Essence of Italy: Private Vacation Package to Rome, Florence & Venice

A delicious and hearty breakfast bids you good morning and prepares you for a one-of-a-kind excursion into the bustling streets of Rome, as an informative and engaging guide drives you through the city in the comfort of an air conditioned car, regaling you with stories and lessons from Rome’s incomparable past. You’ll make your way past all of the great monuments to the city’s triumphs, from the celebratory Arch of Constantine and the soaring Colosseum to more modern highlights like the opulent and elaborate Trevi Fountain or the sweeping Spanish Steps, all while your driver leaves you laughing, thinking and enjoying a day discovering the tales of Rome.

The rest of the day is to your leisure: enjoy a cappuccino or one of the many fried treats that are the specialty of Roman cafes, while you enjoy another sunset in the Eternal City.

Your day begins with a trip to the Via Condotti, a scenic street in the heart of the city that is generally regarded as ground zero for Roman fashion—the equivalent to Bond Street in London or Fifth Avenue in New York City. Check out the newest fashions from haute-couture houses like Dior, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Dolce & Gabana, before stopping for coffee and a treat at the Caffe Greco, an establishment which has stood since the middle of the 18th century and which has attracted its share of celebrities over the years: Literary lights like Ibsen and Keats have enjoyed coffee here, as have musicians like Liszt and Mendolssohn—even Casanova is rumored to have stopped by.

Following lunch, you’ll be escorted to the heart of Catholicism and the world’s smallest sovereign state as you enter the domain of the Holy See, the site of St. Peter’s Basilica and one of the greatest art collections known to exist.  Make your way through the 53 salas (rooms) filled to the roof with some of the greatest instances of artistic expression ever created, from ancient sculpture to the maps which fill the incredible Gallery of Maps, from Raphael’s masterpiece fresco The School of Athens to da Vinci’s inspiring St. Jerome in the Wilderness. The museum ends on a highlight, as the final viewing gallery is the famous Sistine Chapel, the site of the Papal conclave and the home to a frescoed ceiling which remains renowned and unprecedented more than five centuries after its completion. You may also want to visit the incredible Basilica of St. Peter, one of the crowning monuments of the Italian Renaissance, featuring works by some of the country’s favorite sons, such as Michelangelo and Bernini.

Depart the legendary corridors of Rome and turn north into the gentle rolling hills and fertile fields of Tuscany, bound for Florence and the city’s incomparable art scene. Of course, in Italy the journey is just as important as the destination, and you’re sure to understand why as you’re taken on a private transfer through the spectacular Tuscan country, the amber meadows and verdant farmland spreading endlessly before you, giving way to the swelling undulations that line the horizon and support the eternal blue expanse of a cloud-free Italian sky. Your journey will be broken up by an additional adventure to one of the true treats of Tuscany; visit a local winery to learn about the culture and traditions of viticulture in the area, or stop by one of the region’s quaint and charming villages like Siena or San Gimignano, medieval communities that still entrance visitors with their noteworthy past.

The late afternoon sees you arriving in Florence, right at the steps of the serene and sumptuous Hotel Kraft, complete with rooftop terraces that offer spectacular views over the city, an unbeatable location, and all of the modern conveniences and luxuries you’ve come to expect. This evening, enjoy traditional Tuscan fare at a Florentine trattoria. Steaks are always highly recommended, but the pasta and wines are usually worth raving about, too.

With apologies to Paris, Madrid and, yes, Rome, there is probably no art scene in Europe that can rival stupendous Florence, where many of the great southern Renaissance artists honed their craft and produced some of the most awe-inspiring art ever known. This morning features a four-hour guided walk through the best parts of Florence, where the stories of this city’s turbulent and tempestuous past come alive. Here, you’ll feel the imposing presence of the Palazzo Vecchio, where the Signoria met to run Florentine affairs, and you’ll marvel at the soaring dome of the famous Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the unforgettable Duomo of Florence.

Of course, no trip to Florence would be complete without spending some time wandering the city’s best museums, and your tour comes complete with passes that will get you past the lines and face-to-face with some of the most incredible art in human history. The best painters of the Renaissance – and, indeed, in Italian history – are one full display at the renowned Uffizi, including Botticelli’s Primavera and Life of Venus. There are also a number of fascinating artifacts from the Roman and Etruscan periods, from furniture to engraved tombstones. And the most breathtaking spectacle in Florence can unquestionably be found in the halls of the Accademia, where the David of Michelangelo rises into the air in all the crowning glory of the artist’s vision and brilliance.

A mid-morning train from Santa Maria Novella takes you in first-class style across the ever-shifting countryside of northern Italy, making your way past some of the most enchanting and endearing towns and villages in the country, places that show up in Shakespearean plays and love songs. Charming though these communities may be, they can do nothing to prepare you for the unique and singular delight of arriving in Venice for the first time, surveying the wide expanse of the Grand Canal and pondering the lives of everyday Venetians, those lucky souls who take the unparalleled elegance of this city for granted.

A hostess and a private water taxi will be awaiting you at Venice’s train station, ready to escort you to your lodgings at the inimitable Hotel Saturnia, a four-star Venetian beauty that is less that a football field away from the world-famous Piazza San Marco, Venice’s vibrant and pulsing heart. You’ll get your first glimpse of Venice in the low light of early evening as a gondolier pushes you through Venice’s serpentine canals and past the hot spots of the San Marco district. Afterward, you can enjoy a fantastic dinner of freshly caught seafood at one of Venice’s many fine restaurants.

Your last full day in Italy is sure to be one of your favorites, as a fully guided tour of inimitable Venice awaits. You’ll be led through the streets and alleys and over the pedestrian bridges to check out some of the greatest sites near the Piazza San Marco, like the Doge’s Palace and the famous Bridge of Sighs, and you’ll be taken on a one-hour cruise of the Grand Canal, getting a waterside glimpse of some of the oldest and most beautiful townhouses in the city. From the stolid expanse of the Rialto Bridge to the soaring and graceful domes that crown St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice is sure to be a city that will always remain in your mind and in your heart.

The afternoon is yours to explore as you see fit. You can enjoy a drink at Harry’s Bar near the Piazza San Marco, the birthplace of the Bellini and beef carpaccio and one of the favorite Italian haunts of Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, and Woody Allen, or set out across the lagoon to explore the island communities of Venice. In Burano, you can find delicate, dainty, beautiful lace, and houses and store fronts painted striking, bright hues, while the best glassblowers in the city – a city that prides itself on glassmaking, no less – can be found in Murano. The latter is also the home to a number of beautiful churches, particularly the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato.

This morning, you’ll be taken by private transfer to the airport in Venice, where a plane will take you back to your home country. The flight back is sure to be filled with thoughts of the past week, the memories made and the times shared with loved ones, new stories to be told, new pictures to be framed, and new plans to be made… for your journey back.