Your Italian adventure begins as you depart on your international flight.

Our representatives will meet you at the airport in Milan. Begin your time in Italy with a stop overlooking Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake. Continue to Verona, home to Roman ruins and Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, whose story was set in Verona. Finish the day at your hotel in Verona.

Travel by boat to the magical city of Venice. Rising between sea and sky, this fascinating city boasts waterways and boats instead of roads and cars, encompassing 118 islands separated by more than 150 canals. Stand in the Piazza San Marco, bordered on three sides by palatial arcades in two tiers and faced on the other by the Basilica of St. Mark, one of the world’s most magnificent churches. Tour the Basilica with its treasure of marble and gold background mosaics. From the square, you can see the famous Bell Tower and the Clock Tower, as well as the charming pink and white Doges’ Palace. After seeing the romantic Bridge of Sighs, enjoy free time to explore on your own. You can shop, stroll along the bridges and canals, or even indulge in a gondola ride along the Grand Canal.
Return to your hotel in Verona for dinner and overnight.

Travel to Pisa and snap your photo in front of the famous Leaning Tower. This 180-foot-tall round tower is over 10 degrees out of perpendicular. Originally designed to stand straight, it began to lean during its construction in 1173, but corrective efforts failed. Even without its tilt, the building would still be one of the most remarkable bell towers in all of Europe. Wander the medieval walled city of Lucca, the birthplace of Puccini. Each wall is lined with a different species of tree, encompassing a town full of medieval churches. Check into your hotel in Montecatini Terme for dinner and overnight.

Your journey continues as you travel to Assisi, the charming medieval town once home to Saint Francis. Just two years after his death, the large Basilica was started in his memory. At one time, the land on which the church now stands was an execution ground for condemned criminals. In humility, Saint Francis asked to be buried there, and it became known as the Hill of Paradise. The church contains his tomb and many great works of art. Finish your day by
checking in to your hotel in Rome for your three-night stay.

Listen to the Papal message this morning in St. Peter’s Square. Experience the glory of Christian Rome today as you visit the Vatican, home to one of the greatest museums in the world. And, of course, tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s frescoes, now restored to their full, colorful glory. Tour the Catacombs of St. Sebastino and see some of the only surviving examples of early Christian art. In the 1840s, Pope Gregory XVI took steps to preserve the catacombs and their treasures. Visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which stands over the place Constantine built the first church over St. Paul’s grave.

History is woven through the streets and neighborhoods of Rome as in no other city. Explore the many wonders of ancient Rome as you visit the magnificent Colosseum and the Pantheon. From the most sacred hill of ancient
Rome, Campidoglio, view the Forum. See the Circus Maximus, the Arch of Titus, the famous Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Constantine, and the Victor Emanuel Monument. View the Monti Region; Rome’s most ancient neighborhood spreads over three of her seven hills. In the afternoon, explore the romance of Rome as you climb the graceful Spanish Steps and stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Return to your hotel to begin packing for your journey home.

Return home.