ITALY: Fantasia Escorted tour from Rome 8 DAYS

Rome - Assisi - Siena - Florence - Bologna - Padua - Venice - Tuscany - Rome

Includes airfare option from JFK

Italy has been, since antiquity, the center of history, culture and art.  Artistic wonders can be found everywhere, and every corner of the country holds countless and wonderful surprises.  Italy offers an exciting journey through time, from the Ancient Greeks and Romans to the present day, which is also filled by a wealth of art and culture. 

itinerary & prices

Day 1 Arrive Rome
Welcome to Rome! After meet at the airport your driver, you will be transferred to your hotel (Transfer included!). At 8:30 pm reach the meeting point (on the corner of Via del Traforo (near street no. 148) and Largo del Tritone, on the wide sidewalk opposite the wedding-dress shop) to be ready for the departure of the Rome by night tour. Our local expert guide will lead you to discover the wonders of the Eternal City, charming by day - absolutely romantic by night. You enjoy the whole center of this magic city in the moonlight during this panoramic mix of bus and walking tour. The tour ends in Colosseum area. Enjoy on your own the rest of the night. Return to the hotel on your own and overnight stay at ST. MARTIN HOTEL or DIANA ROOF GARDEN HOTEL or BETTOJA HOTEL or similar.

Day 2 Rome - Assisi - Siena - Florence (BD)
Departing at 7:15 am from your hotel by a deluxe coach, you will arrive in Assisi, ready to explore, at your own leisure, this tiny town surrounded by walls, built in the Middle Ages. Take your time to visit the basilica of St. Francis, where you will see masterpieces by Giotto and Cimabue and then, have free time for lunch (not included). Board on the bus to reach Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, world-known for the Palio, the historical horse race around the shell-shaped town square: Piazza del Campo. Next, you will continue on to Florence, where you will check in at your hotel before enjoying dinner and a well-earned night of rest at RAFFAELLO HOTEL or similar.

Day 3 Florence (BL)
After breakfast, you will spend the day venturing around beautiful Florence, the “Cradle of Renaissance”, where, with the help of Michelangelo, Italian art reached its pinnacle. Based on Etruscan-Roman origins, the city flourished in the Middle Ages as a free “Comune” and was further refined during the Renaissance. You will be fascinated by the uncountable monuments, churches and buildings as Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly referred to as the Duomo. On your visit, you will be amazed by its magnificent dome built by Filippo Brunelleschi. Cross a small piazza to see the “Campanile” tower (partly designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery, with its bronze doors where Michelangelo imagined the “Gates of Paradise.” In the heart of the city, you will see Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio), and the Basilica of Santa Croce. Lunch in a typical Tuscan restaurant in Piazza Santa Croce. Spend the afternoon strolling the cobblestone streets of Florence on your own or take a short trip to Pisa (optional), one of the four main historical Marine Republics of Italy. There, you will tour the Piazza dei Miracoli with the Duomo, Pisa’s symbol “the Leaning Tower” and the Baptistery. Dinner at leisure, overnight stay in Florence.

Day 4 Florence - Bologna - Padua - Venice (BD)
After breakfast in Florence, departure to Bologna. There, you will discover the elegant city center with its “porticos”, it’s shopping streets and so on. From Piazza Malpighi you will walk to Piazza del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore (Neptune square and Major square) in the heart of the city, then King Renzo’s Palace; Palazzo Podestà and the basilica of San Petronio, one of the biggest in the world. Bologna it’s a real gourmet’s heaven…don’t miss a tasty meal at your own leisure! In the afternoon, continue toward Padova, with Sant’Antonio Basilica: one of the most visited churches by pilgrims of the catholic world. Later in the afternoon, arrival in Venice (Mestre). Check in at your hotel for dinner and overnight stay at DELFINO (MESTRE) HOTEL or TRITONE HOTEL or B&B TRONCHETTO HOTEL (Venice Tronchetto) or similar.

Day 5 Venice (B)
After breakfast, enjoy your transfer to Piazza San Marco, with “Skip the Line” tickets to visit the splendid St. Mark’s Basilica and, after this, check out the most iconic places of the “Floating City”: the Palazzo dei Dogi, symbol of Venice’s glorious past, the legendary “Bridge of Sighs”. Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure and then return to the hotel and overnight.

Day 6 Venice - Tuscany Wine Region (Montepulciano) - Rome (BL)
After breakfast, departure from Piazzale Roma heading to Tuscany, world-known for its landscapes, its churches and castles and its delicious wines. You will proceed to Val di Chiana with a stop in Montepulciano, a medieval town rich in history and art. Known for its “Nobile” wine, on purchase in local wine houses, Montepulciano also hosts an annual Jazz and Wine Festival every July. Lunch in a typical restaurant included! After lunch, quick stop to spend some free time. In the evening, you will arrive in Rome to check in into ST. MARTIN HOTEL or DIANA ROOF GARDEN HOTEL or BETTOJA HOTEL or similar.

Day 7 Rome (B)
Between 7:45/8:00 am, after breakfast, departure from the hotel for the included tour of the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s square with our exclusive “Skip the Line” access! No stress to reach the area: upon arrival, your guide will lead you into the museums where you’ll visit one of the most important art collections of the world. Walk along the beautiful Galleries of Tapestries and Geographical Maps before admiring Raphael’s Rooms and, then, the amazing Sistine Chapel. The tour couldn’t be complete without St. Peter’s Square, the open space which lies before the basilica, redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and being itself an architectural masterpiece of the Baroque age.
Enjoy the rest of the day to explore the city at your own leisure or get any one of our selected tours for the afternoon or at night! Overnight stay.

Day 8 Depart Rome (B)
After breakfast, transfer to the airport. Arrivederci!

For package optoin that include airfare, the tour start date is one day earlier.
Airfare is estimated from JFK; for pricing from other U.S. airports, please contact us for a quote.

INCLUSIONS

• Transfer in/out from Rome airport to the hotel

• Transportation by deluxe motorcoach

• Monolingual Tour-escort in English

• Accommodation in 4 stars hotels

• Meals as per itinerary (please inform us at the moment of the booking, in case of any food allergy or alimentary restriction)

• Entrance tickets to St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice with “Skip the Line” (when included in the itinerary)

• Discovering Rome by Night (our regular sightseeing tour)

• Entrance tickets to Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel with “Skip the Line” (when included in the itinerary)

• Visits with expert local guide as per itinerary (Rome, Florence and Venice)

Note- The pick-up / drop-of times will be subject to confirmation by the local assistant

EXCLUSIONS
• Entrance fees to monuments or museums when not mentioned
• City tax for overnight stays (according to each city council rules)
• Personal expenses, International airfare, Visa fees
• Customary gratitude to your guide and driver

City Tax - Please note that rates do not includes city taxes when needed. City tax will be paid directly at the reception hotel desk upon arrival or at the check-out according to the local city board procedure. The city tax will change according to hotel category.