x 2020 A True Italian Vacation

A TRUE ITALIAN VACATION
June 8-22, 2020
15 days

Day 1. June 8. Mon. Fly to Italy
Fly from your airport to a major eastern airport and from there
to Rome, Italy. Dinner is served aboard.
Day 2. June 9. Tue. Land in Rome,
Welcome to Italy! First impression; Italian is spoken here! You are
very tired, but you cannot check into your hotel until this afternoon.
Therefore let’s go downtown Rome and, from the comfort of your
bus, see a few of the city’s highlights: Coliseum, Forum Romanum,
Circus Maximus, Caesar’s Palace, St. Peter’s Basilica, etc.
Next, you start your vacation with plenty of delicious food and
wine in a Roman restaurant. Then you check into your nice hotel,
take a nap and make sure you wake up on time for your first
Italian dinner. Hotel by Rome.
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Day 3. June 10. Wed. Visit Vatican City
This morning you go “abroad” to Vatican City, the smallest country
in the world. Let’s begin by walking into St. Peter’s Square: what
an impressive place! Moreover, it is today Wednesday and that
means today in St. Peter’s Square the Pope gives public audience
to a huge crowd of people. Let’s go! After that you go inside the
majestic St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest and most famous of all the
christian churches. Inside there you will see the famous “Pieta’’
of Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and the tomb of many
popes, including that of the Polish Pope John-Paul. There is so
much to see in the Basilica that one should spend an entire day
there, admiring its breathtaking pieces of art and learning about
the history of the Christian Church. Next, you go to the Catacombs
(the Church’s basement) where you can see the tomb of many
other Popes. As you come out of the Basilica you will see two Swiss
Guards by one of the Vatican’s main entrance gates. If any time
is left, you can visit the famous Vatican Museum and its renowned
Sistine Chapel or you may have free time to shop for religious
shopping. Same hotel.
Day 4. June 11. Thu. Rome: highlights
Today you discover Rome: the Capital of the World, Center of
Christianity, land of the Roman Caesars, and Cradle of Western
Civilization. The best way to discover Rome is to see it by going
on a slow walking tour. We begin by visiting the famous “Spanish
Steps” and “Via Condotti”, where the rich and famous people go
shopping. Next, you see the celebrated “Trevi Fountain” where you
toss your coins. The 2000 year old “Pantheon” is a breathtaking
wonder of the glory that was Rome. “Navona Square” is the most
beautiful and most romantic square in the city. Have lunch there
in some classy restaurant. Then, walk to Piazza Venezia and see
the huge monument to King Victor Emmanuel II who united Italy
in 1870. The Americans call it “Wedding Cake”. You will see
also Palazzo Venezia, which was the Headquarters for Fascists.
Next, going towards the Coliseum, you will walk through the
Roman Ruins: 2000 years ago that was the heart of Rome. Then,
right in front of you stands the majestic “Coliseum”. People
remain speechless in seeing it! It could sit 80,000 spectators. Just
think of thousands of gladiators and christians who died in there
for the enjoyment of the Romans! Next to the Coliseum stands the
well preserved Arch of Constantine, the emperor who in the year
312 granted freedom of religion. What an educational experience!
Same Hotel.
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Day 5. June 12. Fri. Assisi
After traveling through the Roman and Umbrian countryside,
you arrive to Assisi, the “Religious Renaissance City”. There you
walk through the same streets where St. Francis and St. Clare
walked and preached some 800 years ago. They founded the
religious order of Franciscans. You will see their Tomb and their
artistic Basilica. The afternoon you will be free to have lunch
in some cozy restaurant and admire this medieval town with
its quaint streets, souvenir shops, restaurants, fortress, etc.
Tourists love Assisi: it is exactly the way it was some 1000
years ago!
Day 6. June 13. Sat. Siena, winery
After driving through the Tuscan countryside you arrive to
Siena, called “A Pearl among the Tuscan Hills”. It is one of
the greatest art centers of Italy with a profusion of fine
architecture and numerous medieval churches and palaces.
The entire historical center is the same as it was some 1000
years ago! See Piazza del Campo: a medieval square, where
every year they have the famous Pallio, a picturesque parade
in medieval costumes and horse race. The Cathedral also is a
tourist attraction: built 800 years ago, it is decorated with white
and black marble in gothic architecture. After lunch you stop
at a country winery and have the fun of your life by tasting
eleven different kinds of Tuscan wine!
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Day 7. June 14. Sun. Pisa
Today you will enjoy visiting more Tuscan country side. In
Pisa you might find a way to straighten up its famous Leaning
Tower, which has been leaning for the past 800 years!
Same hotel.
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Day 8. June 15. Mon. Florence
Florence is the cultural “Renaissance City of Europe”, because,
after about 1000 years of “dark ages”, western civilization was
born again there. The greatest artists lived, worked and are
buried in Florence: Dante, Michelangelo, Macchiavelli, Dona-
tello, Rossini, Galileo, etc. A local guide takes you on a tour of
downtown Florence and tells you all about the Renaissance and
this famous city: Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Signoria, Duomo, Gates
of Heaven, Giotto’s Campanile, Santa Croce, etc. Florence is
also a shopping paradise because gold, leather goods and objects
of art are found here at a reasonable price. Ladies, this is the
day you have been waiting for; did you bring your credit cards?
Same hotel.
Day 9. June 16. Tue. Florence
The first part of the day will be free for you to do more shopping,
eating and window and true shopping. You might want to see the
famous statue of David by Michelangelo or visit the Uffizi
Museum. Then you will have a real “square meal” in a Florentine
restaurant where food and wine will keeping you laughing for
a few days! Hotel in Abano Terme (by Padua).

