Easy Pace Italy
10 Day Italy Tour to Venice, Florence & Rome | Operated by InsightVacations
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10 Days
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2 Countries
Italy, Vatican City -
7 Cities
Rome, Vatican, Florence, Pisa, Tuscany, Bologna, Venice -
14 Meals
4 Dinner with Wines, 9 Breakfasts, 1 Lunch with Wine -
Pace: Comfortable
Mainly 2–3-night stays in each location. Comfortable travel days with numerous stops. Requires 1-3 miles of walking per day that might involve some uneven surfaces, such as cobblestones and stairs.
Trip Itinerary
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. Relax and settle in before joining your Travel Director at 17.30 and getting to know your fellow travelers over a delicious Welcome Dinner with wine at a local restaurant.
In the morning, enjoy the very best of the city’s highlights including visiting the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City with your Local Expert. Cross the Tiber river to enjoy ancient Rome. See the incredible Circus Maximus famous for its chariot races, and the iconic Colosseum. Enjoy fast-tracked entry into the Vatican Museums with a Local Expert. Admire the Papal art collection, before entering the Sistine Chapel to marvel at Michelangelo’s masterpiece on its ceiling. Dine on Lazio's culinary specialties at Ristorante Di Rienzo, located beside the Pantheon, an architectural masterpiece and symbol of Italy.
Spend another day enjoying Rome at your own pace. Stroll to the boutiques of the Via del Corso and Via Nazionale or visit the elegant designer stores near the Spanish Steps. Perhaps take an Optional Experience south to the ill-fated town of Pompeii, buried in 79 AD by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, to visit one of the greatest archaeological sites in the world. With your Local Expert, stroll into a 2,000-year-old town revealing fascinating discoveries preserved in time. With the dormant volcano of Vesuvius and panoramic views of the Bay of Naples in the background, you have a few treats in store along the way and then return to Rome, passing the formidable Abbey of Montecassino, one of the greatest shrines of Christendom and the site of an epic battle in 1944. As night falls, why not sip a glass of prosecco at a sidewalk café in the Piazza Navona and enjoy life’s pageantry pass by?
Drive through Lazio and the rolling hills of Umbria, regarded as Italy's green heart. Admire the Medieval hilltop towns perched like crown jewels overlooking the valleys below. Journey to the Chianti Hills and the city of Florence. Explore Florence with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo’s David. After, continue on foot to admire the multi-colored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, where Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory. Continue into the 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. Alternatively, take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce to enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café, where you will be in the perfect spot to admire the basilica, the final resting place of Galileo and Machiavelli. And indulge in people-watching the elegant Florentines.
Indulge yourself this morning in exploring Florentine luxury goods. Learn about the craft involved in the local leatherwork during a demonstration and be entranced by the intricate creations of the goldsmiths art. Admire the rolling green hills of Tuscany and the impressive medieval towers of San Gimignano on an Optional Experience this afternoon.
After a leisurely morning in Florence, explore the nearby town of Pisa with a Local Expert. See the Leaning Tower, baptistery and the colonnaded bell tower, lurching out from behind the cathedral. Visit the organic farm Il Poggio and join a guided walk, exploring olive oil and wine production. After taking in beautiful views of the rolling Tuscan hills, enjoy tasting the farm’s fine wines and olive oil, in addition to an authentic Italian meal prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
Today we travel through the Emilia-Romagna region, and stop to sample the flavors of the region and learn about Italian food culture over a delicious lunch with wine. Take the autostrada east to Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. Your luxurious hotel has elegant Venetian touches and views over an unforgettably romantic city.
Your private boat takes you past historic churches and 13th century palaces to St. Mark's Square. The first sight is 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. Turn the corner, and the gilded facade of St. Mark's Basilica comes into view.
Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional arts center. See how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills.
This afternoon there is plenty of time to explore the museums, galleries and churches or browse through the shops on the Rialto Bridge. Perhaps cruise out to some of the other islands in the lagoon to experience the age-old lifestyle of Venetian fishermen and lace-makers.
Who could refuse another day to take in the unique atmosphere of this wonderful city? Lose yourself in the back lanes and quiet squares, where tourists seldom tread and the Venetians go about their daily lives. Maybe visit some of the 90 churches housing masterpieces of Venetian art or explore the modern artworks in the Guggenheim? Perhaps relax at a canal-side café sipping local wine or sample delicious lagoon-fresh fish? Later, board a traditional gondola for a serenade through the romantic canals. This evening, indulge in traditional Venetian dishes that are enriched with inspiration from seasonal produce.
Your departure transfer arrives at Venice Marco Polo Airport.
