ESSENCE OF ITALY - INDEPENDENT tour
Description
As the title says, with this independent tour we offer the essence of Italy in just 8 days. From Rome to Venice on the path of the classics, travelling comfortly by modern and fast trains. Very professional tour guides will lead by hand into the secrets of the most celebrated museums and sites in Rome, Florence and Venice.
Itinerary
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Day 1 – ARRIVAL in ROMEDay 1 :
Arrival in Rome airport (or train station), meeting with your driver and transfer to your hotel by private transfer.
Overnight in Rome.
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Day 2 – ROME Vatican Museums and Imperial Rome with ColosseumDay 2 :
Breakfast in hotel.
In the morning departure for a SIC excursion to Vatican Museums.
The tour begins by coach, passing through Piazza della Repubblica with the Fountain of the Naiadi. We then follow the ancient Aurelian Walls, which once surrounded the ancient city. At Piazza del Popolo you will see an Egyptian obelisk dating back to the time of Ramses II. Finally, on arrival at the Vatican Walls, your guide will then lead you into the Vatican Museums. There you visit the Gallery of the Tapestries and the Gallery of the Geographical Maps. Next, you arrive in the famous Sistine Chapel, with its magnificent fresco of the Last Judgement by Michelangelo. At the end of the tour, you will have time free to visit the St.Peter’s Basilica.
Our Roman stay includes also another SIC excursion to Colosseum and Imperial Rome departing in the afternoon just after lunchtime (approx. 3 hours). Departure from a very central meeting point at 13.15 and arrival by coach at Piazza Venezia you then continue on foot to the famous Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo from where you will have a fantastic view of the Roman Forum. By coach we will then drive by the Circus Maximus and the Aventino Hill. Stop to admire the beautiful statue of Moses by Michelangelo located in the Church of St. Peter’s in Chains from where it will take us 5 minutes to reach the symbol of the eternal city: The Colosseum (visit inside, the entrance fee is included). Due to seasonal opening times the itinerary may be altered without notice.
Return to hotel.
Overnight in Rome.
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Day 3 – ROME TO FLORENCEDay 3 :
Breakfast in hotel.
Transfer on your own to the train station and departure to Florence via highspeed train.
Arrival in Florence and check-in at hotel.
Free time at leisure.
Overnight in Florence.
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Day 4 – FLORENCE walking tour with Uffizi and AccademiaDay 4 :
After breakfast, departure to a city walking tour. Our visit will start inside the Academy Gallery, where you will admire some of the most important Michelangelo’s sculptures as ‘The Prisoners’, ‘Saint Matthew’ and obviously the well renowned ‘David’. Discover also important Gothic works and Renaissance paintings by Botticelli, Ghirlandaio and Perugino and the original plaster of ‘Rape of Sabine Women’ by Giambologna. At the end of the visit you will have free time for lunch until 1.30 p.m. when we’ll meet for the second part of the tour in Repubblica Square in front of ‘Hard Rock Cafè’. We’ll continue with a pleasant walk through the most fascinating and interesting places of Florence as the Cathedral (exterior) with Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Baptistery (exterior) with its famous Gates of Paradise,
Signoria Square with its Palazzo Vecchio (exterior) and Loggia dei Lanzi. We will conclude the tour discovering Uffizi Gallery with its famous collections of Italian Renaissance paintings. You will have the opportunity to see the works of the greatest artists from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance, as Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo. It is possible to remain into the museum until closing time.
Overnight in Florence.
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Day 5 – FLORENCE Excursion to PisaDay 5 :
Breakfast in hotel.
Departure to a SIC excursion to Pisa (entrance fees at Leaning Tower included).
Pisa is one of the most visited cities in Tuscany and it is famous for its Leaning Tower. The beautiful Piazza dei Miracoli is among the most beautiful monumental complexes in the world. The town’s most prosperous period was undoubtedly the 12th century and this is witnessed by the urban shape of the old town centre with many buildings, squares and alleyways that run along the river Arno, which was for centuries the major communication route. It has always been an estuary town and was already an important naval base in Roman times intensifying trade in the Mediterranean. Pisa is also famous for one of the most prestigious higher learning institutions of Europe: the Scuola Normale Superiore. An authorised city guide will accompany you in the visit of the interior of the Cathedral and the exterior of the Leaning Tower and Monumental Cemetery. At the end of the tour you will also have free time to wander in the square and take plenty of pictures.
Return and overnight in Florence.
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Day 6 – FLORENCE TO VENICEDay 6 :
Breakfast in hotel. Departure to Venice via highspeed train.
Arrival in Venice and check-in at hotel. Free time at leisure.