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Day 10. June 17. Wed. Abano Terme and Padua.
In the morning you relax in the warm swimming pool of your hotel.
Then you will be free to have lunch in one of the many classy
downtown restaurants. In the afternoon visit the tomb and shrine
of St. Anthony. You may also see Padua’s interesting historic center
and/or the Chapel of the Scrovegni with fantastic medieval
paintings by Giotto.
Day 11. June 18. Thu. Venice
You might have seen Venice in books and on TV, but today you
see and touch that fairy city, entirely built on water. It is one
of the world’s greatest tourist attractions. It is a city with a
network of canals, narrow alleys and hidden plazas linked by 450
quaint bridges. For more than a thousand years Venice was the
capital of the famous Venetian Republic. Its fleet dominated most
of the Adriatic Sea. After an orientation tour of the city’s highlights,
you will have plenty of free time to discover on your own this city
of dream: ride the gondola, shop for souvenirs, eat in a romantic
restaurant by a canal and have fun. San Marco’s Square: what a
fantastic place, how people and… pigeons! You will be in a real
Wonderland! Remember that the only way to convince your
friends you were in Venice it is to show them pictures of you
in the Gondola and feeding the pigeons! Same hotel.

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Day 12. June 19. Fri. Verona
All aboard! From your hotel you travel west and stop in Verona,
one of the most beautiful and romantic Italian cities. The center is
traffic free and filled with shops and people. Needless to say that all
tourists there go to see the famous Castle and Lodge of Romeo and
Juliet. There you too can dream of being Romeo/Juliet! Don’t forget
that Verona is also famous for its best preserved Roman Amphi-
theater. After lunch you proceed west, bypass the city of Milan and
arrive to the breathtaking Lago Maggiore (Lake Maggiore).
Day 13. June 20. Sat. Milan
Milan is the business and fashion capital of Italy. An orientation
tour of downtown will show the famous Duomo (with 2300 marble
statues), the luxurious Galleria with its funny “Bull”, La Scala
Opera House, the grandiose Sforza Castle, etc. Then you will have
free time to browse in a few elegant department stores and enjoy
watching those classy people walking by. You will be impressed
by Milan’s life style. Same hotel.

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Day 14. June 21. Sun. Lago Maggiore: Stresa
Lago Maggiore is the major (= maggiore) lake in the Italian alpine
region and a major tourist resort. People go there to enjoy wonder-
ful views, climb the Morrarone mountain, take a boat cruise on
the lake and visit the three beautiful islands in the middle of the
lake. You will also love strolling through the streets of the pictures-
que town of Stresa, the queen of Lago Maggiore.

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Day 15. June 22. Mon. Return flight
Mamma Mia, it is already the end of this fantastic tour! An early
morning ride to Milan’s Airport will remind you that everything
comes to an end. Arrivederci, Bella Italia! I shall return! The
memories of this tour will last a life long!