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Discover Italy Tour: Venice, Tuscany and Rome
Tour Features: Stay and Visit ® Italy – Orofino Tours presents an unforgettable Discover Italy tour of Venice, Tuscany, and Rome. Let us whisk you away on this luxury tour with excursions of Verona, Florence, the Vatican City and more... You will live the "dolce vita" while in our beautiful, hospitable and centrally located four-star hotels. Your dinners (D) are included as described in the itinerary. (B) Breakfasts will be continental style. Day 1 - Depart from your city to Venice
Day 3 - Venice - An early morning departure for a full day in Venice (La Serenissima), world-famous for its canals, built on an archipelago of 122 islands with about 150 canals in a shallow lagoon and all connected by 400 bridges. A professional guide will escort us to San Marco Square (the heart of Venice); Doge's Palace, a gothic palace and residence of the Doge; Rialto Market and many other attractions. The rest of the day is free to explore the magic and flavor of Venice either by ‘gondola’, water taxis or by venturing yourselves on foot through the back alleys and canals. (B & D) Day 4 - Verona - Today we will visit Verona, immortalized by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. A tour guide will lead us through this very medieval town to visit the Roman arena, where operas are still performed (Pavarotti and many others world renowned tenors). We will also visit the celebrated Castelvecchio and bridge, the well preserved Roman theater as well as the lovely bridges and picturesque piazzas. (B & D) Day 5 - Carrara & Montecatini Terme - Transfer from Abano Terme to the marble capital of Italy: Carrara. It was here that Michelangelo selected the marble block for his masterpiece: David. We will arrive in Montecatini Terme and check into our hotel. This afternoon we will take the funicular to Montecatini Alto. (B & D) Day 6 - Florence - A full day in Florence including a guided tour of the Uffizi Art Gallery. Florence is an open-air exhibition of art and culture. It is famous worldwide, the heart of the Renaissance period and home of fine arts and literature. Florence has powerful symbols of Italian and European culture in every nook and cranny, to the extent that it is hard to identify this city with just one symbol. It may be the sculpture of David or, perhaps, the romantic Ponte Vecchio, or Giotto's bell tower. Florence could also be represented by famous people such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo or Dante Alighieri, to name but a few. (B & D)
Day 8 - San Gimignano & Volterra - Today we will see first hand why the scenery of Tuscan countryside is so famous. We will visit the multi-towered town of San Gimignano that rises on a hilltop and Volterra, one of the finest and lesser known hilltop towns in the heart of Tuscany. A haven of Etruscan, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance art and architecture, Volterra is a perfect choice for a peaceful relaxing holiday. (B & D)
Day 10 – Rome - Morning at leisure. This afternoon we will have a tour of Imperial Rome. One of the symbols of Rome is the Coliseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and used for gladiatorial combat. The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. The Spanish Steps is a set of steps climbing a steep slope between the Piazza di Spagna and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. It is named after the nearby Embassy of Spain (1653). The famous Scalinata is without a doubt the longest and widest staircase in Europe. The Trevi Fountain is the largest and most ambitious of the Baroque fountains in Rome. This fountain was immortalized by films such as “Three coins in the Fountain, Roman Vacation, La Dolce Vita“. (B & D) Day 11 - Rome & Vatican City - Morning tour of Vatican City with a professional guide. The story of the “Vatican” started about two thousand years ago when the Apostle Peter was buried across the Tiber river in 67 A.D. The Basilica of Saint Peter is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. It is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City and built on the ruins of Old Saint Peter's Basilica. As you enter, to your right, Michelangelo’s “Pieta’” is displayed. The “Colonnade” was built by Bernini (1656 - 1666). The Vatican Museums display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. The Sistine Chapel is in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope. Its fame rests in its decoration, frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo. The ceiling is legendary and it is in the Sistine Chapel that every new Pope is selected.
Day 12 – Rome - Transfer to Fiumicino Airport, have a safe return home, treasure the memories and …Grazie and arrivederci A Presto! (B) We reserve the right to change the itinerary and schedule times for logistic reasons. Departures from North America
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Day 2 - Abano Terme - We are met at Venice Airport and transferred to our hotel in 
Day 7 - Pisa & Lucca - Today we will see Italy's most photographed attraction, the Leaning Tower of 
Day 9 – Siena, Cortona & Rome - This morning we will visit 
Other places of interest worth visiting on your own are: Piazza del Popolo with the church of Santa Maria where masterpieces of Pinturicchio, Raphael, Caravaggio and Bernini can be admired; Piazza Navona it is considered the most beautiful baroque square in Rome; The Pantheon is still the biggest concrete dome in the world (27 B.C.); Borghese Museum and Gallery with Bernini’s masterpieces “Apollo and Daphne”, “The Rape of Persephone“; Piazza Venezia with the monument to Italy‘s king Vittorio Emanuele (The Wedding Cake); Trastevere where the locals enjoy their favorite dishes of “abbacchio and spaghetti a’ matriciana”. (B & D)
