Day 1: Fly overnight to Italy
Day 2: Venice region
Meet your Field Director at the airportEnjoy dinner in the Venice region
Day 3: Venice
Learn about glass-blowing in a local craftsman's shop and watch expert craftsmen spin molten-hot wares
Take a guided tour of Venice
With your local expert guide you will see:
- St. Mark's Square, Venice's primary square and center of cultural importance
- St. Mark's Campanile, a 323-foot bell tower
- Grand Canal, Venice's major waterway filled with gondolas
Visit the colorful Venetian island of Burano
Add this in-depth excursion:
🔹 Cultural engagement: Gondola ride
Enjoy the ultimate Venetian experience—a gondola ride through the city's famed canals, passing by enchanting waterfront homes and under historic pedestrian bridges.
Day 4: Venice • Florence
Travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Italian language, opera, and the Renaissance
🔹 Guided learning: Take a guided tour of Florence
With your expert local guide you will see:
- Piazza della Signoria, which is lined with classic statues
- Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge where many of Florence’s famed leather and gold artisans still keep shop
- Basilica of Santa Croce, where Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and others are buried
- Gates of Paradise, bronzed doors that depict scenes from the Old Testament and are considered an icon of the Renaissance
Enjoy dinner in Florence
Day 5: Florence
Add this in-depth excursion:
Pisa
Journey to Pisa on this half-day excursion. Enjoy a guided tour of the city’s Field of Miracles, where you can snap a picture of the 12th-century Leaning Tower, aslant ever since the third floor was built. This is where Galileo was said to have developed his laws of gravity. Also, visit the adjacent cathedral and baptistery, which contain exquisite marble pulpits carved in the Gothic style by Nicola and Giovanni Pisano.
Day 6: Florence
Visit the Accademia to admire Michelangelo’s statue of David and explore the winding halls of busts
🔹 Cultural engagement: Visit a bottega, where Italian artisans will share the local heritage and story through their creations
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend a half day exploring Florence on your own
Day 7: Florence • San Gimignano • Rome
Travel via San Gimignano to Rome
Visit the San Gimignano Duomo and see its UNESCO World Heritage frescoes
Take a self-guided walking tour of Rome
You will see:
- Trevi Fountain, Rome's iconic landmark
- Pantheon, built to honor all the gods of Rome
- Piazza Navona, a lively square lined with restaurants and shops
- Spanish Steps, Europe's widest staircase
Enjoy dinner in Rome
Day 8: Rome
Take a guided tour of Rome
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Roman Forum, marking the former heart of the Roman Empire where Julius Caesar gave many of his political speeches
- The Colosseum, the world’s most famous arena used for gladiatorial combat
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
Day 9: Rome
Take a guided tour of Vatican City, the headquarter of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope
With your expert local guide you will visit:
- Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s breathtaking frescoes
- St. Peter’s Basilica, a site of religious and historical significance over which the Pope presides
🔹 Independent exploration: Spend time exploring Rome on your own
Day 10: Depart for home
Add 2 more days
Day 10: Rome • Sorrento region
Travel via Pompeii to the Sorrento Region
Tour the Roman ruins of Pompeii with an expert local guide and see artifacts from the wealthiest ancient Romans, preserved in time
Snap a photo of seaside Sorrento
Day 11: Sorrento region • Capri • Rome
Take a guided excursion to Capri
Take an island cruise
Travel via Capri to Rome
Day 12: Depart for home
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