BOOK NOW!

 $3,159**

Departures from  April 04 – Oct. 24, 2020

Escorted Tour:  13 Days/ 11 Nights

Visit Italy’s favorite Art Cities plus quaint Tuscan towns.  Enjoy fabulous food in Bologna, charming Sorrento and the elegance of Capri.

Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Padua, Venice, Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri

ITINERARY:

Note: First day of tour is your departure date from the USA. Actual tour in Italy begins the next day.

Day 1:  Departure from USA/Canada to Rome
Departure from USA to Italy – with your own purchased airline tickets.
Day 2:  Arrival in Rome
Welcome to Italy!
Upon arrival in Rome’s Fiumicino airport please proceed through the Passport Control and collect your luggage inside the customs area.  Then meet our driver for your private transfer to the hotel. At 8:00 pm transfer to the meeting point for your Rome by Night tour.  Our local expert guide will lead you to discover the wonders of the Eternal City, charming by day – absolutely romantic by night.  Enjoy the center of this magical city in the moonlight during this panoramic mix of bus and walking tour.  Tour ends in the Colosseum area.  Return transfer to the hotel is on your own.
Overnight in Rome.
Day 3:  Rome/Assisi/Florence
After breakfast, depart for Assisi by a deluxe coach. Explore this tiny town, surrounded by walls built in the middle ages, at your leisure. Be sure to visit the Basilica of St. Francis, where you will see masterpieces by Giotto and Cimabue, and to have lunch (not included). Board the bus for Siena, a medieval town surrounded by ancient walls.  It is known for the Palio, an annual summertime horse race around the shell-shaped town square, Piazza del Campo. Next, you will continue on to Florence, where you will check in to your hotel before enjoying dinner and a well-earned night of rest
Overnight in Florence.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 4:  Florence/Optional Pisa Tour
After breakfast, you will spend the day venturing around beautiful Florence, the “Cradle of Renaissance, where, with the help of Michelangelo, Italian art reached its pinnacle. Based on Etruscan-Roman origins, the city flourished in the Middle Ages as a free “Commune” and was further refined during the Renaissance. You will be fascinated by the uncountable monuments, churches and buildings such as Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly referred to as the Duomo. On your visit, you will be amazed by its magnificent dome built by Filippo Brunelleschi. Cross a small piazza to see the “Campanile” tower (partly designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery, with its bronze doors where Michelangelo imagined the “Gates of Paradise.” In the heart of the city, you will see Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio), and the Basilica of Santa Croce. Lunch in a typical Tuscan restaurant in Piazza Santa Croce. Spend the afternoon strolling the cobblestone streets of Florence on your own or take a short optional tour to Pisa, one of the four main historical Marine Republics of Italy. There, you will tour the Piazza dei Miracoli with the Duomo, Pisa’s symbol “the Leaning Tower” and the Baptistery.
Overnight in Florence.
(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 5: Florence/Bologna/Padua/Venice
After breakfast in Florence you will depart for Bologna. There, you will discover the elegant city center with its “porticos”, it’s shopping streets and so on. From Piazza Malpighi you will walk to Piazza del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore (Neptune square and Major square) in the heart of the city, then King Renzo’s Palace; Palazzo Podestà and the basilica of San Petronio, one of the biggest in the world. Bologna is a real gourmet’s heaven…don’t miss trying a tasty meal for lunch at your own leisure! In the afternoon, continue toward Padova, with Sant’Antonio Basilica: one of the most visited churches by pilgrims of the catholic world. Later in the afternoon, arrival in Venice: the City of Love, one of the most romantic cities of the whole world and, undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man! Check in at your hotel for dinner.
Overnight in Venice.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 6:  Venice
After breakfast, enjoy your private water-taxi transfer to Piazza San Marco, visit the splendid St.Mark’s Basilica and, after this, check out the most iconic places of the “Floating City”: the Palazzo dei Dogi, symbol of Venice’s glorious past, the legendary “Bridge of Sighs”. Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure.
Overnight in Venice.
(Breakfast)
Day 7:  Tuscany
Depart for Tuscany, known for its romantic churches, castles, and wine.  Proceed to Val di Chiana with a stop in Montepulciano, a medieval town known for its “Nobile” wine and annual jazz festival.  Enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant.  Spend the afternoon independently exploring Montepulciano before continuing to Rome.
Overnight in Rome.
(Breakfast,Lunch)
Day 8:  Rome
Tour the Vatican with our exclusive “Skip the Line” access! After visiting the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, pass through a private entrance into St. Peter’s Basilica, the biggest church in the world.  Enjoy free time for lunch and to explore Rome on your own.
Overnight in Rome.
(Breakfast)
Day 9:  Naples/Pompeii
Travel along the “highway of the sun”,  glimpsing a picturesque view of the Abbey of Montecassino.  Enjoy a walking tour of Naples, seeing sights such as the Mergellina neighborhood, Castel dell’Ovo, Plebiscito Square, and the Royal Palace.  Have lunch with traditional Neapolitan Pizza before visiting the excavations of Pompeii, destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.  Continue to your hotel in Sorrento.
Overnight in Sorrento.
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 10:  Sorrento
Sorrento is a charming town filled with narrow lanes and beautiful ceramics shops.  Spend the day exploring on your own.  Be sure to sample some local limoncello and, if the weather is nice, head down to the beach! 
Overnight in Sorrento.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11:  Capri
Board a boat for the Island of Capri.  Depending on sea conditions, you will enter the famous Blue Grotto in a small rowboat to bask in the magical blue hue reflected in the water.  After, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and then roam the island at your own pace.  That afternoon, check into your new hotel.
Overnight in Capri.
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 12:  Capri/Rome
Spend a leisurely morning enjoying breakfast and exploring more of Capri.  In the afternoon, depart back to the mainland, arriving in Rome for your final overnight in Italy.
Overnight in Rome.
(Breakfast)
Day 13:  Rome/U.S.A.
After breakfast we say arriverderci! Meet our driver for your private transfer to the airport for your trip home or continue on to another destination.
(Breakfast)

