Best of Italy and Greece with 4-Day Aegean Cruise

Benvenuti a Roma! Open your heart to a whirlwind of antiquities and local flavours. Join your Travel Director for an introduction to the 'Eternal City' with a drive to the Basilica Santa Maria in Cosmedin for a private after-hours visit to the Mouth of Truth. See the church, crypt and relics of the famous saint of love, Valentine, and learn about the legend of the Mouth of Truth.

This evening, enjoy dinner with your fellow travellers. (D) Stay: Midas Palace

Visit St. Peter's Basilica and view Michelangelo's Pietà with a Local Specialist. Venture across the Tiber river to Ancient Rome and see the mighty Colosseum and Circus Maximus, where daring chariot races were once held to thunderous applause. (B)

This morning, head to the Vatican Museums with a Local Specialist. Admire Michelangelo's frescoed ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. Later, drive north to Renaissance Florence in Tuscany.

Tonight, Connect With Locals at a Be My Guest experience in the Chianti countryside. (B/D) Stay: Villa Neroli

Your Local Specialist reveals Florence's rich cultural heritage during your walking tour. Visit Piazza della Signoria, with its impressive sculptures, and imposing palazzi. View the marble Duomo and the famous Baptistry, renowned for its bronze doors with relief sculptures and the Ponte Vecchio. Learn about the quality and expertise of one of this city's historic industries at a demonstration of Florentine leathercraft. Then travel through the Apennines and cross the Veneto plains towards Venice.

This evening, you may choose an Optional Experience to take a gondola ride along the city's enchanting canals. (B/D) Stay: Novotel Mestre Castellana

Cruise by private launch to St. Mark's Square to see the Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Basilica and the ornate Doge's Palace.

Later, you'll enjoy a memorable MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience where you'll witness the ancient Venetian tradition of glassblowing. You'll learn how the talented masters are using the same techniques their forefathers once did, and how your visit helps to preserve this delicate art for generations to come. Don't resist the urge to buy a souvenir to remember the special experience before enjoying the rest of the day to explore Venice your way.

You could choose to spend a lazy afternoon watching the traffic on the busy waterways with a Venetian Spritz, or consider taking an Optional Experience to one of the islands in the lagoon. (B)

Today, travel through Lombardy. The region is Italy's commercial powerhouse bordering Switzerland with lakes and mountains in the north and plains to the south. Later, board your flight to Athens. (B) Stay: Crowne Plaza Athens City Centre

Travel north to Kalambaka and the astonishing UNESCO-listed monasteries of Meteora. These are some of the largest and most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Greece. Your Local Specialist will guide you on a visit to one of the six monasteries built on sandstone rocks that tower above the town. (B/D) Stay: Amalia Kalambaka

Drive south towards Mount Parnassos and Delphi, where we will stay overnight. Join a Local Specialist and see the site of the most important oracle in the classical world and walk the Sacred Way to the Temple of Apollo where athletes competed in the Pythian Games. Join a fun, interactive Greek Culinary Optional Experience and taste your creations along with other dishes prepared by your cheery chef. (B) Stay: Amalia Delphi

We depart the 'navel of the earth' today and travel to Athens where we'll discover the city's rich heritage during your sightseeing tour with a Local Specialist. Marvel at the Royal Palace, the Temple of Zeus and the Acropolis. See Hadrian's Arch and the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place in 1896. Indulge in dinner to celebrate the end of your trip. (B/D) Stay: Crowne Plaza Athens City Centre

Board your ship in Athens. Cruise to the island of Mykonos and spend time discovering the town and sparkling beaches. (B/L/D) Stay: MV Celestyal Discovery

Arrive early at the port of Kusadasi in Turkey where you will enjoy a complimentary Shore Experience to Ephesus. Continue on to Patmos, where you might join an Optional Experience to the cave where the Book of Revelation was written. (B/L/D)

Arriving in Rhodes, you may wish to join an optional experience for an encounter with one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World today. Walk in the footsteps of the medieval knights who conquered this land. There's time to explore it for yourself as you trace the thick stone walls, gates and cobblestone lanes of its capital before returning to your cruise. (B/L/D)

You may decide to explore Crete's ancient Minoan culture and heritage at the Palace of Knossos. Admire its bright wall paintings that were restored at the turn of the 20th century and explore centuries of history that predate Christ. Or choose to drive deep into the beautiful countryside and experience the true flavour of Cretan lifestyle.

Continue to Santorini, watching as this Cycladic island comes closer on the horizon, rising out of the Aegean with its distinctive cliff-top towns. You could consider an optional Shore Experience this afternoon, passing villages and vineyards bound for Oia with its white buildings and blue-domed churches which vie for the best views over the caldera. (B/L/D)

This morning, disembark from your ship for your transfer to the airport. (B)