 Day
1 (Sat.) Board your overnight
transatlantic flight.
Day 2 Arrival in Rome,
Italy. (Sun.) Time to rest or to start exploring the Eternal
City. At 6 p.m. meet your tour director and traveling companions and
leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine in one of
Rome’s fine restaurants. (D)
Day 3
Rome-Pompeii-Naples-Capri. (Mon.) South on the Highway of the
Sun to POMPEII. Meet your local guide and start your highlight visit
of this Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of
Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. See patrician homes, public baths, and
commercial districts strikingly recalling day-to-day life when Rome
was at the apex of her power. Next an orientation drive shows you
lively and colorful Naples, where you board your hydrofoil to the
Isle of Capri, a royal retreat for 2,000 years and your home for the
next two nights. (BB,D)
Day 4 Capri.
(Tue.) This morning a local expert will take you to the shimmering
BLUE GROTTO (weather permitting; otherwise visit VILLA SAN MICHELE
in Anacapri), and up to pretty Capri village. The afternoon and
evening are at leisure to stroll around and discover the beauty of
this famous island. (BB)
Day 5
Capri-Sorrento-Cassino-Assisi. (Wed.) Board your ferry to the
charming resort of Sorrento. Time to stroll around, to check out the
local shops and to discover its lively center. Then board your
luxury motorcoach for a short drive to Cassino, where you visit the
ABBEY OF MONTECASSINO, rebuilt to medieval plans after near total
destruction by Allied bombers. A smooth drive on the Highway of the
Sun brings you to peaceful Assisi. (BB,D)
Day 6
Assisi-Venice. (Thu.) All morning dedicated to Assisi: visit
the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above
the Saint’s grave. Time afterwards to enjoy the town at your own
pace. Then continue to the Adriatic Coast, visit the ABBEY OF
POMPOSA, and arrive in Venice where you spend the next two nights.
(BB)
Day 7 Venice.
(Fri.) Start morning sightseeing in style as you glide by private
boat along the Giudecca canal to meet your resident expert.
Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its
BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the Bridge of Sighs.
Also watch VENETIAN GLASS BLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in
an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace or
join an optional excursion to the island of Burano.
(BB,D)
Day 8
Venice-Padua-Pisa-Tuscany. (Sat.) This morning first stop in
Padua, to visit
ST. ANTHONY’S BASILICA, before re-entering the
Apennine Mountains and Tuscany. The afternoon is dedicated to Pisa.
Your orientation focuses on the SQUARE OF MIRACLES: take your
pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less
than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Next a short drive following
the valley of the Arno River to the spa-resort of Montecatini.
(BB)
Day 9 Tuscany.
Excursion to Florence. (Sun.) All day dedicated to the cradle of
the Renaissance, Florence. Guided sightseeing includes the
magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy
bronze “Gate of Paradise”, and sculpture-studded Signoria Square. To
top it off, admire Michelangelo’s David in the ACADEMY OF
FINE ARTS. Afternoon for independent sightseeing and browsing
through the many shops. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry
sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (BB,D)
Day 10
Tuscany-Siena-Rome. (Mon.) Drive through the Chianti wine
area to Siena. Follow your tour director on a 30-minute walk through
ancient, narrow lanes to beautiful Piazza del Campo, site of the
biannual Palio, Siena’s spectacular medieval-style horse
race. Time on your own before continuing to Rome. Why not join an
optional dinner tonight in one of Rome’s fine restaurants?
(BB)
Day 11 Rome.
(Tue.) 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. Proceed across the Tiber
for a stroll along the Via Sacra in the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman
Legions marched in triumph, and finally visit the COLOSSEUM and hear
about gladiatorial combats. Then time for independent activities and
exciting optional excursion possibilities to celebrate the success
of your vacation. (BB)
Day 12 (Wed.) Your
homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB) | 
