Italian Intermezzo - Small Group, Summer

Welcome to Italy. Greet your Travel Director at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. Later, join your Travel Director and head to an elegant restaurant known for serving delicious fresh produce. Your Welcome Dinner provides the opportunity to mingle and get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening.

Journey through the beautiful Italian lake district, past Lakes Iseo and Garda to the floating city of Venice, Queen of the Adriatic. Your hotel offers authentic Venetian charm, as it reflects the history and culture of the surrounding area. As night falls, why not savour the magic of St. Mark’s square with its orchestras and al-fresco cafes?

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 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.

Journey to Pisa and see the Leaning Tower in the Square of Miracles. Later, continue to Florence and start your explorations with Insight Choice. Choose to visit the Accademia Museum and see Michelangelo’s David. Alternatively, wander through the market stalls on a shopping tour, enjoying all the Italian treats and finery on offer. With your Local Expert, admire the marble-clad cathedral and baptistery, and stroll around Piazza della Signoria, an open-air gallery filled with Renaissance sculptures. In the evening, dinner is served with a selection of Tuscan wine.

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 flavours 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.

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?

In the morning, enjoy the very best of the city’s highlights, including visiting the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Cross the Tiber river to enjoy ancient Rome. See the incredible Circus Maximus and the legendary Colosseum, site of memorable battles and a monument to the courage of gladiators. In the afternoon, gain exclusive priority entry to the Vatican Museums with a Local Expert. Admire the Papal art collection and visit the breathtaking Sistine Chapel to marvel at Michelangelo’s ceiling Masterpiece. This evening, indulge in a special Highlight Dinner hosted inside the galleries of the Vatican’s Anima Mundi Museum.

Bid farewell to the glories of Italy. Departure transfers arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport.