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Insight - Best of Italy - Small Group, Winter (03/2023 - 04/2023) (SW922N17)

11 Days From Rome to Rome 
Tour Style: Regional Europe
Insight Brochure Price from $3,950.00
Brochures: Europe Winter 2022-2023, Europe Winter 2023-2024 v2
Visits: Italy, Vatican City

Explore the best of Italy on this 11-day guided tour. In Rome, enjoy a VIP Vatican tour that includes access to the Bramante Staircase — a spiraling Renaissance masterpiece normally off-limits to visitors. As your travels continue along the Bay of Naples, stop on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius for lunch at a local farm still growing traditional produce unique to the region. In Florence, learn the secrets of leather making from a local leatherworker. Fall in love with Venice as you see churches and palaces from a private boat, and cruise its canals on a romantic gondola ride. Sail to Capri, where craggy mountains cascade into the Tyrrhenian Sea; a Local Expert will help you navigate its narrow alleys. But before you say arrivederci to Italy, enjoy one last experience: a private opera during a four-course meal that features local wine.
Choice Highlights
  • Choose between two carefully selected activities
  • Florence: Wander through the market stalls and browse for local Italian souvenirs and leather goods on a guided shopping tour.

Well-being
  • : Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
  • : Experience enhanced hygiene protocols to align with the latest guidance following COVID-19.All Travel Directors, Well-Being Directors and Drivers have completed training in enhanced well-being and hygiene protocols.
  • : We only work with establishments we are confident will consistently adhere to our high well-being standards, which include hotels, restaurants and sight-seeing venues.
  • : Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Travel Director
  • : "Italians are very fashionable but their cooking is the opposite - simple, rustic and down to earth. A handful of quality vegetables, fresh herbs and beans are turned into a warm and comforting soup."
  • : "One fun fact people don't usually know before they come to Italy is that the Italian alphabet only has 22 letters."
  • : "One food I really love introducing my guests to is tramezzini sandwiches because they are a real art form in Venice. For the locals it is a quick inexpensive bite to get them through the day...best eaten standing up at the bar!"

Authentic Dining
  • Rome: Enjoy a Welcome Dinner with your fellow travellers at a uniquely Roman local restaurant.
  • Rome: Enjoy a Celebration Dinner of delicious Italian cuisine and wine, accompanied by the rich tremolo of some of Italy's best loved songs.
  • Dining Summary: 5 Dinner with Wine (DW), 10 Breakfast (B), and 1 Lunch with Wine (LW)

Insight Experiences
  • Vatican: Gain priority access into the Vatican Museums and admire the famous Bramante Staircase. Witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and view the splendid dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Top Rated Highlights
  • Rome: Discover ancient treasures of Rome with a passionate local. See Circus Maximus and the Ancient Forum, and stand beside the Colosseum, which bears witness to the limitless courage of the gladiators.
  • Florence: See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods and witness a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
  • Florence: Wander through the market stalls and browse for local Italian souvenirs and leather goods on a guided shopping tour.
  • Florence: Enjoy panoramic views over of the city and see the Florence Cathedral. During your guided walking orientation, see the bell tower, Gates of Paradise on the baptistery and visit Piazza della Signoria.
  • Pisa: During your orientation, your Travel Director will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, and the colonnaded bell tower lurches behind the 11th century cathedral - the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
  • Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
  • Venice: Delight in the magic of this charming city as you are serenaded, travelling through the atmospheric canals by gondola.
  • Assisi: See St. Mary of the Angels Church and join your Local Expert to walk through the cobbled streets and beautifully preserved medieval laneways of this quaint town.
  • Assisi: With a Local Expert, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered one of the crowning achievements of Europe.
  • Capri: Cruise by jetfoil to this famous isle through beautiful blue Mediterranean waters to meet your Local Expert.
  • Capri: Explore Capri town with your Local Expert and see the whitewashed houses, winding alleyways, small cafes, fashionable boutiques and artisans studios.
  • Capri: Relax and enjoy the views as you are driven in an iconic open-top taxi.
  • Pompeii: Walk with a Local Expert through the cobbled streets of this ill-fated town, frozen in time since the 1st century.

Make Travel Matter
  • Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft.  The workshop advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
  • Vesuvius National Park: Visit Casa Barone, a small family-run farm on the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius and one of the world’s only producers of Piennolo tomatoes. Learn about their commitment to sustainability and taste the flavours of this special tomato during your Farm-to-Table lunch. Casa Barone cultivates the endangered endemic food species of Piennolo tomato as well as other traditional elements of the classic Vesuvian Countryside, using cultivation methods with low environmental impact. Through their production the farm prevents the local biodiversity from disappearing. This experience advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land.

