Cultural Capitals with Tuscany (2021)

Day 1: Arrival in Venice
Welcome to Venice - one of the most charming cities of Italy. Upon arrival, you have a private water-taxi transfer to the hotel for the check-in. The rest of the day is at your own leisure to relax after the trip.

Day 2: Venice Sightseeing 
After breakfast at your hotel, meet your guide in the lobby and enjoy a wonderful walking city tour of all the must-see places.

Your sightseeing program starts with a visit to St. Mark's Basilica, where you can see the astonishing Pala D'Oro altar. Next you go up to Loggia dei Cavalli to enjoy the best panoramic views of St. Mark's Square.

Next on your list is the tour of the Doges Palace that includes crossing the Bridge of Sighs, visiting the old prisons and lushly decorated chambers of the Palace.

After the tour return to the hotel and have the rest of the day at leisure or may go on an optional 1-hour gondola ride (170 USD per person).

Day 3: Day at Leisure & Departure
After breakfast and check-out you can explore and enjoy Venice on your own. We suggest visiting the Peggy Guggenheim Collection or joining a carefully planned optional group day trip to the islands of Murano & Burano (55 USD per person).

In the afternoon you are met at your hotel by an assistant for a transfer by a water-taxi.  

Day 3: Arrival in Florence
Welcome to Florence! Upon arrival, your driver transfers you to the hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is at your own leisure to relax after the trip.

Day 4: Florence Sightseeing 
After breakfast in your hotel, meet with your guide and go on a comprehensive walking tour of Florence's highlights.

Today's program includes exploration of the Piazza del Duomo with a visit to the Baptistery dedicated to St. John the Baptist.

Your ticket to the Grande Museo del Duomo allows you to visit the other magnificent monuments of Piazza del Duomo in your free time within 72 hours: the Cathedral itself, the Dome and its famous Bell Tower.

As you proceed to the main square of the city - Piazza della Repubblica - you pass by the touristic area of the Strozzi Palace a bustling shopping street, via Tornabuoni.

Then you enter in Oltrarno where you see numerous local craftsmen shops and beautiful Santo Spirito Church and Convent, built for the Agostinian monks. In this very part of the city you can find the first official work of Michelangelo dating back to the age when he was 17 years old.

We also visit the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the famous Michelangelo's statue David as well before ending the tour on the Ponte Vecchio.

After the tour you return to the hotel and have the rest of the day at leisure or may go on an optional Uffizi Gallery guided tour (160 USD per person).

Day 5: Day at Leisure in Florence & Evening Wine Tasting
Today is reserved for you to explore and enjoy Florence on your own. After breakfast you can do some independent sightseeing, shop for souvenirs or have a good rest.

Today you have a chance to join our carefully planned optional cooking class and market tour (191 USD per person) or a day trip to Pisa (150 USD per person).

In the evening meet your fellow travelers for a wine tasting organized for your small group. Enjoy a tasting of 3 different wines selected by the sommelier and paired with snacks.

Day 6: Departure
Following breakfast in your hotel, you check out and, meet your driver and start your exploration of Tuscany.

Day 6: Arrival in Tuscany Hotel
Upon arrival you have a check-in in a charming hotel.

Day 7: Tour to Cheese Farm and Montepulciano Winery
Following breakfast in the hotel, meet your guide and driver and start the day with a visit of Pienza, the area known for the wonderful Pecorino di Pienza cheese, which gets its name from the word Pecora, Italian for "sheep". You visit the rustic organic cheese farm that sits on top of a hill overlooking the entire Val d’Orcia and even Pienza itself. Here the local cheese producer shows you how the pecorino sheep cheese is made and the many stages of aging from soft and fresh to hard and complex. Following the tour at the farm, you have a cheese tasting. 

Later you carry on to Montepulciano, a small village of Etruscan origin and one of the most beautiful hill towns in Tuscany. After a short walking tour in the Montepulciano historical center, you have time for lunch and then visit a traditional winery. Here you enjoy tasting one of the most famous Italian wines: Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The Nobile wines of Montepulciano were the first to be given the ultimate quality level of DOCG certification.

After the tour you return to the hotel and have the rest of the evening at leisure.

Cheese tasting included.

Day 8: Departure to Rome
Following breakfast in your hotel, you check out and depart from Tuscany to arrive in the capital of Italy - Rome!

Day 8: Arrival & Highlights of Rome 
Three hours later you arrive in Rome. Your driver takes you directly to your downtown hotel where you meet with your guide and embark on a tour to discover the famous ancient treasures of the Eternal City.

You see the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, the famous Fountain of the Four Rivers, as well as witness the masterpieces by Bernini, Borromini, and many others.

After the tour, your guide takes you back to the hotel and you have the evening at leisure.

Day 9: Discovering Ancient Rome 
In the morning after breakfast, you meet your guide to discover the famous ancient treasures of the Eternal City on a walking tour. Your first stop today is the iconic Roman Forum, situated on low ground between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. Dating back to the 3rd century A.D., the landmark served as the key political and ritual center of ancient Rome.

Today you can see columns and remains of ancient temples, arches, and buildings, such as the Temple of Caesar and the Arch of Septimius Severus, as well as the adjacent Palatine Hill, which was the site of the city’s first settlements.

The next place you discover today is Rome's hallmark site - the Colosseum. Originally known by the name of Flavius amphitheater, it was the biggest and most imposing building of its kind in the Roman world, designed as an arena for the fights of Roman gladiators and could hold up to 70 thousand spectators.

After the tour, your guide takes you back to the hotel and you have the evening at leisure.

Day 10: Vatican Sightseeing 
In the morning after breakfast, you meet your guide and walk to a walled enclave and the world’s smallest independent state - Vatican*. When inside the Vatican, you visit private apartments of Julius II, Pinecone Courtyard, Gallery of the Maps, Gallery of the Tapestries and Gallery of Candelabra.


Next, you proceed to the Sistine Chapel, where you have enough time to admire Michelangelo's famous frescoes and learn about the intense relationship between Pope Julius II and Michelangelo that drove the artist to create the greatest work of art the world has ever known.


After a coffee break, your tour continues in the vast open spaces of St. Peter’s Basilica where you see a stunning Pieta - a world-famous work of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo, and Bernini's impressive Papal Canopy, a legacy left to the Basilica by the Barberini family.


The ending point of your tour is in St. Peter’s Square, where you can admire Michelangelo's Dome and the gorgeous colonnades designed by Bernini. 


After the tour of the Vatican, you enjoy a leisurely walk to the hotel with your guide and have a photo stop at the legendary Castel Sant'Angelo, built originally as a mausoleum, and then used by the popes as a fortress, refuge and a prison.

Upon your return to the hotel, you have the rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the beauty of Rome on your own.

*Please note: the Vatican is a sacred religious site thus the dress code for visiting it is applied just as when you visit any church in Italy: no shorts – no uncovered knees and shoulders, no backpacks. Due to religious services St. Peters Basilica may be spontaneously closed, thus entrance to St. Peters Basilica may not be guaranteed.

Day 11: Departure 
This is the last day of your amazing tour to Italy! After breakfast your driver meets you at the hotel lobby and takes you to the airport for your flight back home. We wish you a safe flight and hope to work on your future vacations!