Introduction to Italy Small Group Italian Adventure
Experience Italy
Tuesday, September 3, 2019 – Ciao Venezia!
A group transfer will be provided from Venice International Airport to the Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal. This evening, join your guide to enjoy a gondola ride along the Rio di San Polo Canal. Enjoy the remainder of your evening at leisure. Accommodations: Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal Overlooking Venice’s Grand Canal, Hotel Carlton offers a rooftop cocktail bar with terrace and spacious, Venetian-style rooms. Santa Lucia Train Station and the Piazzale Roma parking lot are both a five-minute walk away. This romantic 4-star hotel has an elegant interior design with Murano glass lamps and antique furniture. All the airconditioned rooms include satellite TV, a minibar and a private bathroom with hairdryer.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019 - Two Island Tour and Venice Walking Tour
A full day of touring begins with a boat ride to the famous glassmakers island of Murano. The world’s top glassmakers have worked on the island since 1291 and you will see masters of this craft at work, along with their most important historical pieces. The next stop is Burano, with its brightly painted houses, which are world renowned for intricate lace making. After lunch, continue with your guide on a walking tour of this romantic city that begins in San Marco Square with the magnificent Basilica of San Marco. One of the most unique cities in the world, Venice offers priceless art, stunning architecture and an element of mystery with its canals and winding alleyways. Admire the church’s rich, detailed mosaics and the sculptures that adorn this enchanting structure. Next, learn about Venetian art and style with a tour of the gothic Doge’s Palace and its trove of treasures that dates to approximately 1309. This visit concludes in the Rialto area where you will stroll over the city’s oldest and best-known Rialto Bridge to end in the bustling Rialto Market for a glimpse of local life.
Thursday, September 5, 2019 - Visit Bologna en Route to San Gimignano with an Evening Cooking Class Travel through Northern Italy as you head to the scenic region of Tuscany. You will stop in Bologna and take a walking tour of the city which includes: Piazza Maggiore, Neptune Fountain, Basilica of San Petronio, The Medieval Market and Mercanzia Palace and the Two Towers. After lunch you will continue to San Gimignano to drop off your luggage at your hotel, then head out to a local farmhouse for a private cooking class. Explore your culinary talents by making homemade pasta and bruschetta, then enjoy the fruits of your labor as you all sit down for a nice Italian dinner. Accommodations: Hotel La Cisterna In the center of San Gimignano there exists the imposing Piazza della Cisterna and in the center of this extraordinary square you will find your hotel. The Hotel La Cisterna takes its name from the city’s iconic Piazza della Cisterna. It is in this piazza that the market, holy days and joustings have occurred for centuries. Still today the piazza remains the pulsating heart of San Gimignano. If you stand in the middle of the piazza, you will feel that you have always lived in San Gimignano - surrounded by the streets paved in stone, dotted with small handicraft shops, and overlooking the countryside of the Val d’Elsa that spreads out before you and reaches far beyond into the vanishing distance.
Friday, September 6, 2019 - Full Day Trip to Assisi Today you will travel to Assisi for a full day tour including the two main basilicas. You will start the visit with the Basilica of St. Francis, painted by famous artists such as Giotto and Cimabue. It seems that every inch of the interior is covered with a wonderful fresco, as there is so much to look at and admire. After a short stroll, you will find yourself gazing upon the glow of pink marble of the Basilica of Santa Chiara. Inside this Basilica you will find more artistic treasures and frescoes as well as the sarcophagus of Saint Chiara in a below-ground crypt. You will finish up your visit with lunch at a nice restaurant before returning back to San Gimignano.
Saturday, September 7 , 2019 - Full Day Trip to Florence with Gelato Experience and the Rificolona Festival Start the day by boarding the motor coach for a full day trip to Florence. You will walk the winding cobblestone streets with your expert guide and visit Brunelleschi’s Duomo (external), Piazza Della Repubblica, and Ponte Vecchio. Lastly, enjoy a stop at the Accademia Gallery with pre-reserved entrance times to see the famous statue of David. After lunch, your tour director will accompany you to the gelateria for your behind the scenes tour of one of Florence’s best artisan gelateria to learn the secrets from the master creator himself! Head to the workshop on a journey to learn about the history of this famous dessert in Italian culture, then enjoy a hands-on lesson. Work alongside the expert and create your own gelato with fresh ingredients, then try a sample of three freshly-made flavors at the end of the visit! Enjoy free time for private activities and dinner on your own. This evening you will stop in Piazza della SS Annunziata to see the Rificolona with paper lanterns before returning back to San Gimignano.
Sunday, September 8, 2019 - Visit to Siena en Route to Sorrento Journey through the rolling Tuscan Hills, vineyards and olive farms before reaching the picturesque medieval city of Siena. On your arrival to Siena, located in the center of the Tuscany region, you will be guided among the central square, the Palazzo Pubblico, the Gothic town hall and Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th century tower with sweeping views. After the visit of Siena, you will stop for lunch and continue on to your accommodations in Sorrento. Accommodations: Hotel Villa di Sorrento This property is a six-minute walk from the beach. Get a taste of the real Sorrento at this elegant property, which dates back to 1854. Most rooms at Hotel Villa di Sorrento feature a terrace or floorto-ceiling window overlooking the main square, Piazza Tasso. Wi-Fi is included. Villa Di Sorrento Hotel features a fantastic location in the heart of the town, just a few hundred feet from both the port and the Circumvesuviana Station, for direct services to/from Naples. It is surrounded by the best restaurants, ice cream parlors, and shops. All rooms come with air conditioning, TV, and a private bathroom with shower, hairdryer and toiletries. The breakfast buffet is served from 7:30 a.m. until 10 a.m. and includes fresh food and hot drinks from the coffee machine.
