11 Days Italian Winter Sampler Tour Package

Duration: 11 Days / 10 Nights
Priced From: $1,949 pp dbl. occ.
Dates: Nov, Dec, Jan, Apr

Visit the major cities in Italy as well as Assisi, Verona, Sorrento, Capri, and a 2-night stay at the Amalfi Coast. Enjoy guided sightseeing in Rome, and visit St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum; in Venice, and visit St. Mark's Basilica, Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; and in Florence, and visit Michelangelo's David and more. Also visit St. Francis’ Basilica in Assisi, take pictures of Juliet’s balcony in Verona, relax at the Amalfi Coast, explore Sorrento, and sail to the Isle of Capri before returning to Rome. A wonderful

Day 2 Arrive in Rome

Saint Peter's Square in Rome, Italy
Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine in one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Rome

Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS  Story aboutVatican Museums
"In the early 1500s, Rome was full of neglected ruins from the days of the ancient Empire, which still contained artworks buried amongst the rubble. The Renaissance had seen a sudden growth of interest in all things classical, and the popes – cultivated men who were in touch with the intellectual currents of the day – were the richest art collectors in Italy. They began offering substantial cash rewards for any sculptures, until Rome was scoured by freelance treasure hunters on the hunt for pagan masterpieces. The most dramatic discovery occurred in 1506, when a Roman father-and-son team of excavators reported a promising find near the ruined Baths of Titus. The artist Michelangelo himself excitedly hurried over to help with the work, followed by the pope’s official agent, Guiliano da Sangallo. When the excavators brushed away the dirt of 1,000 years, they found an enormous marble sculpture, perfectly intact, of a muscular Trojan hero being attacked by giant snakes. Guilano cried out in amazement, “This is the very Laocoön described by (the ancient Roman author) Pliny!” The sculpture was carted off to the Vatican Museum."
and SISTINE CHAPEL

The Sistine Chapel is world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings

, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM  Story aboutThe Colosseum
"Thanks to Hollywood recreations such as Gladiator, nothing symbolizes the cruelty of Imperial Rome as much as the Colosseum. In truth, the games held there were even more extreme and theatrical than modern film directors dare to suggest. A day at the Empire’s most famous arena was a total entertainment package, mixing bouts of savage violence with solemn religious pageantry, sexual titillation, slapstick comedy and kitschy stage shows."
and the ROMAN FORUM  Story aboutThe Roman Forum
"Visitors can be a little confused by the Roman Forum; at first glance, it is a rather lifeless array of marble fragments. But we must remember that in ancient times, this space was far more than the temples and monuments whose ruins we can explore today. It was filled with bustling, noisy life as the popular crossroads of the city – the predecessor, in fact, of the modern Italian piazza. Every morning at dawn, average Romans would escape their cramped, dark apartment blocks (called insulae, or “islands”) and spent their days outdoors. "
, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)

Day 4 Rome–Assisi  Story aboutAssisi

"Saint Francis may be Assisi’s most internationally famous son, the charismatic preacher who has been the subject of numerous bio-pics. But his female counterpart, Saint Clare, evokes almost as much devotion amongst Italians. Her life story reads like a medieval inversion of The Sound of Music: A beautiful young woman born into a wealthy family, she was betrothed at an early age to a dashing local noble and seemed destined for a conventional life of luxury and pleasure. But her future was transformed in 1210, when she saw the handsome young Francis, espousing the sacred virtues of poverty in the streets of Assisi. Clare immediately cut off her long golden hair, took a vow of celibacy, gave away all her fine clothes and began to dress in a simple cassock. She soon founded her own religious order for women, the Poor Sisters of Saint Clare, which demonstrated a devotion to good works that matches the all-male Franciscan order of monks. In fact, she is often known to Catholics as alter Franciscus, another Francis."
–Venice
Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world

Enter the Apennine Mountains and arrive in peaceful Assisi. Visit the massive 13th-century BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the Saint’s grave. Then, on to Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. (B)

