DAY 1: FLORENCE (OVERNIGHT IN FLORENCE)
- Arrival at Florence airport/railway station. Optional transfer to hotel in Florence. No activities are planned for this day. If you arrive in the morning, we recommend exploring the city on your own.
- Suggested itinerary: Walk through the capital of the greatest art in the world. One third of all Italy’s artistic treasures are located in the Tuscan capital. Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan church in Italy, is considered the burial place of important Italian figures from history, art, and literature. Equally impressive is Palazzo Vecchio, in Piazza della Signoria, with the replica of Michelangelo’s David. Other points of interest undoubtedly include the octagonal baptistery of Florence’s patron saint, St. John, and Palazzo Medici-Riccardi, the first palace of the early Renaissance in Florence. The Ponte Vecchio is one of Florence’s symbols and probably the city’s most photographed bridge. The most famous bridge was built at the narrowest point of the Arno River. It stands out as the only remaining bridge with houses and shops. This is partly due to the fact that an important feature was built above them: the Vasari Corridor. This secret passage, built by Vasari for Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici in 1565, connects Palazzo Vecchio to Palazzo Pitti. In 1593, the jewelry shops much loved by tourists were moved onto the bridge by order of Ferdinando, the Medici heir, who thought the previous tenants - the butchers - smelled too much in his corridor.
During World War II, the treasures of the Uffizi Gallery were kept in the Corridor. Hitler had visited it at the beginning of the war and, perhaps for that reason, Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge spared from bombing during the German retreat in August 1944. Take time to visit one of Florence’s food markets in the city center: there are two covered markets, one is San Lorenzo (the largest and oldest) and the other is Sant’Ambrogio. Here you will have the chance to experience the true Florentine atmosphere... you will smell the aromas, see and touch the freshest products, and above all, taste everything that catches your attention! A visit to the Uffizi Gallery is highly recommended, a world-famous art gallery with paintings of European art from the 13th to the 18th century. 4-hour tour with entrance and guided visit to the Uffizi Museum in English only. Overnight in Florence.
DAY 2: FLORENCE - GUIDED DUOMO TOUR (OPTIONAL) (OVERNIGHT IN FLORENCE)
- Breakfast at the hotel. Free day or optional excursion in Florence.
- Optional excursion: "GUIDED DUOMO TOUR". It is highly recommended to climb Florence Cathedral, with the great dome by Filippo Brunelleschi; it is one of the most breathtaking experiences you can have in the center of Florence. From there you overlook the entire city and enjoy a unique view. But beware! The steps to the top are 463, quite challenging even for the fittest! 1-hour guided tour with a professional guide exclusively in English or Italian and entrance ticket to Florence Cathedral allowing you to visit independently the Church of Santa Reparata, Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Baptistery, the Museum of the Opera del Duomo, and Giotto’s Bell Tower. Overnight in Florence.
DAY 3: "TUSCANY IN ONE DAY" PISA, SAN GIMIGNANO AND SIENA (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN FLORENCE)
- Breakfast at the hotel. Full-day excursion "Tuscany in One Day" with an experienced English-speaking Tour Leader to visit Pisa, San Gimignano, guided walking tour of Siena with lunch in Piazza del Campo, wine tasting in a winery in the Chianti countryside. Overnight in Florence.
DAY 4: ROME (OVERNIGHT IN ROME)
- Breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the railway station and continue to Rome, arrival at Rome railway station and transfer to the hotel. Free afternoon to explore the city. Overnight in Rome.
DAY 5: VATICAN MUSEUMS* (INCLUDED) afternoon: COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM AND PALATINE HILL (OPTIONAL) (OVERNIGHT IN ROME)
- Breakfast at the hotel. On this day you will explore the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica. Enjoy a tour with an expert guide and skip the line with a fast-track entrance ticket to the Vatican Complex. After meeting your professional guide at the meeting point, you will be given a headset and enter the Vatican Museums in a group of no more than 25 people. You will visit the gallery, seeing all the main places you have heard of, such as the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, and the Borgia Apartments. The guide will tell you everything about the Raphael Rooms and their exceptional frescoes, including the School of Athens, and will take you to the Sistine Chapel, whose ceiling is one of the milestones of mature Renaissance art. The tour would not be complete without a visit to St. Peter’s, the Basilica that is not only the largest church in the world but also contains several works of art: think of the canopy designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini or Michelangelo’s Pietà. And finally, admire the majestic St. Peter’s Square, the open space in front of the Basilica, redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and itself an architectural masterpiece of the Baroque era. Optional transfer to hotel. Overnight in Rome.
