Hotel accommodation with full buffet breakfast; Local Host service in each city; Destination Guides; headsets in Rome, Florence, and Venice; sightseeing with a Local Guide and transportation as outlined in the day-by-day itinerary (inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE); transfers to/from train stations.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Rome, Italy. Benvenuto! Time to relax or to begin exploring the “Eternal City.”
Day #2 Rome. Morning guided sightseeing and orientation, including headset, takes you to the VATICAN MUSEUMS. See the SISTINE CHAPEL, with Michelangelo’s famous ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Visit monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA.
Day #3 Rome. Full day at leisure.
Day #4 Rome–Florence. This morning, board the HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first-class) to Florence, arriving early-afternoon
Day #5 Florence. Morning guided sightseeing and orientation with headset: visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s David. See Cathedral Square with Santa Maria del Fiore and the Baptistry’s “Gate of Paradise;” Piazza della Signoria; and Ponte Vecchio.
Day #6 Florence. Full day at leisure.
Day #7 Florence–Venice. Morning transfer to the HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first-class) with early-afternoon arrival in Venice.
Day #8 Venice. Morning guided sightseeing and orientation with headset takes you to ST. MARK’S SQUARE and BASILICA, DOGES’ PALACE, and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch a GLASSBLOWERS’ DEMONSTRATION.
Day #9 Venice. Full day to explore this intriguing city of canals and bridges at your own pace. ENTRANCES to Marciana Library and the Correr and Archaeological museums are included; ask your Local Host for details.
Day #10 Venice–Lake Maggiore. This morning, travel by HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first-class) to Milan, then transfer to your hotel in beautiful Stresa on Lake Maggiore.
Day #11 Lake Maggiore. Morning guided sightseeing and orientation includes a short boat ride to the opulent PALACE and monumental GARDENS of ISOLA BELLA. The island was named by Carlo III Borromeo after his wife Isabella in 1630 and is still owned by the Borromeo dynasty today.
Day #12 Lake Maggiore. Full day at leisure.
Day #13 Lake Maggiore. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning (nearest airport is Milan Malpensa).