Note: Light neighborhood walk

Arrive To: Rome airport next morning, transfer to hotel.

Morning: Transfers to the hotel. A light walk will be organized for those with early morning arrivals while waiting for lunch and hotel check-in

Lunch: Lunch at a local trattoria.

Afternoon: Settle in room, meet at appointed time for Orientation and Welcome to Rome session. Your group leader will take you on a neighborhood walk to point out banks, pharmacies and stores. Get to know your fellow participants at a Welcome Reception.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Lodging: Casa Santa Francesca Romana

Meals Included: Lunch, Dinner

Note: The walk through the archaeological area of the Forum is over uneven paths, some with cobble stones; stairs to reach top floor of Colosseum.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Coach to Colosseum for reserved entrance the time; imagine watching gladiatorial games. Expert continues explanation of the Forum, painting an image of what the civic and religious center of Rome was like in antiquity. Walk along the Via Sacra where triumphal processions passed.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Meet in lecture room where an art historian gives an illustrated lecture on the artistic highlights of masterpieces in the Vatican Museum including Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and S. Peter's Basilica. Free time until dinner.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Walk of discovery on the Tiber Island, look for the sculptural relief of Aesculapius, the ancient god of healing.

Lodging: Casa Santa Francesca Romana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Reserved entrance Vatican Museums \ S. Peter's Basilica \ Mosaic Laboratory

Note: Vatican Museums are very crowded, require ascending or descending a few flights of stairs. Very little opportunity to sit and rest. In the Sistine Chapel there are seats along the wall, simply stand by someone until they get up.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall.

Morning: Transfer to the Vatican Museums for reserved entrance time, meet expert who will lead you through this singular museum. After exiting, enter S. Peter's Basilica to see Michelangelo's Pieta' and works by Bernini. If there is some free time, some may desire to climb the 450 steps of Michelangelo's Dome for panoramic views of Rome.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: After lunch, learn the art of Mosaic at a laboratory/studio where we will create a memento using small tesserae (colored stones or glass tiles). Coach back to the hotel.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Casa Santa Francesca Romana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Walk to the area of the Circus Maximus, Mithraeum and Capitoline Museum, up a slight hill. Return on foot to the hotel.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining room.

Morning: With an archaeologist descend a few flights of stairs to a recently discovered Mithraeum, a sacred area for the mystery cult of Mithra. Continue to the Capitoline museum where the expert will examine masterpieces from antiquity, including the bronze symbol of Rome, the She Wolf, the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, remnants of the colossus of Constantine. Pass through the Tabularium, ancient Rome's archives; emerge in the Palazzo Nuovo wing to find the Dying Gaul and the Capitoline Venus.

Lunch: Lunch on your own.

Afternoon: Free time. Suggest walking behind the Palazzo Nuovo to the roof top of the monument of Victor Emanuel II, for a spectacular panoramic view of Rome. Meet back at hotel at the appointed time for dinner.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: A leisurely stroll around Trastevere and pack for the morning's departure.

Lodging: Casa Santa Francesca Romana

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Spanish Steps \ Trevi Fountain \ Pantheon \ Piazza Navona \ Train to Florence \ Renaissance Florence Lecture

Note: About a 1.5 mile walk to the famous piazzas, coaches cannot pass through the narrow streets.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the hotel dining room.

Morning: Bring down luggage at the appointed time, it will be transferred by van to the Florence hotel. Leave your hand luggage at the hotel for pick up after lunch. Transfer to the famous piazzas then walk to: Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Navona and learn from the expert about these most famous landmarks.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant. Return to hotel for transfer to the train station.

Afternoon: Experience travel on a high speed train at speeds reaching 120 mph. Arrive in Florence 95 minutes after departure. Check into hotel, meet for lecture on Renaissance Florence to help contextualize stay.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Excursion of the historical section of Florence to orient everyone on the layout of the city, locate landmarks, find ATM's and pharmacies.

Lodging: Hotel Axial

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the hotel dining hall.

Morning: An art historian presents a preparatory lecture for Uffizi Gallery, the singular collection of early and high Renaissance art. After the lecture, some free time to climb Giotto's Bell Tower, or Brunelleschi's Dome.

Lunch: At a restaurant in the heart of Florence.

