Tour: LL - 2012 (LL) - 2012

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Itinerary

DAY 1Arrive in Rome, Italy

Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (Dinner)

Enjoy the beautiful architecture in Rome

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DAY 2Rome

Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (Breakfast)

The Sistine Chapel is world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings

The Roman Forum

"Visitors can be a little confused by the Roman Forum; at first glance, it is a rather lifeless array of marble fragments. But we must remember that in ancient times, this space was far more than the temples and monuments whose ruins we can explore today. It was filled with bustling, noisy life as the popular crossroads of the city – the predecessor, in fact, of the modern Italian piazza. Every morning at dawn, average Romans would escape their cramped, dark apartment blocks (called insulae, or “islands”) and spent their days outdoors. "

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."

The Colosseum

"Thanks to Hollywood recreations such as Gladiator, nothing symbolizes the cruelty of Imperial Rome as much as the Colosseum. In truth, the games held there were even more extreme and theatrical than modern film directors dare to suggest. A day at the Empire’s most famous arena was a total entertainment package, mixing bouts of savage violence with solemn religious pageantry, sexual titillation, slapstick comedy and kitschy stage shows."

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DAY 3Rome–Florence

A smooth drive past the Chianti hills takes you to Florence, capital of Tuscany and “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Afternoon at leisure to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry or to visit one of Florence’s many museums. (Breakfast)

Tuscany is known for its landscapes and its artistic legacy

Visit stunning Florence and the Ponte Vecchio

See the vineyard covered hillsides of Tuscany

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DAY 4Florence–Venice

During your walking tour with a Local Guide, visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Then, head across the wooded Apennine Mountains to Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Tonight is your chance to sample Venetian fare. (Breakfast)

Admire the detailed craftsmanship of Michelangelos David

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

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 5Venice

Highlights of your guided walking tour this morning are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Afterwards, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (Breakfast)

Venice

"It is no accident that one of history’s greatest explorers, Marco Polo, came from Venice. His hometown had been Europe’s gateway to the East long before he set sail in 1271; the influence of the Orient could be seen in its art, its fashion and its architecture, creating, in the words of one historian, “the most colorful, sumptuous, and sensually bewitching civilization that history has ever known.” Thanks to Venetian conquests in the eastern Mediterranean, the 17-year-old Marco had the first leg of his travel route mapped out for him – he was able to island-hop through friendly territory as far as Constantinople, from there he was seduced by China for more than 20 years. When Polo returned to Venice in 1295 as a bearded and vaguely Eastern middle aged man, even his relatives did not believe he had been in China the entire time."

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 6Venice–Ravenna–Assisi

Along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea to Ravenna. Here, see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century BASILICA OF ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon, arrive in Assisi and visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the Saint’s grave. Time to enjoy the peaceful town at your own pace. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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Assisi

"Saint Francis may be Assisi’s most internationally famous son, the charismatic preacher who has been the subject of numerous bio-pics. But his female counterpart, Saint Clare, evokes almost as much devotion amongst Italians. Her life story reads like a medieval inversion of The Sound of Music: A beautiful young woman born into a wealthy family, she was betrothed at an early age to a dashing local noble and seemed destined for a conventional life of luxury and pleasure. But her future was transformed in 1210, when she saw the handsome young Francis, espousing the sacred virtues of poverty in the streets of Assisi. Clare immediately cut off her long golden hair, took a vow of celibacy, gave away all her fine clothes and began to dress in a simple cassock. She soon founded her own religious order for women, the Poor Sisters of Saint Clare, which demonstrated a devotion to good works that matches the all-male Franciscan order of monks. In fact, she is often known to Catholics as alter Franciscus, another Francis."

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DAY 7Assisi–Pompeii–Naples. Overnight Cruise to Palermo

Meet your Local Guide and enter POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See patrician houses, public baths, and commercial districts strikingly recalling day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. Tonight, board your FERRY in Naples for the overnight cruise to Sicily. (Breakfast)

Pompeii

"While wandering the superbly-preserved streets of Pompeii keep an eye out for the cauponae or early fast-food restaurants beloved by the ancient Romans. Located on several corners and looking like open-air bars, these one-room establishments were where busy citizens could grab a quick meal and glass of wine on the run. They were identified by colorful signs over their doors (one place excavated in Pompeii had a Phoenix, another, an elephant and pygmy). And like modern coffee bars in Italy today, customers stood at an L-shaped brick counter to order. There were jars full of hot and cold food, as well as amphorae of wine, which they could consume on the spot or take out to a few wooden seats provided on the street or, in some cases, a small back garden."

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DAY 8Palermo

After disembarkation, start your sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, the CATHEDRAL, and the Arab-Norman PALATINE CHAPEL in the Royal Palace. After lunch, drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious byzantine mosaics. Your first day in Sicily ends with a visit to the typical and picturesque village of Mondello before returning to Palermo. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 9Palermo–Marsala–Agrigento

Along the western coast of Sicily all the way down to the saltbeds, famous since Roman times. Near Marsala, stop to visit a SALT MILL. Then, continue to Agrigento, where your Local Guide will take you for a spectacular walk through the VALLEY OF TEMPLES. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Delphi, Greece, known in ancient times known as the Navel of the Earth

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DAY 10Agrigento–Taormina Area

Enjoy the scenic beauty and treasures of the island’s heart on your way to the Taormina area. Later, focus on the 3rd-century GREEK AMPHITHEATER, the second largest of its kind in Sicily. Situated above the city, it affords spectacular views of the bay and Mount Etna. (Breakfast)

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DAY 11At Leisure in Taormina Area

In the morning you may wish to join the half-day optional excursion to Mount Etna. Afternoon is at leisure to relax or for individual activities. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 12Taormina Area–Sorrento

Today, board a FERRY and cross the Strait of Messina to land at the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria. Tonight, you are in the charming resort of Sorrento, delightfully situated on the Bay of Naples. (Breakfast)

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Sorrento

"Italian movie stars and pop idols are still snapping up real estate around the seaside town of Sorrento – Siren’s Point – unaware that 2,000 years ago it was also the very heart of the ancient Romans’ favorite holiday destination. In fact, the entire sun-drenched coastline from the Bay of Naples south to the precipitous Amalfi Coast has always been lined with sumptuous luxury villas, qualifying it as the Hamptons of Antiquity. Aristocrats would flock here in summer to relax by the beach, swim in marble pools, sail to nearby islands in their silk-canopied yachts and enjoy seafood banquets al fresco beneath the stars. "

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DAY 13Sorrento. Excursion to Capri

Speed across the Bay of Naples by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since that time for its beauty. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (Breakfast)

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Capri

"Rising like a whale from the ocean, the spectacular island of Capri has held a particular attraction for celebrities trying to “get away from it all” over the centuries. In former times, it lured the writers Goethe, Oscar Wilde and Graham Greene; these days, it attracts American stars like Leonardo di Caprio, Harrison Ford and Mariah Carey. But Capri first became famous in 26 AD, when the Roman Emperor Tiberius “dropped out” here to escape the political in-fighting in Rome. For 16 years, he ruled the Empire from his luxurious cliff-side palace – flashing his orders to the mainland via a lighthouse. Protected by 500 foot cliffs, Capri had only one landing point, and his villa, located on a remote headland offered sweeping 300 degree views of the ocean. B"

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DAY 14Sorrento–Rome

Return to Rome. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your vacation. (Breakfast, Dinner)

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DAY 15Rome

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

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DATES & PRICES