Travel to Rome

Sunday, May 7

Arrive at New York JFK and change planes. Depart New York at 5:00 p.m. via American Airlines #236. Meals aloft.B

Upon arriving in Rome at 7:15 a.m. look for your driver in the Arrival Hall. He will be holding a sign with your last name. Your English-speaking sedan driver will then take you on a 6-hour tour of Ancient Rome. Here you will have the flexibility of visiting the following sites at your leisure.

The Colosseum - the symbol of Rome’s eternity and the location at which Gladiators did battle and where lions ate Christians.

Roman Forum - popularly referred to as the “ruins”, but the stones still give testimony to the roots of Western Civilization.

Capitoline Hill - the spiritual center of ancient Rome and today the seat of Rome’s civil government. But it is the mind of Michelangelo that continues to dominate the experience of this space.

Trevi Fountain - with water flowing since 19 B.C. and immortalized in literature, film, and song.

Pantheon - a temple built in 27 A.D., the best preserved of the ancient buildings and the one that speaks most clearly of the Roman spirit.

Piazza Navona - built above the stadium that hosted chariot races and the home to modern day cafes that are the social heart of Rome.

Following the tour your driver will transfer you to the Coronari apartment, where you have the upper floor apartment confirmed for five nights. At least an hour prior to departing Ancient Rome call the apartment owner to schedule your meeting time and place. You will find the phone number on your voucher.

If at all possible, stay active until mid-evening today so that your body can adjust to the Italy time zone. If you return to the Ancient City at night, you will be struck by the magnificent effect of the lights.B

At 12:00 noon you will enjoy the three-hour guided Vatican walking tour, please be at the kiosk outside the Ottaviano metro station (6 stops from Termini, line A) by 11:45 a.m. Kindly note that the entrance fee to the Vatican Museum must be paid directly and is Euro 12 per person. There is a dress code when visiting the Vatican, especially the Sistine Chapel. Please make sure that your shoulders and knees are covered, and men must wear full-length pants. During the tour you will see:

St. Peter’s Square and Basilica - Here the work of Bramante, Michelangelo, and Bernini continues to shape the experience of this majestic space. From the welcoming arms of Bernini’s colonnade, to the hush imposed by Bramante’s towering piers over the main altar, finishing with the awe inspired by Michelangelo’s dome, the walk through the square and the basilica is one of the most dramatic journeys in Rome.

Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel – This is one of the most important artistic repositories in the world and features the work of Raphael and Michelangelo, both of whom worked at the same time for the strong-willed Pope Julius II. With the cleaning of the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s magnificent vision is more clearly displayed than ever.

After the tour return to Ancient Rome and go to Via dell’Umilta, 30 (near the Trevi Fountain) between 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. to get your tickets to attend tomorrows Papal Audience. Once you have your tickets, consider taking a walk to Via Veneto (made famous by Fellini’s movie, La Dolce Vita), walk past the American Embassy and the intriguing “church of the bones” to the Piazza Barberini, the location of two fountains by the baroque master, Gian Lorenzo Bernini. From here an easy stroll brings you to the top of the Spanish Steps for a panoramic view of the city. At the base of the steps is Rome’s most fashionable shopping district.B

This morning Pope Benedict XVI will hold a Papal Audience, which you will attend at 10:30 a.m. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early.

At 2:00 p.m. your English-speaking private sedan driver will pick you up from the apartment for a 4-hour tour. Visit the hill-town of Tivoli, where you will have time on your own to explore the 16th century Villa d’Este and the ruins of Hadrian’s Villa. See page 468 of the enclosed “Eyewitness Travel Italy” guidebook for information on these sites.B

Early this morning at 7:30 a.m. your English-speaking private sedan driver will collect you from the apartment and take you on a 12-hour excursion to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples. After the two and a half hour drive arrive at Pompeii, which was frozen in time when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. Extensive excavations and painstaking reconstruction have made it possible for you to experience the homes, fountains, courtyards, inlaid marble floors, mosaics and frescoes that constituted the towns everyday life nearly 2,000 years ago. Continue to Herculaneum for a visit and time for lunch. The remainder of the day will be spent viewing the exhibits at the Museo Archaeologico Nazionale in Naples. Return to Rome about 7:30 p.m.B

