BEST OF ITALY AND GREECE

• Benvenuti a Roma! Open your heart to a whirlwind of antiquities and local flavors.
• Join your Travel Director for an introduction to the ‘Eternal City’ on an orientation drive to Basilica Santa Maria in Cosmedin for a private after-hours visit to the Mouth of Truth.
• See the church, crypt, and relics of the famous saint of love, Valentine, and learn about the legend of the Mouth of Truth.
• This evening, enjoy a light supper with your travel companions.

Included experiences: Rome Orientation and Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin Visit

• See the Circus Maximus where chariot races were held and enjoy an orientation around the walls of the Colosseum.
• Later, visit St. Peter’s Basilica and view Michelangelo’s Pietà with a Local Specialist.
• There’s time afterward to explore the city on your own or simply relax and watch the world go by.

• This morning, head to the Vatican Museums with a Local Specialist. Admire Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel.
• Later, drive north to Renaissance Florence in Tuscany.
• Tonight, Connect With Locals at a Be My Guest experience in the Chianti countryside.

• Your Local Specialist reveals Florence’s rich cultural heritage during your walking tour. Visit Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive sculptures, and imposing palazzi.
• View the marble Duomo and the famous Baptistry, renowned for its bronze doors with relief sculptures and the Ponte Vecchio.
• Learn about the quality and workmanship of one of this city’s historic industries at a demonstration of Florentine leathercraft.
• Then travel through the Apennines and cross the Veneto plains to Venice.
• This evening, you may choose to take a gondola ride along the city’s enchanting canals.

Included experiences: Florence City Tour and Florence Leather Demonstration

Optional experiences: Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Accademia/ Discover Palazzo Vecchio/ Gondolas & the Grand Canal

• Cruise by private launch to St. Mark’s Square to see the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica, and the ornate Doge’s Palace.
• Later, you’ll enjoy a memorable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you’ll witness the ancient Venetian tradition of glassblowing.
• You’ll learn how the talented master craftsmen are using the same techniques their forefathers once did and how your visit helps to preserve this delicate art for generations to come.
• Don’t resist the urge to buy a souvenir to remember the special experience before enjoying the rest of the day to explore Venice your way.
• You could choose to spend a lazy evening watching the traffic on the busy waterways with a Venetian Spritz, or consider taking an Optional Experience to one of the islands in the lagoon

• Today we travel through Lombardy. The region is Italy’s commercial powerhouse bordering Switzerland with lakes and mountains in the north and plains to the south.
• Later, we board our flight to Athens.

• Travel north to Kalambaka and the astonishing UNESCO-listed monasteries of Meteora. These are some of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece.
• Your Local Specialist will guide you on a visit to two of the six monasteries built on sandstone rocks that tower above the town.

Included experiences: Visit Monasteries of Meteora

• Drive south towards Mount Parnassos and Delphi, where we will stay overnight.
• Join a Local Specialist and see the site of the most important oracle in the classical world and walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo where athletes competed in the Pythian Games.
• Join a fun, interactive Greek Culinary Optional Experience and taste your creations along with other dishes prepared by your cheery chef.

Included experiences: Delphi City Tour and Greek Culinary Experience

• We depart the ‘navel of the earth’ today and travel to Athens where we’ll discover the city’s rich heritage during our morning sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist.
• Marvel at the Agora, the Royal Palace, the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis.
• See Hadrian’s Arch and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896.
• Indulge in a Farewell Dinner to celebrate the end of your trip.

Included experiences: Athens City Tour

• Say goodbye to your fellow travellers and Travel Director after an unforgettable journey.