Grand Tour of Italy
15 Days / 14 Nights
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN ROME, ITALY
Time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City. At 6 p.m. meet your tour
director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a welcome dinner with
wine in one of Rome's fine restaurants.
Day 2: ROME
Sightseeing with your local guide starts with vistas of the beautiful Piazza
Venezia and a stroll along the Via Sacra at the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions
marched in tnumph; then pass the Colosseum and hear about gladiatorial combats
and early Christian martyrdom; finally proceed via Circus Maximus and across
the Tiber to see monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE AND BASILICA. There's also plenty
of time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities:
the Sistine Chapel (arranged next moming if closed today), Tivoli, and an Italian
feast at one of the fine restaurants.
Day 3: ROME - FLORENCE
Follow the Aurelian Way along the Tyrrhenian coast to Pisa. Here take your
pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 16 feet
out of t' he perpendicular. Then on to Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany.
Arrive in time for a first glimpse of the Renaissance treasures.
Day 4: FLORENCE - VENICE
Guided sightseeing includes magnificent SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE, Giotto's Bell
Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded
Signoria Square. To top it off, admire Michelangelo's celebrated David in the
GALLERY OF FINE ARTS. Time afterwards to shop for Florentine leather goods and
gold jewelry before you head across the wooded Etruscan Apennine Hills to the
northern tip of the Adriatic Sea.
Day 5: VENICE
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 the Byzantine splendor of ST. MARK'S 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 gondola ride. Tonight is your chance to sample
the city's fine restaurants.
Day 6: VENICE - ASSISI
Along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea to Ravenna. Here see the famous mosaics
in the 6th-century BASILICA OF ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon arrive
in Assisi and visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built
above the saint's grave. Time afterwards to enjoy the peaceful town at your
own pace.
Day 7: ASSISI - SORRENTO
South through the rolling Campagna Romana. Today's highlight visit is to POMPEII,
the 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. Overnight
in the charming resort of Sorrento, delightfully situated on the Bay of Naples.
Day 8: SORRENTO
EXCURSION TO CAPRI. Glide across the blue bay to the beautiful Isle
of Capri, a royal retreat for 2,000 years. A local guide takes you to the shimmering
BLUE GROTTO (weather permitting; otherwise visit VILLA SAN MICHELE in Anacapri)
and up to pretty Capri village. Time to stroll about at your own pace before
returning across the bay to Sorrento. The remainder of the day is free. Tonight
an optional outing to a performance of the tarantella, a frenetic, local dance.
Day 9: SORRENTO - TAORMINA AREA
Away from the bustling industrial North and the opulent rural scenes of Tuscany
and the Campagna Romana. Calabria is rustic simplicity. An area that traditionally
cannot feed all its children and thus produces a steady stream of emigrants.
At the toe of the Italian boot board a ferry to cross the Straits of Messina
and land in Sicily, the great melting pot of the Mediterranean world. Phoenicians'
Greeks, Romans, Saracens, Normans, the French, and the Spanish have all left
their mark and contributed to a rich heritage. Evening arrival at your hotel
in the Taormina area.
Day 10: TAORMINA AREA
Full day to enjoy this beautiful resort at your own pace: you may want to
visit the medieval castle of San Pancrazio, sign up for an optional excursion
to Mount Etna, join your tour director for an included walk on Taormina's Corso
to shop for hand embroidery and local goods, live it up in one of Europe's most
popular beach resorts, take a dip, or simply relax.
Day 11: TAORMINA AREA - AGRIGENTO
A day devoted to the scenic beauty and treasures of the island's heart. Via
Catania motor to Enna, a strategic fortress-town perched high on a sheer rock.
Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view and bear about the rebellion of the Sicilian
slaves against the Roman rulers of the city. Then continue to Piazza Amerina
for a visit to the 4th-century ROMAN VILLA OF CASALE. Its colorful and perfectly
preserved mosaics depict mythological themes and hunting scenes. From the wheat
fields of the elevated center descend to the vineyards and olive groves of the
south coast.
Day 12: AGRIGENTO - PALERMO
Follow your local guide on a breathtaking walk through the VALLEY OF TEMPLES.
Even travelers having visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet
graceful Greek structures which miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented
history. An act hard to follow? Wait until you visit the Dorian Temples and
Acropolis at SELINUNTE this afternoon. Built on a natural balcony overlooking
the sparkling Mediterranean, these accomplishments of an ancient civilization
will make you wonder about the quality of mankind's progress since the days
of Greek splendor. Tonight you are in Palermo.
Day 13: PALERMO - OVERNIGHT FERRY
Drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d'Oro, and a visit
to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL with its 50,000 square feet of precious
Byzantine mosaics. Later travel the short distance to the picturesque fishing
village of Mondello, and back to Palermo over scenic, history- steeped Monte
Pellegrino. This afternoon's sightseeing with a resident expert includes ornate
Piazza Bellim, the CATHEDRAL, and the Arab- Norman PALATINE CHAPEL in the Royal
Palace. Tonight board your overnight ferry.
Day 14: NAPLES - ROME
Disembark in Naples and head north. Interrupt the journey back to Rome in
Cassino, site of one of World War Il's most ferocious battles. Visit the ABBEY
OF MONTECASSINO, rebuilt to medieval plans after near total destruction by Allied
bombers. An optional festive dinner at one of Rome's gourmet restaurants may
be just the way to celebrate the success of your Italian vacation.
Day 15: DEPARTURE
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