Donna Franca Vacations

DAY 1 ROME
Welcome Dinner

Independent transfer from Leonardo da Vinci Airport to downtown Rome. After checking into your centrally located, four star hotel you will have ample time to unpack, relax and freshen up prior to meeting your professional English speaking tour escort, who will remain with you throughout the tour. In the late afternoon enjoy leisure time for an informal ‘passeggiata’ through pedestrian Rome before your welcome dinner with wine at a typical Roman restaurant, your first encounter
with our delicious Italian cuisine.

DAY 2 ROME - POMPEII - CAPRI - ROME
Breakfast & Wine Estate Luncheon

After buffet breakfast at the hotel, set out on a full day excursion by private motor coach to Pompeii and the island of Capri. Sit back and enjoy a leisurely drive along Italy’s famed ‘Autostrada del Sole’. Today’s first stop will be in Pompeii for a guided tour of the important excavation site. This once thriving ancient Roman seaside resort was buried under molten ash during the 79 AD eruption of nearby Mt. Vesuvius. Afterwards enjoy a specially prepared luncheon at a renowned wine estate in the Pompeii area. Then cross the Bay of Naples by hydrofoil to the enchanting Isle of Capri. Your escort will lead you to the famous ‘Piazzetta’ where you can enjoy the afternoon exploring. In the late afternoon cross back to Naples to board the awaiting motor coach and return to Rome for leisure time.
 

DAY 3 ROME
Breakfast & Dinner - Papal Audience
 

Enjoy buffet breakfast prior to your full day sightseeing of the Eternal City. First, transfer to the Vatican where you will attend the public Papal Audience (Subject to His Holiness’ availability) followed by a guided tour of the Eternal City featuring the Arch of Constantine, the Circus Maximus, The Trevi Fountain Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia and the Coliseum. The balance of the day is at your leisure until that night when, for your enjoyment, we have planned dinner with wine out at a
characteristic restaurant of the city.

DAY 4 ROME - CETONA - FLORENCE
Breakfast, Lunch, & Visit to Donna Franca’s Villa for wine tastings
 

Enjoy a leisurely buffet breakfast at the hotel before boarding your private deluxe mini-coach and journeying to Tuscany, one of Italy’s most treasured regions. Your first stop for today will be in Cetona where you will enjoy a special gourmet luncheon with authentic Tuscan delicacies accompanied by fine Chianti at the well-known ‘Osteria Vecchia’. After lunch, partake in a private, specially arranged visit to Donna Franca’s villa to sample some wines from her cellar. In the early afternoon, continue on to Florence for check-in at your centrally located, four star, hotel. After you have settled in, take a leisurely walk through the historic center of Florence.

DAY 5 FLORENCE
Breakfast & Dinner
 

After buffet breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide/lecturer who will introduce you to the genius of the Italian Renaissance during your informative guided tour of Florence. Start at the Accademia to admire Michelangelo’s imposing statue of ‘David’. Continue on to the main Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, crowned by Brunelleschi’s great dome and flanked by Giotto’s sleek bell tower. At the adjacent Baptistery, see Ghiberti’s famous Bronze ‘Gates of Paradise’, almost lost to the floods of 1966. Stroll through Piazza della Signoria, past the Palazzo Vecchio and onto the colorful Piazza Santa Croce for an exterior view of the Church of Santa Croce. Tonight for your pleasure we have arranged dinner out with wine at a typical local restaurant.

DAY 6 FLORENCE - CHIANTI - SIENA - FLORENCE
Breakfast, Wine Estate Luncheon & Dinner
 

Enjoy buffet breakfast at the hotel prior to heading out on today’s full day excursion in search of Tuscany’s hidden treasures. The morning portion of today’s excursion will focus on the four wine hamlets of Chianti. Your visit to the Chianti region will include a stop at the famous Fattoria San Pancrazio for a specially arranged luncheon paired with the estate’s fine wines. After lunch continue on to Siena, the home of the annual Palio horse race, where you will discover this fortified city as your escort leads you through its winding roads, past tall towers and along portico-covered galleries. Stroll through the large Piazza del Campo, dominated by the Torre della Mangia and the Palazzo Pubblico. Walk up to the stunning Duomo with its contrasting black and white marble. With your spare time you may wish to visit on your own the lavishly decorated Piccolomini Library. Late that afternoon return to Florence for dinner with wine at a charming restaurant near the Piazza della Signoria.

DAY 7 FLORENCE - VERONA - VENICE
Breakfast & Dinner
 

After buffet breakfast at the hotel, board your private deluxe mini-coach and transfer to Venice, stopping en-route in Verona. While in Verona, your tour escort will lead you on an orientation tour to point out the important sights such as Piazza Bra, Piazza delle Erbe, the Roman Amphitheater and of course, Juliet’s Balcony. Enjoy lunch on your own before continuing on to Venice’s Piazzale Roma where you will be transferred by private motor launch to downtown Venice. After check-in at your centrally located, first class hotel, relax prior to this evening’s dinner with wine at the hotel where you will have your first taste of authentic Venetian cuisine.

DAY 8 VENICE
Breakfast & Dinner
 

Enjoy buffet breakfast at the hotel prior to this morning’s guided walking tour of Venice. Today’s tour highlights the immense St. Mark’s Square, the Bridge of Sighs, the Bell Tower and the famous Clock Tower with its Moorish figures that strike the hour. The tour continues with a visit to the Basilica of St. Mark with its intricate mosaics and then culminates with a visit to the Doge’s Palace. The rest of the afternoon is at your leisure. Tonight we celebrate our farewell dinner at a typical local restaurant.

DAY 9 DEPARTURE
Breakfast
 

Early morning breakfast at the hotel followed by your independent transfer to Venice’s Marco Polo Airport to board your return flight to the USA or extend your stay in Italy.

• Rome: Pace Helvezia or similar
• Florence: Adler Cavalieri or similar
• Venice: All'Angelo or similar