The Experience

A classic personal exploration to two of the world’s great cities ~ Rome, the eternal city, and Florence, home of the Italian Renaissance, where you will experience first-hand the art, architecture, cuisine and more with plenty of free time to enjoy shopping and people watching on your own.

Includes:

• Arrival and Departure Transfers per City
• 3 Nights Rome
• Semi-Private Rome Tour
• 3 Nights Florence
• Semi-Private Florence Tour
• Wine Tasting in Florence
• 1st-Class Rail Between Cities with Seat Reservation
• One Traditional 3-Course Dinner Per City
• TripBuilder CityGuide Per City
• Daily Breakfast

Day 1 ~ Arrive Rome:
You,™ll be met coming out of baggage claims and passport control by your driver holding a sign with your name on it for your private transfer from Rome Fiumicino airport to your hotel in central Rome for three night’s accommodations. (Transfers do not include porterage or assistance. Limit: One suitcase and one handbag allowed per person.) (Accommodations, Rome)

Day 2 ~ Rome:
After breakfast, you have a morning city tour. (Breakfast, Accommodations, Rome)

Meet your driver for your Semi-private Rome Panoramic Orientation Tour (available April-October) in your hotel lobby (specific pickup time will be in your documents). A small-group tour with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 8 people. Your English speaking driving guide acquaints you with all the main monuments including St Peter’s Square, the Colosseum, Forum, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. (Driving guide not licensed to lead tour inside of monuments or museums. Tour does not include any entrance fees, meals or gratuities.)

Tonight you dine with reservations at 8:00 p.m. at your choice of restaurants: Ristorante Checco Er Carrettiere, an historical restaurant run by 3 generations of the Checco Porcelli family featuring family recipes of traditional Italian dishes or seafood dressed with simplicity.

Ristorante Santopadre – A family-run restaurant near the Via Veneto where locals eat, offering Regional Italian cuisine. Specialties include Rigatoni with chickpeas and lamb chops & homemade desserts.

Day 3 ~ Rome:
After breakfast, you have the day at leisure, or you can choose an optional Avanti tour. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Rome)

Optional Tours:
Vatican Museums Half-Day Tour – Including a visit to the Sistine Chapel, plus other Vatican galleries and some Papal apartments.

Naples and Pompeii Full-Day Tour with Lunch – Traveling the highway of the Sun, with two full hours in Pompeii to explore, plus Naples and more.

Day 4 ~ Rome to Florence:
After breakfast, you have a private transfer to Termini rail station for your travel by rail to Florence in 1st-Class, seat reservations included. Arriving in Florence, you will be met on the platform at the rail station by your driver for your private transfer to your hotel for three night’s accommodations. (Breakfast, Rome; Accommodations, Florence)

Day 5 ~ Florence:
After breakfast, a Florence city tour is scheduled. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Florence)

Florence Morning City Tour – Travel along the Viale dei Colli to Piazzale Michelangelo for a photo stop then on to the old city with a walking tour of the Duomo complex and the cathedral. The highlight of your day is a visit to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michelangelo’s David statue and more. (Tour lasts 3 hours and ends inside the museum.)

After an afternoon at leisure, your dinner this evening is at The Ristorante Buca Mario, open since 1886, is located in the wine cellars of Palazzo Niccolini a few steps from Santa Maria Novella Square, specializing in real Tuscan cooking with fresh pasta and superb grilled meats. Dinner is 3-courses and clients will have the possibility of choosing among 3 different menus. (Please arrive on your own for your 8:00 p.m. reservations, present voucher before ordering. Includes one 3-course dinner per person, beverages and gratuities not included.)

Day 6 ~ Florence:
After breakfast, you have a full day at your leisure to explore or shop (local markets have the best prices in Italy for Italian leather goods and apparel) at the Mercato di San Lorenzo (San
Lorenzo Market), which operates Tuesdays through Saturdays. Or you may include an optional Avanti day tour such as Siena and San Gimignano with Lunch or the delightful two-hour afternoon Private Gastronomic Walking Tour, the best way to experience the specialty shops and stands of Florence to sample typical food and wines of the region. (Breakfast & Accommodations, Florence)

In the evening, please arrive on your own to the Canova di Gustavino by 6:00 p.m. Your wine tasting consists of four wines – one white, three red, and are accompanied by small portions of meats, cheeses and breads. (Please present your voucher upon arrival. You may also order dinner at the wine bar after the tasting for an additional cost. Gratuities not included.)

Day 7 ~ Depart Florence:
After breakfast, you have a private transfer to either the rail station or the airport as you depart for your next Avanti destination. (Breakfast, Florence)

Optional Tours:
Pisa Half-Day Tour – A splendid excursion through the fertile and picturesque Tuscan countryside, towards the historic university city of Pisa. A panoramic view of the beautiful riversides, then a guided visit on foot of the Piazza dei Cavalieri, where the Scuola Normale resides, one of the most famous universities in the world. The tour proceeds to Piazza dei Miracoli to find the celebrated Leaning Tower, the Cathedral (interior), a masterpiece of Romanesque art carried out between the 11th and 12th centuries, the Baptistery and other important monuments.

Chianti Half-Day Tour – An excursion to one of the most appealing areas in Tuscany, known all over the world for its wine and its countryside of unrivaled beauty, that alternates woods with vines and olive trees, where Romanesque Churches, farmhouses, villas and castles of rare beauty are to be found. This tour includes a visit to a place of particular historic and artistic interest in an old village, and one of the most renowned castle farms with a snack and tasting of its prestigious wines.

Note: All sightseeing tours are available on a private basis if clients prefer.