Tour: HFFT - 2012 (HFFT) - 2012 / 2013

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Itinerary

DAY 1Arrive in Rome, Italy

Benvenuti a Roma! Welcome! Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, get acquainted with your Tour Director and the other families, then enjoy an Italian WELCOME PARTY & DINNER at your hotel. (Dinner)

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DAY 2Discover Rome’s History

Your Local Guide will take you on a journey through Rome’s dramatic history. Start with a trip to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome. Visit the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE with its 83-foot-high obelisk and visit the impressive BASILICA that covers an area of almost 4 acres. Cross the Tiber River to the imposing COLOSSEUM, which could seat 50,000 spectators. Learn about life as a gladiator and get a FAMILY PICTURE WITH A GLADIATOR (if available). The remainder of the day is at leisure for an optional excursion. (Breakfast)

Vatican Museums

"In the early 1500s, Rome was full of neglected ruins from the days of the ancient Empire, which still contained artworks buried amongst the rubble. The Renaissance had seen a sudden growth of interest in all things classical, and the popes – cultivated men who were in touch with the intellectual currents of the day – were the richest art collectors in Italy. They began offering substantial cash rewards for any sculptures, until Rome was scoured by freelance treasure hunters on the hunt for pagan masterpieces. The most dramatic discovery occurred in 1506, when a Roman father-and-son team of excavators reported a promising find near the ruined Baths of Titus. The artist Michelangelo himself excitedly hurried over to help with the work, followed by the pope’s official agent, Guiliano da Sangallo. When the excavators brushed away the dirt of 1,000 years, they found an enormous marble sculpture, perfectly intact, of a muscular Trojan hero being attacked by giant snakes. Guilano cried out in amazement, “This is the very Laocoön described by (the ancient Roman author) Pliny!” The sculpture was carted off to the Vatican Museum."

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DAY 3The Leaning Tower of Pisa & Montecatini

Say arrivederci to Rome and make your way to Tuscany. Stop in Pisa to take pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. In the afternoon, time to relax by the pool and explore the Tuscan spa town of Montecatini, where your hotel is located. This evening, enjoy a special HIGHLIGHT DINNER at a local agriturismo to taste the specialties of this famous region. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Enjoy the beautiful architecture in Rome

Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy

See the vineyard covered hillsides of Tuscany

Pisa

"It was the most perfect experiment in the history of science. Holding both a cannon ball and a small musket ball, the 30-something Pisa native Galileo Galilei scaled the steps of his city’s famous Leaning Tower, and held them dramatically over the edge. Eight stories below, the town’s most learned scholars and priests were gathered as observers. They watched as the two balls dropped to the ground at the same speed – disproving, with a single stroke, the ancient idea that objects fall at different rates depending on their weight and size. This archaic concept, which had been espoused by the ancient Greek author Aristotle, had been accepted without question for more than 2,000 years, Galileo’s great innovation was to put it to a practical test of observation. Unfortunately, this famous story is probably not true. Galileo never wrote about it himself – it was recounted in a late biography penned by his secretary, Vincenzo Viviani. Most historians now believe that it was Galileo’s imaginative disciples who invented the Leaning Tower tale in order to make the theory so clear that even a child could understand it. "

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DAY 4Michelangelo’s David in Florence and a Venetian Pizza Party

This morning, explore Renaissance Florence with your Local Guide, including a visit to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS to see Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and visit sculpture-filled SIGNORIA SQUARE. Later, drive across the Apennine Hills to magical Venice, and enter the city in style by PRIVATE BOAT. This evening, an included PIZZA PARTY will top off your day. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world

Admire the detailed craftsmanship of Michelangelos David

La Piazza Della Signoria

"What’s the best vantage point to ponder the most illustrious town square in Florence, the Signoria? An outdoor table in the venerable Caffè Rivoire – preferably over a delicious, if not painfully expensive cioccolata con pane, a dark and mud-thick hot chocolate. Late at night, when the crowds have gone, you can search the long shadows and imagine that very little has changed here since the 1400s. The Signoria is the most elegant sculpture garden in Europe. Masterpieces include the splendid Neptune Fountain by Ammannati, Hercules and Cacus by Bandinelli and a precise copy of Michelangelo’s David, all strategically poised in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. This grand public space has been the centerpiece of Florence since the 15th Century, the golden age when the city was established as the most beautiful in Europe. Eminent merchants in their ostentatious finery met here to discuss business in the midst of Florence’s raucous daily life."

