Itinerary

-

stillLUV2go

Lake Como, The Italian Riviera, Venice & Florence

June 15 - 28, 2019





Itinerary

Day 1 -  Overnight to Milan
Day 2 -  Arrive Milan's Malpensa Airport.  Transport to Lake Como Region.  Check in hotel and welcome dinner.
Day 3 -  Explore the city of Como.  Optional self-guided tour of Villa Carlotta.  Optional excursion is "Lake Como Cruise & Bellagio".
Day 4 - Transfer to Milan.  Guided tour highlighting the Brera District, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Piazza della Scala, Milan Cathedral and Storza Castle.
Day 5 - Free day in Milan.  Optional excursion is "Scenic Lugano: A Day in Switzerland".
Day 6 - Travel to the Italian Riviera.  On the way is a stop near Pavia to see the Certosa di Pavia monastery.
Day 7 - Explore Cinque Terre with visits to the villages of Monterosso and Vernazza.
Day 8 - A free day to explore more of the Italian Riviera on your own or choose the optional excursion, "Villages of the Italian Riviera & Lunch".
Day 9 - Travel to Venice.  On the way is a stop in Verona to visit its historic center, including the Romeo and Juliet Balcony.
Day 10 - Guided tour of Venice including St. Mark's Square, the Basilica, Doge's Palace, the Bridge of Sighs and more.  Optional excursion is the Gondola Canal Cruise.
Day 11 - Transfer to the airport for return flight.  Those who have chosen the extension will travel by train to Florence for a half-day of sightseeing.
Day 12 - Guided tour of Florence's historic sites.
Day 13 - Free day to explore more of Florence or choose the optional excursion to the Tuscany Region.
Day 14 - Board a morning flight for home. 















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Venice -Grand Canal - Bridges & Grand Canal Video

-
Image
Day 9 & 10 - Grand Canal Cruise The Grand Canal "The Most Beautiful Street in the World" The Grand Canal is Venice's pride and joy.  This ancient waterway follows a natural channel that winds its way through the city in a large reverse S shape, traveling from the San Marco Basin on one end to a lagoon near the rail station on the other.  It is roughly 16 feet deep, 2.36 miles long, and ranges from 100-300 feet wide.  At various points, the Grand Canal connects with a maze of much smaller and more narrow water channels that snake through the city, connecting the more than 120 little islands. The blue line traces the Grand Canal.  All of the other dark lines represent the lesser waterways that define the 120 little islands which are connected by all types of bridges. All of these waterways are the lifeline of Venetian life.  Everything that is done by motor vehicles in most cities must be done by watercraft in Venice.  There are specific boa
Read more

Florence - Ponte Vecchio & Fontana del Porcellina

-
Image
Day 11, 12 & 13 - Explore Florence Ponte Vecchio - Old Bridge "Dante was standing near the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge that crosses the Arno River in Florence.  It was just before 1300.  Dante saw Beatrice standing on the bridge. He was a young man, she even younger, and that vision contained the whole of eternity for him.  Dante did not speak to her and saw her very little. And then Beatrice died, carried off by plague.  Dante was stricken with the loss of his vision.  She was the connection between his soul and Heaven itself, and from it the Divine Comedy was born. Six hundred fifty years later, during World War II, the Americans were chasing the German army up the Italian Peninsula.  The Germans were blowing up everything that aided the progression of the American army, including the bridges across the Arno River.  But no one would blow up the Ponte Vecchio because Beatrice had stood on it and Dante had written about her.  So the German commandant made radio contact wi
Read more

The Villas of Lake Como

-
Image
The Villas of Lake Como  Day 3 -  This day our optional excursion is the Lake Como Cruise & Bellagio . As we make our way to Bellagio we will pass by some of Lake Como’s most famous villas, and as we do, inquiring minds will want to know - when was it built, who lived there, what is its history?   Below are some of the villas and a little bit about them. We will be cruising "up the striding man's leg"  from Como to Bellagio.  The most lavish villas  were built on the western shore to get the  most sunshine and to have wonderful  views of the mountains across the lake. Villa Olmo is in the city of Como.  Built in classic Italian style as a summer retreat for a family of nobility, it is considered the most lavish villa.  Napoleon Bonaparte was a guest.  Today it is Como's beautiful event center. Villa d'Este was once the home of a cardinal of Como and the residence of the estranged wife of Ki
Read more