Rome and Tuscany Tour

The Rome and Tuscany tour visits two of Italy’s most popular city’s Rome and Florence. It also includes tours of Tuscany’s famous hill towns. In Rome escorted tours include the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Ancient Rome and the Colosseum and the Jewish Ghetto. In Florence, you’ll be guided through the city’s Renaissance streets and you’ll tour the Accademia Museum where Michaelangelo’s David is located. Then on the following days, you’ll enjoy excursions from Florence to the beautiful towns located in Tuscany’s rolling hills including Siena, San Gimignano, and the Chianti wine region. And you’ll spend a day visiting Tuscany’s coastal towns, Lucca and Pisa.

For the price of the tour with airfare from your preferred city submit the form or call ItalianTourism.us 800.227.1577.

Highlights

Rome and Tuscany Tour Highlights

Tour Vatican Museum, St Peter’s Basilica, Ancient Rome and Colosseum
Tour Rome’s Jewish Ghetto
Visit Florence and the Accademia Museum to see Michaelangelo’s David.
Walking tour of Florence’s historic center
Excursion to Siena, San Gimignano, and Chianti winery
Excursion to Lucca and Pisa

Rome and Tuscany Tour Inclusions

7-nights 4-star hotels in Rome and Florence
Up to 40 guests.
More Legroom. Deluxe, state-of-the-art motor coaches with EXTRA legroom.
Airport Transfers. Arrival and departure transfers in Italy. (see conditions)
Buffet Breakfast Daily. A very hearty start to each day!
5 Dinners Including pasta or soup, choice of entrees, vegetable, dessert, coffee, wine, mineral water, beer or soft drink.
Wine Tasting. Vineyard tour and wine tasting with light dinner in Tuscany.
Gourmet Ice Cream Tasting at Florence Hotel.
Wireless Headsets to hear your guide clearly and distinctly in public places.
Travel Wallet, baggage tags and travel documents included.
Baggage Handling. Never touch your bag! (except at airports)
Hotel Taxes, Hotel Service Charges and All Tips for hotel and restaurant personnel.
Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides.
Complimentary Wi-Fi on motor coaches.

Accommodations

Ambasciatori Palace – Rome 3 Nights

Superior First Class traditional six-story hotel, built in 1903 with a columned, curved facade. Located on the fashionable Via Veneto, opposite the US Embassy and near Villa Borghese park and museum.

Villa Olmi – Florence 4 Nights

At a very short distance from the historic heart of Florence, the warm hospitality of Villa Olmi Firenze welcomes you in the idyllic setting of its rich historical and artistic heritage. This exclusive country estate, consisting of a villa, a farmhouse, and a rural house, awaits you for a memorable stay surrounded by a magnificent Italian garden.

Submit form or call us today 800-227-1577 to book your Rome and Tuscany tour package

Rome and Tuscany Tour Daily Itinerary

DAY 1 – DEPART USA

Boarding your overnight flight, you’re off to Italy on the adventure of a lifetime!

DAY 2 – ARRIVE IN ROME, AFTERNOON AT LEISURE, DINNER IN HOTEL

Benvenuti a Roma! We are pleased to offer complimentary transfers from the Rome airport to your hotel at scheduled times.

Tonight you’ll meet you tour director and like-minded travel companions at an included dinner.

Meals: Dinner

DAY 3 – ROME – VATICAN MUSEUM – SISTINE CHAPEL – ST. PETER’S BASILICA

This morning, it’s a 10 minute bus ride over to another country – Vatican City. With our expert local guide we’ll tour the Vatican Museums – a massive collection of ancient Greek sculptures, medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings.

Our visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, renowned for its Renaissance art, especially the ceiling which was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. This room, which attracts more than 5 million visitors each year, is also where the Pope is elected.

Next we visit St. Peter’s Basilica, by far the largest church in Christendom. We’ll see Michelangelo’s Pieta’, sculpted when he was just 24 years old, as well as Bernini’s seven story bronze canopy located above the main altar.

Tonight, we thought you’d enjoy a dinner on your own. Ask your tour guide for a recommendation, or venture out and explore the lively restaurants in Rome! Be sure to try Pasta cacio e pepe – pasta in a creamy olive oil, pecorino cheese and black pepper sauce – a specialty of Rome. BB

(Please note that the visit of St. Peter’s Basilica is subject to availability based on any events planned by the Pope.)

