Enticing Italy
From Milan to Sicily

Welcome to Italy! Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel on the shores of Lake Maggiore.

This evening we will join our fellow travellers and enjoy a welcome drink and tour presentation, followed by dinner together in a nearby restaurant.

This morning we will enjoy a boat excursion to the Borromean Islands, which lie in the heart of Lake Maggiore.

Isola Bella, the largest of the three islands is our first stop, and home to the historic Borromeo Palace. The islands are private and still owned by the aristocratic Borromeo family, whose antecedent was St (and Pope) Charles Borromeo and whose currnet daughter is now married into the Monegasque Royal family. We will visit the palace and baroque gardens.

Enjoy the afternoon and evening at leisure in Stresa, the lively lakeside town.

We will depart after breakfast for a panoramic guided coach tour of Milan before heading east for Verona. Sights will include La Scala, Milan's world renowned opera house, Sforzesco Castle and the Cathedral amongst others.

We will then continue to Verona to discover the historic city, with its ampitheatre, famous piazzas and 'Juliet's Balcony'

We continue on Venice and its lagoon, our base for the next two nights.

After breakfast, we will enjoy a guided walking tour of the main sights of Venice, including the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basillica (no entrances included).

After lunch at leisure, we will enjoy a seranaded gondola tour of the city's famous canals.

The rest of the day and evening will be free to explore Venice with your 24hour ACTV Tourist Venice Travelcard (unlimited travel including the water-buses) Perhaps take a boat tour to the islands of Murano and Burano where the famous glassware is produced or treat yourself to a tour of the canals on a gondola!

Our journey continues south as we head to Bologna, renowned for its exceptional cuisine.

Enjoy free time to explore or shop before we depart for Tuscany, where the breathtaking landscape welcomes us to the spa town of Montecatini Terme for a three-night stay.

The evening concludes with a group dinner at our hotel.

We will depart after breakfast for Florence. On arrival we will be met by our local guide and taken on a walking tour of this historical city. We will see a host of famous sites such as the Galleria dell'Accademia (statue of David), Uffizi Gallery, Brunelleschi's Dome, Giotto's Bell Tower, St. John's Baptistry, Ponte Vecchio amongst others.

After all this exercise, it's time to relax and partake of a traditional gelato. The rest of the afternoon will be at leisure, before returning to our hotel Back at the hotel, dinner will be together in the hotel.

Following breakfast we will board our coach for a full day tour to Pisa and Lucca.

First stop will be Lucca for a walking tour of this highly attractive entirely-walled Renaissance town. Walking through the historical centre along the cobblestone streets we will see the Casa di Puccini, where the great opera composer was born which is now a house museum.

There will be time for lunch before we board the coach again and head off to Pisa. We will meet our guide for a tour of the Campo dei Miracoli (Miracles Square) comprising Duomo, Baptistry and the famous Leaning Tower, to which entrance is included for those who want to climb the steps!

Enjoy an evening at leisure.

As we leave Florence behind we will drive through the picturesque Tuscan countryside and the Chianti region where we will stop at a classic Chianti vineyard for a presentation and wine tasting including local snacks/light lunch.

After re-boarding our coach we will continue south to the Eternal City that is Rome for the next 3 nights.

This morning we will have a guided city sightseeing tour by coach where we will discover Ancient Rome including visits to the Colosseum and Roman Forum (including skip-the-queue tickets and headsets).

The rest of the day and evening will be free to explore this amazing city, making our own way back to the hotel.

Another highlight will be the guided visit we are making today to the Vatican and its museums including the Sistine Chapel (including skip-the-queue tickets and headsets).

Like yesterday, the afternoon will be at leisure for more sightseeing or last minute shopping, making our own way back to the hotel.

This evening we will enjoy a Farewell Dinner together in a local restaurant/trattoria.

Today we will leave Rome and journey over to the island of Sicily.   We will depart the hotel by coach and transfer to Rome Airport for our short flight to Catania, a city located on the eastern part of the island.  On arrival, we will board our waiting coach, meet up with our fellow travellers who arrived yesterday and drive north, along the coast, to the world famous hill-top resort of Taormina.

Tonight we will enjoy and welcome drink and get-together, followed by dinner in a local restaurant/trattoria.

This morning we will visit Taormina's greatest tourist attraction, Teatro Greco, a Greco-Roman theatre built into a rocky hillside. Although generally known as the 'Greek' Theatre, Taormina's historic open-air theatre owes much of its present appearance to the Romans. Designed with an unsurpassable backdrop of blue sea, coastline, distant smoking Etna, and inland mountains, we will wander around the theatre complex, the stage and backstage areas, as well see panoramic views from the curving rows of seats.

After some free time to get some lunch, we will depart by coach for a guided excursion to Mount Etna which is among Europe’s tallest (and the world’s most active) volcanoes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, the volcano has shaped Sicilian history and continues to impact life on the island today. We will ascend the volcano by coach to Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza (6200ft). For those who wish to ascend further to around 8200ft there is the option of a cable-car/funicular (payable direct).**

Back at the hotel, the evening is at leisure.

(**This does not take you as far as the crater which is further uphill)

We depart after breakfast towards Agrigento, one of Sicily's finest ancient cities. On the way we will stop at Piazza Armerina, a pretty and historic town nestled in the heart of Sicily.   Whilst here we will visit the truly astonishing classical mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale, an important Unesco World Heritage Site due to its containing the most complex and largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world - there are 3535 square metres of them.  We will continue to our hotel in Agrigento.

Dinner will be together this evening in a local restaurant.

We depart after breakfast for a guided tour of the Valley of the Temples, a magnificent collection of seven ancient Greek temples from the 6th and 5th centuries BC and Sicily's most enthralling archaeological site. The most well-preserved and striking of them, the Concordia, is arguably the best-preserved temple in the world outside the Hephaistion in Athens.

From here we will head north to Monreale, a historic hill-town just outside Palermo, a picturesque place most famous for the fine mosaics in the town's great Norman cathedral which we will tour and visit. The cathedral and cloisters at Monreale are frequently cited as the island's greatest Norman buildings. The upper part of the cathedral's interior is completely covered in gleaming gold mosaics; more than 6,000 square metres of mosaic.

Continue to Palermo and our hotel for the next 3 nights.  The evening is at leisure.

This morning we will have a guided visit and backstage tour of the famous Teatro Massimo - Sicily's premier opera/concert theatre with its stunning interiors and detailed exterior. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe, renowned for its excellent acoustics and holds over 1,300 seats. Then we will visit the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and the Cappella Palatina. Home to Sicily's regional parliament, this venerable palace dates back to the 9th century. However, it owes its current look (and name) to a major Norman makeover, during which spectacular mosaics were added to its royal apartments and magnificent chapel, the Cappella Palatina. Visits to the apartments take in the mosaic-lined Sala dei Venti, and Sala di Ruggero II, King Roger's 12th-century bedroom.

The rest of the day and evening is at leisure.

This morning we have a treat in store - a guided visit and tour of one of Palermo's historic open-air markets. A Palermitan street market is a cacophony of sights, sounds and scents and the tradition dates from the 9th century Saracen rule of the island, which explains their striking similarity to Arab souqs. They are a great place to soak up some local atmosphere even if you don't actually buy anything, but you'll have to know where to find them, hidden as they are from the main streets - that's why we recommend you tag along on this tour.

Tonight we will enjoy a Farewell Dinner together in a local restaurant.

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye.  We have arranged transfers to Palermo airport for your flight home.