Day 1 - New York, NY. Depart our international airport.
Dinner and breakfast are served on the overnight flight.
Day 2 - Rome. Arrive in Rome, Italy. There will be time
to rest or start exploring the Eternal City after meeting our tour director and
traveling companions. Dinner and overnight at our hotel. (D)
Day 3 - Rome. Sightseeing with the local guide will
start with vistas of beautiful Piazza Venezia and the Roman Forum. Visit the
Coliseum to hear about gladiatorial combats and early Christian martyrdom.
Proceed via Circus Maximus and across the Tiber to Janiculum Hill for a sweeping
panoramic view. Finally see the monumental St. Peter's Square and Basilica in
the Vatican. Time afterwards for independent activities. An optional tour of the
Sistine Chapel will be offered. (B,D)
Day 4 - Florence. Morning breakfast and depart for
peaceful Assisi. We will visit the massive 13th Century Basilica of St. Francis.
Continue to Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany. We will arrive in time
for a first glimpse of the Renaissance treasures. Dinner and overnight at our
hotel. (B,D)
Day 5 - Venice/Mestre. Our guided sightseeing tour will
include magnificent Santa Maria Del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistery's
heavy bronze "Gates of Paradise" and the Signoria Square. To top it off we will
have the chance to admire Michelangelo's celebrated David in the Gallery of Fine
Arts. There will be time afterward to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold
jewelry before heading across the wooded Etruscan Apennines Hills to the
northern tip of the Adriatic Sea for dinner and overnight in Mestre. (B,D)
Day 6 - Venice/Mestre. We will start morning
sightseeing in style as we glide by the public market through ancient canals to
meet our resident expert. Highlights of the walking tour of Venice are St.
Mark's Square and the Byzantine splendor of St. Mark's Basilica, the lavish
Doges' Palace and Bridge of Sighs. Also we will watch Venetian glass blowers
fashion their delicate objects in an age old traditional manner. Then enjoy the
afternoon at leisure or join an optional gondola ride. We will stop at a local
restaurant for dinner before returning to our hotel for overnight. (B,D)
Day 7 - Oberammergau. Today we leave Italy via the
spectacular Brenner Pass which leads through the Tyrolean Alps to Austria. In
Innsbruck, we will enjoy a pleasant stroll through quaint medieval lanes to take
in Emperor Maximilian's Golden Roof. The Bavarian Alps dominate the scenery as
we motor to the old-world, woodcarvers' village of Oberammergau. (B,D)
Day 8 - Oberammergau. Today's activities will be the
focus of our tour - Oberammergau, the Passion Play. In this charming village,
surrounded by unforgettable Alpine views, we will experience the last week of
Christ's life.
Day 9 - Milan. We will depart early through the
Bavarian and the Italian Alps to Landeck and stop at St. Moritz for a short
visit. Continue to the famous Lake Como. Later we will drive to Milan, the hub
of Italy's economic miracle, to see the magnificent Gothic Duomo, the glass
domed Galleria and the famous La Scala Opera House. Dinner and overnight. (B,D)
Day 10 - New York, NY. Today we will bid farewell to
newly made friends as our journey comes to an end. (B)