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Special Group Tours Toll Free: 1 866 725 5250 |
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RENAISSANCE ITALY 14 days / 13 nights - Sunday to Saturday From the hills of Tuscany to the canals of Venice This is a country high on everybody's 'must see' list. Italy has been attracting tourists since at least the 15th century (and we don't include the various conquering invaders!). It was an essential part of a young man's (and the occasional liberated young lady's) education throughout the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The 'Grand Tour' of Europe was incomplete without time spent studying in one of the great renaissance cities. Carrying home a Canalletto painting home to hang on one's wall was as much a pre-requisite of travel as is today's purchase of souvenirs and sending postcards home. Our tour encompasses the traditional great sights. How could one not visit Italy and see the treasures of Florence, the romantic Venice and that wonder of the modern world, Pisa's leaning tower? In addition, however, to visiting these major iconic sights, Back-Roads Touring Co. Ltd, as you'd expect of us, also takes you behind the tourist façade into the hills of Umbria, countryside of Tuscany and south to the coastal towns around Sirolo. It's a tour designed to introduce you to Italy's magnificent culture, history and natural beauties.
Available at any date for private groups of 2 – 15 people. Price available upon application. Rates are based upon vehicle and guide hire per day; groups of 7 - 15 would have a per person rate same/similar to one of our scheduled tours of the same length. Please note, this is a suggested itinerary. It may be revised to suit your individual group needs.
If you do not have a group of traveling companions and are still interested in this custom tour itinerary, you are welcomed to join a waitlist… We record who is looking for travel companions to make up a tour with them. We need between 6 and 8 persons minimum to operate a tour without it being uneconomic for us or too expensive for you. Back-Roads Touring Co Ltd will be happy to run the occasional special departure IF there is sufficient interest. If you would like to check on or join a waitlist for this itinerary, please email us for full information: kate@specialgrouptours.com
TENTATIVE ITINERARY DAY ONE - SUNDAY Arriving at Rome's Fiumincino (Leonardo da Vinci) airport, we'll pick you up and then give you the chance to rest or take a seaside 'passeggiata' in a relaxing atmosphere a short drive away from the airport. If you are already in Rome prior to tour then you are responsible for your own transfer by local taxi as foreign vehicles are not permitted to collect from central Rome. Dinner tonight is included. NIGHTSTOP: Fregene
DAY TWO - MONDAY Being outside the capital, we'll have a traffic free start as we head for Lago di Bracciano and the little known Etruscan town of Sutri with its Etruscan burial grounds and amphitheatre before heading for Umbria and the flat top volcano town of Orvieto, with possibly the most impressive cathedral façade in Christendom. You'll learn why triple "is" wine is so called and sample local salami in typical 'osteria'. NIGHTSTOP: Todi region
DAY THREE - TUESDAY Through the enchanting hilltop towns (and some spectacular graveyards!) of Central Umbria towards St. Francis's Assisi. Spello and its neighbouring villages and towns are fascinating. Built as medieval fortresses, their town walls still dominate the hilltop and protect myriad small alleyways and streets. The impossibly quaint Monte Castello di Vibio boasts the smallest theatre in the world. It is exquisite and reflects the finery of the ancient merchants and land-owning families it was constructed for. NIGHTSTOP: Todi region
DAY FOUR - WEDNESDAY We leave Umbria for the gastronomic and cultural delight that is Tuscany, the home of the pre-roman Etruscans. We'll stop for a capuccino before arriving in Siena that annually hosts the 'Palio', the world's most famous and vicious horse race, in its town square. We will almost guarantee everyone will hear your quick intake of breath when you first walk into this square! It is a truly stunning sight. Tonight we stay in Greve in Chianti. This attractive village is at the very centre of this famed wine and olive producing area. At night, the village centre is left to residents and you'll love the atmosphere, sitting at a table at one of the the small cafe bars overlooking the piazza, with a glass of local wine in hand. Bello! NIGHTSTOP: Greve in Chianti