The morning is on your own. During this time you may want to visit Villa Giulia, the country home of Pope Julius III, which now houses a remarkable Etruscan Museum displaying the well-known Married Couples sarcophagus from Cerveteri, spectacular jewellery, and a fine 5th-century terra cotta statue; the expressive fifth-century mosaics on the triumphal arch of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore; Bernini’s Cornaro Chapel; Borromini’s Church of San Carlo; Baroque Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, one of Bernini’s finest architectural marvels; the Ara Pacis, commemorating Emperor Augustus’ military victories; the marble-girded Augustum; the fifteenth-century Church of Sant’Agostino, housing Sansovino’s “Madonna”, Caravaggio’s altarpiece “Madonna of Loreto”, and Raphael’s “Isiah”; Church of San Liugi dei Francesi, displaying the magnificent Caravaggios; Borromini’s masterpiece Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza Church; or other attractions that may interest you. At 3:00 p.m. your English-speaking private sedan driver will take you to the ruins of Ostia Antica once an important Roman port.B

Check-out of the apartment and meet your transfer driver at 9:30 a.m. At the Rome Termini train station board train #704, which departs at 10:47 a.m. and arrives at the Chiusi-Chianciano train station at 12:09 p.m. Walk to the Hertz rental car office and pick up your Ford Focus or similar manual rental car.

Note carefully that there is dual numbering systems on some of the motorways in Italy: the Italian system and the European system. So, for example, the autobahn from Florence to Rome is both the A1 (Italian system) and the E35 (European system). The European system begins with “E” and the Italian system will generally be “S” for the larger highways. Also, please remember that the Italians are accustomed to following signs in the direction of towns.

Depart Chiusi heading west on S146 a short distance until you come to S326 where you will turn right and go north in the direction of S. Giuseppe. Continue on the road to Valiano and follow the signs to the Borgo Tre Rose. A phone number for the hotel is on your voucher in case you get lost, also see the enclosed map with the route highlighted. Check-in at Borgo Tre Rose your home for the next three nights.B

Head North to Cortona, best known as the town featured in the film Under the Tuscan Sun, it was also named Italy's most beautiful walled hilltop village in a recent contest.

Continue by exploring Umbria, which is as beautiful as Tuscany in its own way. Take S71 south and turn east on the Perugia motorway (S75) first in the direction of Perugia and then Assisi.

A short drive east and south on S75 past Perugia will bring you to Assisi (park the car in the car park at the bottom of the hill), a walled hilltop village with beautiful views of the Umbrian countryside and largely unchanged from the days of St. Francis, who is buried in the Basilica here. The streets are built on steep hills, so wear sturdy shoes for traversing the cobblestones. In a village full of ancient history, the Tempio di Minerva on Piazza del Comunel has survived since the time of Augustus Caesar and should not be missed.B

This morning get directions from the hotel for the best way to A1, which you will take North into Florence. At 11:15 a.m. you have reservations to visit the Galleria degli Uffizi, world famous for its unparalleled collection of Renaissance art and hosting masterpieces by Michelangelo da Vinci, Botticelli, Uccello, Giotto, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio and others. Please arrive 15 minutes early and go to Entrance #3 to pay for your tickets. You do not need to stand in the regular ticket line.

This afternoon at 3:00 p.m. you have a reservation to visit the Accademia (Academy of Fine Arts). Since you need to pay and collect your tickets at the main entrance arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your scheduled entry. Here you will view Michelangelo’s David and other Renaissance masterpieces.

