ll arrive in San Mark Square.

During the afternoon you’ll enjoy some free-time, where you can choose to relax or keep on exploring Venice, taking a gondola ride for example or visiting the islands of Murano and Burano. Or perhaps you’ll choose to eat and drink! You cannot say you truly know Venice if you haven’t had an ombra (local wine) and tasted some cicchetti (small bites) in a typical bacaro (a small inn where Venetians meet to catch up, laugh, and pass the time).

Your tour director will give you plenty of suggestions for organizing your afternoon.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Ca’ Pozzo Inn or similar.
• Meal: Breakfast
• “Like a Local walk of Venice
• Venice “traghetto” ride

Important note for Day 2
Both the afternoon and evening are “free time”. In the evening, you might like to join your tour director as he visits some of the best local bacari (inns) in the city. And by “some” we mean more than one! It’s possible to check out several bacari in an evening, enjoying great drinks and delicious small bites in each. This is a very fun way to spend an evening in Venice.

On Day 3 we will travel from east to west aboard some of Italy’s modern high-speed trains to reach the Cinque Terre. (This trip is approximately 5.5 hours, including a stop for lunch and a quick change to a local train.)

After checking-in at our hotel, we will explore Portovenere and the Gulf of Poets. There, Captain Mario will welcome us aboard his boat, offer us a welcome drink, and then show us the wonders of this gulf and the secrets of Palmaria island. The best part? We’ll visit a bay that’s only accessible by boat to swim in the crystalline waters where Lord Byron used to splash! Back on the boat, we will enjoy an aperitif with local products (like anchovies, pesto and focaccia) and an aperitif as we toast the sunset together.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Firenze e Continentale or similar – La Spezia.
• Meal: Breakfast
• Boat tour with aperitif in the Poets Gulf – Beverages (wine, beer, and soft drinks) and snacks included

Important note for Day 3
In the event that bad weather forces the cancellation of our boat tour, this activity will be replaced with an equally-fun indoor activity of the same value. Further, depending on seasonality and on our group size, the boat tour may be shared with another very small group (like ours). That said, comfort and safety are always key so we promise that you’ll have a great time!

Today you will explore an incredible wonder: five fishing villages suspended between sea and mountain, surrounded by vertical vineyards, olives trees and colorful houses built one on the top of the other.

The Cinque Terre region was named an Unesco World Heritage site for its beauty. It’s also only accessible by foot or by train! So wear comfortable shoes and join your tour director for an amazing walk along the stunning paths that link these historic villages, where nature and man worked together to create a scene of unmatched beauty.

At the end of the walk, we’ll leave our shoes on a rock and don our swimsuits for a refreshing swim in the aquamarine sea of the Cinque Terre.

If you don’t feel comfortable walking, don’t worry: the railway links each of these villages and in less than 5-minutes you can go from one village to the next. There are several trains per hour and with the help of your tour director it will be easy and fun exploring Cinque Terre by the train.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Firenze e Continentale or similar – La Spezia
• Meal: Breakfast
• Cinque Terre Pass – This is a ticket that allows you to hop on and off the train for the entire day, as well as free access to the Cinque Terre paths.
• Cinque Terre Walk led by your tour director.

Important note for Day 4
The Cinque Terre paths are narrow mountain trails steep in several parts. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes with non-slip soles. Hiking boots are recommended, but a good pair of runners will be fine too. Due to damage caused to the structures of the trails during the flood of 2011, in case of bad weather the local authority can decide to close the access to the trails.

Elegant, iconic and curiously leaning, the Tower of Pisa has attracted travellers and architecture lovers from all around the world. This morning, on our way to Florence, we will stop in Pisa to admire the Leaning Tower and the marble wonders of Piazza dei Miracoli.

We will then continue on to Florence where, after checking-in to our centrally-located hotel, we will take an exciting “Like a Local” walk around this magical city. We will see how the beauty of the Renaissance and the art of great artists like Michelangelo melt together with elegant shops and one of the richest Italian culinary traditions.

You’ll learn about the curious street number system of Florence, discover a secret corridor suspended between the street and the sky, walk in an open-air museum and eat in a lively street market that offers gourmet food until late night.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Il Guelfo Bianco Boutique Hotel or similar
• Meal: breakfast
• “Like a Local” walk of Florence

Important note for Day 5
While we will visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa, entry/climb is not included in the tour (tickets are 18 euros).

