THE BEST OF ITALY (ZB2010)

Hotels


Rome
Visconti Palace (F),

Tuscany
Settentrionale Esplanade (F) at Montecatini,

Venice
Principe (F) or Boscolo Bellini (F),

Assisi
Windsor Savoia (F),

Capri
La Residenza (F),

Rome
Villa Pamphili (F)

Meals
Full buffet breakfast (B); 4 three-course dinners (D), including a special welcome dinner with wine in Rome.

Day 1:
Board your overnight transatlantic flight.

Day 2:
Arrive in Rome, Italy. Time to rest or to start exploring the “Eternal City.” At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome’s lively restaurants. (D)

Day 3:
Rome. Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo’s ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Then, time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)

Day 4:
Rome–Orvieto–Tuscany. Following the Tiber Valley, reach Orvieto, perched high atop a volcanic rock. Access, denied to many a would-be conqueror through the ages, is easy for you. Ride a modern FUNICULAR right through the forbidding ramparts. Time to browse through tempting shops in the lanes off Piazza del Duomo and to find the right angle for a picture of the fabulous gothic façade of the CATHEDRAL. Next, drive through the Chianti wine area to the spa resort of Montecatini in Tuscany. (B)

Day 5:
Tuscany. Excursion to Florence. All day dedicated to Florence, “Cradle of the Renaissance.” Your guided walking tour includes a visit to Michelangelo’s David in the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS and the magnificent CATHEDRAL, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistry’s heavy bronze “Gate of Paradise,” and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon for independent sightseeing and browsing through the many shops. Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (B,D)

Day 6:
Tuscany–Pisa–Venice. A short drive to Pisa. Take your pictures of the amazing Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Next, enjoy a comfortable drive north to Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the world. (B)

Day 7:
Venice. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT to meet your Local Guide. Highlights of your walking tour are ST. MARK’S SQUARE and its byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES’ PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional excursion to the island of Burano. (B)

Day 8:
Venice–Assisi. Through the Apennine Mountains to peaceful Assisi. Meet your Local Guide and visit ST. CLARE’S CHURCH and ST. FRANCIS’ BASILICA built above the Saint’s grave. (B,D)

Day 9:
Assisi–Pompeii–Naples–Capri. South on the Highway of the Sun to famous POMPEII. Meet your Local Guide and start your highlight visit of this Roman city both destroyed and preserved by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. See a patrician home, public baths, and shops that give a striking picture of what day-to-day life was like in Rome at its apex of power. Next, drive to Naples, cross the blue bay by JETFOIL to the beautiful Isle of Capri for your two-night stay, and ride the FUNICULAR to Capri village. (B,D)

Day 10:
Capri. This morning, enjoy sightseeing with a Local Guide. Highlight is a visit to VILLA SAN MICHELE in Anacapri. Afternoon and evening are at leisure to stroll around and discover the beauty of this famous island. (B)

Day 11:
Capri–Sorrento–Rome. Speed across the bay to the charming resort of Sorrento. Enjoy time to stroll around and check out the local shops before returning to Rome. Why not join an optional dinner tonight in one of Rome’s fine restaurants to celebrate the success of your vacation? (B)

Day 12:
Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)

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Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
7/31/2010 - 8/11/2010	$2,499
8/1/2010 - 8/12/2010	$2,499
8/3/2010 - 8/14/2010	$2,499
8/7/2010 - 8/18/2010	$2,499
8/8/2010 - 8/19/2010	$2,499
8/10/2010 - 8/21/2010	$2,499
8/14/2010 - 8/25/2010	$2,499
8/15/2010 - 8/26/2010	$2,499
8/17/2010 - 8/28/2010	$2,519
8/21/2010 - 9/1/2010	$2,519
8/22/2010 - 9/2/2010	$2,519
8/24/2010 - 9/4/2010	$2,519
8/28/2010 - 9/8/2010	$2,539
8/29/2010 - 9/9/2010	$2,539
8/31/2010 - 9/11/2010	$2,539
9/4/2010 - 9/15/2010	$2,539
9/5/2010 - 9/16/2010	$2,539
9/7/2010 - 9/18/2010	$2,539
9/11/2010 - 9/22/2010	$2,539
9/12/2010 - 9/23/2010	$2,539
9/14/2010 - 9/25/2010	$2,539
9/18/2010 - 9/29/2010	$2,539
9/19/2010 - 9/30/2010	$2,539
9/21/2010 - 10/2/2010	$2,519
9/25/2010 - 10/6/2010	$2,519
9/26/2010 - 10/7/2010	$2,519
9/28/2010 - 10/9/2010	$2,519
10/2/2010 - 10/13/2010	$2,519
10/3/2010 - 10/14/2010	$2,519
10/5/2010 - 10/16/2010	$2,519
10/9/2010 - 10/20/2010	$2,519
10/10/2010 - 10/21/2010	$2,519
10/12/2010 - 10/23/2010	$2,519
10/16/2010 - 10/27/2010	$2,519
10/17/2010 - 10/28/2010	$2,519
10/23/2010 - 11/3/2010	$2,519
10/24/2010 - 11/4/2010	$2,519
10/30/2010 - 11/10/2010	$2,519
10/31/2010 - 11/11/2010	$2,519
11/7/2010 - 11/18/2010	$2,519
11/14/2010 - 11/25/2010	$2,499
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

City Highlights
Headsets throughout the tour

Rome:
Welcome dinner at a local restaurant; guided sightseeing, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Square and Basilica, the Colosseum and Roman Forum

Orvieto:
Ride a funicular though the ramparts to the cathedral

Florence:
Guided walking tour, visit Michelangelo’s David, the cathedral, and Signoria Square

Pisa:
Take pictures of the Leaning Tower

Venice:
Private boat ride; guided walking tour, visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblowers’ demonstration

Assisi:
Guided sightseeing, visit St. Clare’s Church and St. Francis’ Basilica

Pompeii:
Guided walking tour of the excavations

Naples-Capri-Sorrento:
By jetfoil

Capri:
Funicular ride; guided sightseeing, visit Villa San Michele in Anacapri

Price Details US
Single room supplement: $470Triple room reduction per person: $62Extra nights per person in Rome:in single room $228, in twin room $165, in triple room $135

Save up to $1,100 per couple on 2010 Greece Cruise & Tour Vacations

Standard Offers and Specials provided by Globus Tours

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