Italy Day by Day

Apr 23 –-Depart Minneapolis on NW 46 at 7 p.m. Apr 24-- Arrive Amsterdam 10:15 a.m. Transfer to  KL3403, depart 12:55 p.m. and arrive at Rome’s da Vinci airport at 3 p.m. You’ll be transferred from there to the Residence-Hotel Dehon, which consists of two 5-story buildings connected by a glassed reception area looking out onto an elegant  garden. You’ll have time to relax and then be treated to a first-night Welcome to Rome Dinner. D.

Apr 25—After breakfast enjoy a full day escorted tour of the classic sites that have made Rome irresistible to millions. It’s a day of the Colosseum, Forum, Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountains, Spanish Steps, Vatican and more. Overnight Dehon. B. Apr 26--A free day in Rome. The guide will have suggestions, Jim will have few but the choices will be yours. Overnight Dehon.B.

Apr 27—In our private motor coach we’ll be driven north from Rome into the lovely countryside of Umbria and Tuscany, experiencing landscapes that evoke the classics of the great Italian painters. Here are columns of cypresses marching gracefully to the distant hilltops, groves of olive trees, ancient walled villages, and the omnipresent vineyards. We’ll arrive at the Fattoria del Colle  early enough to make our discoveries and then dine here in the heart of Italy. Fattoria del Colle. B.

Apr 28 –Today we’ll visit and prowl the city of Siena, whose university and ancient mansions and passion for festival takes us back into the Middle Ages;  and  the dramatic San Gimignano with its towers siege walls, today resembling an elegant fortress as we approach. Fattoria del Colle. B.

Apr 29—In Assisi we’ll walk in an ambience of peace and tribute to the epic life of St. Francis, including the renowned Basilica of San Francesco with its storied frescoes by Giotta of St. Francis preaching to the birds; and not far away the basilica dedicated to the woman who founded the Order of the Poor Clares. Overnight Fattoria del Colle. B.

Apr 30 –We drive to Florence, the wellspring of some of civilization’s most powerful expressions of beauty, passion and elegance. We’ll see Michelangelo’s David in the Gallery of Accademia,  the vast Duomo, soaring Gothic churches and imagine the intrigues that pitted popes against princes, scoundrels against saints and, more often, scoundrels against scoundrels.Fattoria del Colle. B.

May 1—We ride through the relaxed countryside that gave the world what we now call Chianti wine in its quaint and bulbous bottles.  We pause in medieval villages and enjoy a a rolling landscape  that needs no spectacle to be unforgettable. Fattoria del Colle. B.

May 2 –Pisa and Cinque Terre. The route to Cinque Terre takes us to Pisa, and no sane visitor to Italy can or wants to ignore Pisa and its tipsy tower or the rest of its history. From there we’re headed for the Ligurian Sea on the west coast of Italy, where  five villages linked by ocean and  forest trails creates creates a gift of quiet remoteness that relieves the earlier jostling with crowds and technology. Overnight Hotel Degli Amici, Monterosso on the Sea. B.

May 3 –Happily, you make all the choices today to explore the Cinque Terre in whatever form that takes. You can hike a woodland trail from village to village, or ride the coastal train between villages or boat from one end to the other.  Hotel Degli Amici. B.

May 4 – Venice via Ravenna and Pomposa. We drive east and north toward Venice, pausing  in the attractive cities of Ravenna and Pomposa but not lingering too long there because  San Marco Square, the Bridge of Sighs and the Grand Canal are on the horizon. Overnight Hotel Central, Venice. B.

May 5 –You’ll have a guided walking tour in the morning and then be free to explore this inimitable city on the water, haunt the art centers, cruise in a gondola or simply embrace Venice. Hotel Central. B.

May 6 –After breakfast transfer to the airport for your departure flight. KL 1654, leaving at noon, arriving Amsterdam 2:05 p.m., depart on NW 55 at 3:35 p.m. for Minneapolis, arriving 5:35 p.m. We won’t say “arrivederci.” You’ll be back.