About your tour
Hotels
Modern hotels in Rome: the Crowne
Plaza St Peters
with its magnificent garden setting
close to the Vatican, and the Sheraton Roma
in the EUR district. Traditional hotels
in the other centres include the 15th
century
Continental or Principe in magical
Venice.
Fellow Passengers
This tour attracts the first-time
visitor to Italy
who wishes to see the major highlights
of this beautiful country in 10 days. It
also appeals to those with a love of
history, art, architecture, Italian cuisine
and ‘la dolce
vita’.
Highlights
Highlights are many: the ancient
historic and
religious sights of Rome, the touching
beauty of Assisi, the unique waterscape of
Venice, the artistic heritage of
Florence (epitomised by the statue of
David) and
the stunning scenery of Capri, the
Island of Dreams.
Enjoy our
Premium Highlights plus these
extra tour features
Excursions &
Sights
- Tour St Peter’s
Basilica and visit the
Spanish Steps in Rome
- Visit the Basilicas of St
Francis & St Mary of the Angels
in Assisi
- Cruise, with commentary, to St
Mark’s Square in Venice
- See the Bridge
of Sighs, Doges’ Palace &
St Mark’s Basilica
- Scenic Brenta Canal drive
past the summer mansions of the
Venetian nobility
- See the Leaning Tower of Pisa,
Cathedral & Baptistery
- See Florence’s
Duomo, ‘Gates of
Paradise’ & Signoria
Square
- Visit the Commonwealth Cemetery
at Cassino
- Demonstration
of traditional Florentine
leather-work, Demonstration of
‘Intarsio’ marquetry
inlay woodworking in Sorrento
- Demonstration of traditional
glass-blowing in Venice
- Scenic
Apennine Mountains drive
- Cliff-top drive from Sorrento
to Naples overlooking the
Bay of Naples
Guided City Tours
- Indepth sightseeing tours in Rome,
Assisi,
Florence & Pompeii
- Orientation tours of Venice,
Sorrento & Isle of Capri
Insight's First Class Services
- Escorted by a professional Tour
Director
- Luxury
air-conditioned 40 seat coach with
onboard toilet
- First-class hotels with all service
charges, taxes and porterage
- Travel bag, document wallet, map
book journal and information
pack
Quality Dining
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Your itinerary
10 Days ~ Italy
Tour Pace
This tour has a well balanced pace
with two-night
stays in three of the five centres
– Rome, Tuscany and Sorrento –
and
overnight stays in Assisi and Venice.
The driving days are of a comfortable
length
with several stops en route for
refreshments and photo opportunities.
DAY 1 – UK - ROME
Welcome to Rome, a glorious city
filled with Classical
antiquities, medieval buildings,
Renaissance palaces and baroque
churches. After your scheduled arrival
to Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da
Vinci Airport, there are complimentary
transfers
to your tour hotel at 09.30, 12.30 &
15.30 hours. After checking in,
there’s time at leisure to explore or
relax. Spend time in the boutiques of
the Via del Corso or the elegant designer
stores of the Via Condotti. As night
falls, meet your Tour Director and
fellow travellers
for a Welcome Drink. Hotel: Crowne Plaza
St Peters.
DAY 2 – ROME
SIGHTSEEING
Enjoy an indepth sightseeing tour
with a local
guide who will take you inside the
Vatican Museums to gaze upon the
treasures of
the Popes. Also see Michelangelo’s
famous ceiling inside the Sistine Chapel.
Tour St Peter’s Basilica to wonder
at another of his works, the emotive
‘Pieta’,
then cross the Tiber to visit the
Colosseum, scene of many gladiatorial
contests.
After seeing the Roman Forum, the rest
of the day is yours to relax, sightsee or
shop. (BB)
DAY 3 –
ROME – ASSISI
Leave Rome and follow the valley of
the River
Tiber to the hills of Umbria, which form
part of the Apennines. Your destination
is the peaceful hill-top town of Assisi,
the home of St Francis. Visit the Basilica
of St Mary of the Angels, built on the
site of the original Porziuncule Chapel
foundations,
then continue up Mount Subasio to the
town and visit the Basilica of St Francis
with its magnificent frescoes by the
artist Giotto. Hotel: Subasio.
