Overview
Itinerary
Welcome to Italy. Greet your Travel Director at Milan's Malpensa Airport.
Later, join your Travel Director and head to local restaurant where your Welcome Dinner provides the opportunity to mingle and get to know your fellow travelers over a pleasant evening. (DW) Stay: Ritz Milan.
Journey through Lombardy's fertile plains, skirting Lake Garda you arrive in the Veneto region and continue to the glorious city of Venice. (B) Stay: NH Venezia Santa Lucia, Venice.
Wake up ready to embrace this romantic city. What better way to see Venice than from a private boat, cruising past palazzos and churches to St. Mark's Square? See the gilded basilica, the Doge's Palace and Lord Byron's Bridge of Sighs. No visit to Venice would be complete without a gondola serenade through the myriad of beautiful canals. Relax and enjoy the local traditional songs, as you drift along in awe. While here, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional arts center, where you can see how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills.
Spend the afternoon and evening as you wish or join an Optional Experience to the island of Burano. Leave the hustle of St Mark's Square behind on a delightful private cruise around the islands of the Venetian lagoon. Alight at the island of Burano, famous for its candy colored houses, artisan lace makers and leaning bell tower that would give Pisa a good run for its money. Enjoy a superb meal sampling the local specialties with wine included. (B)
Explore Florence with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo's David. After continue on foot to admire the multi-colored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, where Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory. Continue into the Piazza della Signoria, still the political heart of Florence and an open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces.
Spend time gazing at statues such as Neptune and Hercules and Cacus along the front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Alternatively, take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce to enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café, where you will be in the perfect spot to admire the basilica, indulge in people-watching the elegant Florentines and perhaps indulge yourself shopping for luxury goods like gold and leather. (B/DW) Stay: NH Firenze, Florence.
Learn the secrets of traditional Florentine leatherwork when you visit a local workshop to admire the intricate work. The rest of the day is free for you to fully immerse yourself in the Tuscan capital. Perhaps shop for leather or gold goods around Santa Croce or relax and soak up the atmosphere in one of the many street cafés. Be sure not to miss the magnificent museums and galleries that house some of the most famous works of art in the world.
Choose to take an excursion to Tuscany's most famous hill-top town, San Gimignano. Soak up the atmosphere of this ancient gem which has remained intact since the 14th century and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the evening, enjoy an opportunity to sample the true flavors of the region with a sumptuous optional Tuscan dinner, served with local wine. Your destination is the ancient stone house of Machiavelli, where the great political theorist wrote his immortal work, ‘The Prince'.
After a welcome drink and a visit of the villa and its wine-cellars, enjoy the best of Tuscan cuisine accompanied by great music and drinks, including of course, Chianti from the Villa's own vines. (B) Stay: Hotel Adler Cavalieri, Florence.
Journey to Umbrian Orvieto, a hilltop village overlooking a vineyard-covered plain. Explore the town with your Travel Director and visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral, before continuing towards the Eternal City of Rome. Join an optional experience, Piazzas & Fountains. With your Local Expert, take a "passeggiata" (stroll) to enjoy the backstreets and secrets of pedestrian Rome. Be amazed at sights such as the fascinating Pantheon and the beauty of 17th-Century fountains and beautiful Piazzas.
In the evening, why not throw your coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the city? (B) Stay: Golden Tulip Rome Piram.
In the morning enjoy the very best of the city's highlights including visiting the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. You then gain exclusive fast-tracked priority entry into the Vatican Museums with a Local Expert. Admire the Papal art collection and enter the Sistine Chapel where you'll marvel at Michelangelo's masterpiece on its ceiling. Your visit also includes behind-the-scenes access to a part of the Vatican denied to the general public, the Bramante Staircase. Afterwards, enjoy some free time.
In the evening, enjoy an elegant four-course dinner with local wine at a Roman restaurant. As you dine, you'll be serenaded with a private performance of popular songs and arias from some of Italy's best-loved operas. (B/DW)
Bid farewell to the glories of Italy. Departure transfers arrive at Rome's Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport. (B)
Welcome to Italy. Greet your Travel Director at Milan's Malpensa Airport.
Later, join your Travel Director and head to local restaurant where your Welcome Dinner provides the opportunity to mingle and get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening. (DW) Stay: Ritz Milan.
Journey through Lombardy's fertile plains. Following the outline of the magnificent Alps, you arrive in the Veneto region and continue to the glorious city of Venice. (B) Stay: NH Venezia Santa Lucia, Venice
Wake up ready to embrace this romantic city. What better way to see Venice than from a private boat, sailing past palazzos and churches to St. Mark's Square? See the gilded basilica, the Doge's Palace and Lord Byron's Bridge of Sighs.
No visit to Venice would be complete without a gondola serenade through the myriad of beautiful canals. Relax and enjoy the local traditional songs, as you drift along in awe. While here, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional glassmaking workshop, where you can see how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills.
Spend the afternoon and evening as you wish. Or, join an optional experience to the island of Burano. Leave the hustle of St Mark's Square behind on a delightful private cruise around the islands of the Venetian lagoon. Alight at the island of Burano, famous for its candy coloured houses, artisan lace makers and leaning bell tower that would give Pisa a good run for its money. Enjoy a superb meal sampling the local specialties with wine included. (B)
Stop in Pisa to see the incredible Leaning Tower from which Galileo is said to have conducted experiments on velocity and gravity. Explore Florence with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo's David.
After that, continue on foot to admire the Multi-coloured marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, where Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise have been recreated in all their glory.