- Optional excursion: COLOSSEUM, ROMAN FORUM AND PALATINE HILL. Upon arrival at our designated meeting point, you will be welcomed by the guide who will provide headsets and ensure skip-the-line access to the Colosseum. You will walk inside the Flavian Amphitheater, see the places where ancient Romans attended a variety of events, such as gladiator shows or staged animal hunts, and learn more about how the Romans spent their leisure time. You will continue around Palatine Hill, the place where Rome was founded and where the Roman emperors lived: the view from here is spectacular! You will also reach the Roman Forum, the beating heart of life in ancient Rome, to see some very well-preserved ruins from the era: end of the excursion, optional transfer to hotel and overnight.
DAY 6: PANORAMIC TICKET AND THE BEST WALKING TOURS OF ROME! (OPTIONAL) (OVERNIGHT IN ROME)
- Breakfast at the hotel. On this day you can explore the city to visit the highlights of Rome’s iconic monuments, a fascinating view with a panoramic tour. Optional transfers and overnight.
- Optional excursion: "PANORAMIC TICKET AND THE BEST WALKING TOURS OF ROME". "I Love Rome City Tour" is a tour that combines a bus with a walking tour! Hop on at the stop of your choice and relax on board, listen to the audio commentary and hop on and off at any of the eight stops available along the route. The bus ticket included in the offer will be valid for 24 hours. The bus will make eight stops and provide audio commentary on board in 13 languages. The combination with one of the four available walking tours makes it the ideal way to visit much of the city center in one day. A guide will be waiting for you at the meeting point, located next to the indicated stop of our pink buses, to show you some wonderful corners of the city. What will you choose? You can choose between a walk through the alleys of the romantic district of Trastevere or the Ghetto, both rich in history and culture. Are ghost stories more fascinating to you? Then you can choose our incredible Ghosts and Mysteries Tour or the Velabro Valley Tour, to learn more about the city’s foundations and its legends. We offer incredible itineraries that include some must-see attractions, such as Castel Sant’Angelo, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Piazza della Minerva, Piazza Bocca della Verità, the Arch of Janus, the Church of San Giorgio in Velabro, the Turtle Fountain, the Portico of Octavia, Tiber Island, the Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, and much more! You are free to return to the hotel whenever you wish. Optional transfers and overnight.
DAY 7: POMPEII (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN THE SORRENTO AREA)
- Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Rome station and departure for Naples by train/bus. Arrival in Naples, meet the guide and excursion to POMPEII. Pompeii today exerts a strong fascination on visitors. After the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii remained buried and forgotten for hundreds of years. The city is at the center of worldwide attention and the excavations begun in the 18th century are still ongoing. Our guide will slowly lead you through some of Pompeii’s ancient streets, where you can admire baths, forums, and villas built by wealthy Romans in 80 BC. Admire the beautifully preserved frescoes that decorated the walls and floors of the villas. Even if you are not interested in history, this is an archaeological site that cannot fail to impress you. After the visit, we will arrive in the Sorrento area at our selected hotel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY 8: POSITANO & AMALFI (INCLUDED) (OVERNIGHT IN THE SORRENTO AREA)
- Breakfast at the hotel. Today you are free to relax and explore the city on your own or you can choose to spend the day on the Amalfi Coast, one of the most spectacular coasts in Europe. Hotel pick-up by minivan will allow you to visit the Amalfi Coast, probably the most beautiful and exciting road in the world. The driver, who speaks English or German, will provide general information during the trip, including how to spend your free time at each of the 3 scheduled stops:
Positano is a true paradise, developed vertically within an intricate web of streets, alleys, and shops displaying the colorful Positano fashion known worldwide. In the center of the town stands the Parish Church of Santa Maria Assunta, with its large majolica-clad dome and housing some precious works such as the polychrome marble altars. It is wonderful to get lost in Positano. To fully appreciate the beauty of the town, it is perhaps best to wander without a fixed destination; you can enjoy the streets, small shops, restaurants, monuments, churches, and beaches.
Amalfi, a picturesque maze of alleys and stairways overlooking the sea with all its extraordinary colors reflecting the enchanting landscape of Amalfi, the town whose name blesses the entire coast. Dominated by the majestic Cathedral dedicated to St. Andrew, Amalfi offers countless traces of its glorious past as a Maritime Republic.