Insight Tour Itinerary

Day 1Welcome to the Eternal City of Rome
Welcome to Rome, a glorious city filled with classic antiquities, medieval buildings, Renaissance palaces and baroque churches. Transfers depart from Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport for your hotel at 09:30, 12:30 and 15:30. Relax and settle in before joining your Travel Director at 17:30, and get to know your fellow travellers over a delicious Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
Visits: Rome
Meals: Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Romanico Palace, Rome.
Day 2Vatican City and Rome with a Local
The day is devoted to The Eternal City. Join a Local Expert for an in-depth visit to the Vatican Museums, full of priceless art treasures collected by the Popes. Insight has arranged special priority entry and behind-the-scenes access to the Bramante Staircase, a marvel of Renaissance architecture, normally off-limits to visitors. Visit the Sistine Chapel, where Popes are elected, to admire Michelangelo’s famous ceiling. Continue to St. Peter’s Basilica, to wonder at another of his works, the emotive ‘Pietà,’ and stand beneath the dome completed after his death. Cross the Tiber river to enjoy ancient Rome. See the incredible Circus Maximus. Admire the beautifully preserved Arch of Constantine, and walk on the ancient pavement. Discover the history, the construction and the legends of the iconic Colosseum as you stroll around the exterior of this amazing structure. Later, perhaps continue your exploration of Rome to see the Pantheon, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain and enjoy free time around Piazza Navona?
Visits: Rome, Vatican
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Romanico Palace, Rome.
Day 3The Chianti Hills to Florence
Drive to the Chianti Hills and the city of Florence. On arrival, you will be privy to the secrets of traditional Florentine leatherwork and see a gold demonstration. This evening, indulge in a delicious meal at a local restaurant.
Visits: Rome, Florence
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Adler Cavalieri, Florence.
Day 4Florence, Birthplace of the Renaissance
Explore Florence with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo's David. Alternatively, wander through the market stalls on a guided shopping tour, enjoying all the Italian treats and finery on offer. Continue on foot to the multi-coloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, where Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory. Visit Piazza della Signoria, still the political heart of Florence and an open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces. Spend time gazing at statues such as Neptune and Hercules and Cacus along the front of the Palazzo Vecchio. In the afternoon, perhaps visit medieval San Gimignano?
Visits: Florence
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: NH Firenze, Florence.
Day 5Pisa to Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic
Journey to the coastal town of Pisa and see the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles, as well as the baptistery and colonnaded bell tower behind the cathedral. Relax and enjoy the scenery as you cross the spectacular Apennine Mountains, through the Emilia-Romagna region - one of Europe's most intensely farmed and fertile plains. Continue through the marshes of the Venetian Lagoon before crossing the causeway into the floating city of Venice. As evening falls, day-trippers desert the city to return to the mainland. Appreciate the peace and tranquility of Venice from your centrally located hotel.This evening, indulge in a delicious dinner at a local restaurant.
Visits: Florence, Pisa, Venice
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione.
Day 6Venice and the Magic of La Serenissima Relaxed Start
Stroll past historic churches and 13th century palaces to St. Mark's Square. The first sight is the gilded facade of St. Mark's Basilica. Turn the corner, and view the pink marble of the Doge's Palace, connected to the prisons by the Bridge of Sighs. It was from here that Casanova made his daring escape. Afterwards, board a traditional gondola for a serenade along the romantic canals. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional arts centre. See how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills.
Visits: Venice
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Splendid Venice - Starhotels Collezione.
Day 7Assisi
Journey to the peaceful town of Assisi, dotted with medieval churches, colourful frescoes and shady courtyards.In the valley, see the Church of St. Mary of the Angels, much venerated as the place of St. Francis' death, then continue up Mount Subasio to the upper town. With your Local Expert, step inside the huge Basilica of St. Francis, built in the 13th century. The frescoes painted by Giotto here heralded a new era in Italian art.Arrive at your hotel, located in the heart of the medieval Old Town. Enjoy the tranquility of the historic old town during free time.
Visits: Venice, Umbria, Assisi
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: Hotel Giotto Assisi.
Day 8Sorrento on the coast
Travel south passing Cassino, the scene of a fierce battle during World War II. Follow the spectacular clifftop road to the picturesque resort of Sorrento, overlooking the Bay of Naples to Mount Vesuvius.  After checking in to your hotel, spend the rest of the day at your leisure.
Visits: Assisi, Sorrento
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Regina, Sorrento.
Day 9Capri, the Isle of Dreams
Cross the Bay of Naples to reach the beautiful Isle of Capri, a rock rising sheer from the Mediterranean! For 2,000 years, Capri has beckoned visitors from Tiberius to Gracie Fields. Arriving at the Marina Grande by boat, ascend to Capri town by one of the island's iconic open-top taxis. A Local Expert joins you for an exploration of the narrow alleyways. Descend to the port by funicular railway and return to Sorrento, where you are at leisure for the rest of the day. Perhaps head to Positano for an exploration of the colourful Amalfi Coast?
Visits: Sorrento, Capri
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel Regina, Sorrento.
Day 10Pompeii, frozen in time and on to Rome
Continue to Pompeii, the opulent Roman town which was preserved by layers of ash from the disastrous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. A walk with your Local Expert through the cobbled streets and extensive excavations reveals the daily life of ancient Roman civilisation. Visit the Forum and peer into shops and patrician villas, decorated with colourful wall paintings. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience in Vesuvius National Park and visit Casa Barone. This small family run farm on the slopes of the volcano is one of the world’s only producers of Piennolo tomatoes, an endangered fruit that only thrives in the fertile volcanic soil. Each harvest is sustainably farmed and cared for by the extended Barone family, who all work here. Be sure to savour the unique flavours of this rare tomato during a truly unique Farm-to-Table lunch. Your journey continues to Rome. In the evening, enjoy an elegant four-course Celebration Dinner with local wine at a Roman restaurant. As you dine, enjoy a private performance of popular songs and arias from some of Italy's best-loved operas.
Visits: Sorrento, Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius, Rome
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch with Wine, Dinner with Wine
Accommodation: NH Roma Centro, Rome., Kolbe Hotel Rome.
Day 11Arrivederci Roma
Bid farewell to the glories of Italy. Departure transfers arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport at 07:00 and 09:30.
Visits: Rome
Meals: Breakfast


Available Room Types: Single, Triple, Twin, Twinshare
Child: ages 5 to 17

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