Day 2 Arrival in Rome, Italy
Welcome to a history-steeped land, home of exuberant, friendly, hospitable people who take art as seriously as the pursuit of ever more refined culinary pleasures. At 6 p.m. meet your tour director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine in one of Rome’s fine restaurants. (D)

Day 3 Rome
Sightseeing with your local guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL (arranged next morning if closed today), world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Proceed across the Tiber for a stroll along the Via Sacra in the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman Legions marched in triumph, and finally visit the COLOSSEUM and hear about gladiatorial combats. Then time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (BB)

Day 4 Rome-Pisa
Expertly guided morning visit to OSTIA ANTICA at the mouth of the Tiber, home port for ancient Rome’s conquest of the Mediterranean. Hear about surprisingly sophisticated urban living more than 2,000 years before our time as you visit a trading mall, an inviting tavern and the luxurious Forum Baths. Afterwards head north along the Tyrrhenian coastline through an area where many a town was founded at the very beginning of recorded history by the mysterious, highly civilized Etruscans. Mid-afternoon arrival in Pisa, and plenty of time to wander around dazzling CATHEDRAL SQUARE. Built during the 12th and 13th centuries, when the maritime republic was at its apex of wealth and power, the cathedral is considered the cradle of medieval Italian art. Take your pictures of its elegant but precariously leaning belfry, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of perpendicular. (BB,D)

Day 5 Pisa-Florence
Look forward to an unforgettable journey through Tuscany’s landscape of gently rolling, vine-clad hills. Morning visit to hilltop San Gimignano, the most picturesque of Italy’s perfectly preserved medieval towns. On to Siena for a leisurely lunchtime break. Follow your tour director on a 30-minute walk through ancient narrow lanes to beautiful Piazza del Campo, theater of the biannual Palio , Siena’s spectacular medieval-style horse race. In the afternoon, a particularly scenic ride along the Chianti Road leading from Siena due north to Florence. On the way, call at splendid VERRAZZANO CASTLE to hear about the fine art of blending four types of grapes to obtain the famous Chianti Classico. Taste the wine as the local connoisseurs do, accompanied by local specialties. (BB,D)

Day 6 Florence
A full day to savor the Renaissance splendor of the Tuscan capital. Guided sightseeing includes the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded Signoria Square. To top it off, admire Michelangelo’s celebrated David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS. Afternoon free for independent sightseeing and browsing through the shops on Ponte Vecchio and in Piazza Santa Croce. Leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. Try the culinary delights of a fine Florentine restaurant tonight. (BB)

Day 7 Florence-Venice
A scenic drive through the wooded Apennine Mountain range and the fertile Po Plain to Verona, setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet . See Juliet’s Balcony and stroll around the lovely market square. Don’t miss the Arena, an incredible well-preserved pink marble Roman amphitheater. Built in the 1st century A.D., it is now the magical venue for world-famous opera performances. Tonight you are in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. (BB)

Day 8 Venice
Start morning sightseeing in style as you glide by private boat along the Giudecca canal to meet your resident expert. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and BYZANTINE BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE, and the Bridge of Sighs. Also watch VENETIAN GLASS BLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then enjoy Venice at your own pace, or join an optional gondola ride. Tonight is your chance to sample the city’s fine restaurants. (BB)

Day 9 Venice-Ravenna-Assisi
Along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea to Ravenna. Here see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century basilica of ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon arrive in Assisi. From St. Clare’s church enjoy a pleasant walk with your local guide, via pretty Piazza del Comune down to ST. FRANCIS’ BASILICA, the hub of a religious order devoted to the ideals of humility, forgiveness, simplicity, and love for all God’s creatures. Hear about monastic life, and view the priceless frescoes adorning the walls of the church. (BB,D)

Day 10 Assisi-Rome
Enjoy St. Francis’ peaceful town on your own before departing for the final leg of your Italian journey. After a scenic drive along the Tiber valley, reach Orvieto, perched high atop a volcanic rock. Access, denied to many a would-be conqueror through the ages, is easy for you. Ride a modern funicular right through the forbidding ramparts. Time for lunch, browsing through tempting shops in the lanes off Piazza del Duomo, and finding the right angle for a picture of the fabulous Gothic facade of ORVIETO CATHEDRAL. In the late afternoon return to Rome. Tonight your tour director will suggest an optional festive dinner at one of Rome’s fine restaurants to bid farewell to the companions of a memorable Italian vacation. (BB)

Day 11
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (BB)