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DAY 1: USA /
MILAN. Evening departure from
North America on our trans-Atlantic flight. Dinner and breakfast on
board.
 DAY 2: MILAN.
Arrival at Milan international
airport. We meet our guide and start the guided tour of the city, the
second largest city in Italy. We visit the majestic Piazza and
Cathedral (Duomo), La Scala Opera House Museum and the Madonna of Grace
Church in Santa Maria delle Grazie Square where you will have the chance
to admire Leonardo da Vinci’s famous fresco “The Last Supper”.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY 3: MILAN / LAKE
GARDA / VERONA. After breakfast,
we have an early morning departure to discover the most interesting
artistic and cultural sites of the Lower Riviera of Garda Lake. Visit
Il Vittoriale – the last house of the famous Italian poet and hero
Gabriele D’Annunzio. On to the Grotte of Catullo (Latin poet) and
Castle of Sirmione. Weather permitting, we will sail the lake to see the
sites. This afternoon, we drive to the city of Verona, a magnificent
“Roman” city, for a guided tour of the Arena and to the building known
to be the house of Juliet, Shakespeare’s heroine. Return to our hotel
for dinner and overnight. For those who enjoy the opera, there is the
opportunity of an
optional night show at the Arena
after dinner.
 DAY 4: LAKE GARDA / VENICE.
Early
morning
departure, after breakfast, to the island of Venice. We reach the city
by boat and meet our local guide for a full day guided tour including
San Marco’s Basilica and Doge’s Palace. Visit the San Marco Belltower
for a birds-eye view of the city. This afternoon we have leisure time
for the opportunity to visit Correr Museum, explore the narrow streets
and bridges. Take an optional Gondola ride on the canals. Continue to
our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5: VENICE /
RAVENNA / FLORENCE. This morning
we depart for Ravenna, the city of mosaics. Our guide will introduce us
to the story of this interesting city that has been capital of the Roman
Empire for three times. Then continue south to reach Florence in the
late afternoon for some time at leisure before dinner and overnight at
our hotel.
 DAY 6: FLORENCE.
Today we spend a full day in the
beautiful city of Florence which includes viewing the masterpieces by
most important artists that lived and worked here. First we visit the
Uffizi Gallery. This is one of the most famous museums of paintings and
sculpture in the world. Its collection of Renaissance paintings comprise
several universally acclaimed masterpieces of all time, including works
by Giotto, Fra Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio,
Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo and Caravaggio. German, Dutch
and Flemish masters are also well represented with important works by
Dürer, Rembrandt and Rubens. Visit Piazza San Giovanni, with the
Baptistery of San John, the Church of Saint Lorenzo, built by
Brunelleschi and decorated by Donatello , Ghiberti's famous "Gates of
Paradise" and the Basilica of Santa Croce, a masterpiece of Gothic art
that is also the pantheon of famous Italians as Michelangelo and
Donatello. Additional Michelangelo masterpieces will be seen at the
Accademia (his awesome statue of "David") and the Medici Chapel (the
Medici tombs with "Dawn/Dusk", "Day/Night") and the Biblioteca
Laurenziana (Laurentian Library) which he designed. Return to our hotel
for dinner and overnight.
DAY 7: FLORENCE /
PISA / ASSISI. After breakfast,
departure to Pisa for a tour of the city, including a climb to the top
of the famous Leaning Tower. Visit the Baptistery, attend Sunday morning
mass in the Basilica, and study ancient Latin inscriptions in the indoor
Cemetery. Time at leisure for trying more flavors of Italian Gelato
(ice cream), enjoying the open grassy churchyard, and snapping those
once in a lifetime photos. Continue to Assisi for dinner and overnight.
 DAY 8: ASSISI.
Today is a full day
guided walking tour through this Umbrian medieval town. We will visit
the Church of St. Mary of the Angels with its Chapel, the “Portiuncola
(the rose bush and the cave where the Saint retired for prayer) and then
continue with a visit to the Basilica of St Francis (Upper and Lower)
with its masterpieces of Giotto and Cimabue. Proceeding through the
Piazza del Comune we see the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (the
Roman temple of Minerva) the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo with its
high and imposing tower and the Palazzo dei Priori which houses the
Pinacoteca Picture Gallery. The tour will end with a visit to the
Cathedral of St. Rufino and the Church of St. Clare, follower of St.
Francis and founder of the order of the Poor Clares. Dinner and
overnight at our hotel.
DAY 9: ASSISI /
PERUGIA / ROME. After breakfast
travel by coach to Perugia for a full day excursion in this charming
university town. Visit the Cathedral of San Lorenzo with its “Chapel
of the Holy Ring”, in which a ring considered by tradition to be the
betrothal ring of the Virgin is preserved in a precious Tabernacle of
carved gold. Visit the Piazza IV November with the noble Maggiore
Fountain and the Palace of the Priori. This afternoon continue by coach
to our hotel in Rome for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10: ROME.
Today is a day of leisure for
shopping, rest or other pursuits of our own.
 DAY 11: ROME.
