day 1
– Private transfer by car from Rome Airport to hotel in Rome
– 3 overnights including breakfast at hotel in Rome
day 2
Private half-day Imperial Rome sightseeing tour (max 3 hrs)
* Includes half-day guided tour with English speaking tour guide, private transfer and entrance fee for the Coliseum.
The tour includes visit of Imperial Rome with the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, the Circus Maximus and Capitol Hill.
Description : This tour explores the area of Rome from where the power and the glory of the Great Roman Empire developed and extended. Your guide will take you through the enchanting ruins of the Imperial-era.; passing by Piazza Venezia and its impressive monument dedicated to King Victor Emanuel II and the Unknown Soldier, you then continue on foot to the famous Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo, from where you will have a breathtaking view of the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum (Forum Romanum) was the political and economical centre of Rome during the Republic. The importance of the Forum area is indicated by the presence of many of the central political, religious and judicial buildings in Rome. The Regia was the residence of the kings, and later of the rex sacrorum and pontifex maximus; the Curia, was the meeting place of the Senate; and the Comitium and the Rostra, where public meetings were held. Major temples and sanctuaries in the Forum include the Temple of Castor and Pollux, the Temple of Saturn and the Temple of Vesta. Commercial and judicial activities took place in the basilicas, the two remaining are the Basilica Aemilia and the Basilica Julia. Through the evocative ruins of the Forum, you will have a chance to learn from your guide, the history, anedoctes, lectures on social and political life of Rome, from its origin to the glorious days of the Great Roman Empire. Proceed with the visit of the imposing Coliseum, iconic symbol of Imperial Rome, and probably the most impressive building of the Imperial-era.
The Colosseum or Coliseum, originally called Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre, the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It is one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. Originally capable of seating around 80,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles. As well as the gladiatorial games, other public spectacles were held there, such as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Classical mythology. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.
day 3
* Includes half-day guided tour with English speaking tour guide, private transfers and entrance fee at Vatican Museum.
The tour includes visit of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica.
The visit starts from Vatican Museums, the tour will highlight ordinary minor roman sculpture, the Tapestry Gallery, the Geographical Maps gallery and overall the Sistine Chapel with its wonderful ceiling, on which Michelangelo Buonarroti painted The Last Judgement, and the wall frescoes where artists such as Botticelli, Perugino, Rosselli, Ghirlandaio and Signorelli depicted the lives of Jesus and Moses. The Last Judgment was commissioned from Michelangelo bylement VII (1523-1534) shortly before his death. His successor, Paul III Farnese (1534-1549), forced Michelangelo to a rapid execution of this work, the largest single fresco of the century.
The tour will continue with the visit of St. Peter's Basilica. Ancient tradition has it that St. Peter's Basilica was built at the place where Peter, the apostle who is considered the first pope, was crucified and buried; his tomb is under the main altar. Other popes are also buried in and below the basilica. The current location of St. Peter's Basilica is the site of the Circus of Nero in the first century AD. After Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity he started construction (in 324) of a great basilica in this exact spot, which had previously been a cemetery for pagans as well as Christians.
The interior of St. Peter's is impressive and every bit of space is used to display the finest Renaissance monuments and employing the talents of great artists such as Michelangelo and Bernini: the Pieta, the lateral altars, the abse with the Glory of the Holy Spirit, the allegorical throne of St. Peter's , the main Canopy by Bernini; the memorial to Pope Alexander VII by Bernini, he oldest memorial in the Church by Pollaiolo, the Memorial to Pope Joahnnes XXIII, the Memorial to the Stuarts family, the mummified bodies of the beatified and canonized Popes; the Baptismal Fountain. If opened Vatican Grottoes can be visited.
The tour proceed from the outside, in St. Peter’s square, enclosed in Bernini's magnificent colonnade, for lectures and descriptions on St. Peter's facade and square and the papal residence.
day 4
- Private transfer by car from hotel in Rome to Rome train station.
- 1st class train ticket from Rome to Florence
- Private transfer by car from Florence rail station to hotel in Florence
- 3 overnights including breakfast at hotel in Florence
day 5
*Includes half-day guided tour with English speaking guide and entrance fee at the Accademia Museum.
Description : This morning you will be picked up at your hotel by your private guide and depart for an enchanting half day tour thought the city of Florence, best known as the "Cradle of Renaissance". The tour proceeds thought the historical streets of Florence, to the Duomo complex with Giotto’s bell tower, the Baptistery with its bronze doors including the famous Porta del Paradiso and the Cathedral with the magnificent Cupola del Brunelleschi. Highlight of this tour will be the visit to the Accademia Museum, where you will have a chance to admire the famous David by Michelangelo, together with some great masterpieces that are housed in the Museum, Giovanni da Milano's Pieta, the Annunciation by Lorenzo Monaco, the beautiful front called Adimari Cassone showing a sumptuous marriage procession, and the Madonna of the Sea attributed to Botticelli just to name a few.
day 6
*Includes Full-day private transportation service with driver/escort, Lunch and wine tasting at local winery and English speaking tour guide in Siena.
