DAY 2 | ROME and OSTIA ANTICA
9:30 am We meet you at your hotel. Board a private van for the first part of your guided visit. Ancient Rome is the centrepiece of your tour today. See the Forum, the Colisseum, the Baths of Caracalla, the Circus Maximus, and the Capitoline hill among the highlights.
1pm Car transfer to Ostia Antica, the ancient port city of Rome. Seafood lunch in the shadow of a castle, before your guided walking tour.
5pm Car back to Rome at the end of the visit.
DAY 3 | ROME – VILLA BORGHESE
Morning at leisure. Time for shopping and walking around the city.
3pm Guided visit of the Borghese Gallery, our favorite museum in Rome. Two hours of great ancient and Baroque art in a small museum set in a massive park. We call it “All killer, no filler.”
DAY 4 | FLORENCE (TUSCANY)
10:30am Check out and taxi to the train station. 1
11am Take the fast train to Florence – 90 mins.
1pm Check in at your hotel followed by a casual lunch.
3pm Walking tour of the city center. Among the highlights: Ponte Vecchio (the oldest city bridge), Tornabuoni street, the city’s “fifth Avenue” with all its boutiques and elegant palaces, the Cathedral with its bell tower and Baptistry, Piazza Signoria – the city’s political core for over a thousand years, and Republic square, the exact center of Roman Florence.
Free time on own for shopping and for the best gelato.
DAY 5 | SIENA and CHIANTI (from Florence)
9.30am We meet you at your hotel for a full day excursion through Tuscany. Guided visit of Siena in the morning. Savour the magic atmosphere of a city that seems frozen in time: walk along its narrow lanes and learn about its rich history and medieval artistic growth. Be impressed by the most stunning Duomo built in Europe, and the by elegant Piazza Campo where the “Palio” (public horse race) takes place every year since the 1400s!
After Siena, a 15min drive leads to the medieval fortified hamlet of Monteriggioni, a unique setting for a great lunch!
2:30pm Driving through the hills of Chianti, stop in one of its most representative castles, which is also a winery; wine tasting on the premises.
Back to the Villa by 6.30pm.
DAY 6 | FLORENCE – VENICE
8am Check out and cab to the train station.
9am Take the fast train to Venice (2hrs in business class). Private water taxi on arrival up the Grand Canal. Check in at hotel. Snack followed by walking tour of the highlights of Venice.
DAY 7 | VENICE – MURANO AND BURANO ISLANDS
10am Private boat to the island of Murano for a tour of one of its world famous glassblowing works. Private boat to the island of Burano, a quiet island of colorful houses, cafes, and shops full of handmade lace, violins, masks. Return on own by water taxi to Venice when ready.
DAY 8 | VENICE -FLORENCE
10am Check out and private water taxi to the train station. High speed Eurostar train back to Florence. Check in at hotel. Rest of the day at leisure for shopping, visiting a museum or garden, etc.
DAY 9 | PISA FOOD & WINE DAY (from Florence)
10am We will pick you up with our van for a full day tour dedicated to wine and food. But first a stop at the leaning tower of Pisa and it’s “Miracle Square”. Then lunch in San Miniato, for fettuccine with truffles, and grilled flank steak with balsamic. In the afternoon, a visit to a gorgeous new winery that is making award-winning Sangiovese wines.
Back to Florence in time to clean up for dinner….and more wine! 😉
DAY 10 | POSITANO and SORRENTO (from Positano)
9.30am Check out and private car to the train station.
10:15am Take the fast train to Naples.
12noon Upon arrival, board a private van for your transfer to Positano.
On the way, make a lunch stop in Sorrento, an evocative town of narrow lanes and artisan shops. Lunch today is at one of our favorite restaurants in Italy!
4Pm Arrival in Positano. Check in at hotel. Orientation tour and time at leisure.
DAY 11 | POSITANO
Day at leisure for beach activities or private excursions.
We will be happy to arrange any of the tour options that suit you, among the following:
a cooking class
a hike with an enviromental guide, along the “Path of the Gods”
a private boat excursion along the coast, with stops for swimming and for a visit of Amalfi and its impressive Duomo
Amalfi Coast: a leisurely drive featuring the main coastal villages
a drive to and visit of Amalfi and Ravello, the town with a view over the Mediterranean
DAY 12 | CAPRI (daytrip from Positano)
10am Meet us at the pier of Positano, to board the hydrofoil for Capri, the most beautiful of the Italian islands. Only a half hour ride and you will be catapulted into a bit of heaven!
Take a private boat for a tour around the island (2 hours) with the chance to swim in one of the numerous grottos which characterize Capri.
Lunch where only the locals go, to taste the originalcaprese salad, or some of the best pizzas made in Italy, or the so called “scialatielli”, a home made pasta with fresh seafood….!
In the afternoon, we’ll offer you a few options:
take a chair lift to reach the island’s highest point to enjoy great views of the whole area
visit a villa and its exotic garden built here by a Swiss doctor, Axel Munthe, in the 1800s
Take a guided tour of Capri to see Augustus’ gardens, St.James’ charterhouse, Punta Tragara and its huge rock formations, symbol of Capri.
6Pm Take the hydrofoil back to Positano.
DAY 13 | POSITANO-NAPOLI-ROME
Morning at leisure
Check out and private transfer to Naples train station with Rina and Scot.
3.30pm Eurostar train to Rome (70min).
Upon arrival, your driver takes you from the Rome train station to your hotel, located in Fiumicino, near the Leonardo da Vinci airport grounds. Check in at Hotel Hilton Garden Inn.
For a great dinner we suggest “Bastianelli al porto”, in Fiumicino.
DAY 14 | ROME-USA
Hotel shuttle to airport terminal. Return flight home. Arrivederci Italia!!
The total PACKAGE PRICE includes the following:
Accommodation in 4 star hotel/Relais, in double occupancy for 13 nights
All breakfasts, 3 lunches in the description above
Transfers by private van as specified in the itinerary
Euro Star Train tickets in Business Class for the scheduled train rides
Private van and driver for 3 hour tour in Rome
Entry tickets to the Ostia Antica archaeological site
Excursion in Tuscany by private van, with driver and guide
2 Winetastings and visit of a castle
Guided city tours as specified
VIP entry tickets to the Borghese Gallery
Roundtrip hydrofoil tickets Positano-Capri
Private skippered boat tour around Capri
Taxi ride from Capri to Anacapri (or from the town to the harbour)
Two tour guides during the tour who will be your discreet “guardian angels”
Detailed itinerary, all the arrangements and necessary bookings/pre-purchases
Maps with recommended restaurants and shopping
Insurance onboard the van, and all car costs (tolls, parking, fuel, permits…)
