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Rome – Hotel Excelsior (3 nights)
Condé Nast Traveler Gold List ’06
The magnificent stucco palace on the Via Veneto is one of the world’s
classic hotels in ‘Belle Epoque’ style, a few minutes away from the
gardens of the Villa Borghese and the Piazza di Spagna.
Siena – Park Hotel (2)
The Park Hotel is your 16th-century villa in the beautiful Tuscan
countryside – you see antique terra- cotta flooring, period furnishings,
and splendid stone detailing.
Florence - Hotel Excelsior (2), Condé Nast Traveler Gold List ’06
A masterpiece in the "Renaissance City", the Excelsior is
located on the banks of the Arno, in the heart of Florence and only a few
minutes from the city’s most legendary art treasures.
Venice - Gritti Palace (2), Condé Nast Traveler Gold List ’06
Directly on the Grand Canal, with an incomparable view of Venice, the
early 16th-century palace of the Doge Gritti is now one of the world’s
most celebrated hotels.
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DAY 1 – (Tuesday) USA
– Rome
Depart USA for your overnight flight to
Rome.
DAY 2 – (Wednesday)
Rome
 Upon your arrival at Rome’s DaVinci
Airport, you are met and go by private car to your hotel – the Hotel
Excelsior on the Via Veneto. The most glamorous hotel in the Eternal
City with its elegant high ceilings, rich paneling, and glistening
chandeliers is just minutes away from the Borghese Gardens. The afternoon
is free for your leisure although your tour manager will be in the lobby
to answer your questions and to offer suggestions. Join your tour manager
and travel companions for a private cocktail party with à la carte dining
later this evening at a restaurant in our hotel. (D)
DAY 3 – (Thursday) Rome
This morning you begin your tour of the
ancient city – you visit the Roman Forum (once the political and
business center of the world), the Hippodrome, the imposing Colosseum, the
Arch of Constantine, the 3rd-century Roman Baths, the Pantheon,
and Trevi fountain, just to name a few. Relax with a coffee or a Campari
at one of the street-side cafes this afternoon to plan your shopping
itinerary or stroll through the huge expanse of gardens, groves, and
walkways of the Borghese Gardens to see the superb art collection housed
in the Borghese Gallery.
This evening, at Sabatini in the old
district of Trastevere, you make your dinner selections from such
traditional Roman favorites as fettuccine alla romana, tonnarelli with
arugula and garlic oil, spaghetti alla carbonara, or saltimbocca. (B,L,D)
DAY 4 – (Friday) Rome
You continue your exploration of Rome –
richer in masterpieces than any city in the world - this morning. You
visit St. Peter’s (the largest church in the world, covering 3 ½
acres), the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, and the Basilica of St.
John Lateran. You journey along the most famous of all Roman roads – the
Via Appia Antica, built in 312 BC - to the Catacombs. In the distance, you
notice the ruins of one of the great aqueducts that brought water to the
city for centuries.
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