Price Includes
Dining Summary- - 4 Dinner with Wines (DW)
- - 9 Breakfasts (B)
- - 1 Lunch with Wine (LW)
- Savor regional flavors and embrace Rome's rich culinary heritage as you toast to the Eternal City at Ristorante Di Rienzo, nestled beside the Pantheon.
- Savor regional flavors and embrace Rome's rich culinary heritage as you toast to the Eternal City at Ristorante Di Rienzo, nestled beside the Pantheon.
- Visit Il Poggio to learn about organic olive and grape farming. Then enjoy a tasting as you sit down to a fabulous dinner of Tuscan specialties, complimented by stunning views.
- Savor flavors of the region over a delicious lunch with wine.
- Gain fast-track access into the Vatican Museums, witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and view the splendid dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
- 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.
- Stand beside Michelangelo's monumental statue, 'David', in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world's most famous sculpture.
- Take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce and immerse yourself in the essence of la dolce vita of Florence while you enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café.
- Enjoy a stroll through Renaissance Florence and admire the medieval buildings that gave birth to this new style of architecture.
- Your Local Expert will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th century cathedral and of course, the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles.
- With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
- Delight in the magic of this charming city as you are serenaded, traveling through the atmospheric canals by gondola.
- 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.
Optional Experiences
Optional Experiences are subject to change. Your Travel Director will supply you with a final list of Optional Experiences available on your trip. Optional Experiences cannot be booked online; they can be purchased during your trip through your Travel Director.
Piazzas & Fountains (Available on Day 2)With our Local Expert, let's take a "passeggiata" (stroll) to enjoy the backstreets and secrets of pedestrian Rome. Be amazed at sights such as the fascinating Pantheon and the beauty of 17th-Century fountains and beautiful piazzas. Come and enjoy the Rome of the Romans.
Adult Price: €44 Pompeii And The Bay Of Naples (Available on Day 3)We travel south to the famous Roman city of Pompeii, buried in 79 AD by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Here we'll visit one the greatest archaeological sites in the world! With our Local Expert, we'll stroll into a 2,000 year old town revealing fascinating discoveries preserved in time! We'll have a few treats in store along the way and then return to Rome, passing the formidable Abbey of Montecassino, one of the greatest shrines of Christendom and the site of an epic battle in 1944.
Adult Price: €105 San Gimignano Excursion (Available on Day 5)A wonderful excursion with our Local Expert to Tuscany's most famous hill-top town! Visit San Gimignano, considered a medieval Manhattan, due to its towers which dominate the skyline. Soak up the unique atmosphere of this ancient gem which has remained intact since the 14th century and today is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Adult Price: €40 Tuscan Dinner at Villa Machiavelli (Available on Day 5)Through the Chianti hills, we'll drive past vineyards to a delightful hamlet. Our destination is the ancient stone house of Machiavelli, where the great political theorist wrote his immortal work, ‘The Prince'. After a welcome drink and a visit of the villa and its wine-cellars, we'll enjoy the best of Tuscan cuisine accompanied by great music and drinks, including of course, Chianti from the Villa's own vines.
Adult Price: €74 Tuscan Dinner & Cooking Demonstration (Available on Day 5)Florence and Tuscany are renowned for their rich gastronomic heritage. Tonight we'll travel into the hills near Florence to the northernmost part of the Chianti, where a local chef will introduce you to the dishes that make Tuscan cuisine famous throughout the world. This wonderful cooking demonstration, with superb food and wine, will provide warm and genuine Tuscan hospitality.
Adult Price: €76 Magical Venice (Available on Day 7)Venice can be Europe's most romantic city in the evening, offering dramatic landscapes with buildings that dazzle as the sun sets and the lights go on. Sit back and take it all in as private water taxis take you to the center of it all, Piazza San Marco, where we have seats reserved outside a famous Venetian cafe, in front of a live orchestra and in view of those illuminated St Mark's sights. Our private water taxis will also take us the length of the Grand Canal, under the Rialto Bridge, seeing Venice at its most magical.
Adult Price: €61 Hidden Venice (Available on Day 8)To only experience Venice's big set pieces is to miss out on a hidden world full of surprises! Join a Local Expert for a fascinating walk through some of the lesser known quarters of Venice. The back lanes and ‘campi’, small squares, where tourists seldom tread are full of history and great places to sample local life.
Adult Price: €37 Burano Excursion & Meal (Available on Day 8)Leave the hustle of St Mark's Square behind on a delightful private cruise around the islands of the Venetian lagoon. Alight at the island of Burano, a photographer's paradise, famous for its candy colored houses, artisan lace makers and leaning bell tower that would give Pisa a good run for its money. Enjoy a superb meal sampling the local specialties with wine included. An excursion not to be missed!
Adult Price: €82