When you are not in one of the museums you will want to visit other Florence sites such as the Duomo (Santa Maria dei Fiori Cathedral), home to one of the largest Renaissance paintings – The Last Judgement by Vasari and Zucari – and distinguished by Brunelleschi’s unmistakable Dome (the model for all subsequent Renaissance domes) and Santa Trinita. In Baptistery Square, you will be spoilt for significant details to view, from Ghiberti’s bronze doors, described by Michelangelo as “fit to be the gates of paradise”, to Giotto’s Tower. If time you may wish to visit Santa Croce, a 14th Century Franciscan church decorated with numerous precious works of art (not least of which are the famous frescoes by Giotto and his school) and containing the tombs of great Florentines, including Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini. Return to the hotel. B

Return back to A1 cross it and follow S326 Northwest to Siena, which was the main rival to Florence in the early medieval period and which offers a profusion of fine architecture, palaces, and churches. Consider diverting to the wine village of Monteriggioni. In Siena, a walking tour through the narrow streets ends in the fan-shaped Piazza del Campo, the site of the famed Palio and acclaimed by Montaigne as the most beautiful square in the world. (Consider parking your car outside the medieval walls and walk into the Siena, where it is possible to drive but with limited parking).B

Drive back to Chiusi and return the rental car. Board train #704 which departs at 12:11 p.m. and arrives in Venice at 4:46 p.m.; upon arrival our representative will meet and transfer you to your hotel. Ask the representative to note some of the vaporetti (water bus) stations on the Grand Canal, because you can use the vaporetti system as your principle means of transportation and the views of Venice from the boats are magnificent.

Piazza San Marco is perhaps the most famous square in Europe and, when the open-air orchestras begin playing early this evening, you should have coffee or wine at either Florian’s or Quadri and observe the vibrant Venice scene. Accommodations are confirmed for you at the Hotel Ca’Angeli for three nights. B

At 9:00 a.m. meet your English-speaking guide at the entrance of the Royal gardens on the waterfront side of San Marco Square for your private walking tour of Venice. Included in the tour are the sites around the square: the cathedral (Basilica di San Marco), the Doge’s Palace (Palazzo Ducale), Baptistery and Prisons. Then walk the narrow passageways of Venice to see the Gothic Palaces of Campo Santa Maria Formosa, the Scuola di San Marco with its famous trade schools, Marco Polo’s house, the Church of San Giovanni e Paolo and the Rialto bridge.

At 6:00 p.m. your 45-minute private gondola ride will depart. Arrive at the gondola station at Santa Maria del Giglio by 5:50 p.m.

Later this evening meet your guide at the center of the Rialto Bridge by 8:20 p.m. At 8:30 p.m. your 1½-hour Ghost walk tour will begin. This tour of Venice features intriguing ghost stories that will bring a chill to the night's air, gruesome tales of past residents and inmates, and legends of sea monsters and the Venetians themselves that will include the legend of Marco Polo's wife. In addition see architectural treasures hidden in the back streets of Venice such as the Bovolo staircase as well as a secret passageway (subject to water-levels). B

Murano is usually described as an island in the Venetian Lagoon, although like Venice itself it is actually an archipelago of islands linked by bridges. It lies about a mile north of Venice and is famous for its glass making, particularly lampworking.

Aventurine glass was invented on the island, and for a while Murano was the main producer of glass in Europe. The island later became known for chandeliers. Although decline set in during the eighteenth century, glassmaking is still the island's main industry.

Santa Maria e San Donato, Murano.In the fifteenth century, the island became popular as a resort for Venetians, and palaces were built, but this later declined. The countryside of the island was known for its orchards and vegetable gardens until the nineteenth century, when more housing was built.

Attractions on the island include the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato, known for its twelfth century Byzantine mosaic pavement and said to house the bones of the dragon slain by Saint Donatus, the Church of San Pietro Martire and the Palazzo da Mula. Glass-related attractions include the many glassworks, some Mediaeval and most open to the public, and the Glass Museum, housed in the large Palazzo Giustinian.B

This morning at 8:30 a.m. your driver will collect you from the hotel and transfer you to the Venice airport (the driver will reconfirm the pick-up time the night before). Depart Venice at 11:25 a.m. and arriving London Gatwick at 12:40 p.m. Change planes and depart London Gatwick and arrive back home 6:30 p.m.B