 14 Day North Continental (NOW THRU APR 2012)
This tour is exactly the same as our 14-day Italy North Classic (in reverse), except dinners are not included. We know that some of our travelers enjoy the experience of dining on their own at local restaurants and trattorias. Your tour guide will have a multitude of dining suggestions. Of course, a full buffet breakfast is included daily. DINE ON YOUR OWN Great Hotels. Centrally-located, First-Class & Deluxe hotels, exclusively. Smaller Groups. 20 to 40 guests per tour. More Legroom. Deluxe, state-of-the-art motorcoaches with EXTRA legroom. Airport Transfers. Arrival and departure transfers in Italy. Buffet Breakfast Daily. A very hearty start to each day! Wine Tasting. Vineyard tour and wine tasting. Wireless Headsets to hear your guide clearly and distinctly in public places. 1 Tote Bag Per Person, baggage tags and travel documents included. Baggage Handling. Never touch your bag! (except at airports). Hotel Taxes, Hotel Service Charges and All Tips for hotel and restaurant personnel. Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides. |
| Details | | Perillo Tours | | Offer valid through 4/1/2012 | | | | Day | Destination | Description | | Day 1 | Depart USA | Boarding our overnight flight, we're off on the adventure of a lifetime. | | Day 2 | Milan | Benvenuti in Italia! We are pleased to offer complimentary transfers from the Milan airport to your hotel at scheduled times. Your Perillo representative will be at the airport to greet you. This afternoon you will meet your tour guide who will have some excellent dining suggestions for your first night in Italy. | | Day 3 | Milan | From Milan we enjoy an exhilarating excursion to Lugano. Here we can fill our eyes with beauty and our bags with gifts. We continue to Como, the place loved by the rich and famous. Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron and George Clooney. Back in Milan, one of the world's trendiest cities and one of the strongest bastions of traditional Italian cooking. Mangia! BB | | Day 4 | Venice | This morning we visit the mightiest Gothic building ever created- Milan's Duomo, its capacity 40,000 people! Next we stroll through the spectacular glasstopped galleria-the world's first shopping mall. Continue to Piazza Della Scala, home of the famed La Scala Opera House. Next, a short trip to Verona and Juliet's balcony. Our arrival in Venice is by boat. Venice is breathtaking with its misty lagoon and palaces seemingly floating on water. Nothing beats dining in a cozy Venetian restaurant enjoying local specialties and fine local wines.BB | | Day 5 | Venice | This morning we'll meet our expert local guide for a walking tour of St. Mark's Square, the great Byzantine Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs and an inside visit of the Doge's Palace. Next we'll board our motoscafi to visit one of the world's oldest glass-blowing factories on the island of Murano. This afternoon you'll have a chance to "get lost" in the city's labyrinth of canals, bridges and tiny piazzas. Being a small island, it's impossible to stray very far. But it won't hurt to master the phrase "Dov'e' Piazza San Marco?" Maybe this would be the ideal evening for a traditional Venetian seafood feast! BB | | Day 6 | Florence | We're off to Florence today with an inspiring stop along the way. Visitors to Padua are often surprised by a sense of deep spirituality. St. Anthony (patron Saint of lost objects) is interred here in the serene Basilica which dates back to the 1200s. Next to Florence! Home of Dante, Boccaccio, Botticelli, da Vinci, and some say, the best gelato in Italy! Back at the hotel, our tour director is happy to offer this evening's restaurant suggestions. Perhaps, world famous Florentine steak? BB | | Day 7 | Florence | Florence, the fountainhead of the Renaissance, awaits our inspection. Our day of sightseeing includes the majestic Duomo built in 1296, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned "Gates of Paradise" doors. We follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria, home of Santa Croce Church, Michelangelo's final resting place. "Breathtaking" is the only word to describe one's first view of Michelangelo's David. Yes, it's quite large and detailed. But the real magic is in how Michelangelo transformed a lifeless rock into a man - full of pride, wary of his