Early morning transfer to the Vatican to
attend the Papal Audience and Blessing. This afternoon we have a guided
visit to the Vatican Museums (including the famous Raphael Rooms to view
his "School of Athens"), the Sistine Chapel containing the stunning
ceiling artworks of Michelangelo. We will tour St. Peter’s Basilica,
(considered to be the greatest Church in Christendom) and experience
Michelangelo's Dome and his famous "Pieta" as well as Bernini's massive
Baldachin (main altar) After the basilica, we visit the San Sebastian
Catacombs where the bodies of St. Peter and St. Paul were laid before
moving them to the churches. Then we visit San Pietra to view another
of Michelangelo's masterpieces, "Moses" on the Tomb of Pope Julius II,
climb the infamous Spanish Steps and taste more varieties of Gelato.
Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 12: ROME.
After breakfast we begin with a
walk through the very core of Roman Antiquity. We visit Mamertine
Prison where St. Peter was held prisoner . Our guide will show us the
ruins that the great emperors had built as lasting memory of their
power. Walking through the valley of the Roman Forum we see the Curia,
seat of the Roman Senate, the Temple of Vesta and the House of
Vestals. From the Forum the guide will show us the place linked to the
origins of Rome (the Palatino) where Romulus founded the town in the
year 753 BC and, starting from Augustus, the great emperors settled
here. We continue along Via dei Fori Imperiali and see the Arch of
Titus and then arrive at the Coliseum. Free time for lunch on your
own. In the afternoon, our guide will take us on a pleasant stroll
through the historical center where we can admire Fontana di Trevi and
the Piazza del Quirinale where a Fountain and obelisk with Castor and
Polluce Roman statues stand. The Official Residence of the President is
located here. Then we visit the Pantheon, a 2000 year old pagan temple
where tombs of Italian kings and Raffaello are located. Continue to the
seat of the Senate, Palazzo Madama and Piazza Navona. Here we will
have some time for refreshments and relax before returning to our hotel
for dinner and overnight.
DAY 13: ROME /
NAPLES / POMPEII / SORRENTO.
Early morning departure towards the south to the picturesque city of
Naples sloped down from the hills towards the sea like an amphitheatre.
Bounded on one side by Mt. Vesuvius and on the other by the Phlegraean
fields, the result is a scenario of extraordinary beauty, sung by poets
and writers down through the ages such as Virgil, Boccaccio, Milton,
Shelley, Cervantes, Goethe and Byron. Our orientation tour of the city
includes free time to taste the best pizza and espresso café in the
world. We then proceed to Pompeii and visit of the ruins of the
“frozen” city and on-site museum. Continue to Sorrento for dinner and
overnight at our hotel.
 DAY 14: SORRENTO /
HERCULANEUM / BRINDISI. This
morning we travel to Herculaneum. It was lost to sight during the same
series of eruptions that destroyed Pompeii but was possibly destroyed by
a pyroclastic flow as much of the timber has survived in a charred
condition giving a much better idea of what a Roman town may have looked
like. Continue our journey to the Eastern port of Brindisi for our
overnight ferry across the Adriatic Sea to Greece. Dinner and breakfast
will be served aboard.
DAY 15: ARRIVAL IN
GREECE. About mid morning we
arrive in the port of Patras, Greece. We continue to Corinth where we
will visit the 11th century church, built in the golden age of Byzantine
art, which contains a series of mosaics without parallel in the legacy
of Byzantium. Crossing the Corinthian Canal, which connects the Aegean
and Ionian Seas, we see the isthmus where boats were once dragged from
one sea to the other. Visit modern Corinth and the ruins of the ancient
city where Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla. Attend a Sunday
service in Corinth. We will see the first century shops, Fountain of
Peirene, the Temple of Apollo and the Bema Seat, where the Apostle Paul
stood. Continue to Athens for dinner and overnight at our hotel near
the base of the Acropolis.
 DAY 16: ATHENS.
After a hearty breakfast we begin
with an orientation tour to the Parliament, Olympic Stadium,
Presidential Mansion and Syntagma Square. We will ascend Mars Hill,
where Paul addressed the citizens of Athens, introducing them to the
"unknown God". Visit the ancient Acropolis, the breathtaking Parthenon,
the Erechteion, and the Museum. Late afternoon or early evening we will
visit the Old Plaka, one of the oldest parts of modern Athens. It is a
labyrinth of stone-paved narrow streets and alleyways that transport you
back in time. The Plaka's central square was founded in 1813 and is
crammed full of cafés, restaurants and the best area in Athens to shop
for souvenirs and traditional Greek jewelry. Return to our hotel for
dinner and overnight.
DAY 17: ATHENS.
Following breakfast, we will
visit the National Archaeological Museum to view the history of Greece
through their ancient art and architecture, the Cycladic Museum and view
the 2004 Olympic Stadium. Return to our hotel for dinner. An evening
walk through the Plaka will give us the opportunity for those last
minute souvenirs. Overnight at our hotel.
DAY 18: ATHENS /
USA. Early morning transfer to
Athens's airport for our flight back to North America – the final stop
of a most enjoyable journey.
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