Description : Sit back and relax while your driver and English speaking escort take you through one of the most beautiful countryside in the world for your journey to San Gimignano. The enchanting town of San Gimignano, which is perhaps the most-visited small village in Italy. Its stunning hilltop skyline of towers, built in aristocratic rivalry by the feuding nobles of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, evokes the appearance of medieval Tuscany more than any other sight.
Continue for lunch at a local winery. You will be guided to see how the art of wine making has changed through the years. After your tour, you will partake of an exquisite lunch with wine pairings. You will be educated throughout the meal and thoroughly entertained by your guide! This will certainly be one of the highlights of your time in Italy.
Continue towards the city of Siena. On throught the scenic hills of the tuscan countryside, that offer a stunning panorama of vineyards and olive trees, you reach Siena, a city whose center has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. The hill town of Siena was founded by the Etruscan, then ruled by the romans, but it was not until the Lombards invaded Siena and the surrounding territory that it knew prosperity. Upon arrival in Siena, you will meet your private guide lecturer and start the guided tour of rhe city, along the small medieval streets, you will have a chance to admire stunning palaces and buildings, and the Cathedral where you can visit the splendid interior including the Libreria Piccolomini and the adjacent Museo dell'Opera. The Duomo, begun in the twelfth century, is one of the great examples of Italian romanesque architecture. Its main façade was completed in 1380. Then you will reach the famous Piazza del Campo, Piazza del Campo is the principal public space of Siena, and is one of Europe's greatest medieval squares. Around the piazza are ranged the Palazzo Pubblico, with its Torre del Mangia and various palazzi signorili, Sansovini and Piccolomini to name a few.
At end of tour back to your hotel in Florence.
day 7
- Private transfer from hotel in Florence to Florence rail station
- 1st class train ticket from Florence to Venice
- Transfer by boat from Venice train station to hotel in Venice with Meet & Greet
- 2 overnights including breakfast at hotel in in Venice
day 8
*Includes English speaking local tour guide and entrance fees at Doge’s Palace.
The sightseeing tour will introduce you to the city centre of Venice; through your private guide you will have a chance to learn about the history of this ancient town while touring some of the city’s most celebrated monuments. The Venetian Republic was a major maritime power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, a staging area for the Crusades and the Battle of Lepanto, and at the same time a very important center of commerce ( mainly silk, grain and spices). Situated on the Adriatic Sea, Venice traded with the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim world extensively. By the late thirteenth century, Venice was the most prosperous city in all of Europe with 36,000 sailors operating 3,300 ships, dominating almost entirely, Mediterranean commerce. The tour will start from San Marco square, central landmark and gathering place for Venice, the buildings around the Piazza are the Doge's Palace, St Mark's Basilica, St Mark's Clocktower, Procuratie Vecchie, the Napoleonic Wing of the Procuraties, the Procuratie Nuove, St Mark's Campanile and Loggetta and the Biblioteca Marciana. Most of the ground floor of the Procuraties is occupied by cafés, including the famous Caffè Florian and Gran Caffè Quadri. St Mark’s Basilica, known also as the Golden Basilica due to its opulent design and gilded mosaics, is one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. The bell tower, separated from the Cathedral, 98.6 meters tall, stands alone in a corner of St Mark's Square, near the front of the Basilica. It has a simple form, the bulk of which is a plain brick shaft, 12 meters on a side and 50 meters tall, above which is the arched belfry, housing five bells.
The tour will take you inside the Palazzo Ducale, (Doge’s Palace), the old residence of the Doge of Venice. The current palace was constructed from 1309 to 1424, and replaced some earlier fortified buildings. The palace was badly damaged by fire in 1574; subsequent rebuilding works planned to respect the original gothic style, despite the submission of a neo-classical alternative design by Palladio. The building, has hosted in years political institutions of the Republic of Venice until the Napoleonic occupation of the city. Today is preserved as a museum, housing many masterpieces by different artists, including wonderful paintings by Tintoretto and Veronese.
Afternoon Private Gondola Tour in Venice
*Includes private tour on a Gondola for 30 minutes.
An unique, romantic experience that allows you to explore one of the most magical sites of the world in a very special way. Boarding a typical venetian Gondola, nowadays a true symbol of the city, floating along the picturesque small canals , you will have a chance to admire the elegant palazzos, the stunning churches and bridges from the water, while gliding silently towards the magnificent Gran Canal. A tour to remember!
day 9
Transfer by boat from hotel in Venice to Venice Airport with Meet & Greet
