SPECIAL INCLUDED FEATURES:
- 19 included meals -INCLUDED!
- All transfers and baggage handling - INCLUDED!
- Sightseeing and all entrance fees - INCLUDED!
ADDITIONAL INCLUDED FEATURES:
- Air transportation from NYC or NEWARK (other gateways available upon request)
- First Class hotels for 10 nights
- 19 included meals consisting of:
- 10 buffet breakfasts
- 2 dinners at hotel PLUS
- Dining plan: 6 dinners and 1 lunch at popular restaurants
- Wine, mineral water & coffee or cappuccino served with lunch and dinner meals at hotels and restaurants
- Touring by private, air conditioned motorcoach
- Professional Central Holidays Tour Director
- Sightseeing as indicated including local guide and all entrance fees
- All transfers and baggage handling (Land–Only rates do not include airport transfers on arrival and departure
- Travel bag, one per person
- Document holder and luggage tags
- HEAR CLEAR – Personalized audio system to hear every word your guide says even at a distance
- Hotel taxes and service charges
Dining Plan
Seven dinners and one lunch at popular restaurants featuring regional cuisine,
including wine, mineral water and coffee
- Festive dinner in Florence
- 1 lunch in Torgiano
- 2 dinners in Rome
- 2 dinners in Sorrento
- Farewell dinner party in Rome
Bonus Sightseeing
- Michelangelo’s David in Florence
- Excursion to Pisa’s Leaning Tower
- Visit Assisi
- Wine-tasting excursion to Torgiano
- St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
- Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel
- Guided tour of ancient Pompeii
- Excursion to Capri by jetfoil
- Visit Anacapri
- The Amalfi Drive Excursion
- Visit Grotta dello Smeraldo
- The Abbey of Monte Cassino
TOUR DESCRIPTION
On this Italian adventure, travelers visit Florence, Rome
and Sorrento for 12 days with excursions to some of Italy’s
most marveling and exquisite sites. From Michelangelo’s David
in Rome to the Floral Gardens of Augustus in Sorrento, travelers
will get the overall satisfaction of discovering the true essence
of Italy.
ITINERARY & MAP
Day 1–Tue Depart USA
Evening departure. Meals and refreshments served on board.
Day 2–Wed Florence
Morning arrival into Florence Peretola Airport. Here you’ll be met
and transferred to your hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure
so that your may start getting acquainted with the city were Renaissance
had its highest point. Florence is also a city that boasts a cuisine
of high quality. You may explore restaurants on your own or have the
Tour Director assist you in the selection.
Day 3–Thu Florence
Morning tour takes you to Michelangelo Square for a panoramic view of the city, the Academia to see Michelangelo’s original “David” statue, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry with its “Gates of Paradise” doors, Signoria Square and Santa Croce Church. Afternoon free. Tonight, enjoy a festive dinner with wine and music at a charming restaurant located in the beautiful Tuscan hillside outside Florence.
Day 4–Fri Florence (Pisa Excursion)
This morning is free for some last minute shopping or just relaxing. This afternoon you’ll enjoy an excursion to one of the world’s best known sights – the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Late afternoon return to Florence. Dinner is at your hotel.
Day 5–Sat Florence/Lake Trasimeno/Perugia/Assisi/Torgiano/Rome
Morning departure for Rome. Drive through the serene Tuscan and Umbrian countryside passing by the shores of Lake Trasimeno, past the medieval city of Perugia and on to Assisi. Here you will stop at the Basilica of St. Francis, the burial site of St. Francis. Continue south to Torgiano a town known for the production of fine red wine, where you will enjoy a rustic lunch followed with wine tasting tour of the Lungarotti wine cellar and visit the wine museum. Resume your journey to Rome. Tonight, explore the exciting Roman nightlife.
Day 6–Sun Rome
Rome is filled with monuments, museums, fountains, antiquities and other sites worth exploring. Use this free day to discover the ancient and modern aspects of cosmopolitan Rome for yourself or an optional guided tour to Ostia Antica, Catacombs or the Castelli Romani. But don’t forget that Rome is Italy’s shopping mecca with excellent prices on everything from silk neckwear to Gucci leathers. Tonight enjoy a dinner with wine in a lovely Roman restaurant.
Day 7–Mon Rome
This morning experience a very special, privately guided tour of the priceless collection of art and treasures found in the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum. You will be amazed by the beautiful wall frescoes created by Michelangelo, Perugino and Botticelli. The unique ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is surely one of Michelangelo’s greatest achievements. Continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the Christian world, built over the tomb of St. Peter. Then proceed to the Piazza Venezia, Roman Forum, with a stop at the Colosseum – a testament to the greatness of Rome’s past. Continue your full day tour viewing the Arch of Constantine, Circus Maximus, the Synagogue, Isola Tiberina and Castel Sant’ Angelo. Then back to your hotel to get ready to dine out at a popular Roman restaurant.
Day 8–Tue Rome/Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento
This morning drive south along the Highway of the Sun to Naples, where you will have an orientation drive highlighting Via Caracciolo (the seafront promenade), the San Carlo Opera House, Santa Lucia, and the Angevin Castle. Before heading to Sorrento, stop in Pompeii (the ancient city covered by volcanic lava 2,000 years ago), with a guided tour of the remarkably preserved ruins of temples, houses, gardens and public buildings. Then drive along the spectacular coast road of the Bay of Naples to Sorrento, the famous resort town of orange & lemon groves. Dinner at your hotel restaurant included.
Day 9–Wed Sorrento (Capri Excursion)
Morning jetfoil whisks you across the blue Bay of Naples to the fabled Isle of Capri. After a scenic funicular ride to the center of town, visit the Floral Gardens of Augustus, and still have time for shopping! Take a minibus to Anacapri, where you can gaze at the spectacular views from awe-inspiring heights before catching the jetfoil back to Sorrento. Tonight the specialty is Neapolitan cuisine at a dinner with wine in a spectacularly situated restaurant overlooking the Bay of Naples.
Day 10–Thu Sorrento (Positano, Grotta Smeraldo, Amalfi & Vietri Excursion)
A unique excursion along the spectacular Amalfi Coast. Drive to the Belvedere of Positano. Stop to admire the breathtaking panorama of this fisherman’s village built against a mountainside facing a small Tyrrhenian Sea bay. Resume driving to Conca dei Marini. Descend by elevator to Grotta dello Smeraldo. Explore the grotto by boat (weather permitting) and marvel at its impressive stalagmites, stalactites and “emerald” colored waters. After visiting the grotto cruise by boat along the celebrated coastline to Amalfi, the once powerful Maritime Republic. Here you are at leisure to visit the city’s historic center, St. Andrew’s Cathedral and the colorful and narrow city’s alleyways. Continue the excursion by coach to Vietri sul Mare, known for its colorful ceramic. View a demo of the making of such exquisite pottery and tiles. Return to Sorrento in time for dinner at a local restaurant.
Day 11–Fri Sorrento/Monte Cassino/Rome
This morning you depart Sorrento and drive toward Rome. En-route stop at the Abbey of Mt. Cassino, renowned for the battle during World War ll. Upon arrival in Rome, your hotel rooms are ready. Use this free afternoon to discover them for yourself. But don?t forget that Rome is Italy?s shopping mecca with excellent prices on everything from silk neckwear to Gucci leathers. Tonight, experience exquisite cuisine at a fabulous Farewell dinner with wine, in a memorable Roman restaurant.
Day 12–Sat Rome to USA (or extend your stay)
Morning transfer to airport for your return flight home. Meals andrefreshments served aloft. Same day arrival into USA.