Monday, September 9, 2019 - A Day in Capri A walk this morning will bring you to the Sorrento Port to meet your boat. You will circumnavigate the island and have a chance to view the famous grottoes - the Blue Grotto, the White Grotto external and the Faraglioni Rock Formations. A walk around the center of Anacapri will take you past tiny Neapolitan tailor shops, artisan shoemakers, and ladies sitting in the shade outside working on their knitting while exchanging in conversation. Return to Sorrento at the end of the day.
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - A Day at Leisure to Explore Sorrento Optional private tours are available.
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - A Day Trip to the Amalfi Coast
Amalfi is a charming, peaceful resort town on the scenic Amalfi Coast of Italy. Narrow alleyways wind through the town up the slopes between the sea and mountains. Excellent examples of medieval architecture with Moorish influence include its ninth century cathedral, Duomo di Sant’ Andrea and the Cloister of Paradise, Chiostro del Paradiso. Besides history and beauty, the town is noted for its good beaches and bathing establishments, historic resorts and hotels, lemons, and handmade paper. Then you will continue to Positano. The city has earned its worldwide reputation not only because of the beauty of its surroundings, but also because of the clothing stores that produce the well distinctive “model of Positano.”
Thursday, September 12, 2019 - Transfer to Rome Via Napoli On your arrival in Naples your local guide will share with you the highlights of the city including Pebliscito Square Duomo of Naples and Café Gambrinus. You will stop for lunch in a nice pizzeria and then continue to Rome. Your local guide will accompany us to a nice Trastevere restaurant for dinner. Next, you will see Rome’s magnificent colors after dark during a driving tour to discover the highlights of the Eternal City. You will visit the
famous monuments including the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Step and Pantheon (externally) close to Piazza Navona. Accommodations: Hotel Ponte Sisto This former monastery overlooks a peaceful courtyard where the buffet breakfast is served each morning. Hotel Ponte Sisto is in central Rome, just under a quarter of a kilometer from Campo de’ Fiori. The rooms here are modern and elegant, with plenty of space. They are air-conditioned, include satellite TV, a minibar and complimentary Wi-Fi. Each bathroom has a hairdryer and toiletries. During warm weather, breakfast can be enjoyed out in the courtyard with a fountain, palm trees and tables and chairs. There is also a bar and a 24-hour front desk where staff can organize excursions around the city and provide useful information. Ponte Sisto Hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from Piazza Navona and just over a quarter mile from the tram and bus stops in Largo Argentina. The characteristic Trastevere district is just across the Tiber River, and the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain are around 15 minutes away by foot.
Friday, September 13, 2019 - Full Day Rome Tour with Vatican and Ancient Rome Visit the Vatican museums which include some of the world’s most precious artistic and religious treasures including the Galleries of Maps, Candelabras and Tapestries, the Raphael Rooms, and Michelangelo’s stunning frescoes in the Sistine Chapel. Afterwards, a visit to St Peter’s Basilica completes the tour with its splendid sculptures and mosaics of great historic and religious importance. After a brief stop for lunch, continue with the famous sites of the Roman gladiator fights at the Colosseum, learn the meaning of the ruins at the Forum, and the Palatin Hill.
Saturday, September 14, 2019 - Arrivederci Italy! A group transfer is provided to Rome Fiumicino International Airport.
Land Program Summary Inclusions
• • • • • • • •
13 days of services 11 nights of accommodations 2 dinners 7 lunches 11 Breakfasts Transportation in motorcoach Airport transfers All guiding and ground transportation in motorcoach • All entrance fees and headsets • Gondola ride
• • • • • • • • • • •
Murano Glass Blowing Experience Cooking class Academia Gallery Blue Grotto Trevi Fountain Spanish Steps Pantheon Vatican Museum Sistine Chapel Coloseum All guide and driver gratuities
The program cost is $4,367 per person double occupancy and $5,661 per person single occupancy. International airfare is additional. Frontiers can assist with booking air arrangments.
United States Office 600 Warrendale Rd., Gibsonia, PA 15044 Toll-free 1-800-245-1950 Phone 724-935-1577 Fax 724-935-5388 Email info@frontierstravel.com Website www.frontiersej.com
European Office Kennet Cottage, Kempsford Gloucestershire, GL7 4EQ, England Tel +44 (0)1285 700 940 Fax +44 (0) 1285 700 322 Email info@frontierstrvl.co.uk Website www.frontierstrvl.co.uk
The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 3315
Copyright © 2016. Frontiers International Travel. All rights reserved.
The air holidays and flights in this brochure are ATOL protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 3315. Copyright © 2018. Frontiers International Travel. All rights reserved.
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