| Easy Pace Italy - Itinerary
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DAY 1 – UK – MILAN
- ITALIAN LAKES
Welcome to Italy. After your scheduled flight
to Malpensa airport, there are complimentary transfers to your tour hotel in the Italian Lake District
at 09.00 & 12.30hrs. Settle into the hotel overlooking Lake Maggiore and relax – the rest of the day
is at leisure. Before dinner, enjoy a Welcome Drink with your Tour Director. Hotel: Dino. (D) |
DAY
8 – FLORENCE AT LEISURE
A whole day is reserved to enjoy Florence. Take an optional excursion to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa or visit San Gimignano to admire the picturesque Salucci Towers (BB) |
DAY 2 – MILAN EXCURSION
Visit Milan, Italy’s renowned
fashion capital, a city dominated by the magnificent Cathedral,
its marble facade bristling with 135 pinnacles and over 2000
statues. See the massive Sforza Castle and world famous La
Scala Theatre before using your free time to explore or shop.
Return to your beautiful lake-side resort for an evening of
leisure. (BB) |
DAY
9 – FLORENCE AT LEISURE
Why not dedicate today
to shopping for leather and gold products, visit one of the
many museums or simply relax at an outdoor café with a glass
of vino? (BB) |
DAY
3 – LAKE COMO EXCURSION
Today’s highlight is
enchanting Lake Como, considered the jewel of the Italian
Lakes for its superb mountain setting. Stop in the resort
of Como, dominated by its marble cathedral set in the narrow
streets of the Old Town. After some time to explore, return
to the hotel to relax and enjoy your beautiful surroundings.
Why not take a cruise out to the lovely Isola Bella to visit
the palatial home and magnificent gardens of the Borromeo
family? (BB) |
DAY
10 – FLORENCE - ROME
Travel through the vineyards of the Chianti region en route to Assisi. There is the chance to visit the tomb of St Francis and the frescoes of Giotto in the great basilica before continuing along the Tiber valley towards the ‘Eternal City’, Rome. Hotel: Massimo D'Azeglio. (BB) |
DAY
4 – ITALIAN LAKES - VENICE
Briefly enter Switzerland to visit mountain ringed Lugano, and take time to stroll the lake’s shores and shop for watches and chocolate. Continue to the elegant city of Verona. See the ancient Roman arena, venue for the opera each summer, and visit the courtyard of the Capulet home to see Juliet’s balcony. Then it’s on to romantic Venice, a glorious city of quaint bridges, ornate palaces, and gondolas. Hotel: Sant'Elena/Hungaria Palace. (BB,D) |
DAY
11 – ROME AT LEISURE
Today there is the option
to take a full day excursion to visit the excavations at Pompeii
or spend the day exploring Rome at your own pace. Spend time
in the designer stores of the Via Condotti, visit the well
preserved Pantheon or sip a cappuccino in the Piazza Navona,
the ‘Living Room of Rome’. (BB) |
DAY 5 – VENICE SIGHTSEEING
Cruise to St Mark’s Square by private launch to see the ornate Basilica. Admire the Doges’ Palace and its adjoining Bridge of Sighs, and later visit a glass showroom for a demonstration of traditional craftsmanship, unchanged for centuries. Relax and enjoy the atmosphere as you cruise along the Venetian canals by gondola. (BB) |
DAY
12 – ROME SIGHTSEEING
Sightseeing with a local
guide begins with a visit to the Vatican Museums to see Michelangelo’s
ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Visit St Peter’s Basilica,
built around the tomb of St Peter, and designed by some of
history’s greatest architects, Bramante, Bernini and Michelangelo.
Crossing the Tiber, explore ancient Rome as you visit the
Colosseum and see the Roman Forum. Spend the afternoon at
leisure: shop, relax or continue sightseeing. As night falls,
stroll to the Boat Fountain at the foot of the elegant Spanish
Steps before enjoying a typically Roman dinner in a local
restaurant. (BB,HD) |
DAY
6 – VENICE AT LEISURE
A day is set aside to
drink in the unique atmosphere of this wonderful city. Explore
the treasures of the Academy Museum, browse through the shops
on the Rialto Bridge or sit a while at a canal side cafe with
a glass of local wine. (BB) |
DAY
13 - ROME - UK
The tour ends with transfers arriving Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da
Vinci Airport at 07.00 & 09.30hrs. (BB) |
DAY
7 – VENICE - FLORENCE
Follow the smooth highway
across the valley of the river Po and into the wild Apennines
to the Renaissance city of Florence. Sightseeing with a local
guide shows you Michelangelo’s statue of ‘David’ in the Academy
Gallery. Continue to see the Duomo, ‘Gates of Paradise’ and
Signoria Square, political stage of the Florentines. Hotel:
Palazzo Orgnissanti. (BB,D) |
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