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Discover Italy Tour: Venice, Tuscany, Rome and Amalfi Coast

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Tour Features:

• 17 day Escorted Tour
• First Class Hotel/Resort in Abano, Montecatini, Rome & Ischia
• 30 Meals
• House wine and mineral water with lunch and dinner at the Grand Hotel**** Ischia & Lido Resort & SPA
• Most admissions included.

Stay and Visit ® Italy – Orofino Tours presents presents this unforgettable tour of Venice, Tuscany, Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Unpack your luggage and begin enjoying the "dolce vita". Lunches (L) and dinners (D) will include house wine and mineral water dinner at the Grand Hotel**** Ischia & Lido Resort & SPA. Breakfasts (B) will be continental style.

Day 1 - Depart from your city to Venice

Day 2 - Abano Terme - We are met at Venice Airport and transferred to our hotel in Abano Terme. Abano is a famous SPA town since the Roman Empire and located a short distance from Venice. The afternoon is at leisure. (D)

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 7 - Pisa & Lucca - Today we will see Italy's most photographed attraction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Campo dei Miracoli or "Field of Miracles'' north of the old town center. The Campo dei Miracoli also houses the Duomo (the Cathedral), the Baptistery and the Camposanto (the monumental cemetery). We will also visit the lovely city of Lucca. Its walls retained intact even as the city expanded and modernized. The wide walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade ringing the old town; although they were used for a number of years in the 20th century for racing cars. The walls are still intact today. The four principal sides are each lined with a different type of tree. (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 9 – Siena, Cortona & Rome - This morning we will visit Cortona (Under the Tuscan Sun) and Siena, a flamboyant medieval mélange of palaces and towers, olive groves and orchards. The history of Siena has been made on the Piazza del Campo where they organized the Palio. We then continue to Rome (the Eternal) capital city of Italy. Legend has it that Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus. Arrival at the Grand Hotel**** Olympic (located in the city center) in the afternoon. This Great City will be our home for the next three days. (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.

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)

Day 12 - Pompeii & Ischia - Morning departure to the beautiful island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. On the road we will stop in Pompeii mainly famous for the ruins of the ancient city of Pompeii, destroyed during a catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A professional guide will give insights of life during Roman times. Arrival at the Grand Hotel**** Ischia & Lido Resort & SPA (located in the city center) in the afternoon. (B & D)

Day 13 - Capri - Mini-cruise to the island of Capri. A funicular carries us up to Piazza Umberto I, the world famous ‘Piazzetta’, lined with luxury boutiques, expensive restaurants and paparazzi chasing celebrities. Features of the island are the Marina Piccola, Belvedere of Tragara which is a highly panoramic promenade lined with villas, Faraglioni (rugged rocks jutting up from the sea), Anacapri, the Blue Grotto and the ruins of the Imperial Roman villas. (B & D)

Day 14 - Sorrento - A short walk to the port and… mini-cruise on our way to the best-loved resorts: Sorrento, the lemon-scented jewel of the peninsula. Free full day in Sorrento to shop for the local specialty inlaid carving (intarsia), to enjoy the best views of the enchanting bay of Naples or to have lunch and wine in a local trattoria. Back to Ischia for a quick swim or relaxation in the spa before dinner at the hotel. (B & D)

Day 15 - Amalfi & Positano - We will visit the world famous Amalfi Coast, thought by many to be the most beautiful stretch of scenery in the entire Mediterranean. We will visit two of the area's best-loved resorts with a mini-cruise to Amalfi, the main town of the coast. Amalfi lies at the mouth of a deep ravine surrounded by dramatic cliffs and coastal scenery; Positano sits in an enclave in the hills leading down to the coast. (B & D)

Day 16 - Naples - Transfer from Ischia to Naples for a motor coach tour of the city. A breathtaking view of the bay from the hilltop of Posillipo and…you will understand why the Neapolitans are so much in love with their city! Arrival at your new first class hotel in Naples in the afternoon. (B & D)

Day 17 – Naples - Transfer to Capodichino 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. 
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Departures from North America

Price
All departures $ 4,499 per person based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $500 for a single room or $999 for a double room, single occupant.

Airfares are not included.

For more information and for reservations contact:
Stay and Visit ® Italy – Orofino Tours

North America Office
7256 South Tamiami Trail
Sarasota - Florida - 34231 - USA
Tel: 941-870-2498
Toll Free: 1.877-222-4857
Fax: 941-870-3497
E-Mail: info@stayandvisit.com

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