adversary, yet quietly confident. All with just a hammer and a chisel. You'll be sure to find a perfect Florentine dinner spot tonight. BB | | Day 8 | Florence | The bell tower of Pisa is among the most instantly recognizable structures on earth. Architects say it would be world famous even if it were perfectly straight. This morning we'll see for ourselves, along with the beautiful Cathedral and Baptistery. This afternoon we'll visit a typical Tuscan winery to learn about the grape, the "nose," food pairings and most importantly - which glass to use! Cin-Cin! We'll return to Florence for some free time. Tonight, ask your tour director for a nearby spot to enjoy fresh Tuscan fare. BB | | Day 9 | Sorrento | Our journey to Sorrento takes us through the rolling hills, scenic vineyards and post-card perfect vistas of Tuscany and Umbria. Soon, we are in Sorrento, high on a beautiful plateau, greeted by the sapphire blue Gulf of Naples and majestic Mount Vesuvius. When most Americans think of Italian food, they're usually thinking of the dishes of Naples and Sorrento - spaghetti with tomato and basil, mozzarella and pizza are all from this area. Here's your chance to try the "real thing!" BB | | Day 10 | Sorrento | This morning you'll be taken to Capri, the world's most enchanting island. You can explore to your hearts content on your own or your tour conductor may have other ideas. You'll be as captivated by Capri as Emperor Tiberius who used the Blue Grotto as his personal swimming pool. Tonight, still glowing from the sun, it's time to enjoy another fine gastronomic experience. BB | | Day 11 | Rome | Pompeii - an entire city perfectly preserved as it was on that fateful day almost 2,000 years ago, when ash and lava literally stopped it in its tracks. You'll see the tragic fossils of people attempting to escape along with their children and dogs. Late this morning, we continue on to Naples. We enjoy a brief panoramic tour of this beautiful city. A few hours later, we enter the gates of Rome and settle into our hotel. BB | | Day 12 | Rome | Hail Caesar! All aboard our chariot for a panoramic tour of Imperial Rome including the Roman Forum, Largo Argentina, the Jewish Ghetto and the Circus Maximus. Then we'll enter the Colosseum, reliving the brutal entertainment of the gladiators and the lions, refereed by the Emperor himself. This afternoon, Rome is all yours! Shop, fountain hop, explore to your heart's content. Tonight, treat yourself to one of Rome's fine restaurants for a delizioso dinner! BB | | Day 13 | Rome | This morning we visit Vatican City, "headquarters" for more than a billion Catholics worldwide. We begin at the Vatican Museum, a treasure trove of sculptures, paintings and tapestries. Our visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, the room where the pope is elected. We enter in total silence, not wanting to disturb Michelangelo's famed frescoes, depicting stories from the Bible and the "End of Times." You'll be fascinated by which of Michelangelo's contemporaries he assigned to heaven and which to hell. We'll also visit St. Peter's Basilica. We'll see Michelangelo's Pieta, sculpted when he was just 24, and Bernini's seven-story bronze canopy soaring high above the main altar. This afternoon, Rome is all yours! Tonight, may we suggest fettuccine alla romana; alla amatriciana with bacon; spaghetti alla carbonara; roasted lamb with garlic & rosemary; stuffed artichokes....is your appetite whet yet? Tonight, treat yourself to one of Rome's fine restaurants for a fabulous dinner. BB | | Day 14 | Flight Home | This morning we board our flight home. No tears. You'll exchange e-mails with your new friends and make plans for the future. How about we all meet again on a Perillo Tour to Hawaii! BB |
| | Prices are land-only and do not include airfare.
For more information on airfares check out the "Air Information" section of this page. TO MILAN, RETURN FROM ROME
Depart USA Saturday - Return Friday NOTE: Rates are per person and include roundtrip airport transfers in Italy at scheduled times. Airfare available from your hometown. Note: Please be advised that circumstances may change the day and/or sequence of scheduled activities, as well as the substitution of hotels, events, shows, sightseeing, itinerary, hosts, etc. B=Breakfast L=Lunch D=Dinner |
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