Italian Essence

Day 01.- Saturday: Arrival in Venice and free time (Overnight)

Arrival at the airport of Venice. Assistance at the airport and transfer to the hotel. Free time to enjoy Venice at your choice.

Depending on the flight arrival time, there are the following optional activities available:

• Gondola ride, duration 25-30 minutes
• Boat trip through Murano, Burano and Torcello Islands, duration 4h.
• 30 minutes Walking tour of Venice, duration 1h.15 minutes

Day 02.- Sunday: Chianti Valley with visit to a wine estate and tasting of wines and local products (Tuscany)

(Breakfast + Tasting + Overnight)

After breakfast departure to the Chianti Valley. This mountainous landscape, mixed together with olive groves, cypresses, vineyards and palaces, never fail to impress. You will experience the harmony of colours with your eyes, that only the hill in this region has to offer. Visit to a country estate with its vineyards and its cellars with the tasting of wines and local products. Arrival at the hotel in Rome and overnight.

Day 03: Monday: Guided tour of the Vatican Museums + St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning

(Breakfast + Overnight)

Breakfast at the hotel and pick up for the guided tour of the Vatican Museums. Following our knowledgeable and passionate guide, the tour begins at the Vatican Museums with its immense collection built up by the Popes throughout the centuries. The itinerary includes the Pio Clementino Hall, the Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere, the Maps Gallery, the Candelabra Gallery, the Tapestries Gallery and the Sistine Chapel to admire the breathtaking frescos by Michelangelo, one of the most celebrated masterpieces in the world. From the Museum you will exit directly into St Peter’s Basilica, the most important Christian Church in the world, heart of the Catholic religion, where you will admire, among others, Michelangelo’s masterpiece La Pietà and the impressive Baldachin Altar by Bernini. Should St. Peter’s Basilica be closed, the tour will instead include the visit of Raphael’s rooms. Tour ends in the suggestive St Peter’s Square, dominated by Michelangelo’s imposing Cupola and surrounded by the famous Bernini’s double Colonnade. Free afternoon. Drop off at hotel is not included. Overnight at the hotel in Rome.

Day 04.- Tuesday: Visit of Florence by high-speed train WITH TYPICAL TUSCAN LUNCH

(Breakfast + Lunch + Overnight)

Pick-up from your hotel is at approx. 05:30 a.m., and we transfer you to the train station, where our assistant meets you with your tickets and information for the day. At 06:05 a.m., the train departs to Florence and arrives at Santa Maria Novella Railway Station at 07:30 am. At 08:10 a.m., you begin a full-day tour of the city. Discover its outstanding views of Piazzale Michelangelo and Fiesole and admire its most important artistic sites: Piazza Signoria, Santa Croce Basilica, the Duomo and Baptistery. Venture inside Uffizi Gallery, where you can find classics such as Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus,” Leonardo’s “The Annunciation,” and Michelangelo’s “Tondo Doni,” followed by a visit to the Academy Gallery, renowned as the house of the original David, Michelangelo’s masterpiece. The tour includes a typical Tuscan lunch. At 06:40 p.m., depart back to Rome from Santa Maria Novella Railway Station (we recommend you to be at the station 20 minutes early). Arrive at the railway station in Rome at 08:20 p.m.. End of services, drop-off at hotels is not included. You can return to your hotel by subway or by taxi, both available at the railway station. Overnight stay in Rome.

Day 05.- Wednesday: Transfer to the airport of Rome

(Breakfast)

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer to the airport of Rome. End of our services.