10 Day Northern Italy Tour

• Day 1: 

  Arrival in Rome
  Welcome to Rome, the Eternal City, where millennia of history converge in breathtaking splendour. After transferring to your hotel, you'll gather with fellow travellers for our first evening meal together. Few cities match Rome's intoxicating blend of ancient grandeur and modern vitality—a place where every cobblestone whispers stories of emperors, artists, and saints. Over the coming days, we'll peel back layers of history dating from the Republic through the Renaissance, discovering why Rome remains one of the world's most captivating destinations.
  
  Tonight marks the beginning of our journey through Italy's treasures, from Rome's imperial monuments to Venice's shimmering canals.
  
  Overnight in Rome.

   

  Included Meal(s): Dinner, if required
• Day 2: 

  Rome: City Tour
  We begin at the Colosseum, where 55,000 spectators once roared as gladiators fought for survival in Rome's most brutal spectacles. Constructed nearly 2,000 years ago, this engineering marvel still dominates the cityscape. We then walk through the Roman Forum, heart of ancient civic life, where the Curia housed the Senate and the Arch of Titus commemorated military triumph. Among weathered columns and temple foundations, we witness the centre of an empire that shaped Western civilisation.
  
  Ascending to Capitoline Hill, we reach the Campidoglio, Rome's original citadel and seat of government since the 12th century. Michelangelo redesigned this elegant square in the 16th century, creating harmonious symmetry from medieval chaos. We continue to Piazza Navona, where we break for lunch surrounded by baroque splendour. Here stands Bernini's magnificent Fountain of the Four Rivers, its figures representing the Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Plate—symbolising papal power across continents.
  
  Next we visit the Trevi Fountain, its waters flowing from an aqueduct built in 19 BC. Legend promises that tossing a coin ensures your return to Rome. We then proceed to the Pantheon, Rome's best-preserved ancient building, where perfect proportions create an almost spiritual experience. Our day concludes at the Spanish Steps, where Romans and visitors alike gather as evening approaches.
  
  NOTE: Due to traffic constraints and the proximity of today's sites, we'll travel primarily on foot and via Rome's efficient public transit system (tickets included). Any sightseeing not completed today will continue tomorrow afternoon.
  
  Overnight in Rome

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 3: 

  Rome: the Vatican Museums & St. Peter's
  We travel by metro across the Tiber River to Vatican City, the world's smallest sovereign state. Our guided tour begins in the vast Vatican Museums, where corridors seem to stretch infinitely, lined with humanity's greatest artistic achievements. Here we discover Greek and Roman sculptures that influenced Renaissance masters, Flemish tapestries depicting biblical narratives, and glittering mosaics assembled tile by precious tile. More than three million visitors journey here annually to witness this extraordinary collection.
  
  The museums' crowning glory awaits in the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's frescoes transform ceiling and walls into a theological masterpiece. Created between 1508 and 1512, these paintings revolutionised art history—their anatomical precision and emotional depth remain unsurpassed. We then enter St. Peter's Basilica, Christendom's largest church, its cavernous interior housing treasures including Michelangelo's tender Pietà, carved when he was just 24 years old. Outside, the elegantly symmetrical Piazza San Pietro embraces visitors in Bernini's colonnade arms.
  
  After a break for lunch, we continue with any sightseeing carried over from yesterday.
  
  NOTE: The timing and order of today's sightseeing may vary depending on seasonality. During lighter periods, we often begin in the morning; busier times may require an afternoon or evening visit to avoid crowds. We may include lunch instead of dinner today to optimise our schedule. Your Tour Leader will advise upon arrival.
  
  Overnight in Rome.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 4: 

  Rome - Assisi - Siena
  We depart Rome for Tuscany, stopping first in Assisi, birthplace of one of Christianity's most beloved figures. Despite attracting millions of pilgrims annually, St. Francis's hometown retains remarkable tranquillity. Born to wealth in 1182, Francis renounced his inheritance as a young man, embracing poverty and founding the Order of Friars Minor—later called Franciscans—whose message of simplicity resonated across medieval Europe.
  
  The Basilica of St. Francis serves as Assisi's spiritual heart and Umbria's premier artistic treasure. After our guided tour of this two-tiered masterpiece adorned with Giotto frescoes, we continue through rolling countryside to Siena, arriving late afternoon. This medieval gem awaits our exploration tomorrow.
  
  Overnight in Siena.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 5: 

  Siena & San Gimignano
  Siena reveals itself best on foot—indeed, its council pioneered Europe's first traffic ban in the city centre. Traditionally Florence's great rival, Siena chose a different path: whilst Florence embraced Renaissance innovation, Siena clung to medieval traditions. This preservation makes Siena the finest showcase of Italian Gothic architecture, its walled city sprawling across three hilltops, each connected by steep, winding streets that seem frozen in the 13th century.
  
  Our guided walking tour explores Siena's atmospheric medieval quarters, beginning at the Palazzo Pubblico, Italy's finest example of Gothic civic architecture. Inside, Ambrogio Lorenzetti's remarkable frescoes in the Hall of the Nine depict good and bad government—medieval political philosophy rendered in vivid colour. We then visit the magnificent Duomo, its alternating black and white marble bands creating dramatic visual rhythm. Built from the 12th century in Romanesque and Gothic styles, this cathedral features a façade partially designed by Giovanni Pisano. Inside, the inlaid marble floor depicts biblical narratives, whilst a glass-enclosed reliquary contains an arm believed to have belonged to John the Baptist.
  
  This afternoon we proceed to San Gimignano, nicknamed "Manhattan of Tuscany" for its remarkable skyline. Thirteen noble brick towers survive from the medieval era when 72 such structures proclaimed family wealth and power. Today the fortress-like severity softens in harmonious squares adorned with Renaissance frescoes. Our return journey winds through Chianti's vine-covered hills, where some of Italy's finest wines mature in ancient cellars.
  
  Overnight in Siena.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 6: 

  Siena - Volterra - Pisa - Lerici
  We journey through quintessential Tuscan countryside—cypress-lined roads, rolling hills dotted with farmhouses—to Volterra, an Etruscan city perched on a high plateau commanding sweeping views. Ancient walls still encircle much of the town, testament to the mysterious Etruscans whose origins remain debated. Their civilisation flourished between modern Rome and Florence from the 8th to 6th centuries BC, reaching sophisticated heights before Rome's rising power gradually absorbed their culture, adopting Etruscan religious practices and engineering techniques.
  
  We explore the city walls and Etruscan Gate, its basalt heads of Etruscan deities dating to the 6th century BC—faces that gazed upon a world Rome had yet to conquer. Before departing, we view the remarkably preserved Roman amphitheatre from the 1st century BC, its original structure so intact that reconstruction proves relatively simple. During free time, you might visit the excellent Museo Guarnacci, housing 600 Etruscan funerary urns depicting their beliefs about death and the afterlife.
  
  We then proceed to Pisa, concentrating on the town's architectural jewels in the Campo dei Miracoli—the Duomo, Baptistery, and the gravity-defying Leaning Tower. Begun in 1173, the tower started tilting during construction due to unstable subsoil; by completion, the lean exceeded 5 metres (17 feet). We allow ample time for photographs of this beloved landmark. Later we continue to Lerici, dramatically positioned on a beautiful bay where the Ligurian coast meets the Tyrrhenian Sea.
  
  Overnight in Lerici.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 7: 

  Lerici - Cinque Terre - Florence
  This morning we travel by boat (weather permitting) along the stunning Ligurian coast to Riomaggiore, first of the Cinque Terre villages. This spectacular Italian Riviera section rivals the Amalfi Coast for dramatic beauty, where colourful houses cling to impossibly steep cliffs above azure waters. From Riomaggiore, we follow the easy half-hour Via dell'Amore—Lover's Walk—to Manarola, then continue approximately one hour to Corniglia.
  
  Those preferring gentler exploration may ascend to Corniglia's centre for panoramic views and local atmosphere, or take the train to picturesque Vernazza. More ambitious walkers can tackle the challenging two-hour hike to Vernazza through terraced vineyards producing local Morasca, Chiaretto del Faro, and Sciacchetra wines. The rugged hillsides, cultivated for centuries, cascade toward the sea in remarkable agricultural engineering feats. We conclude by train at Monterosso Al Mare, named for the area's distinctive red colour, where a giant statue carved into cliffs overlooks an inviting beach.
  
  PLEASE NOTE: Due to past flooding, trail availability may require adjustments to today's itinerary. Your Tour Leader will confirm which paths are open.
  
  This evening we arrive in Florence, cradle of the Renaissance.
  
  Overnight in Florence.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 8: 

  Florence: Walking Tour
  Florence transformed the world during the Renaissance, and today we begin discovering why. Our guided tour starts at the Accademia, Europe's first drawing academy, now housing an extraordinary art collection. Here stands Michelangelo's David, arguably the world's most famous sculpture—17 feet of anatomical perfection carved from a single marble block. Completed in 1504 when Michelangelo was just 29, David represents the Renaissance ideal of human potential.
  
  We then proceed to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore—the Duomo—crowned by Brunelleschi's magnificent red dome. Upon completion in 1436, this engineering marvel astonished Europe: its diameter exceeds St. Peter's in Rome, and the nave ranks as Christendom's third-largest. The cupola revolutionised architecture, proving that ancient Roman techniques could be rediscovered and surpassed. Because the exterior showcases the building's finest features, and because we'll tour more ornate church interiors elsewhere, we don't include the interior today. However, you're welcome to visit independently tomorrow afternoon when crowds typically diminish.
  
  We continue along pedestrian streets to Ponte Vecchio, Florence's oldest bridge and the city's only one surviving World War II. Built in 1345, it once housed butchers' shops; today goldsmiths and jewellers occupy both sides, their workshops overhanging the Arno River. At Piazza Santa Croce, we admire the Franciscan church façade before entering to see tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo Galilei, alongside chapels adorned with Giotto frescoes that pioneered naturalistic painting. The remainder of the day is yours to absorb this sophisticated city's atmosphere.
  
  Overnight in Florence.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 9: 

  Florence: Uffizi Gallery
  We visit the Uffizi Gallery, Giorgio Vasari's extraordinary Renaissance administrative buildings designed for Cosimo I de' Medici in the mid-16th century. Today these galleries house Italy's greatest art collection, representing humanity's creative pinnacle. We walk corridors lined with masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Titian, and Caravaggio—each painting a landmark in artistic evolution.
  
  The collection's jewel is Botticelli's Birth of Venus, painted around 1485. This mythological scene—the goddess emerging from the sea on a shell—revolutionised art by depicting the nude female form as beauty itself rather than shame. The painting epitomises Renaissance humanism, celebrating classical antiquity whilst creating something entirely new. After our guided tour, the afternoon is free to explore Florence independently, perhaps visiting artisan workshops, enjoying cafe culture in elegant piazzas, or simply wandering streets where the Renaissance was born.
  
  Overnight in Florence.

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast and Dinner
• Day 10: 

  Departure
  Departure from Florence.
  
  BUON VIAGGIO!

   

  Included Meal(s): Breakfast

*The red tour trail on the map does not represent the actual travel path.