THE AMALFI COAST & TUSCANY
+ Optional Florence Add-on
Join us on this fabulous, event-filled journey at one of the most beautiful and comfortable times of the year. What you will see and do in this expertly crafted tour will remain deep inside you far beyond your time in Italy. |
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
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The Amalfi Coast (& Pompeii)
April 10-14 Minori – Our home base for four days on the Amalfi Coast will be Minori, a charming seaside town of about 2,700 people. Situated midway along the incredibly beautiful Amalfi Coast, Minori is the perfect launch point for our visits of the surrounding areas. (Minori is still off the American radar screen and retains its fresh, friendly, and authentic atmosphere.) Ravello – This is arguably the most spell-bindingly exotic town on the entire Amalfi Coast. You’ll love the melding of European-medieval and Arabic cultures displayed in the architecture of Villa Cimbrone and Villa Rufolo. And both villas have beautiful gardens from which you’ll enjoy breath-taking panoramic views of the Amalfi Coast and the sparkling Mediterranean below. Capri – We’ll take a brief ferry ride to next-door Amalfi where we’ll catch a hydrofoil for a visit to the famous “Isle of Capri”. Among the highlights of Capri are beautiful seascapes, Roman Emperor Tiberius’s Villa Jovis, and some great shopping. Positano & Amalfi – A relaxing change of pace – a very informal, relaxing, awe-inspiring ferry trip along the Costiera Amalfitana. We’ll head down to the Minori dock to catch a ferry for an incredibly picturesque ride along the coast. You can hop off at historic Amalfi and/or at colorful Positano to explore a bit and maybe relax in a local bar with an icy limoncello or a tasty, refreshing gelato as you watch the world go by. Pompeii – A short ride from the Amalfi Coast, we'll have a private tour of Pompeii, the most famous archeological site of the ancient Roman world. We’ll visit the ancient forum, with its temples, law court, and food market. We’ll also visit homes of the wealthy; the quarters where the slaves slept and worshipped their own gods; public baths; and much more. |
 garden of the Villa Rufolo (Ravello), overlooking the Amalfi Coast
peristyle of the House of the Vetii, Pompeii
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Tuscany
April 14-18 San Gimignano – Our home base in Tuscany will be San Gimignano (gee-meen-YAH-noh), Italy’s most perfectly preserved medieval hill town. Living in this medieval treasure for four days will give you a rare taste of the Italian Middle Ages. And the views from the town out over the surrounding Tuscan landscape are, simply stated, incomparable. A Taste of Tuscany – The heart of Tuscany is all about its people, the land, its food, and its wine. Today’s outing in the Tuscan countryside will be easy, relaxed, enlightening, and above all else, delicious. We’ll visit a nearby farm for a private cooking class featuring Tuscan hors d’oeuvres and finger food. We will then enjoy a lunch of what we have prepared along with local wines. Michelangelo’s Favorite Marble Quarry – A close-up guided tour of the incredible Carrara Marble Quarries – with breathtaking views of the quarries, valleys, the adjacent Mediterranean coast, tunnels dug into the rock, and enormous bridges. Pisa – A visit to see that tower that keeps threatening to fall over but hasn’t . . . yet. But Pisa isn’t just about the tower. The tower is set in the Piazza dei Miracoli (The Field of Miracles) along with a magnificent medieval cathedral and baptistry. Siena – Siena was one of medieval Italy’s richest cities, and we can see that in its magnificently decorated cathedral and in its city hall (the Palazzo Pubblico), with iconic frescos by Ambrogio Lorenzetti representing The Allegory of Good and Bad Government. In front of the Palazzo Pubblico is the famous Piazza del Campo, around which the colorful Paglio horse race takes place twice each summer. |
San Gimignano "of the Beautiful Towers", Tuscany
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OPTIONAL ADD-ON
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Florence
April 18-21 Florence Get-Acquainted Tour – Private tour of central Florence (walking plus slow boat on the River Arno) – including Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Signoria & Palazzo Vecchio (Florence city hall, begun 1299), and Florence Cathedral (aka the Duomo). The Uffizi Gallery – A private guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, with masterpieces by Giotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and many, many other all-stars! An Exclusive Piano Performance – A private visit to the medieval-Renaissance palazzo home of an internationally renowned Florentine classical pianist – performance and hors d'oeuvres. Previous guests have called this experience the most wonderful and memorable of their time in Florence. The Accademia Gallery – A private tour of the Accademia Gallery, with Michelangelo's David and his Prisoners. A 17th-Century Garden Treasure – A once-in-a-lifetime visit to a princely Florentine palazzo home , where a family member will guide us through the spectacular gardens and host us inside the palace. |
Perseus with the Head of Medusa, by Benvenuto Cellini, Florence
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Dan – Let me just say that the #1 thing that made all the other wonderful times come true was your first-class planning for the trip. [We] did things that nobody else can ever do... Thanks, Dan. It was a dream come true...
Little Rock AR |