Today, Florence is yours! You will enjoy a free day at your own pace to explore the parts of Florence that intrigue you the most. Your tour director will give you plenty of suggestions to help you organize your free time. You can relax strolling elegant alleys, explore the Oltrarno region, or go shopping among the famous leather markets and boutiques.

If you like art, you won’t want to miss the Uffizi Gallery. It’s one of the most important museums in the world and holds masterpieces by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo and Michelangelo.

If you’ve got a passion for sculpture, we suggest exploring the Galleria dell’Accademia to see the majestic David of Michelangelo and visit the Bargello museum.
Be breathless in front of the overwhelming beauty of the Santa Maria del Fiore marble façade, walk the 400 steps of the Giotto bell tower or reach the top of the Brunelleschi dome.

If you are a food lover, Florence is a treasure chest to open: old artisan gelato shops, small venues serving high-quality wine, pecorino cheese, finocchiona salami and the savoury Tuscan ham. Visit in local inns to indulge in real pappa al pomodoro (a typical soup made with basil, tomato, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil) or the fiorentina, the typical 1kg Florentine steak.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Il Guelfo Bianco Boutique Hotel or similar
• Meal: breakfast

Important notes for Day 6
If you want to visit the Uffizi Gallery or the Galleria dell’Accademia (David of Michelangelo), it is very important to reserve in advance in order to avoid long queues. Ask your tour director on Day 1 to assist you in making these reservations or read the section “Booking Museum Visits” in the Tour Notes of this tour.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast with treats from local producers, we will hop on a local bus to go to the heart of the Tuscany countryside: the Chianti region. Here, the hills and the vineyards form an impressive landscape where their colors blend with their shapes in beautiful harmony.

Today a local wine producer will welcome us into his home to tell us the story of his family and to show us the winery where he produces his exquisite Chianti. The best part? We’ll taste the wine, some of the best in Tuscany, in one of the most incredible landscapes in the world.

We will go back to Florence in the late afternoon to enjoy the magical atmosphere of this city for another night. The rest of the day is at your leisure (free time).

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Il Guelfo Bianco Boutique Hotel or similar
• Meal: breakfast
• Day trip to Chianti
• Winery visit and wine tasting

Once more we will travel at 300 km/h aboard a high-speed train connecting Florence to Rome in just an hour and a half. Rome, the heart of the ancient Roman Empire, is the cradle of a rich history and the birthplace of the Italian dolce vita. Admire the wonderful baroque palaces and squares designed by Bernini and Borromini, see the magnificent works of Michelangelo and enjoy the vibrant and lively dolce vita of Rome.

After checking-in at our centrally-located hotel, we will start a “Like a Local” walk where we will stand at the top of the Spanish Steps, see an elegant 250-year-old café, admire the elegance of the Trevi Fountain and the majestic Colosseum.

During your walk you will also discover a lot of other secret wonders of Rome, from small artisanal gelato shops serving fresh and original flavours (like lime and chili!), to fascinating squares that hosted chariots races thousands of years ago.

Following our walk, you’ll enjoy an afternoon and evening at your leisure (free time).

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Alexandra or similar
• Meal: Breakfast
• “Like a Local” walk of Rome

Today you’ll enjoy a free day for exploring the wonderful city of Rome at your own pace. Your tour director will provide plenty of suggestions for organizing your free time. You might choose to visit the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, or the Borghese Gallery, the ruins of ancient Rome or visit the Colosseum. Lose yourself in the fascinating Roman neighbourhood of Monti, Trastevere and the Aventino, stop for an aperitif or for taking an artistic picture of a hidden corner.

And then head back to your hotel, relax a little and get ready for our Farewell Dinner. We’ll gather at a special local restaurant to enjoy an exquisite Roman meal – like an authentic carbonara or saltimbocca alla romana.

What’s included?

• Accommodation: Hotel Alexandra or similar
• Meals: Breakfast, Farewell Dinner

Important notes for Day 9
If you would like to visit the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, or the Colosseum, it is very important to reserve in advance in order to avoid long queues. Ask your tour director on Day 1 to assist you in making these reservations or read the section “Booking Museum Visits” in the Tour Notes of this tour.

Our tour has come to the end. We hope you’ll have had the time of your life! Enjoy one more Italian coffee with its unforgettable aroma, and then head towards your flight home (or your next destination). Arrivederci!

What’s included?

• Meal: Breakfast