At Home in Florence & Rome
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Highlights:
This suggested program gives you a little more exposure to two delightful cities that, between them, cover the major eras of Italy. In Rome you will discover the architecture of Republican and Imperial Rome and then skip a few centuries to enjoy the Rome of the sixties with the Via Veneto and La Dolce Vita.
The period in between is represented by the Renaissance which is well covered in your first destination, Florence. In both cities you will be exposed to the culture, cooking and lifestyle of these beautiful cities. Then enjoy free time to explore on your own.
This suggested program gives you a little more exposure to two delightful cities that, between them, cover the major eras of Italy. In Rome you will discover the architecture of Republican and Imperial Rome and then skip a few centuries to enjoy the Rome of the sixties with the Via Veneto and La Dolce Vita.
The period in between is represented by the Renaissance which is well covered in your first destination, Florence. In both cities you will be exposed to the culture, cooking and lifestyle of these beautiful cities. Then enjoy free time to explore on your own.
SKU:
Explore: Florence & Rome
Customizable Itinerary - 10 Days (from $3,941 / person)
Day 1: Depart USA
You board your flight for the overnight flight to Italy and Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance.
Day 2: Welcome to Florence
Upon arrival in Florence you will be met and driven to your hotel located in the heart of Renaissance Florence. The rest of the day is left open for you to relax and explore the area around your hotel.
Day 3: The Heart of Florence and the Soul of the Renaissance
Your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a walking tour of the central core of the city. You will visit the Piazza del Duomo with the dome created by Brunelleschi and the nearby bell tower by Giotto. A tour of Franciscan Santa Croce holds masterpieces by Giotto, Donatello and Brunelleschi and the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Your guide will then take you the Accademia Gallery famous for its collection of sculptures by Michelangelo. In addition to the world-renowned “David”, you will see the four “slaves” created for Pope Julius II and the “Pieta di Palestrina”. Your guide will then leave you to continue to explore the Accademia or the surrounding area.
Breakfast
Day 4: The Noble Reds of Montalcino and Montepulciano
Today you will enjoy a private tour into the Tuscan countryside. Your driver will meet you at the hotel and head to Montepulciano, a hill town which, although overshadowed by its wines, is also of architectural interest. Once through the city gates you drive up the Corso which is the main street taking you ro the main square at the top of the hill. After a brief visit you turn your attention to wine. The area is famous for two wines, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Rosso de Montepulciano. You will sample both and then make a brief stop in Pienza to sample their Pecorino de Pienza cheese made from sheep’s milk. After lunch you arrive in Montalcino known for Brunello di Montalcino one of Italy’s most esteemed wines. You visit some vineyards to taste their creations before returning to Florence.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5: Treasures of the Uffizi
In the morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to the Uffizi created by Lorenzo Di Medici to display his art treasures. The building was previously his administrative office hence the name Uffizi (office in Italian). The gallery has one of the greatest collections of Renaissance art including great works by Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci. One of the most famous is Botticelli’s “the birth of Venus.”
Breakfast
Day 6: The Leaning Tower and the Train to Rome
After breakfast your driver will drive you to Pisa where a guide will be waiting to take you on a tour of the complex including the leaning tower which you can climb if you want. You will then be taken to the station where 1st Class seats will be reserved for you as you make your way to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome you will be met and taken to your centrally located hotel within walking distance of the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. If you are traveling during the spring and summer you can enjoy dinner at the hotel’s roof garden.
Breakfast
Day 7: Rome though the ages
Today the world of Rome both as a republic and as an Imperial power will be brought to life with your private walking tours of the ancient Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the fountains and piazzas of Renaissance as created by Bernini. Your first stop will be the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the senate. There were several forums created and your guide will explain their evolution. You will have lunch at a trattoria and then get fast access to the Colosseum where your guide will again explain its functions over the years.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: Secrets of the Roman Kitchen
Your guide will meet you and take you to one of the oldest parts of the city that dates back to Etruscan times. Trastevere is noted for its quaint streets and restaurants and sits across the Tiber from Rome (Tevere means Tiber so Trastevere is literally “across the Tiber”). Here you will visit Piazza San Cusimato Market where your chef/instructor will select the ingredients to be used to cook a typical Roman lunch at the nearby kitchen. You prepare and cook the meal which you get to enjoy with wine. Walk off lunch by strolling around the neighborhood and absorbing the ambiance.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Bongiorno Vatican, Arreviderci Roma
Today will start and end like no other. Located in the heart of Rome is a separate country, the administrative and spiritual capital of the world’s Catholics and also a repository for some of the finest Renaissance art in the world. You will leave your hotel after an early breakfast and head to the Vatican where you will be introduced to your private guide. By special arrangement you will be among the first to enter the Sistine Chapel before the general public. Your guide will give you a detailed description of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. You will then move to the Vatican Museums including the Raphael Room with some of his greatest works. Finish your visit in St. Peter’s, itself a work of art. In the evening you will be taken to dinner and then on a private tour around an illuminated Rome. You will finish at the Trevi Fountain where you can toss in a coin to ensure a return to Rome.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to USA
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to the USA where you arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
You board your flight for the overnight flight to Italy and Florence, the Cradle of the Renaissance.
