Explore the wonders of Italy on this 12-day tour of Italy. This tour package includes two nights in Rome, four nights in Tuscany with two in Lucca and two in Florence, two nights in Venice and one night in Assisi.
The itinerary includes excursions to Cinque Terre on the Ligurian Coast, Tuscany’s famous hill town San Gimignano, Northern Italy’s romantic town Verona, Italy’s culinary capital Bologna, and the peaceful Umbrian town of Assisi.
For a daily itinerary click here. For informational about additional optional tours scheduled during what is otherwise free time click here.
To book the 12-Day Rome, Tuscany, Venice, Assisi Tour and for the price with airfare from your preferred departure city submit the form or call ItalianTourism.us 800.227.1577.
Highlights
Rome, Lucca, Florence, Venice, Assisi Tour with Bologna, Cinque Terre, Pisa, San Gimignano, Verona Sightseeing Highlights:
- Rome Sightseeing with a Local Specialist includes a visit to St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel, and Ancient Rome.
- Venice Cruise by private boat to St. Marks Square.
- Verona View the Roman Arena and Juliet’s balcony on an orientation walk
- Florence Sightseeing with a Local Specialist includes views of the Baptistery, Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiori and Giotto’s Bell Tower
- Orientation of Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Verona, Venice and Assisi
- Local expert tour guides for Rome and Florence historical center walking tour
- Visit traditional glassblowing workshop in Venice
Rome, Venice, Florence Tour with Verona and Assisi Tour Includes:
- Meals: 10 buffet breakfasts, 1 Lunch, and 4 Dinners
- Travel between cities by luxury motorcoach with wifi.
- All baggage handling and restaurant tips, hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- VIP skip the line entry to sightseeing
- Audio Headsets for flexible sightseeing
For a day by day itinerary click here.
Accommodations
Rome, Lucca, Florence, Venice Tour Accommodations:
Rome 2 Nights: Il Cantico
Lucca 2 Nights: Best Western Grand Guinigi
Florence 2 Nights: Grand Mediterraneo
Venice 2 Nights: Principe
Assisi 1 Night: Cenacolo
Rome 1 Night: Precise House Mantegna Roma
Optional Tours
The following optional tours are available during what is otherwise free time. All optional tours are booked directly through the Tour Director.
Rome Optional Tours
Piazzas and Fountains of Rome
Starting with a lovely drive and continuing on foot, you’ll discover hidden backstreets, piazzas and fountains of the ‘Eternal City’ with a Local Specialist. Along the way, you’ll marvel at the timeless Pantheon, the best-preserved Roman temple in the world. Many additional highlights are revealed on this relaxed tour that also offers free time in a gorgeous Baroque square with street artists, trattorias and gelaterias!
Lucca Optional Tours
Dinner, Wine And Music In The Tuscan Hills
Join us for a scenic drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside. We will enjoy a meal at a charming restaurant where a selection of regional favourites is served, accompanied by a selection of local wines and live music. A truly unforgettable experience, with an atmosphere that is the essence of all things Tuscan.
Florence Optional Tours
Michelangelo’s ‘David’ & Accademia
Enjoy an insight into the world of Michelangelo and his masterpiece, David. We have fast track entry to the Academy of Fine Arts and its Michelangelo collection, where you’ll learn all about the life and works of this immortal Renaissance genius through the expert commentary of our Local Specialist.
Tuscan Dinner at Villa Machiavelli
A scenic drive into the Chianti hills, past vineyards, brings us to a delightful hamlet overlooked by an imposing castle. Our destination is the ancient stone house of Machiavelli, where the great political theorist wrote his immortal work, ‘The Prince’. After a welcome drink and visit of the villa and its wine cellars, we’ll enjoy the best of Tuscan cuisine accompanied by great music and drinks, including of course, Chianti from the Villa’s own vines. This is the essence of all great things Tuscan, past and present, condensed into one memorable evening!
Venice Optional Tours
Venice Gondola
Join us for a scenic cruise by private water taxi along Venice’s Grand Canal. You’ll admire the magnificent palazzi, as well as catching a glimpse of the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. Later on, you’ll glide gracefully on a gondola along Venice’s dreamy, narrow waterways.
Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica
Accompanied by a Local Specialist, you’ll visit the magnificent Doge’s Palace and its elegant courtyards, which were home to the rulers of the Venetian republic. Afterwards, we’ve booked an entrance into the Byzantine Basilica of St. Mark the Evangelist, patron saint of Venice.
Lagoon Cruise to Burano with Food and Drinks
Join us as we discover the Venetian Lagoon by private boat. You will enjoy a delicious meal with a selection of drinks on the fishermen’s island of Burano, famous for its multi-coloured houses – a real photographer’s paradise.
Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Venice, Assisi Tour with Bologna, Cinque Terre, Pisa, Verona Daily Itinerary
Day 1 – Depart the United States
Depart the United States for Italy on an overnight flight. Submit the form for the Italy airfare price from your preferred departure airport.
DAY 2 ARRIVE ROME (2 NIGHTS)
This morning you will arrive in Rome. One of the most beautiful cities in the world, known as the Eternal City, when you arrive you will know why! You’ll check into your hotel then to get your legs back take a stroll around Rome’s ancient cobblestone streets. Head back to the hotel late this afternoon to relax and meet your tour director. This evening head back out to enjoy Rome.
