Rome, Tuscany & the Cinque Terre

Your cultural and culinary discovery of Italy gets under way as you land in the capital, Rome, and make your own way to our four-star hotel.

Located in a quiet neighborhood near the Castro Pretorio area of Rome, our accommodations for two nights is just a short distance from Roma Termini station. After time to settle in, you can meet the Tour Manager and fellow travelers ahead of dinner at our hotel this evening. Overnight Rome.

• Dinner

Awaking in the Eternal City, your day begins after breakfast with a vacation highlight - a visit to the Vatican City.

The center of the Catholic Church and the residence of the Pope, this grand enclave shimmers with significant landmarks at each turn. Soak in spellbinding St Peter's Square before entering the Vatican Museums. Housing a wealth of treasures, one of the most popular attractions is the Sistine Chapel, which we enter. Discover its magnificent interior and gaze in awe at Michelangelo's "Creation of Adam," the centerpiece of the remarkable ceiling.

This afternoon, a guided tour of Rome's iconic sights includes viewing the outside of the Colosseum. Entry is not included, but if you would like to visit by yourself, booking in advance is recommended. We also take in the vast Roman Forum, once the heart of ancient Rome, and the Pantheon, a masterpiece of ancient architecture. The tour concludes in Piazza Navona, a square known for its grand Baroque fountain. This evening, you can enjoy one of Rome's many restaurants, the perfect setting to enjoy fresh pasta and local wine. Overnight Rome. 

• Breakfast

Leaving Rome after breakfast at our hotel, we embark on a motorcoach journey through the heart of central Italy.

Our first destination is Siena, a beautiful, UNESCO-listed city nestled amid the rolling hills of Tuscany. A guided tour leads us through the labyrinth of centuries-old streets and sun-kissed piazzas. As we walk, we view the Duomo, one of Italy's most magnificent churches, with statues by Donatello and Michelangelo and an elaborate mosaic floor created by local artists across five centuries. Our tour ends at the city's most famous sight, the Piazza del Campo - a grand, shell-shaped piazza regarded as one of Europe's most beautiful medieval squares. This is the site of the world-famous Palio horse races, an event the city has celebrated since the 17th century, now held twice a year in July and August. After the tour, there's some free time and you may like to try some local cured meats and cheeses, including Pecorino or finocchiona.

Continuing by coach, we reach our four-star hotel in the spa town of Montecatini Terme, our base for the next six nights in Tuscany. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Today is a vacation highlight as we travel by rail to the Renaissance city of Florence.

Our special guided tour of this glorious city includes a visit to the Accademia, the only one of our tours to feature entry to this famous art gallery. After seeing Michelangelo's fresco at Rome's Sistine Chapel, we view another of his masterpieces here - the statue of David. Exploring the city's many treasures, we view the iconic, red-tiled Duomo, the Santa Maria Novella Church and the 14th-century Ponte Vecchio bridge.

The afternoon is yours to enjoy at your own pace. With breathtaking buildings and pretty piazzas, walking the picturesque streets or watching the world go by from a well-positioned café is a great way to embrace the spirit of Florence. You might like to stroll across the river to the Boboli gardens for fantastic city views or browse the Mercato di San Lorenzo - the city's largest market, where you can find fresh products, local crafts, dining areas, and a Chianti wine booth. Returning to Montecatini Terme by train, we enjoy dinner together this evening. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Rolling hills, cypress-lined roads and golden-hued hilltop towns - the Val d'Orcia exudes quintessential Tuscan beauty and its rural landscapes have been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. After breakfast, we travel here by coach to experience a delectable taste of Tuscany.

At a working organic farm near Pienza, we enjoy a guided tour of the dairy and stables, viewing the animals that make one of Italy's most famous cheeses, pecorino. After a demonstration of how it's made, we sit down for a leisurely lunch of seasonal dishes and wines produced on the estate - as well as a tasting of the farm's cheeses.

This afternoon, we continue to beautiful Pienza, often called the 'ideal Renaissance city'. Built in the mid-1400s upon request of Pope Pius II, his birthplace was transformed into a model city and one that still impresses today. After a guided walk, there's free time to admire its timeless piazzas and romantic streets - such as Love Street (Via dell'Amore) or Kiss Street (Via del Bacio) - or soak up idyllic views across the countryside. Returning to our hotel later, the evening is free to dine independently. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Three of the picturesque Cinque Terre villages are explored by land and sea today. The villages date from around the 11th and 12th centuries, when residents from inland settled on this 10-mile stretch of the Ligurian coast, where vines and olives could be grown.

After a coach journey to La Spezia, we are joined by an expert local guide as we sail to our first Cinque Terre village, Monterosso. As the flatter and larger of the five villages, a spacious piazza leads onto streets with restaurants and bars. Known for its lemon trees, anchovies and sandy beach, there is time to grab lunch. Next, we cruise to Vernazza, where tall, colorful buildings huddle together along a narrow spit of land and its 10th-century church stands on the banks of its emerald harbor. Lastly, we visit picture-perfect Manarola. Small in size but epic in beauty, its salmon and saffron-hued houses are draped over a rocky outcrop down to its rugged harbor.

Returning to La Spezia by train, we continue back to our hotel by coach and have dinner together this evening. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Dinner

There's chance for a relaxed breakfast this morning, before we head by coach into the Tuscan countryside, viewing ochre-colored hills dotted with cypress trees and secluded farmhouses.

Our destination is the refined Tenuta Torciano estate near San Gimignano owned by the same family since it was built in 1720. Here, we enjoy a vacation highlight with a pizza-making class under the expert tutelage of the chefs. From dough preparation to the finished products, we'll create three types of pizza reflecting seasonal ingredients and then enjoy lunch of different varieties of freshly made pizza.

Next, we visit San Gimignano - an extraordinary medieval hill town known for its many towers, one of which - Torre Grossa - can be climbed. The number of towers in San Gimignano has dwindled from around 65 in the Middle Ages, but the skyline is so unique that it has been dubbed the "Medieval Manhattan." There's time to explore this beautiful town independently before we return to our hotel, where the rest of the evening is at leisure. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Our final full day in Tuscany brims with highlights as we first travel by coach to the walled city of Lucca, where we embark on a guided walking tour of the city.

Lucca is a pleasure to explore on foot. The maze-like center inside the ramparts has an impressive Duomo, outdoor sculptures and striking piazzas - a 'must-see' is the Piazza Anfiteatro, formerly a Roman amphitheater. After exploring independently, we regroup to enjoy a leisurely three-course lunch.

This afternoon, we continue by coach to Pisa, where we tour the UNESCO-listed Field of Miracles, seeing the iconic Leaning Tower and Romanesque Duomo - a cathedral which glows with white marble. Get up close to these world-famous Italian landmarks - and don't forget to take that iconic photo! Back in Montecatini Terme this evening, we have dinner together in our hotel. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Famed for its history, art and cuisine, Italy has delivered all these and more on this exceptional vacation based in Rome and Tuscany. We have viewed Michelangelo's masterpieces in the Sistine Chapel and Florence, witnessed timeless reminders of the Roman Empire and explored the colorful coastal villages of the Cinque Terre. Among the many highlights, we have marveled at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, learned how to make authentic pizzas and dined on fresh local produce paired with Tuscan wines.

After breakfast, your Italian vacation concludes and you can begin your journey home.

• Breakfast