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Italy

Italian Extravaganza: Rome, Florence and Venice at Their Finest

Program No. 22221RJ
With top instructors and ample free time, discover Italy’s amazing art, architecture, history, food, and more in three of the world’s most spectacular cities—Rome, Florence, and Venice.

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Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Apr 7 - Apr 18, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Apr 28 - May 9, 2024
Starting at
6,499
May 12 - May 23, 2024
Starting at
6,499
May 26 - Jun 6, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Sep 1 - Sep 12, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Sep 15 - Sep 26, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Sep 29 - Oct 10, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Oct 13 - Oct 24, 2024
Starting at
6,499
Oct 27 - Nov 7, 2024
Starting at
6,199
Nov 3 - Nov 14, 2024
Starting at
6,199
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Apr 7 - Apr 18, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Apr 28 - May 9, 2024
Starting at
7,869
May 12 - May 23, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Filling Fast!
May 26 - Jun 6, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Sep 1 - Sep 12, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Sep 15 - Sep 26, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Filling Fast!
Sep 29 - Oct 10, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Filling Fast!
Oct 13 - Oct 24, 2024
Starting at
7,869
Oct 27 - Nov 7, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Filling Fast!
Nov 3 - Nov 14, 2024
Starting at
7,369

At a Glance

Italy must be savored like a fine wine — and there's no better way to sample its many flavors than by exploring three of its most famous cities: Rome, Florence, and Venice. With local experts to introduce you to the very best of each city’s historic treasures and cultural wonders, you’ll enjoy reserved entrance times to major museums and attend a special, after-hours private exploration of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with your Group Leader. Walk in the footsteps of the Romans at the Colosseum and navigate the canals of Venice by gondola. Along the way, enjoy ample free-time opportunities to explore charming piazzas, sample local delicacies at a farm in the countryside, and get a first-hand view into what locals call "bella vita" — the good life.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to six miles a day. Extended standing during site visits with limited or no public seating. Uneven terrain, limited public handrails, unavoidable stairs, marble and terracotta flooring, cobblestones, inclines, loose gravel, escalators. Elevator use is limited or restricted in historic sites. Venice's canal bridges have ramps or stairs with handrails. Expect crowded conditions in pedestrian centers and museums. Program-related travel and transfers will be via bus, high-speed train, vaporetto, and water taxi. Sheltered waiting areas may not be available at docks.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Enjoy reserved entrance times to major museums, including the Galleria Borghese, Uffizi, Accademia, Palazzo Ducale, and a special, private field trip to the Sistine Chapel and St. Mark's Basilica.
  • Delight in the musical offerings of Venice during an evening concert.
  • Savor a meal in a farm restaurant in the Tuscan countryside.

