| 13 Days ~ Italy ~
Switzerland
Tour Pace
Being an 'Easy Pace' tour, with
three nights in each city, this is as relaxed as it gets! Use your free time
to explore as you wish, go shopping, or ask your Tour Director for
suggestions. A complete list of optional excursions will be offered on
commencement of your tour.
DAY 1 – ARRIVE MILAN –
ITALIAN LAKES
Welcome to Italy. On arrival at
Malpensa airport there are complimentary transfers departing for your tour
hotel in the Italian Lake District. Settle into the tour hotel overlooking
Lake Maggiore and relax – the rest of the day is at leisure. Before
dinner, enjoy a Welcome Drink with fellow passengers and your Tour Director.
Hotel: Dino. (dinner)
DAY 2 – MILAN EXCURSION
Visit Milan, Italy’s
renowned fashion capital, a city dominated by the magnificent Cathedral, its
marble facade bristling with 135 pinnacles and over 2000 statues. See the
massive Sforza Castle and world famous La Scala Theatre before using your
free time to explore or shop. Return to your beautiful lake-side resort for
an evening of leisure. (Buffet
breakfast)
DAY 3 – LAKE COMO
EXCURSION
Today’s highlight is
enchanting Lake Como, considered the jewel of the Italian Lakes for its
superb mountain setting. Stop in the resort of Como, dominated by its marble
cathedral set in the narrow streets of the Old Town. After some time to
explore, return to the hotel to relax and enjoy your beautiful surroundings.
Why not take a cruise out to the lovely Isola Bella to visit the palatial
home and magnificent gardens of the Borromeo family? (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 4 – ITALIAN LAKES –
VENICE
Briefly enter Switzerland to
visit mountain ringed Lugano, and take time to stroll the lake’s shores
and shop for watches and chocolate. Continue to the elegant city of Verona.
See the ancient Roman arena, venue for the opera each summer, and visit the
courtyard of the Capulet home to see Juliet’s balcony. Then it’s on to
romantic Venice, a glorious city of quaint bridges, ornate palaces, and
gondolas. Hotel: Sant'Elena / Hungaria Palace. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 5 – VENICE
SIGHTSEEING
Cruise to St Mark’s Square by
private launch to see the ornate Basilica. Admire the Doges’ Palace and
its adjoining Bridge of Sighs, and later visit a glass showroom for a
demonstration of traditional craftsmanship, unchanged for centuries. Relax
and enjoy the atmosphere as you cruise along the Venetian canals by gondola.
(Buffet breakfast)
DAY 6 – VENICE AT
LEISURE
A day is set aside to drink in
the unique atmosphere of this wonderful city. Explore the treasures of the
Academy Museum, browse through the shops on the Rialto Bridge or sit a while
at a canal side cafe with a glass of local wine.(Buffet breakfast)
DAY 7 – VENICE –
FLORENCE
Follow the smooth highway
across the valley of the river Po and into the wild Apennines to the
Renaissance city of Florence. Sightseeing with a local guide shows you
Michelangelo’s statue of ‘David’ in the Academy Gallery. Continue to
see the Duomo, ‘Gates of Paradise’ and Signoria Square, political stage
of the Florentines. Hotel: Palazzo Ricasoli/Croce di Malta. (Buffet breakfast, dinner)
DAY 8 – FLORENCE AT
LEISURE
A whole day is reserved to
enjoy Florence. Take an optional excursion to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa
or visit San Gimignano to admire the picturesque Salucci Towers. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 9 – FLORENCE AT
LEISURE
Why not dedicate today to
shopping for leather and gold products, visit one of the many museums or
simply relax at an outdoor café with a glass of vino? (Buffet
breakfast)
DAY 10 – FLORENCE –
ROME
Travel through the vineyards of
the Chianti region en route to Assisi. There is the chance to visit the tomb
of St Francis and the frescoes of Giotto in the great basilica before
continuing along the Tiber valley towards the ‘Eternal City’, Rome.
Hotel: Massimo D'Azeglio. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 11 – ROME AT
LEISURE
Today there is the option to
take a full day excursion to visit the excavations at Pompeii or spend the
day exploring Rome at your own pace. Spend time in the designer stores of
the Via Condotti, visit the well preserved Pantheon or sip a cappuccino in
the Piazza Navona, the ‘Living Room of Rome’. (Buffet breakfast)
DAY 12 – ROME
SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing with a local guide
begins with a visit to the Vatican Museums to see Michelangelo’s ceiling
in the Sistine Chapel. Visit St Peter’s Basilica, built around the tomb of
St Peter, and designed by some of history’s greatest architects, Bramante,
Bernini and Michelangelo. Crossing the Tiber, explore ancient Rome as you
visit the Colosseum and see the Roman Forum. Spend the afternoon at leisure:
shop, relax or continue sightseeing. As night falls, stroll to the Boat
Fountain at the foot of the elegant Spanish Steps before enjoying a
typically Roman dinner in a local restaurant. (Buffet breakfast, Specialty Highlight
Dinner)
DAY 13 – ROME
Our tour ends today with
transfers from the hotel to Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
(Buffet breakfast) |