DAY FIVE - THURSDAY A short drive through the Tuscan hills to Florence with the opportunity to explore this wonder of the Italian 'rinasciemento'. Because of the logistical problems with parking, you may spend much of today on your own but you'll, of course, be fully briefed as to where to go and what to visit so as to get the most from this unique city. Please note, the city can be very busy and if you are wishing to visit major galleries you must expect to line for a considerable time. NIGHTSTOP: Greve in Chianti
DAY SIX - FRIDAY A view of Pisa's 'torre pendente' (leaning tower) and a visit to the magnificent baptisty are on this afternoon's agenda after visiting Lucca or Vinci to see Leonardo's birthplace and museum of his inventions. After this, you'll perhaps agree with those who claim Leonardo to have been the man of the last millennium. NIGHTSTOP: Greve in Chianti
DAY SEVEN - SATURDAY Time to cross the Apennines which we'll do in typical Backroads Touring Co Ltd fashion, marveling at the beauty of the Tuscan countryside which is untrammeled by modern development. Although a driving day as we make our way east, we'll surely find some undiscovered villages and country hostelries. En route we'll make a stop at the very moving American World War II cemetery astride the River Greve and then on to Ferrara for lunch. Ercole 1st rebuilt Ferrara creating one of Europe's finest Renaissance cities. Our accommodation is a 15-minute train ride outside old Venice in Mogliano Veneto. This small, pleasant village allows us to get a better feel for real life in the region. Past tour participants have enjoyed spending an hour or two experiencing modern Italian life in the local shops and streets. Tonight’s dinner will be the largest pizza you have seen in a typical local restaurant - no tourists. NIGHTSTOP: Mogliano Veneto
DAY EIGHT - SUNDAY Abandoning our heroic minibus for the day, we'll mingle with the locals on a brief train ride over the lagoon to the Pearl of the Adriatic. Venice is, naturally, a great tourist city but with your Backroads Touring guide you'll enjoy getting behind the tourist facade and seeing something of the Venice known by the locals rather that the tourists. Optional gondola rides will provide highlights as well as discovering the hidden beauty that lies only just behind the throngs in the 'serenissima'. Dinner is not included tonight. NIGHTSTOP: Mogliano Veneto
DAY NINE - MONDAY Today we have a choice. Some tour participants may enjoy another day exploring Venice; its size will probably surprise you. Perhaps a trip by Vaporetto to the glass producing Murano island and the delightful and colourful lace producing island of Burano. It's very easy to spend some time with 'organised independece' here and your guide will be able to assist in helping plan a day for anyone wishing to exploit the opportunity for a less structured visit to this absorbing city. Alternatively, your guide will be offering a tour to Padua a medieval university city and perhaps, depending on group interest, Vicenza. Dinner is not included tonight. NIGHTSTOP: Mogliano Veneto
DAY TEN - TUESDAY Across the flatlands of the Po delta, homeland of Guareschi's Don Camillo stopping off in Chioggia where we will have time to explore and perhaps find some local vinicultural and gastronomic specialities for a picnic. On through the pine forests to Ravenna with its Byzantine mosaics and historic mystique… NIGHTSTOP: Pesaro
DAY ELEVEN - WEDNESDAY We will cross the border to the independent (and tax free) state of San Marino and San Leo and visit its castle with splendid views over Romagna and the Marches. NIGHTSTOP: Pesaro
DAY TWELVE - THURSDAY Who knows that the 'old Master' Raffaele Sanzio, was a Marchigiano? Yet, a visit the university town of Urbino reveals not only his birthplace but a splendid gallery and a vibrant youthful atmosphere. This afternoon a contrasting visit to some of Europe's largest caves which have recently hosted the world's 'isolationist' records, in the depths of the 13 mile 'grotte'. Our final base while on tour is under the enchanting and little known Conero mountain. NIGHTSTOP: Sirolo
DAY THIRTEEN - FRIDAY Alas, time to cross the Apennines, Romeward bound again, but how better than through the tunnel of the 9,000 ft high stone of Italy with its most southern permanent glacier. Before heading for the Eternal City we'll have lunch in Tivoli and then visit Tivoli's splendid gardens or Hadrian's majestic villa. Dinner is included tonight. NIGHTSTOP: Fregene
DAY FOURTEEN - SATURDAY Transfers for those going to the airport. If you are staying on in Rome, you are responsible for your own transfer by local taxi as foreign vehicles are not permitted to enter central Rome. There are local buses and trains into Rome.
This tour is operated by Back-Roads Touring Co Ltd |
