Depart From: USA

In Transit: Overnight flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Arrivals in Rome the following day.

Arrive To: Rome airport and clear customs, join others for transfer.

Morning: Transfer to hotel. Check-in time is afternoon. Your room might not be ready for occupancy if you arrive early morning, however, the staff at the reception desk will accept your luggage and place it in the deposit. After which you can explore the area around the hotel.

Lunch: At a local restaurant

Afternoon: Program overview and orientation, distribution of on-site materials including the detailed and most updated daily schedule. At the Welcome reception a chance to meet your fellow Road Scholars. A brief neighborhood walk to locate ATM's, banks, pharmacies, grocery stores, eateries.

Dinner: At a local restaurant for a typical Roman dinner.

Lodging: Hotel Diana

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Note: Steep steps to reach the top level of the Colosseum. An elevator for disabled visitors is available through special request. The walk around the Roman Forum is on uneven paths and original pavement of cobblestone.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Begin to unravel the multiple layers of Roman history through the sharp insight first in the classroom and then on site at the Forum and Colosseum.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Learn about the some of the treasures of the Vatican Museums in preparation for your visit.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure.

Lodging: Hotel Diana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Small, manageable museums, with some steps

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Expert-led visit of the National Museum at Palazzo Massimo alle Terme. The collection includes some masterpieces of Roman art including frescoes from the dining room walls from the Villa of Livia, wife of the Emperor August Caesar. Notable as well are the bronze pieces of the Seated Boxer and a Doryphoros (Spear Holder.)

Lunch: At a local restaurant serving typical Roman dishes.

Afternoon: Coach to the Borghese Gallery, the private pleasure and reception palace of Cardinal Scipio Borghese, an avid art collector and patron of the young Bernini. On display in the Gallery are important paintings by Caravaggio, Raphael, Botticelli and Titian and the emotionally charged sculptures by Bernini, a true evocation of the Baroque. Return to the hotel by coach.

Dinner: Dinner on your own, suggestions given on site.

Lodging: Hotel Diana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Exclusive off-hours private expert led visit in the Vatican Museums--the Hall of Maps, Stanze of Raphael and Sistine Chapel / Piazza Navona / Pantheon /

Note: Leisure walk in the heart of Rome along uneven pavement and cobblestones. Crowd free walk to the Sistine Chapel along the museum corridors.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Coach to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon to explore two major landmarks in Rome with a local expert.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Free time after lunch.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Coach to the Vatican Museums for the highlight of the trip, an exclusive private visit to the Stanze of Raphael and the Sistine Chapel along the long corridors. On-site lecture by an art historian illuminates the masterpieces. Enjoy a crowd-free walk. The appointment is from 6-8, dinner follows. Might suggest a snack prior to entering.

Lodging: Hotel Diana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Short walk from the hotel to the train station, comfortable ride on the train, short walk to hotel and city orientation in Florence.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Expert led walk to the Spanish Steps (Piazza di Spagna) in Italian and the Trevi Fountain, iconic landmarks of Rome.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Travel by coach to Florence. Check into hotel.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Evening walk to orient you to the location of ATM's, pharmacies, stores and shops. Florence is much smaller than Rome and can easily be traversed in 30 minutes. On a walk, you will see the Duomo, the main cathedral and Palazzo Vecchio, the 13th C. city hall, still in use.

Lodging: Grand Hotel Cavour

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Leisurely walk to the museum. One steep flight of stairs leads to the second floor gallery. Afternoon visit includes climbing a narrow steep and winding stair case (optional) to reach the women's gallery on the upper level,

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: An art historian leads you through the the Bargello museum and examines the development of sculpture from antiquity through the Renaissance with special emphasis on the works of Ghiberti, Donatello and Michelangelo. Notable works include Donatello's David and bronzes by Cellini and Giambologna.

Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.

Afternoon: Field trip continues to the Baptistery of the Duomo where you will have exclusive access to the 2nd floor women's gallery to experience up close the beautiful 13th C. mosaics depicting scenes from the Bible and the last judgment.

