ITALIAN PLEASURES: FLORENCE, ROME AND AMALFI COAST

DAY 1-ARRIVAL IN FLORENCE

Private transfer from Florence airport to Florence city centre. Check –in at your hotel. Balance of the day at leisure to explore the city on own. Welcome dinner based on typical Italian products. Overnight in Florence. ESSENCE SPECIALS Dinner at the typical restaurant "Il Latini", one of the place where to taste the famous Florentine steak

DAY 2-CLASSIC TOUR FLORENCE

In the morning, meet your guide for an half day walking tour of Florence that will include the main city highlights of the Italian Renaissance capital. Lunch on your own and rest of the day at leisure to enjoy the town. Dinner on own. Overnight in Florence.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

• St Croce Church


• Piazza Signoria and Palazzo vecchio


• Ponte Vecchio


• Cathedral complex

DO NOT MISS

 

• An aperitif at Procacci (famous for its truffles’ sandwiches)


• An espresso at the historical Café Rivoire


• An ice-cream at Gelateria dei Neri, with more than 50 flavours to choose from


• A lampredotto sandwich at a local kiosk


• St Lorenzo market


• A dinner at Ristorante Il Targa, out of the touristic circuits, overlooking the Arno river

DAY 3-FLORENCE AND ARRIVAL IN ROME

Today you will have the full morning at your disposal to visit Florence on your own. We suggest you to visit the Uffizi Gallery or the Boboli Gardens which are definitely worth your attention. Lunch on own. In the afternoon transfer from Florence to Rome, the eternal city, by train. Check-in at your hotel. Dinner on own. Overnight in Rome.

DO NOT MISS

 

• Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery (reservations on request)


• The Oltrarno district, with Pitti Palace and Boboli and Bardini Gardens


• Gucci and Ferragamo museums


• Burano hand-made laces


• Lunch at trattoria "Il Latini" in Florence, that serves the best Tuscan dishes

DAY 4-CLASSICAL ROME TOUR

In the morning meeting in Hotel with your private English-speaking guide and start of the guided visit tour of Rome. Visit of the Ancient Rome main highlights and monuments. Lunch at leisure. Balance of the day free: we suggest you to focus on Renaissance and Baroque Rome through the Spanish steps, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori. Dinner on own. Overnight in Rome

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

• The Colosseum, where gladiators and animals’battles took place in ancient times


• The Roman Forum, full of well-preserved ruins of religious and civil buildings, evidence of a glorious civilization


• The Palatine Hill, the place where Rome was founded


• The Spanish Steps, the elegant living room of Rome high society


• The Trevi fountain: throw a coin in it and pray for good luck!


• The colorful, lively and original Piazza Navona and Campo dei Fiori

ESSENCE SPECIALS

 

• A half-day guided tour that will help you familiarize with Roman history, civilization and art

DO NOT MISS

 

• Shopping in Via Condotti, Via del Babbuino and Via del Corso, the most elegant and luxurious shopping streets of Rome with several exclusive boutiques


• A dinner at Restaurant l’Antica Pesa, located in the typical Trastevere area

DAY 5-CHRISTIAN TOUR ROME

In the morning, meeting in Hotel with your private guide English speaking. Guided visit tour of the Vatican Museums that will finish with the wonderful visit to The Sistine Chapel and of St Peter’s church, the biggest church in the world. Lunch at leisure. Balance of the afternoon free: we suggest you to take a walk in the city centre, full of or to visit the Villa Borghese Gallery. Dinner in a typical restaurant of Rome. Overnight in Rome

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

• The Vatican Museums, among the most important museums of the world, with the Sistine Chapel


• St Peter’s Church

ESSENCE SPECIALS

 

• Private guided visit of the Christian Rome


• Typical dinner based on special Roman dishes in the Restaurant Felice al Testaccio: pasta with amatriciana sauce, beef steak and many others!

DO NOT MISS

 

• A visit to the wonderful Villa Borghese Gallery, hosting prestigious art masterpieces by the most famous Italian artists


• The Caracalla thermal centre, a magnificent and well-preserved example of civil buildings of the ancient era


• An aperitif at Café Rosati, one of the most prestigious and elegant bars in Rome

DAY 6- TRANSFER TO AMALFI COAST WITH POMPEI

In the morning transfer on your own to Rome Termini train station. Meeting with our private car in Naples central railway station with driver and transfer to Praiano. Stop in Pompei and meeting with private English speaking guide for a guided tour of the Archaeological site of Pompei. Lunch at leisure. After lunch transfer to Praiano, on the wonderful Amalfi coast. Check in at your hotel. Dinner on own and overnight on the Amalfi Coast

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

• Pompei and its main attractions: the Gymnasium, used for sports activities; the Vetti House, a palace belonging to rich people with several frescoes; the House of the Faun, a perfect example of fusion between Italian and Greek architectural styles.


• Wonderful landscapes on the Amalfi Coasts

DO NOT MISS

 

• Artistic laboratories in Praiano and cathedral


• St. Domenico festivals in Praiano, with tastings, open-air shows and nocturnal lights animating the streets of the village taking place in August


• La Praia rocky beach, with its crystal clear water and wonderful panoramas..


• Sandulli atelier, a laboratory where you will have the possibility of admiring the artistic masterpieces of Paolo Sandulli, a local artist

DAY 7-AMALFI COAST

village that used to be a maritime superpower and visit of the town on own. Lunch free in Amalfi. In the afternoon departure towards Ravello. Return to your hotel, balance of the day at leisure and overnight in Amalfi Coast

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

 

• Positano and its wonderful panoramas, defined by John Steinbeck as follows: "Positano bites deep", Steinbeck wrote. "It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you have gone."t


• Amalfi and its medieval architecture, the cathedral of Sant'Andrea (St. Andrew, 11th century), especially, with its bell-tower, the convent of the Cappuccini and their tendency to blend the Byzantine style with the forms and sharp lines of the northern architecture.


• Ravello, that sits like a natural balcony overhanging Amalfi and the nearby town of Minori and Maiori and is a delightful place for a walk, with its spectacular views.

DO NOT MISS

 

• Scuderia del Duca in Amalfi: a workshop which is a few footsteps far from the old Arsenals of the Republic. Here you can find gold and dry refined prints, special cards with initials, etchings and hand decorated paper each sheet of which is a unique and exclusive pattern


• The Belvedere in Ravello


• The limoncello liquor, typical of the Amalfi coast area.

DAY 8 - CHECK OUT

Check-out. Private transfer to Naples airport and or to alternative destinations.

OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR THE TOUR: 3*, 4*, 5* HOTELS, VILLAS AND HISTORICAL RESIDENCES, ALL THE TOURS CAN BE PERSONALIZED AND TAILOR MADE

PRICE: ON REQUEST AT INFO@ESSENCEOFITALY.IT