Walk with a Local Specialist through Florence’s historic heart to admire Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto’s bell tower, and the Baptistery’s gilded panels known as Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise.

Continue to Piazza della Signoria, a stone gallery of Renaissance power and sculpture, then across to the Ponte Vecchio where goldsmiths’ shops still perch above the Arno. Medici stories illuminate the art, politics, and craftsmanship that forged the Renaissance.

Stroll Verona’s elegant centre with views of the Roman Arena, one of the empire’s best-preserved amphitheatres, opening onto broad Piazza Bra lined with cafés and stone facades.

Follow the polished paving of the elegant Via Mazzini, where boutiques sit behind limestone arches. Your orientation blends Roman engineering, medieval lanes, and a lively aperitivo culture that defines northern Italy’s charm.

Cruise by private boat across the lagoon as campanili and domes gather on the horizon, arriving beside St. Mark’s Square—Venice’s open-air salon of mosaics, marble, and music.

Orient among arcades and pigeons with views of Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. The sunlit lagoon and narrow rii frame Venice’s theatre of water, setting the tone for your own discoveries.

Discover the art of glassblowing at a traditional workshop, stepping near the glowing furnace as a maestro craftsman turns molten glass with measured breaths and deft rotations.

Watch forms emerge—vases, goblets, delicate animals—while learning how the Murano tradition evolved from guarded guild secrets to contemporary design. This sensory visit supports local artisans and preserves a centuries-old craft.

Taste Rome’s cucina at a traditional Roman trattoria, where seasonal antipasti, cacio e pepe, or saltimbocca pair beautifully as you sample regional wines in a convivial setting.

This is an Optional Experience at additional cost, bookable on tour. Expect warm hospitality and recipes perfected over generations—simple ingredients elevated by time, technique, and the Roman love of lively conversation.

Savour a Tuscan farmhouse dinner amid the Chianti hills, with bruschetta drizzled in peppery extra-virgin olive oil and platters of slow-cooked meats as you sample regional wines.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your hosts share local traditions—from harvest lore to Sangiovese nuances—while dusk settles over vines and olive groves.

Explore San Gimignano, where stone lanes climb toward a skyline of medieval towers and views roll over vineyards toward distant Apennines.

This Optional Experience, at additional cost and bookable on tour, reveals frescoed chapels, Vernaccia wine heritage, and artisan gelaterie on Piazza della Cisterna. The intact historic core—recognized as UNESCO World Heritage—captures the spirit of Tuscan civic pride.

Glide by gondola along Venice’s smaller canals and stone bridges, where echoes soften and facades reveal centuries of merchant wealth, all from a classic black-lacquered hull.

Arranged locally at additional cost and bookable on tour, this Optional Experience focuses on rhythm and atmosphere—the dip of the oar, the hush of water, and glimpses of hidden courtyards and mooring posts.

Cruise the lagoon to Burano, a fishermen’s island of rainbow-painted houses and a proud lace-making heritage tended by local artisans.

This Optional Experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Wander canalside lanes, frame vivid photographs, and admire a leaning bell tower while boats bob gently on the quiet lagoon.

• 6 Breakfast (B)
• 2 Dinner (D)

• See the Colosseum and the ancient sites with your Local Specialist
• Visit the Square of Miracles to view the Leaning Tower
• Sightseeing with a Local Specialist includes views of the Cathedral, Piazza della Signoria and Ponte Vecchio
• View the Roman Arena
• Cruise by private boat to St. Mark’s Square and visit a traditional glassblowing workshop

• Deluxe coach travel
• Selected hotel dinners, with optional meals to purchase
• 3-star stays

• Rome: Experience Rome through the eyes of a local, as a passionate Roman guides you past the city’s most iconic sites.
• Pisa: In the Piazza dei Miracoli, see the baptistery, cathedral and the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
• Florence: Join a Local Specialist to view the Multi-coloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square.
• Verona: During an exploration of Verona, admire the remarkably preserved Roman Arena and the city’s beautiful Piazza Bra.
• Venice: As you journey along some of the water highways of the city, famous sights such as the Doge’s Palace and the Bridge of Sighs come into view and introduce you to Venice before docking near St. Mark’s Square.
• Venice: Discover the ancient skill of Venetian glassblowing and play a part in preserving this traditional craft.

Costsaver

Meet your Travel Director and fellow travellers in Rome for a relaxed orientation. Gain insider tips on neighbourhood trattorias, how to order coffee like a Roman, and the best vantage points for sunset across the Tiber.

Receive a concise preview of the journey—Florence’s Renaissance landmarks, Pisa’s Piazza dei Miracoli, and Venice’s lagoon—plus practical guidance on local etiquette and transport. With key suggestions mapped out, you can confidently explore and soak in the city atmosphere at your own pace.

Join a guided panoramic tour of the Eternal City, taking in St. Peter’s Square and Bernini’s sweeping colonnades before tracing the Tiber past Castel Sant’Angelo and baroque boulevards.

View the exterior of the Colosseum and the archaeological layers of the Forum district, hearing how spectacles and triumphs shaped the capital. The route frames Rome’s story in context, from Imperial forums to baroque piazzas animated by fountains and café life.

Visit the Piazza dei Miracoli, where emerald lawns set off the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Romanesque Cathedral and Baptistery, and cloistered arcades in pale marble.

Hear why soft ground and centuries of countermeasures produced the tower’s famous tilt, and learn how Galileo’s experiments became part of local lore. Ample time to pause for photos and reflection beneath sculpted portals and striped facades.