The Experience
Explore the Roman Forum, Colosseum and Trevi Fountain, visit the Uffizi Gallery in Florence with an specialist art guide and visit the atelier (workshop) that produces Venice’s iconic carnival costumes. Day 1: ARRIVE IN ROME, ITALY Arrive and transfer to your hotel. Later, meet your fellow guests for a welcome dinner. Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora | Meals: D Day 2: ROME / City of Empire Explore the Roman Forum and Palatine, the Colosseum and the theatrical Piazza Navona, once a Roman racetrack and now the setting for Bernini’s awe-inspiring sculptures. Rome also gave its name to romance, and nowhere is that more apparent than at the spectacular Trevi Fountain. You will also visit the Pantheon, originally a Roman temple to the gods, and the magnificent Castel Sant Angelo, which overlooks the Tiber River. Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora | Meals: B L Day 3: ROME / The Vatican Visit Vatican City and explore the treasures of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel with its famous frescoes by Michelangelo. Continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, a Renaissance and Baroque masterpiece. Explore at your leisure this afternoon, and tonight, make a tasty Culinary Connection as you learn the secrets of pizza making from an authentic Roman pizzaiolo. Rome Marriott Grand Hotel Flora | Meals: B D Day 4: FLORENCE / The Heart of Tuscany Depart for Florence this morning, stopping en route for a visit to the scenic Tuscan town of Siena, built on three hills and enclosed by walls and gates. Visit Siena’s Duomo, considered to be one of the finest Gothic cathedrals in Italy. Afterward, stop for a brief visit in the delightful town of San Gimignano before continuing to Florence. Arrive in Florence later this afternoon. Hotel Brunelleschi | Meals: B L D Day 5: FLORENCE / Treasures of the Renaissance Set out to discover this vast and beautiful monument to the Renaissance, a city transformed by artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo and Donatello into one of the world’s great capitals of the arts. A specialist art guide accompanies you on visits to the Uffizi Gallery, housing some of the world’s most important art treasures, as well as the Galleria dell, Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David. Enjoy a light lunch before visiting a traditional Florentine enoteca, where the owner conducts a tasting of the various regional wines. Hotel Brunelleschi | Meals: B L Day 6: VENICE / Europe’s Drawing Room Depart Florence this morning to Venice. On arrival, transfer along the Grand Canal to St. Mark’s Square, known as the drawing room of Europe,, for a walking tour of the square that includes St. Mark,™s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace. End the day with a Venetian Spritz looking out over the Grand Canal. Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal | Meals: B Day 7: VENICE / City of Splendors Enjoy making a Neighborhood Connection with a visit to the market district around the Rialto Bridge. Stop at the nearby Frari Church, considered one of the most imposing Gothic monuments in Venice, where you can admire timeless works by Bellini and Titian. End your morning with a special private visit to the long-serving atelier (workshop) for Venice’s iconic carnival costumes, housed in a Venetian palace that is still home to one of the city’s oldest families. Tour the palace, and learn the history of the costumes and how they are made on this remarkable Artisan Connection. Mark the end of your journey with a festive farewell dinner. Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal | Meals: B D Day 8: DEPART VENICE Transfer to the airport for your flight home. Meals: B