Includes:

• Hotel accommodations in a 4* hotel for eleven nights (Rome – 4 nights, Florence – 2 nights, Venice – 2 nights, Sorrento – 2 nights, Capri- 1 night) based on 2 persons sharing a room.
• Breakfast daily.
• 4 lunches.
• 5 dinners.
• Panoramic visits as per itinerary.
• Vatican entrance fee.
• Round-trip airport/hotel transfers.
• Deluxe motor coach as per itinerary.
• Services of a professional multilingual tour director.
• Hotel taxes and service charges.

Please Note: based on your flights, your transfers to/from the airport may not be included in your tour price even if referenced in the day by day description above.

Does not include:

• Round-trip air transportation from USA or Canada to Italy.
• Porterage.
• Beverages and meals not mentioned in the itinerary.
• Tips and optional excursions.
• Transit tax to be paid locally.
• Travel Insurance.

Optional excursions are a wonderful way to enrich your vacation even further while giving you the flexibility you want in a vacation. Click here for some must-see sights and experiences.

Please note that for operational reasons it may be necessary to substitute hotels and adjust itineraries due to local conditions.

DEPOSITS/PAYMENTS:
We accept American Express, Visa, Master Card and Discover credit cards as well as checks as forms of payment. A deposit of 25% of the total price of the land services, inclusive of taxes and fees or full payment (depending on departure date) is required to confirm a reservation. Final payment is due no later than 90 days prior to departure. Airline tickets must be paid in full prior to issuance regardless of departure date. Ticket prices cannot be guaranteed until paid in full and ticketed. For full Terms and Conditions please click here.

Tour operated by Ciao Italy & Carrani Tours (133833)

TRAVEL TIPS:

Gratuities:
Tips to waiters, chambermaids, and to the Tour Directors, local guides, and drivers are not included. The following is a suggested guideline on tipping:
(a.) Euro 1.00 per person/per day for waiters and chambermaids
(b.) Euro 2.00 per person/per day for drivers and local guides
(c.) Euro 3.00 per person/per day for your Tour Director
Transfers:
Add transfers to your tour so you don’t have to worry about how to get to your hotel and back. Prices available upon request.
Transit Tax:
As of July 1, 2011 all visitors to Italy are required to pay an additional tourist tax for their hotel stay. The new tax has been created mainly to help re-build the ancient cities and is based on how many stars a hotel has. This tax may vary by city and can range from 1 to 6 Euro per person, per night, for a maximum of 10 consecutive nights. This must be paid by the visitor, in Euro, directly to the hotel at time of check-out. It will be presented as a separate charge from any other charges accrued at the hotel. (Children under the age of 10 are exempt from this tax.
Baggage:
Different airlines may have different policies. For information on specific airline policies, please check your carriers web site.
Air Transportation:
Air fares change often and vary by gateway city, season, day of week and seat availability. Our air fares will be quoted to you within two business days of your tour reservation and will include the air fare, fuel surcharges and government taxes as quoted by the airlines. You are under no obligation to accept our airfare quote and may elect to use your reward miles or your preferred airline. Typical airfares from New York to Rome varies from $1200 in March – May and September – October to $1500 in June – August but can change without prior notice. We highly recommend to reserve your seats early in order to obtain the best air fare.