Afternoon: Learn from an art teacher the steps required to paint using the fresco technique; from creating the lines with a sack of coal dust, to spreading the fresh plaster and mixing the pigments. After the 6"x 9" tile dries, you may choose to keep it, otherwise it is recycled. Expert led visit of Palazzo Vecchio, Florence's city hall, to see original pieces of art, including Donatello's Judith and Holofernes and sculptures by Michelangelo. See Machiavelli's study when he was Secretary of State for the Republic.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Hotel Axial

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Leisurely walk to S. Maria Novella and the S. Lorenzo Market. Ascend three flights of stairs to reach the paintings in the Uffizi Gallery.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall.

Morning: Walk through Florence's central food and soft goods market toward S. Maria Novella. With your new found knowledge of fresco painting, an expert expounds on the frescoes by Masaccio and Ghirlandaio found in the church. Free time for shopping at the San Lorenzo Market.

Lunch: Select your eatery. Group leader will have suggestions for places to eat around the Baptistery or nearby Mercato.

Afternoon: Reserved entrance to the Uffizi Gallery for self-directed visit, stay as long as you want. Free time until dinner. At the end of the second corridor of the Uffizi Gallery is a refreshment bar for snacks. The balcony has a wonderful view of Brunelleschi's Dome and the watch tower of Palazzo Vecchio.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Enjoy walking in the squares closed to vehicular traffic. Be entertained by street performers as you savor a refreshing gelato.

Lodging: Hotel Axial

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Michelangelo's David, the Archaeological Museum, Exclusive access to the Upper Gallery of the Baptistery

Note: Leisurely walk to the David and Archaeological Museum; access to the upper gallery of the Baptistery, by one-way narrow steep stairs, close up view of mosaics well worth the effort. One may remain below.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the hotel dining hall.

Morning: Expert led visit to see Michelangelo's David and the Archaeological museum to see the Chimera from Arezzo.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Informative video presentation of Florence's Baptistery followed by special access to the upper level to get a close-up view of the mosaics.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Hotel Axial

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Walk to train station, 2 hr ride to Venice, short walk to hotel

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall.

Morning: Transfer to Venice by high speed train. Travel with your carry on or back pack; your luggage will be delivered to the hotel in Venice.

Lunch: Lunch at the hotel restaurant and check-in to the rooms.

Afternoon: Lecture on Venetian history and neighborhood walk.

Dinner: At a local restaurant to savor Venetian cuisine.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Some walking and boat rides, minimal exertion. Vaporetto vessels are often crowded. Doge's Palace requires ascending two flights of stairs.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall.

Morning: Receive Vaporetto pass and ride the boat to the island of Murano. Learn about glass making and create your own glass tile decoration under the supervision of an instructor at a glass working school. The tile you create will later be fused in the kiln and delivered to your hotel.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Expert led visit S. Mark's Basilica and marvel at the mosaics decorating the walls and ceilings, over 60,000 square feet. Expert continues visit of the Doge's Palace, Venice's government headquarters, decorated by Titian, Canaletto and Giorgione, just to mention a few.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Note: Row, row, row your boat hard if you want to win; otherwise sit at the stern and enjoy the ride.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in the hotel dining hall.

Morning: Team up with the Venetian Crew Club for a dragon boat race along the canal.

Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Having been surrounded by ancient and Renaissance masterpieces and structures, enjoy the modern art collection at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. Relax in the courtyard of the palazzo on the Grand Canal while the docents introduce the life and times of the wealthy American collector. The group splits in two for the visit of the collection housed in the small rooms of the gallery. The docent leading the students elicits their reactions to the form and expression they see in the works of modern art.

Dinner: Dinner on your own.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Note: Walks in Venice include going up and over bridges that span minor canals. The Rialto Bridge has many steps as it spans high over the Grand Canal.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall.

Morning: Learn the Venetian manner of shopping at the market around the Rialto Bridge. Excursion to an artisan's workshop to learn about the carving techniques of making gondola oars and oar locks.

Lunch: Choose your lunch from the many offerings around the market area of the Rialto. Group leader will have suggestions.

Afternoon: Free time to explore another corner of Venice. Use your vaporetto pass or take a stroll; either way you will discovery something of beauty or interest.

Dinner: Farewell dinner at the hotel restaurant. Your glass mementos will be available for you to gingerly pack them.

Lodging: Hotel Principe

Meals Included: Breakfast, Dinner

Note: Transfer of people and luggage to the airport by water taxi. From the dock it is about a 10 minute walk on a canopy covered path. Near the dock often there are luggage carts that require a coin to release (refunded once clipped at the terminal.)

Depart From: Transfer from the hotel to the Venice Marco Polo airport for departure.

Breakfast: Breakfast buffet in hotel dining hall. Sack breakfast for those with early departure times.

Meals Included: Breakfast