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DAY 5Create a Carnival Mask & Discover Venice

Walk through the narrow streets to an original Venetian workshop and enjoy the unique experience of decorating your own VENETIAN CARNIVAL MASK. When your mask is finished, use the included vaporetto ticket to return to the hotel or to find a cozy trattoria for lunch. In the afternoon, meet your Local Guide and visit ST. MARK’S SQUARE, DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Try an optional dinner on Burano Island this evening. (Breakfast)

Bridge of Sighs

"The world’s most poetically-named bridge, Il Ponte dei Sospiri, the Bridge of Sighs, was built in 1614 so that prisoners of the Venetian state could be transferred in secret from the Doge’s Palace to the so-called Nuovi Prigioni, or New Prisons. The wistful name was actually conceived by the English poet Lord Byron in the early 1800s that imagined the horror of prisoners taking their last glimpse of Venice before going underground to captivity. "

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DAY 6Journey to Stresa on Lake Maggiore

Travel to the heart of the Italian Lake District, the beautiful resort town of Stresa on Lake Maggiore. Afternoon at leisure to explore, relax at the hotel pool, or join an optional excursion to the baroque palace and peacock gardens of enchanting Isola Bella. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Isola Bella

"Isola Bella. Beautiful Island. Rising out of the waters of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy, a gardener’s paradise awaits. When Count Carlo Borromeo decided to give his wife, Isabella, a gift back in 1632, he was thinking big. The expansive island villa and garden he planned for her are considered the epitome of Baroque-style architecture and garden design. With terraces built straight to the water’s edge, the island appears as if it is a floating flowering ship. Many of the rooms are of notable historical interest, like the Music Room, where Mussolini hosted the Stresa Conference in 1935 that should have ensured peace in Europe, and Napoleon’s Room, where he often stayed in the company of Giuseppina Beauharnais."

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DAY 7Cogwheel Mountain Train to Zermatt, Switzerland

Drive over the impressive Simplon Pass to the Swiss canton of Valais. In the village of Täsch, board the COGWHEEL MOUNTAIN TRAIN to climb the last few miles up to Zermatt. Time to explore the car-free mountain town on your own or join an optional excursion to famous Gornergrat mountain at 10,269 feet above sea level. In the late afternoon, continue on to your Lake Geneva area hotel. (Breakfast, Dinner)

View Switzerlands most famous landmark, the majestic Matterhorn

Lake Geneva

Stretching along Switzerland’s southern border with France, Lake Geneva (also called Lac Leman by the Swiss) is the largest lake in Europe. It’s pristine shores support a strong fresh water fishing industry. Some would argue that it offers the most beautiful views of any waterway. They are jaw-droppingly amazing; especially the snow capped Jura Alps across the lake from Montreux and Vevey. The temperatures are moderate along the lake in winter; most of the weather takes place in the mountains. In summer numerous music festivals and artistic events are held in towns along the lake, especially Lausanne, the third most popular city for travelers in Switzerland, next to Zurich and Geneva. It is a sophisticated artist’s haven and the city where T.S. Eliot lived when he wrote “The Wasteland.”

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DAY 8TGV Train to Paris, France. Notre Dame Cathedral & Top of the Eiffel Tower

Drive to Lausanne, where you board the high-speed TGV TRAIN (first-class) to the “City of Light.” Upon arrival, meet your Local Guide and explore the city where Remy, from the movie Ratatouille, discovered French cuisine. Admire some of the most famous sights: the Opéra, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, and visit NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, the setting for Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Also ride the elevators to the TOP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER and, later, try one of France’s specialties—a freshly made CREPE. (Breakfast)

The Arc de Triomphe standing in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle

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.

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DAY 9Explore Paris

All day at leisure for exploration on your own. An optional excursion is available to further immerse your family in Parisian history and culture. This evening, enjoy a French SEND-OFF CELEBRATION DINNER at a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your European vacation. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 10Ride the Eurostar to London, England

Board the high-speed EUROSTAR TRAIN to London, arriving in the afternoon. Tonight, maybe a theater performance at London’s West End? (Breakfast)

Ride the iconic double decker bus in London

London’s Tower Bridge over the River Thames

Marvel at the architecture on Londons infamous Big Ben

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel

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DAY 11See Big Ben & Ride the London Eye

Sightseeing with a Local Guide on a traditional London double-decker bus includes all the famous landmarks: the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben beside the River Thames, Westminster Abbey, Whitehall’s mounted horseguards and the Prime Minister’s Downing Street, Piccadilly Circus, and Buckingham Palace. A special highlight is a “flight” on the LONDON EYE, the world’s tallest observation wheel with stunning views of the city. (Breakfast)

Westminster Abbey – the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs

Houses of Parliament

"Big Ben may be the most famous feature of the Houses of Parliament, but equally impressive is the hammerbeam ceiling of Westminster Hall. The Hall dates back to 1097 and, at that time, the roof was supported by pillars. During the reign of King Richard II (14th century), however, it was replaced by the hammerbeam roof seen today. This roof – its beauty and sustainability – is even more impressive when you know its history. It was built with beams made from trees that were ancient at the time, reputedly acorns, dating back to the 6th century (or earlier). If only these walls (beams, rather) could talk!"

Buckingham Palace

"Amid the splendor of modern cities it’s hard to imagine what places looked like before they became what we know today. In a previous incarnation, the ground where Buckingham Palace now stands was a mulberry garden cultivated by King James I as food for silkworms. The silk industry he hoped to nurture never materialized, and eventually a roadhouse was built there, followed in due course by the Blake House, Goring House and Arlington House.Originally known as the Buckingham House, built as a townhouse by the Duke of Buckingham in 1709, the estate was acquired by King George III in 1762."

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DAY 12London

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

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DATES & PRICES