Classic Italy Tour

Day 1

Depart for Rome, Italy:

Your adventure begins as you depart the U.S. on your transatlantic flight. Overnight in flight.

Day 2

Arrive in Rome:

Arrive in historic Rome, Italy. This evening meet your fellow travelers and learn about the exciting days ahead, then relax over a tasty Italian dinner. (D)

✦ Hotel H10 Roma or similar

Day 3

The Vatican:

This morning, you’ll tour the Vatican City, home of the Pope. Our guided tour explores the Vatican Museums, which house some of the most important and valuable art treasures in the world. Visit the Sistine Chapel to view floor-to-ceiling biblical frescoes painted by Michelangelo in around 1512, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. Touring the Vatican Museums requires walking up several staircases and 2-3 hours of walking. (B)

✦Hotel H10 Roma or similar

Day 4

Rome:

A full-day sightseeing tour includes the highlights of this Eternal City. Today’s sights include outside views of the Roman Forum, once a marketplace and center of daily Roman life, and the Colosseum (entrances not included), the Piazza Navona and the renowned Spanish Steps along with the fabled Trevi Fountain, completed in 1762. (B, D)

✦Hotel H10 Roma or similar

Day 5

Orvieto and Montecatini Terme:

Depart Rome and travel north into the picturesque Umbrian countryside. We stop and take the funicular up to the ancient town of Orvieto, where you can explore this charming town and admire a variety of Etruscan, Medieval and Renaissance art. By late afternoon, we arrive at Montecatini Terme for a 2-night stay. (B)

✦Hotel Tamerici & Principe or similar

Day 6

Pisa and Florence:

Today’s full-day excursion starts with a short drive toward the Mediterranean coast and the city of Pisa. Here you will see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which as of April 2011, is free of scaffolding for the first time in 20 years. Enjoy a walking tour of Florence and see the 13th century Duomo with the Brunelleschi dome and Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower). See Ghiberti’s golden “Gates of Paradise” doors at the marble-clad Baptistery of St. John, the Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio, the medieval bridge spanning the River Arno, complete with shops built along it. (B, D)

✦Hotel Tamerici & Principe or similar

Day 7

Bologna and Venice:

We drive northeast and stop in Bologna. Probably best known for its culinary tradition, Bologna also has an impressive history and is home to the world's oldest university, founded in 1088. Enjoy some time on your own and perhaps pasta with authentic bolognese sauce (ragu alla bolognese in Italian) before we continue toward the Adriatic coast. We’ll arrive in the Venice area by late afternoon and will stay just a few miles across the lagoon from the historic city. (B, D)

✦Crowne Plaza Venice East or similar

Day 8

Venice:

This morning enjoy a sightseeing tour of this amazing city, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built on an archipelago of 117 islands in a lagoon. Visit St. Mark’s Square, with its Byzantine Basilica and clock tower; see the Grand Canal and the Doge’s Palace, once home to the Duke of Venice (entrance not included), the fabled Bridge of Sighs, as well as the Rialto Bridge. This afternoon you are free to wander through the labyrinth of canals and alleyways, lined with their boutiques and souvenir shops. If you want to get out on the water, there are a variety of boat rides (not included) from water taxis to the traditional gondolas that are synonymous with Venice. (B)

✦Crowne Plaza Venice East or similar

Day 9

Verona, Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore:

Today we head inland from Venice and the Adriatic Sea, through the lush northern Italian landscape as we drive to Verona. A city best known as the setting for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it also offers wonderful examples of Medieval and Renaissance art and architecture. Our walking tour includes the Duomo (cathedral), Piazza delle Erbe with the famous Torre dei Lamberti (high tower), and of course the house of Juliet, with its famous balcony. We continue west toward Lake Garda — at over 30 miles long, Italy’s largest lake, before spending the night in the Lake Maggiore area. (B, D)

✦Zacchera Hotels or similar

Day 10

Lake Maggiore Cruise and Milan:

This morning we’ll take a scenic lake cruise and you’ll also have a little time to explore one of the picturesque lakeside towns before we continue our journey west to Milan, capital of the region of Lombardy. Your panoramic sightseeing tour highlights will include Piazza del Duomo, the main central square surrounded by several important buildings, such as Milan’s Gothic cathedral and the Royal Palace of Milan. You’ll also have a chance to see Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, an impressive and ornate indoor shopping arcade built in 1865, as well as La Scala Opera House. (B, D)

✦Crowne Plaza Milan Malpensa or similar

Day 11

Depart Milan, for Home:

Bid farewell to Italy, taking home a suitcase full of memories and stories to share. (B)

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tour vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights.