Insight - Treasures of Italy - Classic Group (03/2023 - 10/2023) (E980ZN18)

11 Days From Rome to Venice 
Tour Style: Regional Europe
Insight Brochure Price from $4,316.00
Brochures: Europe & Britain Premium 2023 v2, Europe & Britain Premium 2024 v1
Visits: Italy, Vatican City

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Experience Italy on an 11-day guided tour. Explore the Eternal City with a Local Expert, who will whisk you to the Vatican Museums for a tour of the Pope’s art collection and a behind-the-scenes look at the Bramante Staircase, a spiral architectural masterpiece. Later, see the infamous Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine. Cruise to Capri, where you’ll take an open-top taxi to the top of the island for unparalleled views of the rugged coastline and sparkling sea — then walk the Caesar Augustus Gardens and see the Faraglioni rocks with a Local Expert. In Venice, walk through St. Mark’s Square and see its basilica of the same name; later, allow yourself to be serenaded as a gondolier glides you through the city’s canals. Sail to the candy-colored island of Burano, where you can toast to a fantastic trip at a celebration dinner featuring wine and fresh-caught specialties.
Choice Highlights

• Choose between two carefully selected activities
• Florence: Wander through the market stalls and browse for local Italian souvenirs and leather goods on a guided shopping tour.
• Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo's monumental statue, 'David', in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world's most famous sculpture.

Well-being

• : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
• : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19.All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
• : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
• : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Travel Director

• : "Venice is so unique that anyone seeing it for the first time is never fully prepared for the magic, from seeing their first gondola to the facade of St. Mark’s Cathedral."
• : "Italians are very fashionable but their cooking is the opposite - simple, rustic and down to earth. A handful of quality vegetables, fresh herbs and beans are turned into a warm and comforting soup."
• : "One thing I really love about showing guests about Italy is how art and beauty can be found around every corner of some of Italy's cities, which are real open air museums."

Authentic Dining

• Rome: Enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers at a uniquely Roman local restaurant.
• Italian Lakes: For your Dine-Around Evening, you are offered a selection of hand-picked local restaurants to choose from, each with its own distinctive ambience and cuisine.
• Lake Iseo: Learn about this historic winery, passed down through the generations, and taste its latest vintages.
• Burano: Cruise to the charming fisherman's island of Burano to enjoy a delicious Celebration Dinner with wine and new-found friends.
• Dining Summary: 5 Dinner with Wine (DW), and 10 Breakfast (B)

Insight Experiences

• Vatican: Gain priority access into the Vatican Museums and admire the famous Bramante Staircase. Witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and view the splendid dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Top Rated Highlights

• Rome: Discover ancient treasures of Rome with a passionate local. See Circus Maximus and the Ancient Forum, and stand beside the Colosseum, which bears witness to the limitless courage of the gladiators.
• Pompeii: Walk with a Local Expert through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the 1st century.
• Capri: Explore Capri town with your Local Expert and see the whitewashed houses, winding alleyways, small cafes, fashionable boutiques and artisans studios.
• Capri: Discover the luxuriant Gardens of Augustus with a Local Expert and admire views of the Faraglioni rocks.
• Florence: Wander through the market stalls and browse for local Italian souvenirs and leather goods on a guided shopping tour.
• Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo's monumental statue, 'David', in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world's most famous sculpture.
• Florence: See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods and witness a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
• Florence: Enjoy panoramic views over of the city and see the Florence Cathedral. During your guided walking orientation, see the bell tower, Gates of Paradise on the baptistery and visit Piazza della Signoria.
• Cinque Terre: Led by your Local Expert, visit this unique UNESCO World Heritage Site, tucked away on the mountainous Italian Riviera coastline. Explore one of the five charming fishing villages for some memorable pictures.
• Portofino: Visit this elegant fishing village and admire the coloured houses and yachts moored in the harbour.
• Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
• Venice: Delight in the magic of this charming city as you are serenaded, travelling through the atmospheric canals by gondola.

Make Travel Matter

• Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft.  The workshop advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

