MONTECATINI + ROMA

DAY 1 – FLORENCE

We will make an easy connecting flight to Florence. Upon arrival, we will be met by our tour hosts and transferred to our hotel. We will enjoy a light snack and an afternoon at leisure at the hotel prior to an orientation meeting this evening, followed by dinner.

DAY 2 – FLORENCE

After breakfast at the hotel, we will depart by private motorcoach (with an English – speaking escort)for Florence. On our tour, we will stroll among the stirring sights of Florence including: Giotto’s Belltower, Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, and Brunelleschi’s Dome. Oue tour ends in Signoria Square. Box lunch. The afternoon is at our leisure to explore on our own. In the late afternoon, we will return to Montecatini for dinner at our hotel.

DAY 3 – PISA, LUCCA

After breakfast, we will depart for Pisa, where we will see the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles. We will also stop to see Pisa’s Duomo, the Baptistery, and the Camposanto Monumente. Box lunch. In the afternoon, we will visit Lucca, the home of the great operatic composer, Giacomo Puccini, including a short tour and time for shopping. Return to Montecatini for dinner.

DAY 4 – BOLOGNA– PADUA – VENICE

After breakfast, we will depart our hotel for Venice. On the way, we pass Bologna and Padua, home of the Basilica of St. Anthony. We will board a vaporetto (water taxi)to San Mark’s Square in Venice where a local guide will be waiting to show us this inique city – the”Queen of the Adriatic”. We will also visit San Mark’s Basilica, walk over the small bridges to the Bridge of Sighs and past winding waterways to the Rialto. Box lunch. The afternoon is free for shopping and browsing on our own. We will depart Venice following dinner.

DAY 5 – SIENA – StGIMIGNANO

Following breakfast, we will head southwest for Siena, through the heart of Italian Wine Country and over the rolling hills of Chianti. Our escort will take us to Piazza del Campo, through the narrow streets and past the medieval towers and walls. Box lunch. A must stop are the cafes that serve the famous”Ricciarelli”cookies, a specialty of Siena. On the way back to Montecatini, we will visit San Gimignano, a charming medieval hilltop town famous for its many towers and great shopping. Dinner is at our hotel.

DAY 6 – MONTECATINI TERME – ROME

After breakfast, the morning is at leisure for shopping in Montecatini Terme, which is renowned for its health spas, the most charming called Terme Tettuccio. Here we can spend the morning sitting and sipping the thermal waters, medically approved to be curative and healthy for everybody. There are waters to suit all tastes: salty/less salty, hot/warm/cold, or any combination. The surroundings seem as though they are from a movie!We enter through a melange of beautiful Carrera marble, with iron gates, and fresco – lined walls that depict people drinking the waters. We will be provided with a glass with which we can drink as much water as we want. There is a delightful orchestra/ensemble playing the most enjoyable classical music. After we have taken our fill of”the waters”, we can relax and enjoy the wonderful music and ambience before returning to our hotel for lunch. After lunch, we will check – out of our hotel and head off to Rome!Upon arrival, we will check – in to the hotel where we will stay the next three nights. Dinner is included this evening at the hotel.

DAY 7 – VATICAN CITY – ROME

Following breakfast, we will depart for Vatican City and our morning tour of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Christianity. Following a stop for lunch, we turn, no matter where we look, the entire city is a spectacular document on the history of Western Civilisation. Our local guide will illustrate, step – by – step, the history and art of Rome as we follow our tour to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Trevi Fountain, and Piazza Navonna. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 8 – ROME

After breakfast, we will have an entire day at leisure to do some sightseeing on our own, shop for those last minute gift items or just relax at a sidewalk ristorante sipping cappuccino. Optional tours are available. Lunch and dinner are at our hotel. Overnight.