THE BEST OF ITALY & FRANCE - 2010

12 days incl. travel, or 11 days from Rome to Paris (HH)

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Vacation Overview

This exciting vacation features 2-night stays in Rome, Venice, Florence, Nice, and Paris. Begin in Rome with guided sightseeing that includes the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. Pause in Assisi to visit St. Francis’ Basilica, then to Venice for a private boat ride and guided walking tour that showcases St. Mark’s, Doges’ Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. On to Ferrara to imposing Este Castle, then stop in Florence, the “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Here you’ll see Michelangelo’s David, the Cathedral, and Signoria Square. A scenic drive takes you to Pisa and its Leaning Tower, then along the Italian and French Rivieras to Nice for a stop at a local perfume factory and an included excursion to the famous artist town of St. Paul de Vence. Finally, board the high-speed TGV train and head to Paris, where guided sightseeing shows you the most famous sights: the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Élysées, Notre Dame Cathedral, and a visit to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

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Things to see on your vacation: View Vacation Photo Slideshow

A Vacation Story Notre Dame Cathedral

Europe’s most famous cathedral, whose twin Gothic towers loom above France’s most beloved river, the Seine, actually owes a lot of its international success to the author Victor Hugo. Back in 1831, when Hugo wrote his classic novel about a hunchbacked bell-ringer at Notre Dame who falls in love with a beautiful gypsy, the medieval cathedral had fallen on hard times. During the Revolution in 1789, it had been seized, looted of its treasures and converted into an atheistic “Temple of Reason.” Even worse, after the monarchy was restored in 1815, Notre Dame was used as riverside warehouse – its once-splendid glass windows now dimmed and its facades decaying pathetically above the Île de la Cité. But Parisian’s indifference to their landmark ended suddenly in 1831, when Victor Hugo published his romantic novel the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” (called “Notre-Dame de Paris” in French). The book was an international bestseller and lured armies of tourists to Paris in search of its Gothic cathedral setting. Hugo used this groundswell of public interest to lobby the French government for renovations of his beloved Notre Dame. From 1845 to 1864, repairs were indeed carried out – the clogged medieval streets nearby were cleared, revealing the marvelous edifice we see today.