Grand Tour of Italy

Day 2 – Arrive in Rome, Italy
We’ll be welcomed to the “Eternal City,” by its 300 baroque fountains and more than 2,000 years of history.  We’ll spend three nights in beautiful Rome.  This evening, we invite you to a welcome dinner.
Included Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Universo

Day 3 – Rome
We’ll explore the splendor of ancient Rome, the great Coliseum, the Forum Romanum, the Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain.  Then we’ll visit St. John Lateran Church, where Christians first worshiped after the persecution.  And finally, we’ll visit St. Mary Major, one of the four major basilicas in Rome, and the largest church in the world dedicated to Our Lady.  The rest of the day will be free in Rome.  In the evening, we will enjoy an Italian-style dinner with wine and music.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 4 – Rome
In the morning. we will visit the magnificent Basilica of St. Peter, masterpiece of Michelangelo and Bernini.  It is built on the site of St. Peter’s tomb.  Marvel at the Raphael Rooms and the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums. We will then enter the magnificent Basilica as we admire the Pieta, ascend the dome (if you wish), and explore the grand column-lined St. Peter’s Square.  In the afternoon, we’ll visit the Basilica St. Paul outside the walls, built over the burial place of the Apostle of the Gentiles and consecrated in 324.  The building of the first place of worship over St. Paul’s tomb has been attributed to the Emperor Constantine. We will conclude our day with a visit to a Catacomb, where Christians conducted worship during the persecution.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 5 – Rome to Amalfi
We’ll leave Rome in the morning and drive south to Naples where we will see an altogether-different Italy.  It was in this city that “pizza” was first created.  From Naples, we’ll take a ferry to the island of Capri, where we’ll enjoy views over the Faraglioni Rocks and Marina Piccola.  We’ll visit the Piazzetta, where the rich and famous sip their cappuccinos, followed by free time to perhaps ascend to Anacapri.  In the afternoon, we’ll take a ferry to Sorrento and proceed to the charming town of Minori, situated in the characteristic and imposing scenery of the Amalfi-Coast. Check in to our charming cliff-top hotel, overlooking the Amalfi Bay and a short walk to the center of town.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Miramalfi 

Day 6 – Amalfi
The famous Amalfi drive, a road which literally hangs over the sea coast, is an engineering marvel.  After traversing it, we will continue on for a visit to the ruins of Pompei, the city which was destroyed in minutes by the Volcano Vesuvius back in 79 A.D.  The ruins will give us an excellent view of Roman life 2,000 years ago.  We’ll return to our hotel, set on the Amalfi Coast, for another restful evening including dinner at the hotel.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Day 7 – Amalfi to Florence
We will head north through the region of wonderful Tuscany and our destination: Florence, the Art Capital of Italy. Florence, the home of the Renaissance and birthplace of our modern world, contains some of the most impressive art treasures in the world.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Grand Hotel Baglioni

Day 8 – Florence
Visit the Uffizi Gallery and  the Accademia that offer art, sculpture, and artifacts which will fill your cultural appetite.  You may wish to join the group to do a renaissance walk through the city center.  We will have a guide each step of the way.  Or, you may spend hours perusing the contents of one of its famous museums.  We will see the famous Duomo, Florence’s Gothic cathedral, which has the third largest nave in Christendom.  You’ll be free to choose from the many extraordinary restaurants Florence has to offer.
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 9 – Florence to Venice
Depart Florence with a morning visit to famous Pisa.  Few buildings anywhere have captured imagination as much as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  It is the most instantly-recognizable building in all the Western World.  See the Cathedral where hangs Galileo’s Lamp.  The Pisa-born astronomer used the chandelier to formulate his laws of the pendulum.  We’ll see the Baptistery—where the echo inside has enthralled visitors for years.  We’ll take a beautiful drive across the wooded Etruscan Apennine Mountains into the lush plains of the Po River, which will bring us to Pudua, city of St. Anthony the Hermit, for a visit to the majestic six-domed Basilica.  Time for lunch and exploration before continuing to Venice.  Our charming hotel sits overlooking the Grand Canal with an ideal location.  Enjoy two nights in Venice.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Principe

Day 10 – Venice
We’ll begin morning sightseeing in style as we glide by private boat along the Giudecca canal to meet our resident expert.  Highlights of our walking tour are St. Mark’s Square and the Byzantine Basilica, lavish Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs.  Also watch Venetian Glass Blowers fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner.  Then enjoy Venice at your own pace, or join an optional gondola ride.                    
Included Meals: Breakfast

Day 11 – Venice to Stresa
In the morning we’ll leave this unique city of canals and romance and travel west past the town Padova to Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet.  See the house of Julia Capuletti (13th century), the heroine of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
From Verona we’ll proceed past Milan further along the shore of beautiful Lake Maggiore to Stresa, an internationally-renowned tourist resort in the middle of Lake Maggiore—a panoramic and picturesque setting facing the Borromeo islands.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hotel: Hotel Regina Palace

Day 12 – Stresa
Our day will be dedicated to the most famous of the Italian lakes, Maggiore, with its constantly-mild climate and luxuriant, exotic vegetation.  We’ll enjoy a boat ride to Isola Bella, one of the last privately-owned islands open to visitors, to admire the Borromeo Palace.  Later we’ll depart for Milan with lunch and shopping on your own in the City Square.  Our guide will help us explore Milan on foot as we see the famous Milan Duomo Cathedral.  Walk near the well-known opera house La Scala with our guide’s historical perspective.  We will walk to the Milan Castle with seven centuries of history, before returning to Stresa in time to for a farewell dinner celebration.
Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner