Italy

Isle of Capri

Excursion to the Isle of Capri where you will have the day at leisure. Upon arrival, as you near the port of Marina Grande look towards the left on top of the cliff – here you will see Villa Jorvis. Although it is now in ruins, it was the home of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, who at that time was the most powerful man in the world. Capri remains one of Italy’s loveliest places. If you wish, you can visit Grotta Azzura (Blue Grotto). Please beware – the motorboat, rowboat, and grotto admission are charged separately, and if there is a line of boats waiting their turn, you’ll have little time to enjoy the grotto’s marvellous colours.

Pompeii

The sumptuous town that was buried under lava during a volcanic eruption of Vesuvius that started in August 24, AD 79. The city itself tells the story clearly, especially in the tragic casts of figures caught under the ash, crouching under tables, struggling upstairs, a mother holding up her baby, etc. The molten ash made sculptor’s mold of them which have been used to recreate the bodies displayed in the museum (Antiquarium) at the entrance to the excavations and returned to their original locations. At Pompeii the fascination lies in the glimpses of everyday life frozen in time.

Vatican City

The Vatican has its own flag and national anthem, mints its own coinage, prints its own postage stamps, has its own polyglot daily newspaper and is an independent state ruled by the Pope, the only absolute sovereign in Europe. All these activities take place in an area just over 100 acres, a considerable part of which is taken up by St. Peter's, the worlds’ largest basilica in the worlds’ smallest state. Your guided tour will include a visit to the Vatican Museum displaying wondrous treasures assembled over hundreds of years, and the glorious Sistine Chapel which features Michelangelo’s famed ceiling frescoes.

Imperial Rome

Rome’s past and present come alive as you see Piazza and Palazzo Venezia (where Mussolini frequently harangued his cheering Black Shirts); the Roman Forum which was the city's religious, political and commercial centre in the days of Caesars; the Circus Maximus and the Imperial Palaces on Palatino Hill.

A visit to the Colosseum is on today’s agenda. It was its colossal size that gave the Colosseum its name, but it was its game of bizarre cruelty that made this the most famous building in Rome. 50,000 people could be seated with enviable efficiency. The games were organized carefully; gladiators were recruited from the ranks of those condemned to death and war prisoners. During the years when Christians were literally thrown to the lions along with other "criminals", Claudius used to arrive at dawn to see the spectacle.

Florence

In Florence (aptly nicknamed the "City of Flowers") flowers grow in abundance in its gardens and fields. With its river, bridges, cupolas, market places, fine squares, streets and boulevards, it is a without a doubt a marvellous sight. Near the Ponte Vecchio – the oldest bridge in Florence (1345) – the banks of the Arno are lined with goldsmiths', silversmiths' and jewelers' shops as well as those of craftsmen working in leather, skins, embroidery, straw and carved furniture – all trades for which the skilled artisans of the city are renowned.

During the three hundred years between 12c to 15c, some of the greatest architects of all time lived in Florence; men like Arnolfo di Cambio (the Duomo), Giotto (Campanile), Michelozza (the Medici Palace), Alberti (the Rucellai Palace) and above all Brunelleschi (the vast span of the dome of S. Maria del Fiore) – and worked on the great masterpieces which are the glory of the city today. Dante, Petrarch, Boccacio and Galileo contributed to the intellectual life of Florence while Michelangelo, Giotto, Cimabue, Ghiberti, Donatello, Botticelli and the della Robbias left their aesthetic imprints. And the legacy of the Medici family is monumental.

Today’s tour begins with a visit to the lovely Piazza del Duomo. Here you will visit the the Duomo di S. Maria del Fiore (with its magnificent dome by Brunelleschi) and Giotto’s Campanile. Next you will see the Baptistery’s incomparable bronze doors by Pisano and Ghiberti, said by Michelangelo to be worthy of the Gates of Paradise; then the famous Ponte Vecchio which is a 14th century double-decked bridge lined with a beehive of shops); the Piazza della Signoria, the city’s most handsome square, which is an outdoor museum of marvelous statuary and fountains.

The Uffizi Gallery is next to Piazza della Signoria. The museum was built by Cosimo to house the Medici family art treasures, creating what is now the oldest gallery in the world. It offers an unrivaled opportunity to see some of the greatest works of the Renaissance period. Accademia Museum where you can see an extraordinary group of Michelangelo sculptures. There are seven in all, the most admired of them is David; the most famous male nude in the history of art.

Padova

Located 40 km west of Venice, Padova (or Padua) is better known as the city of St. Anthony and the economic capital of Veneto. It is also one of the most important Art Cities in Italy. Your guided walking tour will show you the most important monuments of the town realized between the 13th and 15th centuries; the Medieval City walls, the Palazzo della Ragione, Old Ghetto, Palazzo Moroni and Caffe Pedrocchi, Piazza delle Erbe (market place by day and open air cafes by night), the University of Padua, the Basilica of St. Anthony, and the Scrovegni Chapel which contains Giotto’s greatest masterpiece of the 14th century.

Venice

Venice walking tour: The “Queen of the Adriatic” is considered by many to be the most unusual city in the world. Built for defense on a group of tiny islands, it is a labyrinth of 150 canals; graced by hundreds of bridges and abounded with narrow alleys and canyon-like footpaths. The vast S-shaped Grand Canal flows serenely under the Rialto Bridge and past more than 200 palaces lining its two and a half mile course. Much of the architectural splendor of Venice is of Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance marble.

The tour includes a visit of St. Mark’s Cathedral to see the Pala d’Oro, a magnificent jewel encrusted altar piece whose origin dates back to 1105. Next you will visit the Doge’s Palace which is of striking beauty. It contains works of the great Venetian masters: Tintoretto, Bellini, Tiepolo, Veronese, Tiziano and Carpaccio. Then visit the famous Bridge of Sighs built in the 16th century. Walk around Mark’s Square and see the Clock Tower whose two huge bronze Moors parade and strike the time every quarter hour.