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Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1	Welcome to the Eternal City of Rome
	Welcome to Rome, a glorious city filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and baroque churches. Transfers depart from Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport for your hotel at 09:30, 12:30 and 15:30. Relax and settle in before joining your Travel Director at 17:30, and get to know your fellow travellers over a delicious Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
	Visits: Rome
	Meals: Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Hotel Romanico Palace, Rome.
Day 2	Vatican City and Rome with a Local
	The day is devoted to the Eternal City. Join a Local Expert for an in-depth visit to the Vatican Museums, full of priceless art treasures collected by the Popes. Insight has arranged special priority entry to gain behind-the-scenes access to the Bramante Staircase, a marvel of Renaissance architecture, normally off-limits to visitors. Visit the Sistine Chapel, where Popes are elected, to admire Michelangelo’s famous ceiling. Continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, to wonder at another of his works, the emotive ‘Pietà,’ and stand beneath the dome completed after his death. Cross the Tiber river to enjoy ancient Rome. See the incredible Circus Maximus. Come up close and personal with the beautifully preserved Arch of Constantine, walking on the ancient pavement. Discover the history, the construction and the legends of the iconic Colosseum as you stroll around the exterior of this amazing structure. Later, perhaps continue your exploration of Rome to see the Pantheon, toss a coin in Trevi Fountain and enjoy free time around Piazza Navona?
	Visits: Rome, Vatican
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Hotel Romanico Palace, Rome.
Day 3	Ancient Pompeii and Sorrento
	Journey to the ill-fated town of Pompeii, frozen in time when it was engulfed by an eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. Walk with a Local Expert through cobbled streets to learn about Roman life in the first century before enjoying a refreshing lemon granita. Then continue to your hotel in the charming town of Sorrento. The afternoon is yours to explore as you wish, or perhaps join an Optional Experience to Positano? A hydrofoil delivers you to mainland Italy to reach the artist's paradise of Positano. Witness the dramatic beauty of the Amalfi Coast's gravity-defying, vertical towns, and spectacular coastline before disembarking.
	Visits: Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Hotel Isabella, Sorrento.
Day 4	The Isle of Dreams
	Board your jetfoil to the Isle of Capri. Enjoy a scenic drive by open-top taxi past orange and lemon groves to your hotel, then appreciate the glorious vistas over the rugged coastline and sparkling sea.Visit Capri town, with its whitewashed houses, winding alleyways and small cafes. A Local Expert escorts you to the lush Gardens of Augustus for views of the Faraglioni rocks. After time to explore the pearl of the Amalfi Coast with all its colours, wonderful aromas and small beach, you are then returned to the Isle of Capri by another boat transfer. As the glow of twilight descends and the day-trippers have returned to their mainland hotels, the island is yours to saunter along scenic paths, gather with the locals in the piazzetta or relax with a glass of wine at an al-fresco restaurant.
	Visits: Capri
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Gatto Bianco Hotel & Spa, Capri.
Day 5	The Autostrada del Sole to Florence
	Descend to the port by private open-top taxis and take the jetfoil across the bay to Naples. Follow the Autostrada del Sole north passing Rome and continuing through the Province of Umbria. Journey through idyllic Tuscan landscapes to Florence, centre of art and culture, and the heart of the Italian Renaissance.
	Visits: Capri, Florence
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: NH Firenze, Florence.
Day 6	Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance
	Explore Florence with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo's David. Alternatively, wander through the market stalls on a shopping tour, enjoying all the Italian treats and finery on offer.  Continue to the multi-coloured marble cathedral to admire Giotto's bell tower and Gates of Paradise. Visit Piazza della Signoria and explore the area around Santa Croce Basilica. After a demonstration of leatherwork, there's free time to shop or explore Florence on your own. In the evening, why not sample fine Florentine cuisine of tasty starters and typical Tuscan dishes accompanied by Chianti wine?
	Visits: Florence
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: NH Firenze, Florence.
Day 7	Cinque Terre and Portofino to Santa Margherita
	The famous Italian Riviera and the Cinque Terre are a highlight of your journey as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Italy’s most beautiful landscapes. With a Local Expert, appreciate the views as you approach one of the picturesque fishing villages by boat. Spend some time exploring the old medieval quarter or the popular sandy beach. Our journey continues to the elegant seaside village of Portofino, epitome of la dolce vita. Admire the colourful houses, browse the boutiques or stay a while in the cafe bars on the piazzetta, watching the yachts moored in the harbour.
	Visits: Florence, Cinque Terre, Santa Margherita Ligure
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Best Western Regina Elena, Santa Margherita Ligure.
Day 8	Lake Maggiore
	In the morning, journey north to the beautiful Italian Lake District, a favourite retreat of the rich and famous where alpine scenery combines with lush subtropical vegetation. Relax and enjoy an afternoon at leisure at this popular resort and beautiful lake or perhaps take a cruise out to the lovely Borromean Islands? For your dining pleasure, you are invited to choose from a hand-picked selection of local restaurants for your Dine-Around Evening.
	Visits: Santa Margherita Ligure, Lake Maggiore
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Hotel Simplon, Baveno.
Day 9	To Venice With Wine Along the Way
	Follow the southern fringes of the Alps to the vineyards by the shores of Lake Iseo.Here, winemaking traditions run deep. Taste the delicious vintages produced with a master vintner at a family-owned estate.Continue to the unique city of Venice and step back in time to the 16th century.
	Visits: Lake Maggiore, Lake Iseo, Venice
	Meals: Breakfast
	Accommodation: Hilton Molino Stucky, Venice.
Day 10	Venice and the Magic of La Serenissima
	Visit St. Mark’s Square where the city’s former wealth and power is evidenced by the riches of St. Mark’s Basilica and admire the Doge's Palace with its adjoining Bridge of Sighs. Take your seat on a gondola and be serenaded through the myriad of beautiful canals, passing water-lapped doorways and Rococo palaces. The rest of the afternoon is yours to discover Venice at leisure. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional arts centre, where you can see how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills. Cruise the Venetian lagoon to Burano and sit down to a sumptuous Celebration Dinner with wine, sampling the local specialities.
	Visits: Venice
	Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
	Accommodation: Hilton Molino Stucky, Venice.
Day 11	Arrivederci Venice
	Alas, you must bid farewell to this enchanting city. Your departure transfer arrives at Venice Marco Polo Airport at 08:00 and 09:30.
	Visits: Venice
	Meals: Breakfast

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Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17