Day 5 Venice

Start the day in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS  Story aboutBridge of Sighs
"The world’s most poetically-named bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, was built in 1614 so that prisoners of the Venetian state could be transferred in secret from the Doge’s Palace to the so-called Nuovi Prigioni, or New Prisons. The wistful name was actually conceived by the English poet Lord Byron in the early 1800s that imagined the horror of prisoners taking their last glimpse of Venice before going underground to captivity. "
. Also watch GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Afterwards, enjoy Venice at your own pace  Story aboutVenice
"It is no accident that one of history’s greatest explorers, Marco Polo, came from Venice. His hometown had been Europe’s gateway to the East long before he set sail in 1271; the influence of the Orient could be seen in its art, its fashion and its architecture, creating, in the words of one historian, “the most colorful, sumptuous, and sensually bewitching civilization that history has ever known.” Thanks to Venetian conquests in the eastern Mediterranean, the 17-year-old Marco had the first leg of his travel route mapped out for him – he was able to island-hop through friendly territory as far as Constantinople, from there he was seduced by China for more than 20 years. When Polo returned to Venice in 1295 as a bearded and vaguely Eastern middle aged man, even his relatives did not believe he had been in China the entire time."
or join an optional cruise to the charming island of Burano. Tonight is your chance to sample the city’s fine restaurants. (B)

Day 6 Venice–Verona–Florence

Visit stunning Florence and the Ponte Vecchio

A short drive to Verona, medieval setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. See Juliet’s Balcony, take pictures of the Arena, and stroll around the picturesque market square. Tonight you are in Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany

See the vineyard covered hillsides of Tuscany

. You may wish to join an optional dinner outing to a fine Tuscan restaurant. (B)

Day 7 Florence

Follow your Local Guide and visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David

Admire the detailed craftsmanship of Michelangelo's David

and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE  Story aboutLa Piazza Della Signoria
"What’s the best vantage point to ponder the most illustrious town square in Florence, the Signoria? An outdoor table in the venerable Caffè Rivoire – preferably over a delicious, if not painfully expensive cioccolata con pane, a dark and mud-thick hot chocolate. Late at night, when the crowds have gone, you can search the long shadows and imagine that very little has changed here since the 1400s. The Signoria is the most elegant sculpture garden in Europe. Masterpieces include the splendid Neptune Fountain by Ammannati, Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli and a precise copy of Michelangelo’s David, all strategically poised in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This grand public space has been the centerpiece of Florence since the 15th Century, the golden age when the city was established as the most beautiful in Europe. Eminent merchants in their ostentatious finery met here to discuss business in the midst of Florence’s raucous daily life."
. The afternoon is free. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (B,D)

Day 8 Florence–Amalfi Coast

Leave Tuscany and travel south towards one of Italy’s most beautiful areas at the Tyrrhenian Sea: the Amalfi Coast. (B,D)

Day 9 Amalfi Coast. Excursion to Capri

A scenic drive to Sorrento. From here, speed by JETFOIL across the bay to the beautiful Isle of Capri  Story aboutCapri
"Rising like a whale from the ocean, the spectacular island of Capri has held a particular attraction for celebrities trying to “get away from it all” over the centuries. In former times, it lured the writers Goethe, Oscar Wilde and Graham Greene; these days, it attracts American stars like Leonardo di Caprio, Harrison Ford and Mariah Carey. But Capri first became famous in 26 AD, when the Roman Emperor Tiberius “dropped out” here to escape the political in-fighting in Rome. For 16 years, he ruled the Empire from his luxurious cliff-side palace – flashing his orders to the mainland via a lighthouse. Protected by 500 foot cliffs, Capri had only one landing point, and his villa, located on a remote headland offered sweeping 300 degree views of the ocean. B"
, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since for its beauty. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Enjoy free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta. Afterwards, return via Sorrento to your hotel. (B,D)

Day 10 Amalfi Coast–Rome

A leisurely departure back to Rome. Tonight, an optional festive dinner at one of Rome’s fine restaurants may be just the way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation. (B)

Day 11

Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)