Meals: Breakfast

DAY 4 – ROME – COLOSSEUM – JEWISH GHETTO – DINNER OUT IN TRASTEVERE

Hail Caesar! All aboard our chariot for a panoramic tour of Imperial Rome including the Roman Forum, Largo Argentina (where Caesar was stabbed by Brutus) and the Circus Maximus.

Afterward, enter the Colosseum, reliving the brutal entertainment of the gladiators and the lions, refereed by the Emperor himself. Later this afternoon we’ll explore some of the oldest areas of Rome – the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. There’s been a Jewish community in Rome since the 2nd Century BC. It was Pope Paul IV who ordered them into a walled-off section of town in 1555. But in 1870, the Papal States lost control of the area and the Jews were free to leave the Ghetto!

All this walking will make us hungry . . . Si mangia! You’ll get a taste of real Italian cuisine and fine wines in a family-style restaurant in the characteristic district of Trastevere. This lively area is just what one imagines Italy to be like, with tiny cobblestone streets and music-filled trattorias on every corner.

Meals: breakfast and dinner

DAY 5 – ROME – FLORENCE – DINNER IN HOTEL

After a hearty breakfast, we enjoy a ride through the Tuscan countryside on our way to Florence. Our deluxe motorcoach navigates the rolling hills, scenic vineyards and postcard-perfect vistas of Tuscany. Your tour leader will give you some useful information about the region while you relax and enjoy the scenery.
We check in to our beautiful hotel, Villa Olmi. This villa, located just 15 minutes from the historic center of Florence, is a peaceful oasis of Tuscan tranquility.

Tonight, enjoy a Florentine dinner with local wines at our hotel.

Meals: Breakfast and dinner

DAY 6 – FLORENCE CITY TOUR, THE DAVID

Florence – the fountainhead of the Renaissance, awaits our inspection! Our day of sightseeing includes the majestic Duomo built in 1296, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned “Gates of Paradise” doors. We follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria, home of the Santa Croce Church where Michelangelo is buried.

“Breathtaking” is the only word to describe one’s first view of Michelangelo’s David. Yes, it’s quite large and detailed. But the real magic is in how Michelangelo transformed a lifeless rock into a man – full of pride, wary of his adversary, yet quietly confident. All with just a hammer and chisel!

Then, tonight, enjoy dinner on your own at a local Florentine restaurant. Be sure to try Ribollita, one of Florence’s most delicious specialties. This hearty soup is made from cannellini beans, vegetables, red cabbage and chunks of pane (bread).

Meals: Breakfast

DAY 7 – FLORENCE – LUCCA – PISA – DINNER OUT TONIGHT

After breakfast (colazione) we drive to Lucca, also known as “the city of 100 churches”. The churches are protected against Medieval invasions with huge, fortified walls. We visit the famous Duomo, the Amphitheater and the impressive Church of San Frediano.

Afterward the tour continues to Pisa. There you’ll visit the “Piazza dei Miracoli” (Square of Miracles). It is recognized as one of the main centers for medieval art in the world, with 4 great religious edifices: the Cathedral, the Campanile (the famous leaning Tower), the Baptistery and the Camposanto. We’ll enter the Cathedral dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption. The big candelabrum near the altar is where Galileo Galilei tested his laws of pendulum physics! Next we enter the marble Baptistery, the largest in all of Italy. Dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the building took 211 years to construct. The acoustics are amazing . . . you can whisper to a person 30 feet away and they’ll hear you clearly.

Tonight, we enjoy dinner-out with a typical Tuscan meal including Bistecca Fiorentina (Florentine steak)!

Meals: Breakfast and dinner

DAY 8 – FLORENCE – SIENA – SAN GIMIGNANO – CHIANTI – FLORENCE

Today we travel back in time to medieval Siena – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We visit the famous Piazza del Campo, one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares and the site of the famous Palio horse race. We’ll visit Siena’s town hall, Palazzo Pubblico, and the enchanting Duomo (cathedral) featuring the most ornate mosaic floor in all Italy. Next, we drive through the beautiful rolling hills of Chianti, and then to medieval San Gimignano, a hill town in Tuscany, encircled by 13th-century walls.

Finally, a unique winery visit! Meet our dear friend, Pierluigi Giachi, the world’s most enchanting and hilarious sommelier. Enjoy a wine tasting and dinner at the Tenuta Torciano. Salute!

Meals: Breakfast and dinner