Dinner: At a local restaurant

Lodging: Grand Hotel Cavour

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Walk to the Accademia through the Mercato di San Lorenzo. Stairs to reach the second floor of the Accademia gallery.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Learn of the intrigues of the influential Medici Family. Free time to explore the lively market area of San Lorenzo.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: Expert-led visit of the Accademia Gallery where the newly restored David by Michelangelo is prominently displayed.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant

Evening: Take a walk a meandering walk back to the hotel, enjoy a gelato along the way.

Lodging: Grand Hotel Cavour

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: An elevator for disabled visitors may be available at the Uffizi. There is a long flight of stairs to reach the exhibition rooms of the gallery. Expect some crowding in the museum; it is a popular destination for the art enthusiast.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Morning lecture on medieval and Renaissance art in preparation for the visit to the Uffizi Gallery.

Lunch: Lunch at a local eatery.

Afternoon: A little free time before our appointed time for the Uffizi. For the self guided visit we will enter as a group, but you are free to spend as much time as you wish. This is the most extensive collection of art, tracing the development from Gothic to medieval to Renaissance to Mannerist paintings in the world. You will find many recognizable masterpieces, including DaVinci's Annunciation, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and the Primavera, some Titians, Michelangelo's Holy Family, and a few Caravaggios as well as Artemisia Gentileschi. There is a coffee bar at the end of the second corridor, on top of the Loggia, with a wonderful view of the watch tower and Duomo where you can get a refreshment and rest.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Grand Hotel Cavour

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: High speed train to Venice, minimal walking around Venice.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Train to Venice, short walk to the hotel. Your bags will be delivered by courier. Venice's public transportation system operates boats, called Vaporetto. All participants will be given a pass valid for the duration of the stay.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Explore and discover Venice and get a feel of the Grand and minor canals. Contrast the architecture with what you saw in Rome and Florence. See how her wealth, a result of her trade with the near East, allowed the city to grow into her present grandeur. Neighborhood walk will indicate the location of ATM's, pharmacies, stores and shops.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Leisurely boat taxi ride to S. Mark's Square. The Square is very often crowded. Walk through the Doge's Palace requires climbing a few flights of stairs.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Travel to Piazza S. Marco along Venice's famed Grand Canal on a private taxi boat to avoid crowded Vaporetto. Notice the patrician palaces, with arches indicating near-Eastern influence. Some of the houses have names based on the prominent mosaic, e.g. Ca' d'Oro, the "Golden House." Mark's Cathedral, built during the 13 C., shows Byzantine influence. There are more than 45,000 sq. ft. of mosaics adorning the church, giving the impression of streets of gold.

Lunch: Lunch on your own

Afternoon: In St. Mark's Square the guided visit continues to the Ducal Palace, seat of civic and political power. Doges embellished the palace to demonstrate their wealth and importance. There are murals by Tintoretto and Veronese.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant or hotel.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Boat taxi ride to the Accademia, climb a few flights of stairs. Assistance is offered for boarding and disembarking the gondola.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: On-site lecture and visit to the Accademia museum; the paintings are grouped according to period and school. It contains a great collection of art by such notables as Veronese, Veneziano, Bellini, Tintoretto and Giorgione. Not far from the Accademia is the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, during your free time you might stroll over there if you appreciate modern art.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Expert-led visit of the Frari to admire works by Bellini, Titian and Donatello. Later, experience the city from a different point of view as you enjoy a gondola ride along the canals of Venice.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Enjoyable boat ride to the island, minimal effort to walk around the town.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Vaporetto to the island of Murano for a glassblowing demonstration by master artisans. Some free time to stroll the narrow streets along the canals.

Lunch: Lunch on your own

Afternoon: Free Afternoon. With your vaporetto pass you can easily take the boat from Murano to explore the island of Burano, whose leaning tower rivals that in Pisa. Here you can find Venetian lace and small shops where you can watch the crafters create their handiwork. Or return to the center of town.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at local restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Transfer to the airport will be by private taxi boat from the hotel dock. Your bags will be loaded onto and off the boat but at the airport dock there are 3 steps from the boat landing to the road. The walk (along a canopied path) to the terminal takes about 8 minutes. If you have trouble managing your luggage on the flat path you can use an airport cart (euro coin deposit) or engage a shuttle van that provides assistance from the airport dock to the terminal for a small per bag fee.

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel; continental style for participants with early morning departures.

Morning: Departure transfer to Venice Airport.

Meals Included: Breakfast