EUROPEAN WINTER DELIGHT - 2009

13 days incl. travel, or 12 days from London to Rome (XN)

Return to European Winter Vacations

Vacation Overview

A wonderful trip from London to Rome! Stay two nights in London, Paris, Lucerne, and Rome, plus 1-night stays in Sound of Music Salzburg, Venice, and Florence. Travel from London to Paris by high-speed Eurostar train and enjoy the scenery through the Alps when you drive from Lucerne via Liechtenstein and from Innsbruck to Salzburg. Visit St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, ride the elevator up to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower, and enjoy walking tours of Lucerne with its famous Lion’s Monument, Innsbruck with its Golden Roof, and Salzburg with St. Peter’s Churchyard. Also included are a private boat ride to St. Mark’s Square in Venice, visits to Michelangelo’s David in Florence, and to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum in Rome.

Special Departure:
December 20 - Christmas Eve in Paris & New Year's Eve in Rome

Things to see on your vacation: View Vacation Photo Slideshow

A Vacation Story 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."