(BB,D)
DAY 4 – ASSISI
– VENICE
A pleasant drive leads to the
romantic city of
Venice, and what better way to see it
than from a private launch? Cruise past
Palladian
churches and 13th century palaces to St
Mark’s square and disembark to see
the Doges’ Palace, connected to the
prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. It was
from here that Casanova made his daring
escape. After turning the corner and
admiring
the mosaics of the Basilica, watch one
of the few remaining Masters blow molten
glass into a unique creation at a
Venetian glass-blowing factory. Relax
and enjoy
the atmosphere as you cruise along the
Venetian canals by gondola.
Hotel: Continental/Principe/Amadeus.
(BB,D)
DAY 5 – VENICE
– TUSCANY
Leave magical Venice, and drive along
the scenic
Brenta Canal with its magnificent
Palladian villas, once the summer
residences of
Venetian nobility. Cross the plain of
the Po River and traverse the Apennines,
the
hilly backbone of Italy, to reach the
Arno valley. Follow the river westwards to
the coastal town of Pisa to see the
famous Leaning Tower, where elaborate steps
have been taken to prevent this landmark
from falling over. Time also to admire
the marble cathedral and Baptistery
before continuing to the Tuscan spa
resort of
Montecatini for a two-night stay. Hotel:
Francia & Quirinale. (BB)
DAY 6 – FLORENCE
SIGHTSEEING
Drive to the Tuscan capital,
Florence, and join
a local guide for a walking tour and
highlight visit to the Academy Gallery
to see
Michelangelo’s monumental figure of
David. Continue to the multi-coloured
marble
Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore to
see Giotto’s belltower and ‘Gates
of Paradise’ before visiting the
Piazza della Signoria, still the political
heart of Florence. The area around Santa
Croce Basilica is famous for the quality
of its luxury goods; see a demonstration
of leatherwork in the very place this craft
first established itself. Then,
there’s free time to shop for
Florence’s
finest or continue sightseeing. (BB,D)
DAY 7 – TUSCANY
– SORRENTO
Take the smooth motorway south
through the rich
volcanic hills of Frascati to Cassino
and visit the Commonwealth Cemetery,
overlooked
by the austere monastery of Montecassino
– headquarters of the Benedictine
order. Take the clifftop road to your
hotel in the picturesque resort of
Sorrento.
Hotel: La Pace. (BB)
DAY
8 – ISLE OF CAPRI
EXCURSION
Spend the morning being shown the art
of ‘intarsio’
or marquetry wood inlaying before
cruising to the sun-drenched island of
dreams,
Capri – a rock rising from the
Mediterranean. Take the funicular train
up to
the main village (Capri Town), then
spend time exploring the narrow
alleyways, browse
in the exclusive boutiques and enjoy the
fabulous views over the Mediterranean Sea.
Join an optional tour to Anacapri to
visit Villa San Michele before returning to
your hotel for some time to relax.
(BB,D)
DAY 9 –
SORRENTO – ROME
Only a short drive from the hotel
lies Pompeii,
the opulent Roman town which was
preserved by layers of ash from the
disastrous
eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. A
walking tour through the varied and
extensive
excavations with a local guide brings
the ancient, ill-fated city to life.
Afterwards,
the smooth motorway leads back to the
‘Eternal City’ of Rome. Tonight,
stop by the elegant Spanish Steps and
Boat Fountain on the way to a special
Highlight
Dinner of local cuisine, complete with
wine and entertainment. Hotel:
Sheraton/Crowne Plaza St Peters.
(BB,HD)
DAY 10 – ROME - UK
Arrivederci Roma! The tour ends with
transfers
to Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da
Vinci Airport at 07.00 & 09.30
hours. (BB)
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