Grand Tour of Italy

Board your overnight flight to Milan today.

Welcome to Italy! Transfer to your hotel in the Lake Como region. Then, gather with your group at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Head out on a morning trip to explore Como, a city known for its mix of cultural and natural attractions.

• Enjoy free time in Como for lunch and shopping, while admiring the lakeside vistas
• Transfer to the beautiful Villa Carlotta to soak in spectacular views from the elaborate villa gardens

(Please note: If entrance to Villa Carlotta is out of season, you'll take a funicular to Brunate instead.)

Enjoy a free evening in the Lake Como region or add an excursion.

En route to Venice, stop in Verona and walk through the city with your Tour Director.

• Stroll through the city’s UNESCO-recognized historic center
• Admire the Roman arena, Piazza delle Erbe, and the balcony of Shakespeare’s Juliet

Enjoy free time before continuing on to Venice where you'll enjoy an included dinner.

Admire historic churches, winding canals, and picture-perfect piazzas on a guided tour of the city known as "the Queen of the Adriatic."

• Step into the iconic St. Mark's Square and enter St. Mark's Basilica
• View the stately Doge's Palace, built in the Venetian Gothic style in 1340
• Marvel at the Bridge of Sighs, the link between Doge's Palace and the New Prison
• See a glassblowing demonstration to learn about the city's most celebrated art

Enjoy a free afternoon in Venice or add an excursion.

On your way to Florence, stop in Ferrara. There, you’ll have free time to eat lunch and explore the city’s historic center, home to beautiful Renaissance architecture including Este Castle and Palazzo dei Diamanti.

Continue on to Florence and sit down for an included dinner.

Set off on a guided tour of Florence, the city at the center of the Renaissance.

• View the legendary Florence Cathedral, known as the Duomo
• Pass Giotto’s Campanile, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture
• See the medieval Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, center of Florentine life
• Step inside the Basilica of Santa Croce, burial site of Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Galileo

Later, enjoy free time to continue exploring Florence or add an excursion.

Enjoy a free day in Florence or add an excursion.

Drive through spectacular Umbria to hillside Assisi, where you’ll enjoy a guided tour of the town’s UNESCO World Heritage sites.

• Visit Assisi’s lower and upper basilicas
• See Giotto’s magnificent frescoes and other late-medieval art

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Spend a free day in Assisi or add an excursion.

En route to the Sorrento peninsula, stop in Pompeii for a guided tour of the city’s famed ruins.

• Discover how Roman citizens lived before Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D.
• View the excavated Roman ruins of theaters, villas, temples, and baths

Continue on to the Sorrento peninsula and sit down for an included dinner.

Spend a free day on the Sorrento peninsula or add an excursion.

Follow in the footsteps of the ancient Romans on a guided tour of the Eternal City.

• Soak up over 2,000 years of history in Imperial Rome, viewing the Arch of Constantine and the Arch of Titus
• Enter the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater of the Roman Empire
• Stop at the ruins of the Forum, once the setting of parades, elections, and trials
• Pass by Palatine Hill to see Circus Maximus, the stadium where ancient Romans raced chariots, and the Baths of Caracalla

Enjoy a full free day in Rome or add an excursion.

This evening, enjoy an elegant, four-course farewell dinner. While you dine, you’ll be treated to some of opera's best-loved arias.

Please note: The opera performance is seasonal and runs from March through November. Dinner will take place at a local restaurant from December through February.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your stay in Rome.