A Week In... Venice, Florence & Rome

Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Ca' di Dio. Welcome to Venice! Arrive at Ca' di Dio, a five-star luxury hotel, set in a 13th-century building in the heart of the city. You are only short walk away from Piazza San Marco and Doge's Palace and close to some the city's most famous landmarks. Tonight, join us for a welcome reception and dinner. Stay Two Nights: Ca' di Dio (D)

Eccentric, romantic, and innovative, Venice defies the tides of history. Its famous canals, once a defense against barbarian armies, belie its vulnerability and uniqueness as a timeless city on the edge, teeming with art and restless energy. You can feel that ancient energy on a guided walking tour of St. Mark's Basilica, adorned with domes, columns and spires, its gilded, soaring walls and ceilings profusely decorated with Byzantine mosaics and relics.

Aural art has a history here too: antiphonal music was born in the basilica's peculiar design and perfect acoustics. No less inspiring is the adjacent Doge's Palace, a mass of pink marble that seems to float on tiers of Gothic arcades. Once the seat of power in the Venetian empire, the palace is now a museum of art treasures and a work of art itself in every intricate detail. Experience Venice up close and in style on a gondola ride through its maze of water lanes. Dine as you please this evening and explore the city's vibrant contemporary culture in its fine restaurants, shops and galleries. (B)

Travel to Florence by high-speed rail. A transfer is included from Santa Maria Novella Train Station to your stylish hotel in the center of the city, just a short walk to Galleria degli Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria as well as popular streets like Via Tornabuoni.

Upon arrival, a private talk by an art historian sets the stage for your exploration of the "birthplace of the Renaissance." After lunch at the hotel, take a walking tour of Florence's historic center, followed by a guided visit to the fabulous Galleria dell'Accademia, home to artistic treasures such as Michelangelo's David. You have a choice of an included dinner at a local restaurant tonight or tomorrow night, with wine included. Buon appetito! Stay Three Nights: Hotel Bernini Palace (B/L/D)

The city of Florence and its contemporary culture is yours to explore as you wish today. Besides Michelangelo and Botticelli, Florence is also the home of Gucci and Ferragamo, and a wealth of shops and galleries on the edge of modern culture.

This evening, join us for an after-hours private visit of the Uffizi ("the offices") conceived in 1581 as a massive government facility, was converted ten years later to a public museum which today holds some of the most important artworks of all time. Your guided visit to this remarkable institution, with its 45 exhibition halls and thousands of masterpieces, it is an art immersion unlikely to be experienced anywhere else. (B)

Drive outside the city of Florence and through the Tuscan countryside for a Tauck Exclusive at the ancient monastery of Badia de Passignano in the Chianti Classico region, where the monks are known for their love of learning (Galileo taught here in 1587) and their cultivation of grapes. Tour the wine cellar with a sommelier, sample its famous Chiantis, and have lunch at Osteria di Passignano... a celebration of traditional Tuscan cuisine paired with some of the famous wines produced in surrounding vineyards... followed by a little extra-virgin olive oil tasting with the chef. Return to Florence to relax or explore as you please, enjoying dinner on your own. (B/L)

A high-speed rail journey whisks you from Florence to Rome and a 2-night stay in the heart of the city. Have lunch at a local restaurant before a tour of the Eternal City. Our special evening at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel is scheduled for tomorrow night – which means our farewell cocktail reception and dinner are this evening. Stay Two Nights: Palazzo Ripetta (B/L/D)

With your local guide, you'll stand in awe of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, on a vast piazza surrounded by colonnades. The great dome, designed by Michelangelo, is one of the largest in the world; it houses a soaring ornate cathedral, the tombs of popes since Early Christian times, and galleries of ancient masterpieces, including Michelangelo's Pieta.

After your visit, head back to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure, then return this evening when the crowds are gone for a Tauck Exclusive – an after-hours tour of the Vatican and its museums – unparalleled repositories of relics, archaeological treasures, paintings, sculptures, maps, and tapestries collected over centuries – and the magnificent Sistine Chapel (subject to availability and day of tour may vary). Outside the galleries, Vatican City is illuminated against the night sky – and your visit is one that you won't soon forget. (B)

Tour ends: Rome. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Palazzo Ripetta to Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino. Allow 3 hours for check-in. (B)