General Notes

The program includes independent time to explore Rome, Florence, and Venice and several meals on your own. The Group Leader will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities are provided in your Final Information Packet. The off-hour visit to the Sistine Chapel follows a two-hour prescribed route. Those wishing to explore the museum more fully are encouraged to make independent reservations during free time. The off-hour visit to St. Mark's Basilica follows a one-hour prescribed route. Those wishing to explore the basilica more fully are encouraged to visit during their free time.
Featured Expert
All Experts
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Jane Zaloga
Jane Zaloga holds degrees in architecture and business administration from the University of Notre Dame, an MA from Syracuse University, and has done further graduate study at Harvard University. She has received several fellowships to study in Rome and in Florence, including the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship. She now lives in Florence and teaches with several American university programs, including Syracuse University and New York University.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Jane Zaloga
Jane Zaloga View biography
Jane Zaloga holds degrees in architecture and business administration from the University of Notre Dame, an MA from Syracuse University, and has done further graduate study at Harvard University. She has received several fellowships to study in Rome and in Florence, including the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship. She now lives in Florence and teaches with several American university programs, including Syracuse University and New York University.
Profile Image of Rachel Potts
Rachel Potts View biography
Rachel Potts is a licensed excursion leader in Rome. She graduated from Manchester University with a bachelor's in Philosophy and French, and later studied garden design at the London Gardening School. Having grown up in Rome, she chose to return to Italy and share her knowledge and love of Rome and the surrounding areas.
Profile Image of Rosanna Giannotti
Rosanna Giannotti View biography
Rosanna Giannotti is a Senior Authorized Venice Guide Lecturer who has devoted her life to studying the art and history of her home city. She is fluent in English, French, and Spanish, and she has always had a penchant for traveling and cosmopolitanism, in order to expand her knowledge and connect Venetian history with the world context. Rosanna is a member of the most prestigious Italian and European Associations of Guide Lecturers and has cooperated with Road Scholar programs in Venice for over 30 years.
Profile Image of Susan Steer
Susan Steer View biography
Susan Steer is originally from England. She came to Venice 20 years ago as an art history undergraduate with an internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, later serving as a supervisor of the British pavilion at the Venice Biennale. Living and working in Venice changed her life, falling in love with its architecture, art, and lifestyle. She returned to study for an MA and a PhD in Venetian art. Susan married a Venetian. They and their son share their time between the UK and Venice.
Profile Image of Cristiana Filippini
Cristiana Filippini View biography
Cristiana Filippini was awarded her doctorate from Johns Hopkins University with a dissertation on 11th-century frescoes in Rome. She has also completed specialized study in archeology and art history from the Università degli Studi di Siena, Italy and has taught at the American University in Rome and at Trinity College’s Rome Campus.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
The Art of the Renaissance
by Peter Murray
A classic, illustrated survey of the world of the Renaissance and its art. With chapters on Florence and its artists, the Netherlands, early illustrated books and many individual artists.
The House of Medici, Its Rise and Fall
by Christopher Hibbert
A well-written, entertaining history of the Medicis in Renaissance Florence. Great to read before going to Florence, where the influence of the Medicis and the artists they supported is still very much in evidence.
The Colosseum
by Keith Hopkins, Mary Beard
This engaging overview of the history of the Colosseum deconstructs Hollywood-perpetrated misconceptions of gladiator-eating lions, Nero fiddling and other myths.
The Raphael Affair
by Iain Pears
In the first of the popular Jonathan Argyll art mysteries, Argyll sneaks into a small church near Campo dei Fiori identify an undiscovered Raphael -- unfortunately for him, the painting has disappeared.
La Bella Lingua
by Dianne Hales
Inebriated with the sounds of Italian, lovesick for its phrases and enamored of its earthy idioms, Hales, "a sensible woman of sturdy Polish stock," dives into the Italian of the piazza, literature, movies and streets in this charming memoir.
Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling
by Ross King
Presented with flair and backed by a wealth of research, King's captivating chronicle of Michelangelo's painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel tells the story of its conception and creation.
The City of Florence, Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings
by R.W.B. Lewis
A vivid tour of the city and its riches by the fine biographer of Edith Wharton and Henry James. Lewis has written what he calls "a partial biography of Florence," beautifully interweaving the personal and the historical.
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
by Beppe Severgnini
Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. Severgnini opens the book with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.
Brunelleschi's Dome
by Ross King
The story of the design and construction of the dome in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, a tale rife with politics, cut-throat competition and mighty inspiration.
Italy Map
by Borch Maps
A convenient laminated map of Italy at a scale of 1:800,000 with excellent topographic detail, an index and large maps of Sicily and Sardinia.
Italy in Mind
by Alice Powers
A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others.
Venice: An Illustrated Miscellany
by Philippe Sollers
An illustrated literary stroll through the cultural heritage of Italy’s most romantic city that leads from Shakespeare through Henry James, Simone de Beauvoir and Antonio Vivaldi.
Ancient Rome: Art, Architecture, and History
by Ada Gabucci (Editor)
This lively, illustrated survey of Ancient Rome's monuments, history and art is a terrific introduction.
City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas
by Roger Crowley
An enticing read on the rise and decline of the Venice, from the Crusades to the 18th century.
The World of Venice
by Jan Morris
Morris displays her talent for research, telling anecdote and well-wrought prose in this spirited portrait of a beloved city, its history and inhabitants. If you are going to read one book on Venice, we recommend this favorite.
Eyewitness Guide Italy
by Eyewitness Guides
Another gem in the Eyewitness series, this superb guide is handsome, convenient and up-to-date. Featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country's attractions.
Blue Guide Concise Italy
by Paul Blanchard
The first ever guide to all of Italy by the venerable Blue Guides (which publishes individual guides to Northern, Southern, Central, Rome, Tuscany, Sicily et al), this lavishly illustrated, handy and compact guide covers key sights, museums, churches, art, dining and accommodations throughout Italy.





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