• 8 Dinner (D)
• 16 Breakfast (B)

• Rome: Be inspired by the magnificence of Michelangelo and Botticelli at the Vatican Museums.
• Rome: Experience Rome, where ancient stones, lively squares and unforgettable flavours bring the Eternal City to life.
• Alberobello: Explore Alberobello with a Local Specialist, uncovering its unique trulli architecture, rich history and local traditions.
• Capri: Join a Local Specialist for a guided walk through Capri’s elegant lanes and vibrant squares. Hear how this island has long attracted artists, writers and Hollywood icons. Visit historic landmarks and local boutiques, and discover how generations of islanders have lived alongside the glamour, from Roman emperors to the jet-set names of the 1950s and beyond.
• Assisi: With a Local Specialist, find out why the Basilica of St. Francis is considered to be one of the crowning artistic achievements of 13th-century Europe.
• Venice: Discover the ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing and play a part in preserving this traditional craft.
• Verona: During an exploration of Verona, admire the remarkably preserved Roman Arena and the city’s beautiful Piazza Bra.
• Florence: Join a Local Specialist to view the multicoloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square.

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners plus a locally hosted meal
• 4-star stays

Watch Venetian glassblowing masters at work during a factory visit in Venice. See molten glass shaped with practiced precision and learn about a craft that has been part of the lagoon’s identity for centuries.

Venetian glassmaking is valued for the skill required to turn heat and fluid material into delicate objects. Observing the process reveals the human technique behind the finished pieces and supports an understanding of the artisans preserving this local tradition.

Explore the Cinque Terre with a Local Specialist on an optional excursion from Genoa. Take in seaside views and colourful harbour towns along this striking section of the Ligurian coast.

The area is celebrated for settlements tucked between steep hillsides and the sea, where buildings and cultivated slopes reflect the challenges of coastal life. Specialist guidance adds context to the scenery and local communities. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; specific villages and transport methods are not confirmed.

Tour the Vatican Museums with a Local Specialist and admire works gathered over centuries of papal patronage. In the Sistine Chapel, look up at Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling, one of the defining achievements of Renaissance art.

Outside, pause in St. Peter’s Square to admire the imposing exterior of St. Peter’s Basilica. If Vatican Museums tickets are unavailable because access is limited, the included museum visit is replaced by the Capitoline Museums and their collection of Roman art and archaeology.

Trafalgar

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers over a light supper in Rome. This hosted gathering offers a welcoming introduction to the people sharing your journey through Italy.

Conversation begins in the Eternal City, where neighbourhood streets and lively squares provide a fitting backdrop for the days ahead. It is a chance to settle in, ask questions and make your first connections before exploring the country together.

Explore Rome with a Local Specialist and discover how the ancient capital still shapes the modern city. See Circus Maximus, the vast arena where crowds once gathered for chariot races, alongside sights that reveal Rome’s continuing energy.

Expert commentary brings the streets into focus, connecting everyday Roman life with the city’s imperial past. This included sightseeing tour offers historical context for the ruins and grand public spaces visible across the Eternal City.

Explore Alberobello with a Local Specialist among its clusters of conical limestone trulli. See the dry-stone houses that give this Puglian town its distinctive skyline and learn about the traditions behind their construction.

Alberobello’s UNESCO-listed trulli include examples dating back centuries, their pale walls and pointed roofs forming streets unlike those elsewhere in Italy. The guided visit places this remarkable architecture within the everyday history of the people who have lived and worked here.

Meet the Rotolo family on their Alberobello farm for a hosted, farm-to-table dinner. Learn about their family history, explore the plantations and discover how they produce cheese and honey.

Seasonal Puglian produce may include fresh almonds, cherries, tomatoes and olive oil. Sharing food with the family offers a personal view of rural life in the region, connecting the flavours on the table to the land and the people who cultivate it.

Cruise across the Tyrrhenian Sea to Capri, watching the island rise above the deep-blue water. On arrival, join a Local Specialist for a guided walk through Capri town’s lanes and squares.

Hear how the island has attracted Roman emperors, artists, writers and the 20th-century jet set, while remaining home to generations of islanders. Its elegant piazzetta and compact streets offer a close-up perspective on the culture behind Capri’s enduring reputation.

Explore the excavated city of Pompeii with a Local Specialist and examine the remains of a Roman settlement buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Its preserved streets reveal the scale and organisation of the ancient city.

As you walk among the ruins, expert commentary helps reconstruct the routines and public life of its residents. Pompeii is distinctive because a catastrophic event preserved such an extensive record of a Roman community for centuries.

Visit the Basilica of St. Francis with a Local Specialist in the Umbrian hill town of Assisi. Explore a place of pilgrimage and admire frescoes associated with Giotto that helped shape the visual language of medieval Italy.

Built to honour St. Francis, the basilica is both a spiritual landmark and a major achievement of 13th-century art. Its painted interiors tell religious stories in vivid scenes, giving visitors a sense of Assisi’s lasting importance to pilgrims and artists alike.

