This grand vacation is perfect for those who wish to experience all of Italy, including the Isle of Capri and Sicily. In the cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice, guided sightseeing and highlight visits are included to St. Peter’s, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum in Rome, Michelangelo’s David, and the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. In Venice, enjoy a guided walking tour featuring the Rialto Bridge, the Bovolo Spiral Staircase, Doges’ Palace with the Bridge of Sighs, and a visit to St. Mark’s Square and Basilica. Stop in Padua to visit St. Anthony’s Basilica, in Ravenna to admire the famous mosaics in the Basilica of St. Apollinaris in Classe, and overnight in Assisi to admire St. Francis’ Basilica. After visiting Pompeii, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, taste traditional Pizza di Napoli in Naples before boarding the overnight ferry in Naples to Sicily, where visits await to the Norman Cathedral in Monreale, picturesque Mondello, a salt mill in Marsala, the spectacular Valley of Temples and Greek Amphitheater in Taormina. A special treat is dinner at a traditional Sicilian farm to try out local specialties. A ferry brings you across the Strait of Messina to Calabria. Two nights in Sorrento include a visit to the Isle of Capri by jetfoil across the Bay of Naples and a funicular ride to Capri village. This wonderful vacation ends back in Rome with a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Itinerary:
Day #1 Arrive in Rome, Italy. Welcome to Rome! At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions, and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)
Day #2 Rome. Guided sightseeing includes visits to the fascinating VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement, and monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. To make the most of your stay, join our optional Roman Highlights excursion, and see the sites and squares of medieval Rome made famous in the movie Angels and Demons. (B)
Day #3 Rome–Florence. Enter Tuscany with the Chianti hills and arrive in Florence, the “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Your walking tour with a Local Guide features the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Highlight is a visit to the impressive PALAZZO VECCHIO. Time to shop for Florentine leather and gold, and tonight is your chance to join an optional dinner outing to try out Tuscan specialties. (B)
Day #4 Florence–Padua–Venice Island. Cross the wooded Apennine Mountains and stop in Padua to visit ST. ANTHONY’S BASILICA. Arrive in Venice and enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. You may wish to join an optional dinner outing to try out Venetian specialties (B)
Day #5 Venice Island. Enjoy a [LF] guided walking tour this morning to RIALTO BRIDGE, the Bovolo Spiral Staircase, ST. MARK’S SQUARE, and visit the Byzantine BASILICA. Also see lavish Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, and watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Later, you have a chance to join an exciting optional excursion to the colorful island of Burano or a gondola serenade. (B)
Day #6 Venice Island–Ravenna–Assisi. Follow the Adriatic coastline to Ravenna. Here, see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century BASILICA OF ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon, arrive in peaceful Assisi and visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the Saint’s grave. (B,D)
Day #7 Assisi–Pompeii–Naples. Overnight Cruise to Palermo. Arrive in POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. A guided walking tour through the excavations features patrician houses, public baths, and commercial districts that strikingly recall day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. [LF] In nearby Naples, a Pizza di Napoli at Rosati restaurant awaits you before boarding your FERRY in Naples for the overnight cruise to Sicily. (B,D)
Day #8 Palermo. After disembarkation, start your sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, Capo market, the baroque Church of Immacolata, and the CATHEDRAL. Drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious Byzantine mosaics. Your first day in Sicily ends with a special excursion to one of Sicily’s most attractive towns, Cefalù, which has a Greek foundation. Here, [LF] a traditional Sicilian dinner with local specialties has been prepared for you. (B,D)
Day #9 Palermo–Marsala–Agrigento. Along the western coast to the saltbeds, famous since Roman times. Near Marsala, stop to visit a SALT MILL. Then, continue to Agrigento, where your Local Guide will take you for a spectacular walk through the magnificent VALLEY OF TEMPLES. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. (B,D)
Day #10 Agrigento–Taormina Riviera. Enjoy the scenic beauty and treasures of the island’s heart on your way to Taormina Riviera. Later, focus on the 3rd-century GREEK AMPHITHEATER, the second largest of its kind in Sicily. Situated above the city, it affords spectacular views of the bay and Mount Etna. (B)
Day #11 At Leisure In Taormina Riviera. This morning is your chance to join the exciting half-day optional excursion to Mount Etna. Afternoon is at leisure to relax or for individual activities. (B,D)
Day #12 Taormina Riviera–Sorrento. Board your FERRY and cross the Strait of Messina to land at the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria. Tonight, you are in the charming resort of Sorrento, delightfully situated on the Bay of Naples. (B)
Day #13 Sorrento. Excursion to Capri. Speed across the Bay of Naples by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since that time for its beauty. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. (B)
Day #14 Sorrento–Rome. Return to Rome. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant and say “Arrivederci” to your traveling companions. (B,D)
Day #15 Rome. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