Continue into the Piazza della Signoria, still the political heart of Florence and an open-air gallery of Renaissance masterpieces. Spend time gazing at statues such as Neptune, Hercules and Cacus along the front of the Palazzo Vecchio. Alternatively, take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce to enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café, where you will be in the perfect spot to admire the basilica and indulge in people-watching the elegant Florentines. (B/DW) Stay: NH Firenze, Florence
Learn the secrets of traditional Florentine leatherwork when you visit a local workshop to admire the intricate work.
The rest of the day is free for you to fully immerse yourself in the Tuscan capital. Perhaps shop for leather or gold goods around Santa Croce or relax and soak up the atmosphere in one of the many street cafés. Be sure not to miss the magnificent museums and galleries that house some of the most famous works of art in the world. Choose to take an excursion to Tuscany's most famous hill-top town, San Gimignano. Soak up the atmosphere of this ancient gem which has remained intact for centuries and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
In the evening, consider an optional experience dining on Tuscan cuisine with local wine, including, of course, Chianti from the vineyards of Tuscany. (B)
Journey to Umbrian Orvieto, a hilltop village overlooking a vineyard-covered plain. Explore the town with your Travel Director and visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral, before continuing towards the Eternal City of Rome. Join an optional experience, Piazzas & Fountains, and with your Local Expert, take a "passeggiata" (stroll) to enjoy the backstreets and secrets of pedestrian Rome. Be amazed at sights such as the fascinating Pantheon and the beauty of 17th-century fountains and beautiful piazzas. Why not throw your coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the city? (B) Stay: Golden Tulip Rome Piram
In the morning enjoy the very best of the city's highlights including gaining fast-tracked entry into the Vatican Museums with a Local Expert. Admire the Papal art collection and enter the Sistine Chapel where you'll marvel at Michelangelo's masterpiece on its ceiling.
Afterwards, visit the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica followed by free time.
In the evening, dine on Lazio's culinary specialties to celebrate your time together with your traveling companions on your journey through Italy's heritage and culture. (B/DW) Stay: Room 007 Select, Rome
Bid farewell to the glories of Italy, savouring the memories of its enchanting cities, historic landmarks and stunning landscapes. Italy's unique allure will linger in your heart long after you leave. (B)
Trip Inclusions
- Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
- Venice: Delight in the magic of this charming city as you are serenaded, traveling through the atmospheric canals by gondola.
- Pisa: Your Local Expert will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th century cathedral and of course, the famous Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles.
- Florence: Join a Local Expert to view the multi-colored marble cathedral, bell tower and baptistery, adorned by Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. Visit the political heart of the city, Signoria Square. See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods.
- Florence: See the area around Santa Croce Basilica, famous for the quality of its luxury goods and witness a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
- Orvieto: During your orientation of this Umbrian hilltop town with your Travel Director, visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral.
- Vatican: Gain Fast Track access into the Vatican Museums and admire the famous Bramante Staircase. Witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and view the splendid dome of St. Peter's Basilica.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Florence: Take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce to enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local café.
- Florence: Enjoy a stroll through Renaissance Florence and admire the medieval buildings that gave birth to this new style of architecture.
- Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft. The workshop advances UN Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
- Milan: Enjoy a special Welcome Dinner with wine, as you get to know your fellow travelers.
- Florence: During dinner, meet a sommelier who will talk you through a tasting of some of Tuscan's finest wines.
- Rome: Enjoy a Celebration Dinner of delicious Italian cuisine and wine, accompanied by the rich tremolo of some of Italy's best loved songs.
- Dining Summary: 3 Dinners with Wine (DW), 7 Breakfasts (B)
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included
- Venice: With your Travel Director cruise to St. Mark's Square and see the Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs and St. Mark's Basilica.
- Venice: Delight in the magic of this charming city as you glide along the canals by gondola.
- Pisa: During your orientation, your Travel Director will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, and the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th-century cathedral - the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
- Florence: See the historic neighbourhood of the Santa Croce Basilica and witness local craftspersons at work during a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
- Orvieto: During your orientation of this Umbrian hilltop town with your Travel Director, visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral.
Choose between two carefully selected activities
- Florence: Take a stroll with your Travel Director to Piazza Santa Croce and immerse yourself in the essence of la dolce vita of Florence while you enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local cafe.
- Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo's monumental statue, 'David', in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world's most famous sculpture.
- Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop's master craftsmen teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft. This workshop directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.
- Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert's fascinating commentary.
- Hotel and restaurant tips are included - you'll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
- We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
- From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
- Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
- If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.
- Milan: Enjoy a special dinner with wine, as you get to know your fellow travellers.
- Rome: Savour regional flavours and embrace Rome's rich culinary heritage as you toast to the Eternal City over your Roman dinner.
- Dining Summary: 3 Dinners with Wine (DW), 7 Breakfasts (B)
- Enjoy the comfort of Insight's luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
- Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.
- Itinerary and inclusions are subject to change
- Price is for land, cruise and internal flights as specified. Flights not specified are not included
Trip Reviews (1) Most Recent 'Italian Intermezzo (Winter)' Reviews
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Tour & cruises prices are per person. Prices shown have savings applied, are subject to availability and may be withdrawn at any time without notice. Pricing and trip details are correct at this point in time, however are subject to confirmation at the time of booking and are subject to change by Insight Vacations. For cruise itineraries, cabin images are sourced from Insight Vacations. These should be treated as indicative only. Cabin inclusions, upholsteries and room layout may differ to the image(s) shown depending on the ship selected and your sailing dates.
