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Itinerary

OCTOBER 9 – USA / MILAN, ITALY: Depart from Chicago on your overnight flight to Milan, Italy.

OCTOBER 10 – ARRIVE MILAN: Upon arrival in Milan, you are met by our tour escort and transferred to your centrally located hotel. Enjoy time to relax, rest, or take a stroll around this fascinating city. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner. (D)

OCTOBER 11 – MILAN / LAKE COMO: This morning, enjoy a city tour of Milan and discover the legacy that da Vinci and Michelangelo left behind. Visit the Duomo, Italy’s largest Gothic structure that took 500 years to complete. It’s a fantastic cathedral. The building is adorned with 2245 marble statues and has a capacity of 40,000! It is the second largest church in the world. Marvel at the largest stained-glass windows in the world and enjoy the view of Milan from the roof. Then stop by La Scala, the most famous opera house and the impressive Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the world’s first mall. This afternoon, leave Milan and head to beautiful Lake Como. Check-in at your hotel and enjoy dinner. (B/D)

OCTOBER 12 – LAKE COMO AREA: Enjoy breakfast in your hotel. Today, discover Lake Como 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. (B)

OCTOBER 13 – LAKE MAGGIORE: After breakfast, depart to explore Lake Maggiore. Set between Piedmont, Lombardy, and Switzerland, Lake Maggiore is a paradise of crystal waters, backed by towering mountains and surrounded by lush countryside. Travel by boat to Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore and the exquisite Borromeo Palace on the tiny, private island, renowned for their beautiful palaces and gardens with fountains, camellias, magnolias, cypresses, citrus fruits, rare plants and flowers in abundance. Visit the extravagant Borromeo Palace, built like a ship anchored just off the shoreline. A tour of the ornate family home showcases priceless works of art, tapestries and furniture in an elegant setting. Continue towards “Isola dei Pescatori”, a characteristic fishermen’s island, where you will enjoy some free time to stroll and have lunch on your own. Later, return to Como for overnight. (B)

OCTOBER 14 – LAKE GARDA: This morning, depart from Como and make your way to Lake Garda where on arrival you will enjoy free time to explore at your own pace. Garda is Italy’s largest lake, formed by glaciers at the end of the last ice age, this natural marvel shimmers in the shadow of Alpine ranges. It has captivated visitors for over a century with its spectacular scenery – clear blue waters fringed by towering mountains and groves of olives and citrus. The banks of this heavenly body of water and the sulfur springs at the tip of the peninsula are said to have healing powers. This evening, enjoy dinner in your hotel. Overnight in Lake Garda. (B/D)

OCTOBER 15 – LAKE GARDA: Today, enjoy a full day at leisure to soak in the surroundings of beautiful Lake Garda. (B)

OCTOBER 16 – LAKE GARDA / PARMA / FLORENCE: Today, bid farewell to Lake Garda as your adventure continues to central Italy. Travel via the region of Emilia Romagna considered the pearl of Italian gastronomy and famous for its prosciutto, parmigiano cheese, architecture and gorgeous countryside. Here you will pause to discover the delicacies of Parma area directly from their producers. Your first stop will be at a cheese factory where you see how milk is transformed into Parmigiano Reggiano. Your second stop is to discover another excellence of this land: the Parma Ham. In a local ham factory, you will see every phase of the curing of the meat and its meticulous aging. Then enjoy lunch at a typical “Trattoria” in the hills. And finally, end the experience discovering another culinary delight of the region, balsamic vinegar. You will visit a traditional vinegar factory where an expert will explain how the Black Nectar is produced. He will also show you the most extraordinary and savory matches which you will taste afterwards. Then travel on to Florence for overnight. (B/L)

OCTOBER 17 – FLORENCE: Enjoy breakfast in your hotel. This morning, meet with your private guide and begin your walking tour of Florence. Enjoy views of the majestic Duomo built in 1296, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned “Gates of Paradise” doors. We follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria, home of Santa Croce Church, and Michelangelo’s final resting place. Visit the Academia to see many sculpture masterpieces, including the magnificent David by Michelangelo. Afterwards, the remainder of your afternoon and evening are at leisure. (B)

OCTOBER 18 – FLORENCE: Today, enjoy your day at leisure in Florence. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner in Florence. (B/D)

OCTOBER 19 – FLORENCE / USA: Arrivederci! After breakfast, transfer to Florence airport for your return flight to the USA, arriving home the same day.  (B)

IMPORTANT: This tour includes walking tours. To enjoy this tour, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surface.

→ Inclusions

 Inclusions

• Round-trip economy air from Chicago on Lufthansa
• Services of a Private Tour Director
• Luxury coach for services as per itinerary
• Milan – 1 night, 4-Star NH Collection Milano Touring
• Lake Como – 3 nights, 4-Star Hotel Como
• Lake Garda – 2 nights, 4-Star Aqualux Hotel Spa Suite & Terme
• Florence – 3 nights, 4-Star Ambasciatori Firenze
• Breakfast daily, except the day of arrival
• 4, three-course dinners with wine, including a farewell dinner in Florence
• Guided tour of Milan with local English-speaking guide
• Visit the Duomo in Milan
• Lake Como boat excursion
• Visit Villa Carlotta
• Full day excursion to Lake Maggiore
• Lake Maggiore boat trip to Pescatori and Isola Bella
• Visit Borromeo Palace
• Full day at leisure in Lake Garda
• Parma food experience with tastings and lunch
• Walking tour in Florence with local English-speaking guide
• Skip-the-line entrance to Accademia Gallery
• Hotel porterage of one suitcase per person
• City taxes
• Portfolio of electronic travel documents
• 24-hour emergency customer service while in Italy

IMPORTANT: This tour includes walking tours. To enjoy this tour, you should be in good health and able to walk reasonable distances, often over unpaved and uneven surface.

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