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 concentrates on ancient Rome: visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursions. (B)

Day 3:
Rome–Florence. Start 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. Next is Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany and the “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Tonight an optional dinner at a typical Tuscan restaurant can be arranged. (B)

Day 4:
Florence. Follow your Local Guide to the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s David and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon and evening at leisure. (B)

Day 5:
Florence–Pisa–Venice. Drive to Pisa and take pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, straight across the wooded Etruscan Apennine Mountains to Venice. (B)

Day 6:
Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. 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. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. (B,D)

Day 7:
Venice–Ferrara–Assisi. A scenic drive today through the lush plains of the mighty River Po to Ferrara. Stroll past imposing Este Castle to the marble cathedral before continuing to peaceful Assisi. A walking tour with a Local Guide features ST. CLARE’S CHURCH and ST. FRANCIS’ BASILICA, the hub of a religious order devoted to ideals of humility, forgiveness, simplicity, and love for God’s creatures. Hear about monastic life and see the priceless frescoes adorning the walls of the church. (B,D)

Day 8:
Assisi–Ancona–Overnight Cruise to Patras, Greece. In Ancona, board your high-speed FERRY for your overnight cruise to Greece. (B,D)

Day 9:
Patras–Olympia. Dock at Patras and continue by motorcoach to Olympia. (B,D)

Day 10:
Olympia–Delphi. Focus on Olympia, where the athletes of antiquity performed in honor of the king of deities. Learn about the history of those original Olympic Games as you walk with your Local Guide among the impressive remains of the GYMNASIUM and the Temples of Hera and Zeus. Visit the MUSEUM, which displays a magnificent statue of Hermes. In the afternoon, proceed to mythical Delphi. (B,D)

Day 11:
Delphi–Athens. Morning visit with a Local Guide to the ancient sanctuary of the god Apollo in its dramatic setting on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. Hear about the Oracle and tour the EXCAVATIONS. Also visit the ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM to admire the Charioteer of Delphi, an extraordinary 5th-century BC bronze statue. On your way to Athens, your Tour Director will tell you about Thebes, the setting of Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, and Marathon, where 10,000 Athenians defeated more than twice that number of Persian invaders in 490 BC. You may wish to join an optional dinner outing to one of Plaka’s tavernas with cool Retsina wines and folk dancing reminiscent of Zorba the Greek. (B)

Day 12:
Athens. Tour the capital’s classical sights with a Local Guide: the Parthenon’s crowning beauty atop the ACROPOLIS, the Erechtheum with its Porch of Maidens, the beautifully preserved Theseum, Roman Temple of Zeus, Theater of Dionysus, and the Agora where Socrates taught. Vistas of the Royal Palace, government buildings, and elegant homes in the modern city provide a striking contrast to the remains of a glorious past. Exciting optional evening excursions are available. (B)

Day 13:
At Leisure in Athens. A full day at leisure. How about an optional day cruise to the islands of Aegina, Hydra, and Poros? This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with wine to celebrate the success of your vacation. (B,D)

Day 14:
Athens. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)