Ravello, another pearl of the coast, an elegant and refined village immersed in greenery and characterized by luxurious villas. Ravello is world-famous for its Festival, in the gardens of Villa Rufolo, where an atmospheric setting and the thrill of listening to great music create an experience of extraordinary intensity. The heart of Ravello is Piazza Vescovado, framed by the architecture of Palazzo Rufolo and the Cathedral with its magnificent portal (the first ever made with this innovative casting technique) and the 10-meter-high bell tower. Dinner and overnight.
DAY 9: CAPRI (OPTIONAL) (OVERNIGHT IN THE SORRENTO AREA)
- Breakfast at the hotel. On this day you can enjoy a full-day excursion to Capri. No holiday in Sorrento would be complete without a trip to the enchanting island of Capri.
- Optional excursion: "CAPRI". Cross the Gulf of Naples to begin an unforgettable day. For such a small island, about 4 miles long and 2 miles wide, Capri has been widely known, sung about, and written about. Hotel pick-up, transfer to the port and departure for Capri, sailing along the Sorrento Peninsula. On board our comfortable boat, we offer you an unforgettable and personalized journey to discover the beautiful island of Capri. The captain will provide general information during the trip and explain how to spend your free time on the island of Capri. Along the way, you will admire: the ancient fishing village of "Marina Grande", the remains of a Roman villa near the "Baths of Queen Giovanna" and interesting sights along the coast. Arrival in Capri and boat tour of the island with the chance to admire the Marvelous Grotto, the White Grotto, the Green Grotto; along the way, you can admire the Natural Arch, Villa Curzio Malaparte, the Faraglioni, and the Punta Carena Lighthouse. Disembark at Marina Grande in Capri with 5/6 hours of free time to visit the island. Comfortable shoes, cameras. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Sorrento.
DAY 10: DEPARTURE AND GOODBYE
- Breakfast at the hotel. Optional transfer to the airport and end of our services. Thank you and goodbye!
- Group transfer from the hotel in Florence to the train station
- Florence-Rome Termini train, 2nd class or direct coach
- Rome Termini-Naples Centrale train, 2nd class or direct coach
- 3 nights on a bed and breakfast basis in a double room in a 3* hotel in Florence
- 3 nights on a bed and breakfast basis in a double room in a 4* hotel in Rome
- 3 nights on a half board basis in a double room in a 4* hotel in the Sorrento area
- 1 FD excursion "Tuscany in One Day" (*)
- 1 HD excursion "Vatican Museums" (**)
- 1 HD excursion "Pompeii" with multilingual guide
- 1 FD excursion "Positano & Amalfi" by coach with multilingual guide
- Multilingual local guide in Rome
- Group transfer from the train station in Rome to the hotel in Rome
- Group transfer from the hotel in Rome to the train station in Rome
- Transfer from the train station in Naples to the hotel and from the hotel in the Sorrento area to Naples airport
(*) The "Tuscany in One Day" excursion is available every day.
(**) The "Vatican Museums" excursion is available from Monday to Saturday.
- On request, a pre/post tour is available
- Headphones on request € 3.00 per day
Optional transfers (min. 2 pax):
- From Florence railway station to the hotel in Florence: € 33.00 per person
- From Florence airport to the hotel in Florence: € 38.00 per person
- From the hotel in Rome to the meeting points for the excursions "Vatican Museums", "Colosseum" and "Panoramic Ticket & the best walking tours of Rome!" € 20 per person per way
Optional excursions:
- Guided visit to the Cathedral (available from Monday to Saturday - not available on Sunday and on Easter Day) € 69.00 per person (*)
- Guided walking tour (available every day except Monday and the first Sunday of the month) € 77.00 per person (*)
- Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill € 69.00 per person, ticket included (*)
- Panoramic ticket and the best walking tours of Rome! € 47.00 per person (*)
- Capri € 69.00 per person (*)
(*) It is recommended to book the optional excursions at the time of booking.
- Florence 3*: Hotel Grifone, La Fortezza or similar (*)
- Rome 4*: Hotel Pineta Palace or similar (*)
- Sorrento area: Panorama Palace Hotel or similar (*)
(*) The hotels indicated may be replaced with others of the same category. The accommodations are located in the indicated cities or in different cities where the program can be carried out.
