Departure from U.S. - Arrival in Rome, Italy

On Thursday September 10th, we depart our US home cities for an overnight flight to Rome.  We will be greeted at the airport by our local tour manager who will introduce us to Rome as we make our way to our hotel.  Along the way we will enjoy a panoramic tour of the city seeing many of the historic sites we will be visiting during our visit.  After check in you will have some free time to relax from your journeys.  Tonight we will gather together for a welcome dinner.

Rome Temple with Free afternoon

After breakfast, board your coach and transfer to the newly dedicated LDS Temple and enjoy attending a session or touring the grounds. You will have time to spend some time at the Visitor's Center. Enjoy the balance of the day at leisure or join a local LDS Church leader for an optional Christian themed tour of the old city.

Optional Christian Walking Tour: For those who would like, your LDS Tour Director will be offering an optional walking tour to several religious sites in Old Rome that relate to the time of the apostles Peter and Paul (Cost 20 Euros approximately for entrance fees).

LDS Church Service with Ancient Rome tour

Today, for those interested, we will attend a local Sacrament Meeting.  We will return to the hotel to change clothes, before our visits to the famous sites of Ancient Rome. As we arrive at the Colosseum grounds we will walk underneath the Constantine Arch and then enter the huge arena dating from 79AD. Next stop will be the Roman Forum, where the ancient market place seems to jump to life as we stroll through the ruins. Back on the coach, we will drive past Circus Maximus and the Baths of Caracalla on our way to the Pantheon, which was built over 2,000 years ago to honor Caesar Augustus and later converted to a Christian church.

Vatican and Old Town Walking Tour

This morning we tour the Vatican, the world's smallest independent state. Your guide will start with an overview of the history of the Vatican Museums.  The highlight of the tour will be the Sistine Chapel, where the ceiling is covered with Michelangelo's most famous paintings.  Then we explore St. Peter's Square, with Bernini's 284 columns, before entering St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in Christendom. You will have some free time for lunch. In the afternoon our Rome sightseeing will continue with a pleasant walk in the old town to see famous Piazzas and monumental fountains such as Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Piazza Navona.

Rome to Florence via Assisi

After breakfast we will leave Rome and head north to Florence. Through the Umbria region, we will arrive in the delightful town of Assisi, birthplace of St. Francis. Here we will have time to visit the cathedral and the amazing frescoes by Giotto and the medieval downtown. After a brief stop by the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli we will continue to Florence.

Florence walking tour with free afternoon

After breakfast this morning we will enjoy a walking tour of Florence, taking in all the amazing out-door art and sculptures along the way. Our guided tour will include the Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore, known as the Duomo and the home for Giotto’s bell tower and Brunelleschi’s famous Dome. We will also tour the Academia featuring Michelangelo’s statue of David. The afternoon will be yours to continue to explore the museums, shops, markets, and cafes at your leisure.

Carrara Quarry and Pisa

Today will surely be one of the highlights of the tour as we make our way out of Florence to the mountains to visit the historic marble quarry in Carrara with our local guide. We will enjoy a jeep ride up the hill to the quarry opening where Michelangelo and the other famous sculptors of their day picked their marble that we still marvel at today. We will get to try our hand at the chisel as well as see many works of art. After a wonderful local lunch we will continue to the city of Pisa and see the iconic “leaning tower” and tour of the city before returning to Florence.

Tuscany 

This morning we will drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Siena. Notice the medieval ramparts where you are greeted with the Latin inscription 'Cor Magis Tibi Sena Pandit' (Siena opens its heart to you). We will walk through the maze of narrow streets; see the Piazza Del Campo where the famous 'Palio Horse Race' is held and the 13th century Cathedral. Lunch at a nice typical Tuscan restaurant. As we make our way back to Florence we will stop in San Gimignano, another beautiful medieval town famous for its unmistakable skyline. The town is known as the city of “hundred towers”. While today there are only 13 towers still remaining, you can still see the city clearly visible and even recognizable from afar.

Florence to Venica via Ravenna

This morning we will leave Florence and begin our scenic journey to Venice. We will stop in Ravenna to find a treasure chest of art, history and culture waiting for us. Here are the richest heritage of mosaics in the world, preserved in the basilicas and baptisteries of the city.  It is clear evidence of the extraordinary period that art flourish in this area.  For their universal value and uniqueness of their mosaics, the eight monuments of Ravenna have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Free time for lunch. We then continue north to arrive in Venice, known as the Queen of the Adriatic Sea. Dinner is served at hotel tonight.

Murano & Burano Islands Tour & Venice walking tour

After breakfast we will board our coach again to the boat terminal and board our private boat for a cruise past the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, the Public Gardens, the tip of Sant'Elena, and the Lido famous beach resort to Murano Island.  Known worldwide for its colored glass, we will see mouth-blown glassmaking in progress and enjoy a factory tour. Next stop is Burano Island. This picturesque island is famous not only for its lace, but also for the fishermen's houses painted in bright colors. We will enjoy this place before cruising back to the main island for lunch break. After, we will meet our local guide who will take us on a delightful walking tour of this ‘City of Islands’. Along the way we will see St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, the Bell Tower, the Clock Tower and the Bridge of Sighs to name of few favorite sites. Enjoy some free time before attending your Farewell Dinner at a typical local restaurant on the Island. Transfer back to the hotel on the mainland for overnight.

Venice to the U.S.A.

Bidding a fond farewell to Italy, we will travel by coach to the Venice Airport and then board our flights back to the USA.