DAY 3 ROME SIGHTSEEING AND FREE TIME
This morning your Rome sightseeing tour begins in Vatican City. There a local guide will take you through St Peter’s Basilica to see Michelangelo’s famous Pietà sculpture and Bernini, the architect of Rome, works. The day includes tour of the Vatican Museum with an expert Vatican tour guide who will explain the highlights putting the collection in its historical context. You’ll also visit the Sistine Chapel where you’ll have time to admire Michelangelo’s magnificent fresco ceiling.
Afterward, you’ll cross the Tiber River to see the ancient Roman Forum and Colosseum. Note this tour does not visit the inside of the Colosseum.
This afternoon you have time to stroll around and discover Rome’s ancient alleys, beautiful boutiques, and lovely piazzas on your own or join an optional tour.
Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
DAY 4 ROME – PISA – LUCCA
We leave Rome this morning and travel north to the city of Pisa, visiting its Square of Miracles to view the architectural feat of the Leaning Tower and picturesque UNESCO designated Piazza del Duomo with Italy’s largest Baptistery. After Pisa located along Tuscany’s cast we travel to another Tuscany town, Lucca. There we’ll pass the Renaissance walls to enter the historic center of Lucca. Upon arrival enjoy an orientation tour past the 14th century San Martino Cathedral, Piazza San Michele with Archangel Michael standing watch and the Piazza dell’teatro, built on the site of the Roman amphitheatre. Meander along the medieval streets to the dramatic aria sounds of Puccini, one of Lucca’s most famous sons, or ascent one of the city’s ancient towers for panoramic views.
Meal(s): Buffet Breakfast
DAY 5 CINQUE TERRE EXCURSION
A sea of pastel pinks, yellows and blues cling dramatically to the Ligurian cliffs in the charming Cinque Terre (Five Lands) UNESCO World Heritage Site which we will have an opportunity to explore today on our included excursion. Join a Local Specialist and travel by boat and train to experience unforgettable old-world charm in two of the five picturesque fishing villages that have enchanted visitors who have made the winding journey to these hidden treasures over centuries. This magnificent coastline can now only be reached by boat or train from La Spezia.
Meals: Bufffet Breakfast & Dinner with Wine
DAY 6 LUCCA – SAN GIMIGNANO -FLORENCE (2 NIGHTS)
The gentle Tuscan landscape gives way to the hilltop town of San Gimignano, famed for its stunning medieval architecture and 72 historic towers which stand today as a testament to the wealth and power of aristocratic families that lived here centuries ago. We enjoy a Be My Guest lunch with wine in a beautiful family owned vineyard overlooking the rolling Chianti Hills, before arriving in Florence, our home for the next two nights.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast & Lunch
DAY 7 FLORENCE SIGHTSEEING AND FREE TIME
Discover Renaissance treasures, extraordinary art and exquisite architecture in one of the cultural capitals of the world. We join a Local Specialist who will bring the legacy of the influential Medici family to life. Walk along the cobblestone lanes into expansive piazza, viewing the magnificent marble Duomo and the replica of the David statue in Piazza della Signoria. View the 400-year-old Ponte Vecchio and admire spectacular panoramic views from Piazzale Michelangelo. The rest of the day is yours to explore the Cradle of the Renaissance on your terms. You may want to use your time to visit the masterpieces of Michelangelo, Botticelli and Da Vinci at Uffizi Gallery, wander through the architectural wonder of Palazzo Pitti or shop for high quality leather and gold.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
DAY 8 FLORENCE – VERONA – VENICE
Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers are remembered today during our jaunt to the romantic city of Verona where we will view Juliet’s Balcony and the 1st century Roman Arena, still used today to host spectacular operatic performances. We venture to Venice next, our home for the next two nights, spending the rest of the afternoon at leisure to meander through the city’s labyrinthine in search of hidden treasures. Wander along the Grand Canal, watch the sun set over St. Mark’s Square or take an Optional Experience to discover la serrisma.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
DAY 9 VENICE TOUR
Breath in the salty smell of the Adriatic and cruise by private launch to visit the city’s most spectacular attractions. We cruise by private launch to the island of Giudecca to enjoy a unique Cultural Insight into the centuries-old tradition of Venetian glassblowing before seeing St. Mark’s Basilica, the ornate Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, so named for the sound that prisoners being led to their fate would make upon seeing beautiful Venice for the very last time. This afternoon, sit back and relax at a cozy bacaro sipping the spicy citrus flavors of Spriz Veneziano or perhaps take a cruise across the lagoon to the colorful fishing island of Burano for delicious meal.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast
DAY 10 VENICE – BOLOGNA – ASSISI
Travel through scenic countryside to the mystical town of Assisi, stopping en route in the city of Bologna to view its Kissing Towers that lean towards each other, seemingly poised to embrace. We continue to our hotel in Assisi where we will dine this evening.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast & Dinner with Wine
DAY 11 ASSISI SIGHTSEEING – ROME
Discover the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi in his home town on the slopes of Mount Subasio. Ambling Assisi’s charming streets, we join a Local Specialist who will take us on a fascinating walking tour to visit the Basilica of St. Francis, renowned for its beautiful frescoes depicting the life of this much-loved saint. We continue to Tivoli for a guided visit with a Local Specialist of the UNESCO World Heritage terraced hillside Renaissance gardens of Villa d’Este. Wander past bubbling fountains, manicured hedges and ornate statues as you soak up the tranquil atmosphere against the panoramic views of this historic hill town. This evening we enjoy an early special Farewell Dinner with our fellow travelers and Travel Director before returning to Rome.
Meals: Buffet Breakfast & Farewell Dinner
DAY 12 DEPART ROME
Today your Rome, Venice, Florence tour ends with breakfast. Leave taking home memories that will last a lifetime. (Buffet Breakfast)
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