Day 2: Welcome to Florence
Upon arrival in Florence you will be met and driven to your hotel located in the heart of Renaissance Florence. The rest of the day is left open for you to relax and explore the area around your hotel.
Day 3: The Heart of Florence and the Soul of the Renaissance
Your guide will meet you at the hotel and take you on a walking tour of the central core of the city. You will visit the Piazza del Duomo with the dome created by Brunelleschi and the nearby bell tower by Giotto. A tour of Franciscan Santa Croce holds masterpieces by Giotto, Donatello and Brunelleschi and the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. Your guide will then take you the Accademia Gallery famous for its collection of sculptures by Michelangelo. In addition to the world-renowned “David”, you will see the four “slaves” created for Pope Julius II and the “Pieta di Palestrina”. Your guide will then leave you to continue to explore the Accademia or the surrounding area.
Breakfast
Day 4: The Noble Reds of Montalcino and Montepulciano
Today you will enjoy a private tour into the Tuscan countryside. Your driver will meet you at the hotel and head to Montepulciano, a hill town which, although overshadowed by its wines, is also of architectural interest. Once through the city gates you drive up the Corso which is the main street taking you ro the main square at the top of the hill. After a brief visit you turn your attention to wine. The area is famous for two wines, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano and Rosso de Montepulciano. You will sample both and then make a brief stop in Pienza to sample their Pecorino de Pienza cheese made from sheep’s milk. After lunch you arrive in Montalcino known for Brunello di Montalcino one of Italy’s most esteemed wines. You visit some vineyards to taste their creations before returning to Florence.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5: Treasures of the Uffizi
In the morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to the Uffizi created by Lorenzo Di Medici to display his art treasures. The building was previously his administrative office hence the name Uffizi (office in Italian). The gallery has one of the greatest collections of Renaissance art including great works by Giotto and Leonardo da Vinci. One of the most famous is Botticelli’s “the birth of Venus.”
Breakfast
Day 6: The Leaning Tower and the Train to Rome
After breakfast your driver will drive you to Pisa where a guide will be waiting to take you on a tour of the complex including the leaning tower which you can climb if you want. You will then be taken to the station where 1st Class seats will be reserved for you as you make your way to Rome. Upon arrival in Rome you will be met and taken to your centrally located hotel within walking distance of the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. If you are traveling during the spring and summer you can enjoy dinner at the hotel’s roof garden.
Breakfast
Day 7: Rome though the ages
Today the world of Rome both as a republic and as an Imperial power will be brought to life with your private walking tours of the ancient Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the fountains and piazzas of Renaissance as created by Bernini. Your first stop will be the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the senate. There were several forums created and your guide will explain their evolution. You will have lunch at a trattoria and then get fast access to the Colosseum where your guide will again explain its functions over the years.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: Secrets of the Roman Kitchen
Your guide will meet you and take you to one of the oldest parts of the city that dates back to Etruscan times. Trastevere is noted for its quaint streets and restaurants and sits across the Tiber from Rome (Tevere means Tiber so Trastevere is literally “across the Tiber”). Here you will visit Piazza San Cusimato Market where your chef/instructor will select the ingredients to be used to cook a typical Roman lunch at the nearby kitchen. You prepare and cook the meal which you get to enjoy with wine. Walk off lunch by strolling around the neighborhood and absorbing the ambiance.
Breakfast and Lunch
Day 9: Bongiorno Vatican, Arreviderci Roma
Today will start and end like no other. Located in the heart of Rome is a separate country, the administrative and spiritual capital of the world’s Catholics and also a repository for some of the finest Renaissance art in the world. You will leave your hotel after an early breakfast and head to the Vatican where you will be introduced to your private guide. By special arrangement you will be among the first to enter the Sistine Chapel before the general public. Your guide will give you a detailed description of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. You will then move to the Vatican Museums including the Raphael Room with some of his greatest works. Finish your visit in St. Peter’s, itself a work of art. In the evening you will be taken to dinner and then on a private tour around an illuminated Rome. You will finish at the Trevi Fountain where you can toss in a coin to ensure a return to Rome.
Breakfast and Dinner
Day 10: Return to USA
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight to the USA where you arrive back the same afternoon.
Breakfast
