Day 1:  Arrival in Venice, Introductory Tour of Hidden Venice and Gondola Ride

At your hotel in Venice, your guide will meet and lead you to your private taxi-boat that will cruise you along the Grand Canal to your hotel in one of the most unique cities in the world. After relaxing, you will be escorted on a walking tour of the labyrinth also known as “hidden Venice” to get an initial look at the piazzas, shops and cafés. Your introduction to Venice will culminate an enchanting glide through the canals of Venice.

Day 2:  Tour of Venice’s Unique Sites

Your guide will meet you between the famed columns of St. Mark’s Square. You will admire the outside of St. Mark’s Basilica, with its Byzantine mosaic renditions of scenes from the life of Christ and, in the lunettes of the lateral portals, scenes showing the history of the relics of Saint Mark. Within the Basilica, which is unique in the world for its 4,000 square meters of golden mosaics and marble floor inlays, your guide will introduce you to its many art treasures, including the magnificent high altar, or Pala d’Oro. You’ll proceed to the opulent Doge’s Palace, adjacent to the cathedral, which was the seat from which the Duke wielded power over the great economic empire that was the Republic of Venice. You’ll visit the prison where enemies of the state, including Giacomo Casanova, were held (and in his case escaped) and pass through the Bridge of Sighs, an enclosed bridge with small windows that allowed prisoners one final lachrymal look at the lagoon of Venice before their confinement.

Day 3:  Explore Murano and Burano

Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and will accompany you to your private boat. You’ll speed along the Venetian Lagoon to two islands famous for their handicrafts and architecture. Known for its glassware shops and factories, Murano boasts a long and still-thriving glass tradition dating back to 1291, when artisans moved their kilns from the old city center. Exploring the island on foot, you will visit a museum dedicated to the art of glass and watch a skill glassblowers at their craft; view the splendor of Murano’s palaces and Veneto-Byzantine style churches, some with mosaics and ornamental motifs designed in the 12th century; and, if weather permits, catch a glimpse of San Michele, Venice’s 19th-century cemetery, across the water. Your next stop will be Burano, a miniature Venice with picturesque fishermen’s houses. Since the 16th century Burano has been famous for its lace, once considered the most refined in Europe. Browse local lace shops, visit the museum dedicated to the craft of lace, and enjoy an aperitif in a cafe on the canal with the colorful backdrop of the fuchsia pink, deep blue and vibrant yellow houses that characterize this lovely island town.

Day 4:  Arrival in Florence, Introductory Tour and the Accademia Gallery

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to the station for a high-speed train to Florence. You will be met at the train station in Florence by a greeter who will accompany you to your apartment for check in. After you relax, your private tour guide will take you on an afternoon tour of the historic center that will include the gothic cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria del Fiore and the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s incomparable David.

Day 5:  Lunch and Wine Tasting at Villa Machiavelli and Visit to San Gimignano

This relaxing tour begins with a drive on picturesque local roads through the world-famous Chianti region. Lying between Florence and Siena, and bordered on the east by the Chianti Mountains and the west by the Elsa River, this wine region boasts delightful vistas of rolling hills, cypresses, and charming villages, along with an unhurried pace of life. You’ll visit the celebrated Machiavelli winery for a tour of the vineyard and a sampling of several different types of local wine, followed by a sumptuous lunch in the family’s villa. Following this, your driver will take you to the medieval gem of San Gimignano, “city of beautiful towers.” In its heyday, the town boasted 72 towers. Now 14 remain, and, rising above Tuscany’s Elsa Valley, they give the town the appearance of a medieval dream. Your walking tour begins at the Piazza della Cisterna, Piazza del Duomo Collegiata, and Romanesque cathedral, and continues with a stroll along the ancient pilgrimage road, the Via Francigena. There will also be time to visit shops, browse the lovely Santa Fina pottery and other handmade products, and purchase some saffron, a local culinary specialty.

Day 6:  Tour of the Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery

Your tour guide will take you on a walking tour of the Piazza della Signoria and its many sculptures. The graceful Loggia dei Lanzi houses the famous sculptures of Perseus Holding Medusa’s Head, by Cellini (1554), and the Rape of the Sabine Women, by Giambologna. The tour continues with a private tour of the magnificent Uffizi Gallery, where every piece of art is a Renaissance masterpiece, followed by a glass of prosecco on the terrace overlooking the Piazza della Signoria.

Day 7:  Welcome to Rome! Introductory Dolce Vita Tour

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to the station for a high-speed train to Rome. After you have a chance to relax, your guide will accompany you on your “Dolce Vita” Tour. You’ll uncover the secrets locked in Bernini’s work, marvel at the Pantheon, the best preserved ancient Roman monument, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the Eternal City and simply enjoy Rome’s charming streets in a leisurely Italian fashion. By the end of the tour, you will realize that your guide has not only shown you around Rome, but has taught you how to get around Rome almost like a native.

Day 2:  Walk in the Footsteps of the Ancient Romans

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompany you to meet your guide at the Coliseum, one of the ancient world’s largest structures, where Romans once gathered to watch gladiator games, animal contests, and even reenactments of sea battles. A massive stone amphitheater that seated an estimated 60,000 spectators, it was built in only eight years. Your guide will tell you about its design and construction, political purposes, fighters (both willing and unwilling), and eventual demise as an arena. At the Imperial Roman Forum, you will hear about the myths and religions of ancient Rome as you wander through the ruins of meeting halls and temples, such as that of the Vestal Virgins, who maintained Vesta’s sacred fire and were considered to be almost goddesses. The most ancient Latin text ever found, the Lapis Niger (“black stone”), can also be found in the Forum, in the foundation of a column. Your tour will end on the Capitoline Hill, the smallest and most important of the seven hills of ancient Rome, which offers a wonderful view of the city and the Forum.

Day 3, Morning:  Tour The Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica

Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and accompay you to meet your guide for this signature Your Own Italy tour of The Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. The art of The Vatican is among the most recognizable in the world. In leading you through the museums, your guide will convey the tantalizing background of these Renaissance masterpieces, the geniuses who created them, and the powers who commissioned them. In the Sistine Chapel, below the largest and most renowned fresco in the world, your tour guide will explain the intriguing history of this work and the hidden messages Michelangelo painted into it. After the museum, you’ll visit St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest Catholic church in the world, where you can see Michelangelo’s magnificent Pietà, Bernini’s acclaimed altar canopy, and the tombs of the Popes, including that of John Paul II.

Day 3, Afternoon:  Culinary Adventure

Food and Wine Tour in the Trendy Trastevere Neighborhood

Your sommelier/guide will take you on a food and wine tour of trendy Trastevere. This quintessential Roman neighborhood across the Tiber River is a little bit Greenwich Village, a little bit Left Bank, but mainly regular Italian – a place where Roman pappas bring their families for Sunday dinners after church and young Romans lounge in the piazzas on evenings and weekends. Your Own Italy’s four-hour food and wine walking tour presents Trastevere at night. You’ll sample a sumptuous blend of Italian classics like pizza and pasta, real Roman street food, less-known meats and cheeses, and amazing wine in a secret cellar – its history will blow you away. Few activities in Rome deliver as many hidden surprises and enchanting moments as this, in one of our favorite neighborhoods.

Day 10:  Departure – Arrivederci!

We salute you with a warm and heartfelt “arrivederci!” See you again! Now that you’ve traveled with us, know that you have friends here in Your Own Italy.