Day 1:
Arrive in Rome, Italy. Time to rest or start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 5 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 2:
Rome. Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)

Day 3:
Rome–Florence. A smooth drive past the Chianti hills takes you to Florence, capital of Tuscany and “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Afternoon at leisure to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry or to visit one of Florence’s many museums. (B)

Day 4:
Florence–Venice. During your walking tour with a Local Guide, visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s celebrated David. Admire the magnificent cathedral, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Then, head across the wooded Apennine Mountains to Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. Tonight is your chance to sample Venetian fare. (B)

Day 5:
Venice. Highlights of your guided walking tour this morning are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Afterwards, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (B)

Day 6:
Venice–Ravenna–Assisi. Along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea to Ravenna. Here, see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century BASILICA OF ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon, arrive in Assisi and visit the massive 13th-century lower BASILICA OF ST. FRANCIS built above the Saint’s grave. Time to enjoy the peaceful town at your own pace. (B,D)

Day 7:
Assisi–Pompeii–Naples. Overnight Cruise to Palermo. Meet your Local Guide and enter POMPEII, the Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See patrician houses, public baths, and commercial districts strikingly recalling day-to-day life when Rome was at the apex of her power. Tonight, board your FERRY in Naples for the overnight cruise to Sicily. (B)

Day 8:
Palermo. After disembarkation, start your sightseeing with a Local Guide. Visit the ornate Piazza Bellini, the CATHEDRAL, and the Arab-Norman PALATINE CHAPEL in the Royal Palace. After lunch, drive up to Monreale for a panoramic view of the Conca d’Oro and a visit to the 12th-century NORMAN CATHEDRAL, famous for its 50,000 square feet of precious byzantine mosaics. Your first day in Sicily ends with a visit to the typical and picturesque village of Mondello before returning to Palermo. (B,D)

Day 9:
Palermo–Marsala–Agrigento. Along the western coast of Sicily all the way down to the saltbeds, famous since Roman times. Near Marsala, stop to visit a SALT MILL. Then, continue to Agrigento, where your Local Guide will take you for a spectacular walk through the VALLEY OF TEMPLES. Even travelers who have visited Athens and Delphi are awed by the gigantic yet graceful Greek structures that miraculously survived 24 centuries of tormented history. (B,D)

Day 10:
Agrigento–Taormina Area. Enjoy the scenic beauty and treasures of the island’s heart on your way to the Taormina area. Later, focus on the 3rd-century GREEK AMPHITHEATER, the second largest of its kind in Sicily. Situated above the city, it affords spectacular views of the bay and Mount Etna. (B)

Day 11:
At Leisure in Taormina Area. In the morning you may wish to join the half-day optional excursion to Mount Etna. Afternoon is at leisure to relax or for individual activities. (B,D)

Day 12:
Taormina Area–Sorrento. Today, board a FERRY and cross the Strait of Messina to land at the toe of the Italian boot in Calabria. Tonight, you are in the charming resort of Sorrento, delightfully situated on the Bay of Naples. (B)

Day 13:
Sorrento. Excursion to Capri. Speed across the Bay of Naples by JETFOIL to the Isle of Capri, an ancient retreat for Roman emperors and renowned ever since that time for its beauty. Ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village for a guided visit of this pretty town. Free time to explore the little shops on the Piazzetta before returning to Sorrento. The remainder of the day is at leisure. (B)

Day 14:
Sorrento–Rome. Return to Rome. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine in a local restaurant to celebrate the success of your vacation. (B,D)

Day 15:
Rome. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)