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Itinerary

DAY 1 USA / ROME: Fly transatlantic overnight to Rome, Italy. Dinner is served, and in-flight entertainment is provided.

DAY 2 ROME:  Arrive in Rome airport where you will be met by our Tour Director and shortly afterwards, transferred to your hotel. This afternoon, experience Rome’s history first-hand as you embark on a guided walking tour through the heart of the city.  Strolling down the exclusive Via Veneto, enjoy amazing panoramic views across the city from the Spanish Steps before continuing to admire the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Your tour finishes in the stunning Piazza Navona, adorned with beautiful fountains by Bernini. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. (D)

DAY 3 ROME: Enjoy breakfast in the hotel. This morning you will venture on an unforgettable guided tour of the Vatican Museums, with Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica. Afterwards, nothing can prepare you for the scale and grandeur of Rome’s vast Colosseum. Stand amidst the towering walls as our expert guide brings to life a scene of gladiatorial contests and roaring crowds.  Also take in the site of the ancient Roman Forum, epicenter of the Roman Empire. The remainder of your day and evening are free in Rome. (B)

DAY 4 ROME / ASSISI / FIGLINE VALDARNO: After breakfast, depart for Tuscany. Pause to visit Assisi, famed as the birthplace of Italy’s Catholic patron saint, St Francis of Assisi, the sleepy little town documents all the highs and lows of his life. Enjoy a walking guided tour, including Santa Chiara and San Francesco Basilicas. Onwards. Afterwards, proceed to the Figline Valdarno for dinner and overnight in the 14^th Century Villa Casagrande. (B/D)

DAY 5 FLORENCE: After breakfast, travel to Florence where you meet with a local guide and begin a walking tour of Florence. View the majestic Piazza del Duomo to see the Cathedral crowned by Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery with Ghiberti’s bronze “Gate of Paradise”. Then, visit the Academy of Fine Arts, where Michelangelo’s David is displayed. Tour ends at the Piazzale Michelangelo with the most spectacular view over Florence. Enjoy some free time before returning to Figline Valdarno for overnight. (B)

DAY 6 FLORENCE / RAPALLO: Today, depart from Florence and make your way towards the Liguria region, a crescent-shaped region in northwest Italy. Its Mediterranean coastline is known as the Italian Riviera. The 5 colorful fishing villages of the Cinque Terre, as well as stylish Portofino, Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure, are on the eastern coast or Riviera di Levante. On arrival, meet with a local guide and enjoy a sightseeing tour of Rapallo and Santa Margherita Ligure. Overnight and dinner in Rapallo. (B/D)

DAY 7 EXCURSION TO PORTOFINO: This morning, depart for a short boat ride to Portofino, a picturesque seaside village with brightly colored houses lining the shore. Portofino is also known as the resort of the rich and famous.  Designer boutiques and dozens of cafes and restaurants line the main square, giving guests the chance to experience the real Italian “bella vita”. You’ll have free time to visit the main square, the church of San Giorgio, which is said to have relics of St. George. You can also visit the Brown Castle, built in the 15th century and used for harbor defense over the centuries. You will have some free time to sightsee, have a gelato or just sit and people watch. Later in the afternoon, make your way by boat back to Rapallo where your evening is free. (B)

DAY 8 CINQUE TERRE EXCURSION: After breakfast, depart for Cinque Terre and enjoy an unforgettable day dedicated to the discovery of one of the most amazing and enchanting landscape in the World. You will travel though the little villages by train and boat (weather permitting). The five villages, “Cinque Terre” is an area suspended between sea and land, hanging from sheer cliffs surrounded by hills and vineyards. You will enter a little piece of heaven. This spectacular coastline was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and it is one of the best preserved natural and semi-natural parts of the Mediterranean. Thus evening, return to Rapallo for dinner and overnight. (B/D)

DAY 9 RAPALLO / LAKE COMO: After breakfast, depart from Rapallo and make your way towards Lake Como. Once you reach Como. Enjoy some free time to explore. The city offers many historical and cultural gems, which you can discover by taking a walk in the pedestrian historical center. We recommend you don’t miss the Como Cathedral and the Basilica of St Abbondio, but also the city’s medieval town hall (Broletto). This evening enjoy dinner and overnight in Lake Como. (B/D)

DAY 10 LAKE COMO AREA: Enjoy breakfast followed by a full-day excursion. This morning meet your step-on guide and start discovering Como Lake from the waters, then stop to enjoy the wonderful villages Bellagio and Tremezzo. During the boat trip, you will admire the villages, the Mediaeval hamlets, the Romanesque churches, the views of the flora and, of course, a long series of villas with their luxuriant gardens. In Tremezzo stop to admire Villa Carlotta with its magnificent botanic garden and art masterpieces in over 70.000 square meters of gardens and museum. The beautiful villa, built at the end of XVII century in a natural basin between lake and mountains, faces the dolomite Grignas and the peninsula of Bellagio, The Pearl of Lake Como:  Few places are as romantic as Lake Como, and even fewer resorts as beautiful as Bellagio. Called the “Pearl of the Lake”, Bellagio’s world class hotels and restaurants provide the perfect place to soak up the lake’s famous panorama. The village is characterized by century-old buildings, stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops showcasing the finest Italian wares. Later, return to Como. This evening enjoy a farewell dinner. (B/D)

DAY 11 COMO / MILAN / USA: Arrivederci! After breakfast, we will take our private transfer to Milan airport for our return flight to the USA, arriving home the same day.  (B)

→ Inclusions

 Inclusions

• Round-trip air from Chicago to Italy on Aer Lingus (via Dublin)
• Services of a Private Tour Director
• Luxury coach for services as per itinerary
• Rome  – 2 nights, 4-Star Hotel Empire Palace, or Hotel Cicerone
• Figline Valdarno (Tuscany) – 2 nights, 4-Star Villa Casagrande
• Rapallo – 3 nights, 4-Star Grand Hotel Bristol
• Como – 2 nights, 4-Star Sheraton Lake Como
• Continental buffet breakfast daily, except the day of arrival
• 6, three-course dinners
• Half-day guided walking tour in Rome
• Admission to the Vatican Museums, and Sistine Chapel
• Ancient Rome, and the Coliseum
• Half-day guided walking tour in Assisi
• Half-day guided walking tour in Florence
• Admission with reservation to Accademy Gallery
• Sightseeing in Rapallo and Santa Margherita
• Full-day excursion to Portofino, including round-trip transfer by boat
• Full-day excursion to Cinque Terre, including train and boat
• Full-day excursion on Lake Como
• Hotel porterage of one suitcase per person
• City taxes
• Portfolio of travel documents
• 24-hour emergency customer service while in Italy

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