Glide through Venice by private launch towards St. Mark’s Square, experiencing the city from its waterways. View the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Palace and the exterior of St. Mark’s Basilica along the route.

Arriving by water reflects the way Venice has long been approached and navigated. From the launch, its palaces and ceremonial landmarks form a striking waterside panorama, revealing the maritime character of the former republic without implying entry to its monuments.

Explore Verona and view its Roman Arena, a remarkably preserved first-century amphitheatre still associated with opera performances. Take in Piazza Bra and the city setting that has become closely linked with the tale of Romeo and Juliet.

Verona’s appeal lies in the layers visible across its streets: Roman architecture, historic squares and a literary legacy recognised around the world. This included visit offers an introduction to those landmarks and the city’s enduring cultural identity.

Discover Milan’s landmark city centre on an orientation that takes in the exterior of the Gothic Duomo, La Scala Opera House and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. See how historic architecture sits at the heart of Italy’s fashion capital.

The cathedral’s elaborate facade contrasts with the Galleria’s 19th-century glass-vaulted shopping arcade and La Scala’s operatic heritage. This included introduction focuses on the city’s iconic sights; entry inside La Scala belongs to a separate optional experience.

View the Leaning Tower of Pisa and see the tilt that has made this freestanding bell tower one of Italy’s most recognisable landmarks. Its pale marble exterior stands among the monumental buildings of Piazza dei Miracoli.

Construction began in the 12th century, and the tower’s lean developed as its foundations settled into soft ground. The visit is an opportunity to appreciate its architecture and unusual history from the square; climbing the tower is not specified as included.

Explore Florence with a Local Specialist and view the marble-clad Duomo, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery, celebrated for Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit Piazza della Signoria, the city’s historic political heart, and see the exterior of Santa Croce Basilica.

These landmarks express the artistic ambition that flourished in Medici-era Florence. Santa Croce is also associated with the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, while the cathedral complex shows the scale of the city’s Renaissance achievement.

Watch demonstrations of Florentine leathercraft and 18-carat gold workmanship to see the skill behind two of the city’s historic industries. Observe artisans’ techniques and learn what distinguishes carefully made pieces from their finished appearance alone.

Florence has long been associated with skilled workshops as well as monumental art. These demonstrations bring that working heritage into focus, offering a closer look at the materials, precision and knowledge involved in crafts that remain part of the city’s identity.

Savour a hosted Italian dinner in Rome featuring signature Roman dishes made from family recipes passed down through four generations. Raise a glass with your fellow travellers and share stories around the table.

Rather than a routine hotel meal, this dinner centres on recipes with a personal history. It offers a taste of Roman food traditions through dishes preserved and prepared by one family, bringing the group together in the city where the journey began.

Travel along the Amalfi Coast on an optional scenic excursion from the Pompeii area. Take in the coastline’s steep slopes and sea views, with a stop in Positano to explore its narrow streets or spend time beside the water.

Positano’s houses appear to cascade down the hillside towards the shore, creating one of southern Italy’s most distinctive coastal scenes. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; food and personal purchases are not specified as included.

Cross the Venetian Lagoon to Burano on an optional visit to the fishermen’s island known for its brightly coloured houses. Explore a quieter island setting where canals run between vivid facades and small bridges.

Burano offers a different perspective on the lagoon from central Venice, with a longstanding fishing community and a traditional association with lacemaking. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour; the itinerary does not specify a workshop or other ticketed entry.

Explore Milan more deeply with a Local Specialist on an optional city experience that includes a visit inside La Scala Opera House. Go beyond the exterior views offered on the included orientation and learn more about the city’s cultural landmarks.

La Scala has been central to Milan’s operatic life since the 18th century, lending the visit a connection to generations of performers and audiences. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Cruise from Stresa to Isola Bella on Lake Maggiore and tour its Baroque palace and terraced gardens with a Local Specialist. The island setting pairs views across the water with an ambitious historic estate.

Developed by the Borromeo family, Isola Bella is known for its formal gardens and palace rooms, which reflect the family’s status and taste. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour, offering a structured island visit rather than independent time in Stresa.

Explore Como with a Local Specialist on an optional experience focused on the stories behind the grand estates lining Lake Como’s shores. Hear how the lakeside setting attracted prominent residents and shaped the area’s character.

Mountain slopes, waterfront buildings and long-established villas give the lake its distinctive atmosphere. Specialist commentary adds context to what you can see from Como, without suggesting entry to any particular estate. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.

Discover Rapallo and Portofino on an optional excursion from Genoa that reveals another side of the Ligurian coast. Experience two contrasting coastal towns, from Rapallo’s waterfront setting to Portofino’s compact harbour.

Portofino’s pastel-coloured buildings curve around a sheltered inlet, while Rapallo offers a broader view of life along the Riviera. Together, they show why this stretch of coastline has long drawn visitors. This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour.