Classic Italy

DAY 1: NEWARK (FOR THOSE WHO OPT TO TAKE THE GROUP FLIGHT)

As the group flight takes off, the trip officially begins!

DAYS 2 - 4: VENICE

Our first stop is Venice – a dreamlike city of bridges and canals unlike any other in the world. You’ll be amazed at your first look at the splendor of the Grand Canal lined with crumbling, decadent palaces. We wander the city’s tangled streets, marveling at the colors and reflections that only Venice can offer, visit St. Mark’s Basilica and the palace of the Doges, and get an insider’s look at the last gondola shop in Venice to learn about this centuries-old craft. Venice was once one of the prime stops on the Grand Tour of Europe and it’s easy to understand why – the crumbling, decadent beauty of this city in the lagoon will surely leave its mark on you.

DAYS 4 - 7: PISA, CINQUE TERRE

After stopping in Pisa for a picnic on the Campo dei Miracoli and a look at its famous Leaning Tower, we continue on to the Cinque Terre, five idyllic fishing villages perched on dramatic cliffs that plunge into the crystal-blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. We’ll hike the trail that connects the towns, enjoying spectacular views of the sea and the vineyards that line the cliffs, and also sampling local specialties along the way like pesto and focaccia. We’ll taste fresh seafood and relax on the beach in our seaside paradise. We stay right in the heart of the Cinque Terre at a beautiful hotel just steps from the best beach in the Cinque Terre.

DAYS 7 - 10: TUSCANY, FLORENCE

Then we travel to Tuscany, where we will spend our time at a gorgeous 500-year-old estate in the legendary Tuscan countryside. Bike or walk along the grounds, which are still used as a working cattle farm, and take a dip in the pool before enjoying a sunset you’ll never forget.  Here too we’ll get a hands-on cooking lessons from expert Italian chefs, and we’ll also take a day trip to Siena, one of Italy’s loveliest cities, and home of the Palio – an annual horse race where riders compete without saddles on an uneven dirt track for a chance to become champions in a suspenseful, nailbiter of a spectacle.

We also head into Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and home to Michelangelo's "David," the world-famous Duomo, and the Uffizi Museum, which houses the best collection of Italian Renaissance art in the world.  Here, we’ll learn about the lives and works of such artists as Donatello and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as writers like Dante and Machiavelli, and we’ll come to understand the importance of the banking family called the Medici who not only revolutionized modern banking, but also nearly singlehandedly funded the Renaissance in Italy. Art and culture are not all that are in store for us in Florence, however.  You’ll also get a tour of a family-owned chocolate shop and learn the art of making chocolate by hand, as the owners have been doing for generations.  Then we’ll spend some time shopping before enjoying the best pizzeria in the city and challenging ourselves to go all the way on TFT’s famous Gelato Tour.

DAYS 10 – 13: ROME

Our final destination is Rome, capital of the mightiest empire in history. In Rome, you will have the opportunity to choose from among many exciting options each day. It’s impossible to see it all in the Eternal City, but you can choose what’s most important for you. In this city you’ll notice an incredible juxtaposition of ancient and modern, with the Colosseum around the corner from the Armani store. In this ancient place you can really feel the pulse of history, standing in the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar and Cicero once orated, or peering into the Circus Maximus and imagining the Roman population cheering for the chariot races. We’ll tour the Colosseum, an architectural wonder where bloody gladiatorial competitions once took place under the hot Roman sun, and we’ll visit the Trevi Fountain by night, enjoying the spectacle of the busy throng of people all tossing a coin into the water over their shoulder. Do this yourself, and, according to the legend, you’re sure to return to Rome.

The city of Rome also contains the Vatican City – an independent state governed by the Roman Catholic Church and its head, the Pope. We’ll tour the vast collections at the Vatican Museums, where long hallways containing treasures from Ancient Rome to the present day culminate in the unbelievable beauty of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by the Renaissance master Michelangelo. You’ll also have the option of visiting Ostia Antica, once a bustling port town in the days of the Ancient Romans that is now immaculately preserved.  Walk among its ordered streets lined with reconstructed ruins, and imagine what daily life was like two millennia ago.