Tours in Italy

THE BEST OF ITALY AND FRENCH RIVIERA

March 11/26, 2006
Price: $ 3.500

DAY 1 – Venice
Individual arrival. Transfer to hotel at your own. Check-in. In the late afternoon meeting with the tour leader for the orientation. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 2 – Venice
Breakfast in hotel. In the morning guided tour to San Marco Square, the heart of the city and admire the beautiful facade of St. Mark's Basilica, with is grand Byzantine influence. Cross over the Bridge of Sighs, and stroll the city's narrow streets, lovely piazzas and marvel at the canals where traditional gondolas still ply the waters. Lunch at restaurant. In the afternoon visit of the most important Murano glass factories where you will have assisting to the work of the glass masters. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 3 – Verona / Florence
Breakfast in hotel. Departure to Verona for a panoramic walking guided tour of the center of the city. Verona has a romantic reputation, thanks to its being the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as the Arena one of the largest and best preserved Roman Amphitheater. Lunch at leisure.
In the afternoon departure to Florence. Arrival and accomodation in hotel. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 4 – Florence
Breakfast in hotel. Guided tour to the ancient religious centre of the town visiting the Duomo, with its Cupola by Brunelleschi and the Baptistry famous for its gilded bronze doors, including the Ghiberti’s masterpiece.Walk to the Church of Santa Croce which house Michelangelo’s tomb after drive to Piazzale Michelangelo, a beautiful terrace, from where you can admire a marvelous panorama of the historical centre. Lunch at restaurant. In the afternoon visit of the Accademia to admire the most famous masterpiece: the David. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 5 – Florence
Breakfast in hotel. Guided tour of the politic Florentine centre during the city’s Golden Age with a visit to the Palazzo Vecchio and to the Uffizi Gallery, housing works of Michelangelo, Giotto, Tiziano, Botticelli, Cimabue and many others. Lunch at leisure. Free afternoon. Medieval dinner at Palazzo Borghese.

DAY 6 – Florence / Naples / Sorrento
Breakfast in hotel. Departure to Sorrento. Lunch on your own along the way. In the afternoon panoramic guided tour of the Amalfi coast with his marvelous towns like Amalfi, Positano and Ravello, and the beautiful city of Naples, located along in one of the most famous gulf in the world and with the most important mediterranean port. After departure to Sorrento. Check and dinner in hotel.

DAY 7 – Sorrento / Capri / Sorrento
Breakfast in hotel. Full day to discover Sorrento and the amazing Capri Island with the visit of the famous Blue Grotto.Lunch in a restaurant in Capri. Dinner in Hotel.

DAY 8 – Pompei / Rome
Breakfast in hotel. Departure for a guided tour of Pompei (vulcanic ash and mud preserved the Roman town of Pompei almost exactly as it was on the day Mt. Vesuvius eruptes in ad 79 leaving it not just archaeology ruins but a museum of daily life in the ancient world). Lunch in a restaurant and departure to Rome. Check and dinner in hotel.

DAY 9 – Rome
Breakfast in hotel. Guided tour to the Vatican Museum, a beautiful storehouse of art and history and the center of the Catholicisim. Marvel at Michelangelo’s frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, and see its treasures. Admire the huge dimensions of St. Peter’s Basilica, designed by Michelangelo. Lunch at restaurant. In the afternoon stroll past some of its famous landmark as the Trevi Fountain, the beautiful Spanish steps and Piazza Navona. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 10 – Rome
Breakfast in hotel. Walk through the Roman Forum, once the political center and visit the Colosseum where gladiators battle to the death. Lunch at leisure. Afternoon free. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 11 – Rome / Nice
Breakfast in hotel. Departure to the sun-drencheed and spicy Nice with its pumping nightlife, top-notch museums, bustling beaches and palm-lined boulevards. Panoramic guided tour of the city. Check and dinner in hotel.

DAY 12 – Nice
Breakfast in hotel. Free time to enjoy the beach and discovery the city. Lunch at leisure. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 13 – Nice / Montecarlo / Milan
Breakfast in hotel. Departure to Montecarlo one of the richest town/state in the world, invested in ubiquitous surveillance cameras, high-speed luxury cars, sleek yachts and elegant villas and hotels. Panoramic guided tour of the city. Lunch in restaurant. In the afternoon departure to Milan. Check and dinner in hotel.

DAY 14 – Milan / Como Lake
Breakfast in hotel and departure for a full day excursion at the Lake of Como with a visit to Tremezzo beautiful hillside village, surrounded by a profusion of orange and lemon groves, magnolias and laurels. Lunch at leisure. After visit to Bellagio positioned on a promontory where the Lake forks and called La Punta Spartivento, the point that divides the wind, the “Pearl of the Lake” Bellagio on the most beautiful places in northern Italy and conquered artist as Shelly, Longfellow, Stendhal and Listz. In the late afternoon departure to Milan. Dinner in hotel.

DAY 15 – Milan
Breakfast in hotel and individual departure.