Venice

Our Italian experience will begin as we arrive at the Venice airport and are greeted by our tour manger. We will take a short transfer to the hotel to freshen up and continue to the mainland boat terminal for a private transfer to St. Mark square. Here our Tour Manager will give directions and suggestions to familiarize us with this special city. Welcome dinner at a nice local restaurant and transfer back to our hotel on the mainland for overnight.

Murano & Burano Island Tours

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 a lunch break. This afternoon, we 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 time at leisure and transfer back to our hotel on the mainland for dinner and overnight.

Venice to Florence via Ravenna

This morning we will leave Venice and begin our scenic journey to Florence. We’ll stop in Ravenna to visit this treasure chest of art, history and culture. The richest heritage of mosaics in the world, preserved in the basilicas and baptisteries of the city, is clear evidence of that extraordinary period. For their universal value and the uniqueness of their mosaics, eight monuments of Ravenna have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Continuing south, we’ll arrive in Florence, known as the Cradle of Renaissance.

Tuscany Tour

This morning we will drive through the beautiful Tuscan countryside to Siena. Notice the medieval ramparts where we 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 twon, famous for its unmistakable skyline.  The town is known as the city of "hundred towers." While today only 13 towers from the fourteenth century remain, you can still see the city clearly visible and even recognizable from afar.

Florence Tour

After breakfast this morning we will enjoy a walking tour of Florence, taking in all the amazing outdoor 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 the city before returning to Florence.

Florence to Assisi to Rome

After breakfast we will leave Florence and head south to Rome. 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 Rome.

Vatican with afternoon tour of the Old Town

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. 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 Temple with Free Afternoon

After breakfast, we board our coach and transfer to the newly dedicated LDS Temple and enjoy attending a session or touring the grounds. Return to the hotel. 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**.

**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).

Rome Church Meeting and afternoon Ancient Rome Tour

Today, for those interested, we will attend a local Sacrament Meeting or other local church service. Return to the hotel to change clothes and a quick lunch break, before our visit 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 79A. 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.

Tonight a farewell dinner is served at a local restaurant including live music entertainment. Return transfers from hotel are included.

Venice to the U.S.A.

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