Walking around Venice feels like a dream. The impossible blue of the canals, the fine mist that sometimes hangs over the city, the experience of turning a corner and seeing an all-white church on an island of its own, or a spindly tree sprouting directly out of the lagoon, give the place a “wait, is this real?” quality that’s hard to shake. With its 150 canals, 400 bridges and magnificent 16th- and 17th-century palaces and piazzas, it is no surprise that Venice is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Gloriously romantic in spring, triumphant in summer, noble in autumn and seductive in winter, it is a popular city break destination all year round.
It’s also a city of contrasts: You can see Renaissance masterpieces in dark, moody churches or cutting-edge contemporary art on the repurposed grounds of a Byzantine shipyard, drink prosecco on the terrace of a Grand Dame hotel or sip plastic cups of “Spritz” across the canal from a gondola repair shop. And although it’s notoriously easy to get lost, that’s part of the joy of discovery. You never know where you might find the next romantically crumbling palazzo, secret garden, or plate of perfect “cicchetti”.
Don't miss the chance to admire: Rialto Bridge; Piazza San Marco and its wonderful Basilica, renowned worldwide for its priceless treasures and fascinating secret places, Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, a beautiful sight, stretching high above the canal, generally known as one of the finest examples of bridge architecture in the world. If you want to have the most romantic views of the city, take the time to do a gondola trip along the canals of Venice and you will live a dream..
Overnight in Venice.
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Day 7 – VENICE – walking city yourDay 7 :
Breakfast in hotel.
In the morning departure for a SIC walking excursion of Venice (entrance fees are not included).
An unforgettable tour to discover Venice through its narrow alleys called “calli”, countless bridges and wide traditional and picturesque squares, still the heart of Venetian people's social life.
Let our professional guide take you into an unforgettable journey among Venice's beauties and history. Discover the famous sites as well as hidden gems mixed with interesting facts about the city of the Serenissima and its everlasting history. The first highlight of the walking tour is St. Mark’s square, with the description of the majestic St. Mark’s Basilica, the elegant Doge’s Palace, the Clock Tower and the Procuratie. From St. Mark’s square we will move forward to Campo Santa Maria Formosa, where we will admire the SS. Giovanni e Paolo church with the famous Pantheon. Follow the Scuola Grande di San Marco also knowns as “Great School of Charity” (the Captains of Fortune). Last but not least, head back to St. Mark’s and admire the Malibran Theatre, step through the famous Mercerie, once the pulsing heart of commercial life back in time, nowadays Venice’s main shopping district between Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square.
At the end chance to have an optional tour (not included) GONDOLA RIDE
30 romantic minutes on a typical gondola in the narrow canal of this amazing city. The gondola is synonymous with Venice, a bit like pizza in Naples, but few know that the gondola really carries the symbol of the city with it. Symbol that is found in the bow iron, or that kind of comb that is found in the bow and that has the function to balance the weight of the gondolier. Its shape, in fact, has nothing random: the S-shaped trend resumes the path of the Grand Canal; the six forward facing teeth correspond to the six districts of Venice; the tooth facing inwards is the island of Giudecca; the arch above the last tooth is the Rialto Bridge; the top end symbolizes the Doge's hat.
Return to hotel.
Overnight in Venice.
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Day 8 – DEPARTURE DAYDay 8 :
Breakfast in hotel.
Transfer to Venice International airport via our combo transfer including boat, assistant and baggage handling.
End of services.
Arrivederci Italia !
What's Included
2 nights in BB arrangement in Rome
3 nights in BB arrangement in Florence
2 nights in BB arrangement in Venice
Transfer on arrival from Rome airport to hotel
Transfer on departure from hotel to Venice airport
Rome to Florence by highspeed train in standard class
Florence to Venice by highspeed train in standard class
SIC excursion to Colosseum and Imperial Rome (entrance fees Coliseum included)
SIC excursion to Vatican Museums (entrance fees included)
SIC excursion in Florence walking city (entrance fees included at Uffizi and Accademia)
SIC excursion to Pisa (entrance fees Leaning Tower included)
SIC excursion in Venice
What's Excluded
City tax at hotels;
Entrance fees at museums not mentioned in “included”;
Optional excursions mentioned in itinerary
Meals;
All not expressively mentioned in “included in rates”.
Meeting Point
Via dell' Aeroporto di Fiumicino, 00054 Fiumicino, IT
Language
English
0: id: 124906 cutoffHours: 168 charge: 100 chargeType: percentage percentage: 100 1: id: 124905 cutoffHours: 23976 charge: 20 chargeType: percentage percentage: 20
Cancellation Policy
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For cancellations upto 2 days before the tour -
Refund of 80% of the tour price.