Grand Tour of Italy

Board your overnight flight to Rome. Nonstop service is arranged from your international gateway when available.

Upon arrival at Rome Fiumicino, your driver will be waiting for your private transfer to the Pantheon Hotel, a centrally located property steps from the Pantheon and within easy reach of Piazza Navona and the Trevi Fountain.

The remainder of the day is at your leisure. Hotel check-in is typically 2 pm; if you arrive earlier, the concierge will store your luggage until your room is ready.

This morning your driver picks you up at the hotel for a private skip-the-line tour of the Vatican Museums. Your local guide—an expert in art and history—walks you through the museum's masterpieces and artifacts from different cultures and civilizations.

Enter the Sistine Chapel and take in Michelangelo's ceiling and The Last Judgment. Continue to St. Peter's Basilica to see the Pietà, Bernini's baldachin, and the grandeur of the Catholic Church's most famous place of worship. After the tour, return to your hotel on your own.

Transfer to Rome Termini on your own by taxi or Uber and board your first-class train to Florence, the City of the Renaissance.

Upon arrival, transfer on your own to Hotel De la Ville, a centrally located property in Florence's old town. The remainder of the day is at your leisure to explore the Ponte Vecchio, San Lorenzo markets, and the surrounding leather shops.

Your driver meets you at the hotel for a 90-minute private drive through the Tuscan countryside to San Gimignano, the UNESCO-listed medieval hill town known as the Town of Towers. Enjoy free time to walk the fortified streets before continuing to a typical Tuscan winery for a personal tour, wine tasting, and traditional lunch.

After lunch, continue to Siena, another UNESCO heritage site. Your driver guides you from site to site, sharing the city's elaborate history and stories, with free time to explore each stop. The tour concludes at the world-famous Piazza del Campo, the shell-shaped square famous for the Palio horse race.

Morning at your leisure. This afternoon, enjoy a private guided walking tour that hits the highlights of Florence in limited time—from Renaissance monuments and Medici palaces to the Duomo and the artsy Oltrarno neighborhood across the Arno.

The tour includes timed-entry tickets to the Accademia Gallery, home to Michelangelo's David and one of the most famous sculptures in the world.

Your driver picks you up for the approximately two-hour drive to La Spezia, where you board the train into Cinque Terre. Your guide decides the order of villages based on time, weather, and conditions.

Visit all five colorful seaside villages—Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare—traveling by train and boat just like locals. Lunch is arranged at a restaurant overlooking the sea in Vernazza, featuring local seafood, fresh pasta, and Ligurian wine. Return to Florence by train in the evening.

A full day at your leisure to relax and explore Florence's cobblestone streets, piazzas, and shops on your own.

Transfer to Florence Santa Maria Novella on your own and board your first-class train to Como, with one change in Milan.

Upon arrival, transfer on your own to Barchetta Excelsior, a lakefront property in central Como with lake-view rooms. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

Today, enjoy an authentic wooden boat experience on Lake Como. Your covered and heated boat departs from Como and sails past the breakwater, Villa Olmo, Villa Erba, and the luxury hotels and villas of Cernobbio.

Continue past Villa d'Este, Villa Pizzo, Villa le Fontanelle, and Villa Passalacqua—recently named the world's best hotel—before returning to Como. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.

A full day at your leisure to explore Como and the surrounding lakeside towns.

Another full day at leisure to enjoy Lake Como at your own pace. Your advisor can arrange additional excursions, spa time, or restaurant reservations on request.

Your driver picks you up at the hotel for your private transfer to Milan Malpensa airport. Board your flight home with a final ciao.