ITALIAN CONCERTO

• Embrace excess on this leisurely jaunt through the highlights of Italy, beginning in Rome.
• Spend the day soaking up the vibrant atmosphere before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a Welcome Reception.
• We enjoy a leisurely orientation through the city this evening, venturing into Ancient Rome as our journey through Italy begins.

Arrival Transfer: Depart Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO) at 09:30, 12:30, 15:30

Included Experience: Rome Orientation

• Explore Vatican City this morning with a Local Specialist who will reveal all the highlights of St. Peter’s Basilica.
• Perhaps join an Optional Experience to visit the awe-inspiring Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel.
• We continue to Ancient Rome and admire the Circus Maximus, where exhilarating chariot races were once held.
• Enjoy some free time this afternoon to explore on your own.
• From Roman ruins to Renaissance palazzi – Rome has it all.

Included Experience: Visit St. Peter’s Basilica and Ancient Rome

Optional Experience: Inside the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel / Roman Evening with Dinner

• Discover why the Italians say ‘it is sweet doing nothing’, spending your day watching Rome’s beautiful people embrace life lived to its fullest in the exquisite city.
• Delve into its treasures spanning millennia – the museums, churches, gardens and architecture that remain as enduring symbols of a powerful city.
• Or perhaps consider an Optional Experience to Tivoli, site of the magnificent Villa d’Este Gardens.

Optional Experience: Tivoli and Gardens of the Villa d’Este / Piazzas and Fountains

• Today we pay homage to the thousands of brave souls whose final resting place is the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cassino.
• Perched on the hillside, see the 6th-century Abbey destroyed during World War II, before venturing south to Pompeii, a city frozen in time.
• Join a Local Specialist through the excavations that yield the tragic story of a once vibrant city engulfed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
• Wander down the stone avenues past such sights as the Forum and Temple of Apollo.
•  We arrive later at our hotel on the iconic Mediterranean Amalfi Coast where we’ll dine tonight.

Included Experience: See the Benedictine Abbey of Cassino and Visit Pompeii

• Indulge in a full free day at leisure. Consider joining an Optional Experience along the Amalfi Coast to the beautiful seaside village of Positano, a true painter’s paradise.
• You could also choose to soak up the extraordinary beauty of the village of Ravello which has long inspired musicians, writers and artists.
• Smell the fresh scents of lemons as you relax in this picture-perfect setting.
• After a day of sightseeing, perhaps you could spend a relaxing evening sipping limoncello and watching the Mediterranean sky light up in glorious pinks, yellows and blues.

Optional Experience: Explore Ravello / Amalfi Coast and Positano

• This morning we journey along the coast to the medieval town of Amalfi.
• See the 10th-century Romanesque Cathedral of Sant’Andrea and the Campanile, before setting sail to the glamorous island of Capri.
• On arrival, ascend to Capri town by funicular for a guided walking tour with a Local Specialist who will share views of the piazzetta – the heart and soul of this beautiful town.
• Later, we return to the mainland.

Included Experience: Tour Capri and Visit the Seaside Town of Amalfi

Optional Experience: Discover the Isle of Capri / Dinner on the Amalfi Coast

• From the Amalfi Coast, we travel north through the rolling green and golden landscape of Umbria into scenic Tuscany before arriving in the Renaissance city of Florence.
• You’ll have a free evening to amble along the Arno River, admire the famous city skyline at night from Piazzale Michelangelo, or indulge in the finest antipasti in town.

Included Experience: Scenic Drive Through Tuscany

Optional Experience: Dinner in the Tuscan Hills / Tuscan Dinner at Villa Machiavelli

• Delve into the history of a city renowned for its art, architecture and cultural treasures.
• Join your Local Specialist for a walking tour, including views of the exquisite marble Duomo, Baptistery and Ponte Vecchio.
• Wander through the Piazza della Signoria, the centre of Florentine political life since the 14th century with its prominent Palazzo Vecchio.
•  Learn about the quality and workmanship of two of this city’s historic industries at demonstrations of Florentine leathercraft and 18-carat gold.
• Join your fellow travellers this evening to Connect With Locals over a Be My Guest dinner set against the backdrop of Tuscan vineyards and olive groves.

Included Experience: Dine with Count Fulcis near Florence, Florence City Tour, and Florence Leather Demonstration

Optional Experience: Visit to San Gimignano

• After a leisurely start to the day, continue north, bound for Venice, the ‘Queen of the Adriatic’ and our home for the next two nights.

Optional Experience: Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Accademia / Discover Palazzo Vecchio / Lagoon Cruise to Burano with Food and Drinks

• We cruise by private launch past many of the city’s most prominent sights, enjoying views of the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark’s Square, St. Mark’s Basilica and the ornate Doge’s Palace.
• Next up is an unforgettable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you’ll witness first-hand the intricate craft of glassblowing.
• Watch how master craftsmen use the same techniques their forefathers did to shape the delicate glassworks for which Venice has become justifiably famous, perhaps choosing to buy a souvenir of your own.
• Inspired by the artistry you’ve just witnessed, you’ll soak up the pageantry and elegance of Venice on your own terms before enjoying a Farewell Dinner with our Travel Director and newfound friends to toast to the delicious flavours of Italy.

Included Experience: Learn about the History and Ancient Skills on Venetian Glassblowing

Optional Experience: Venice’s Secrets / Gondolas & the Grand Canal

• For now our leisurely encounter with an extraordinary destination has come to an end.

Departure Transfer: Arrive at the airport at 08:00, 09:30