Happy Wednesday Wanderers! I hope you are all having a productive week and crushing your goals! I am dreaming of Italy this morning - the wine, the vineyards, the food - oh the food, the coast, the cobblestone, the shopping, the history - ok, ok I’m getting carried away back to the point. I have a special personal connection with Italy - it has my best friend! Literally, my great great friend took a job in Florence, Italy last year and I am living vicariously through her until I can get there to visit! How great is it to have a friend that knows the area and speaks the language to help you navigate in a foreign country and know all the best local spots? I know I am blessed and that everyone doesn’t have that connection in Italy. But I may just have a solution for you…
When most travelers dream of going to Italy they romanticize this perfect dream vacation in their mind. Then the actual reality can be more of frustration than romance when they get there and realize not many English speakers are willing to help you if you get on the wrong train and waste a day trying to navigate your way back. Only to be swindled by a cab driver, wait in line for hours to see the Michelangelo then wander back and forth trying to find a suitable restaurant for dinner when you are tired and hungry. That’s the reality of Italy without a good plan, but thankfully there is a better way.
One of the best parts of my job is meeting specialized staff and suppliers from all over the world to be able to curate seamless experiences for our clients. We have an amazing trusted supplier in Italy that takes all the guess work out of logistics and even gives you a go to person the entire trip to help with anything you need. We schedule a private driver to meet you at the airport, your driver greets with a sign with your name and whisks you away to your hotel pointing out landmarks along the way. Once you get settled into your hotel your local host that we have prearranged comes to greet you at the hotel and gives you some ideas for dinner as well as their phone number to text or call anytime you need ideas or navigation. The next day your host comes to pick you up and take you to your VIP Skip-the-line access to any of the historical attractions on your must-see list so that you do not waste hours waiting in line with hundreds of other tourists. Whether you want to spend your entire vacation in Rome, or split up your stay with Rome, Florence, Venice or spend your time in Tuscany or the Almafi Coast we have an itinerary that will meet your preferences without have to travel in a large group setting. The best part is we package everything together: Transfers, hotels, breakfast daily, VIP access to major attractions so there is no guess work on your part!
Here is an example of an historical itinerary for 6 nights in Italy - 2 nights each in Rome, Florence and Venice. This tour will hit the historical highlights at a leisurely pace so you can really take it all in with freedom to do as you wish and have amazing meals in the evening with 4 and 5 star accommodations in each city. We can also customize your vacation further to add on Lake Como or Sorrento. You let us know your wish list and we can make it happen!
Itinerary: Average cost around $2,000 per person
Day 1: Arrive in Rome
Benvenuto—welcome. Your Local Host is on hand to help you feel right at home in the “Eternal City.”
Day 2: Rome
Your morning guided sightseeing, is rich in religious and ancient history. Visit the VATICAN MUSEUMS to see amazing treasures. In the SISTINE CHAPEL, where the Conclave is held to elect new popes, view Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment and his famous ceiling paintings. Also on the agenda today, enter monumental ST. PETER’S SQUARE and BASILICA, built in 313 AD above St. Peter the Apostle’s tomb and home to Michelangelo’s masterpiece Renaissance sculpture, the Pietà. Cross the Tiber River and continue your immersion in history at the iconic COLOSSEUM, built for 50,000 spectators, and the ROMAN FORUM, where the oldest structures of the ancient city are located.
Day 3: Travel to Florence
Travel by HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first class) to Florence.
Day 4: Florence
Morning guided sightseeing, with headset, includes a visit of the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo’s original David (the Academy is replaced with the Duomo Museum on Mondays and on the first Sunday of each month). Walk through Piazza del Duomo; sculpture-studded Piazza della Signoria, the center of the city’s political life since the 14th century; and Santa Croce Square. Also admire medieval Ponte Vecchio, the arched, stone merchant bridge spanning the Arno River.
Day 5: Travel to Venice
Travel by HIGH-SPEED TRAIN (first class) to Venice.
Day 6: Venice
Morning guided sightseeing, features ST. MARK’S SQUARE and BASILICA with its exceptional gold mosaics. Visit DOGES’ PALACE and the poignant BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in the age-old manner, and learn why glass-making was so important in Venetian history. ENTRANCES to Marciana Library, and the Correr and Archaeological Museums are included.
Day 7: Venice
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.
PRO TIP: The best time to visit Italy is Spring and Fall, summer months are extremely hot and not a lot of places have air conditioning.
If you are dreaming of Italy like us, give us a call and we will make your Italian dreams reality! Thanks for wandering with us this week!
