Join An Upscale Small Group Tour Of Northern Italy.

NORTHERN ITALY TOUR
July 7 - July 15, 2008 

Women's Tour

Limited to 14 people

ALL-ADULTS TOUR IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER.

Join a women-only small group tour of Northern Italy and tour Milan, Lake Como, Bellagio, Verona, Padova, Venice, Stresa on Lake Maggiore and Salo & Sirmione on Lake Garda.

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:

Italian Lakes: Charming Lake Maggiore, Beautiful Lake Garda, and Breathtaking Lake Como

Isola Bella's Baroque Palace and 17th C. Italian Garden

Leornardo Da Vinci's Last Supper in Cenacolo in Milan

Milan's Gothic Cathedral, the 2nd largest Gothic Cathedral in the World

Roman Antiquities in Verona, including 1st C. AD Arena

2,000 Year Old Fountain in Verona

Best Preserved Frescoes by Giotto, One of Italy's Greatest Treasures in Cappella degli Scrovegni

Padova's Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, One of the Most Lavish Churches in all of Christendom

Historic University Palazzo del Bo's Pulpit & Wooden Anatomy Table Theatre, The Oldest Medical Lecture Theater In The World.

Magical Venice with its Romantic Canals and Bridges

Guided Tour of the art and architecture treasures: St. Mark's Square and Cathedral in Venice, Doge's Palace

Bellagio, Often called the "Prettiest Town in Europe"

Picturesque Sirmione on Lake Garda

Fabulous Shopping Opportunities in Milan, Ballagio, Verona and Venice

TOUR COST:

$3,895.00

Single Supplement:  $795

Reservation Form

Information Request

Arrival Airport:  Milan

Departure Airport:  Venice

ITINERARY

(B = Breakfast,  L = Lunch,  D = Dinner)

NOTE:  Planned activities may change to take advantage of opportunities or unforeseen closures and situation beyond our control.   Activities or order of activities are also subject to change.

Day 1  - July 7   -  Arrival Day in Stresa, Welcome dinner, Overnight in Stresa

Arrive for the tour in Italy.  A private transfer will pick you up at the airport in Milan.  You’ll spend the first 2 nights in Lake Maggiore, the second largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda, its Northern point sits on Switzerland, and positioned between two regions in Italy, Piedmont and Lombardy.    We chose Stresa, a holiday destination for centuries with Europe's aristocrats, as our base for the next 2 nights.   Stresa has the most charming position on the lake, on the southern shore of the gulf of Pallanza.  Elegant Stresa is renown for its pleasant villas and luxuriant gardens. 

Upon arrival, check in at the hotel and rest. Those of you who are around at lunch time may join us for lunch.  Rest of the day at leisure.

This evening, we will meet in the lobby at 6:00pm and head our for our Welcome Cocktails and dinner.  Dinner tonight is in an excellent restaurant where you'll feast to fabulous local cuisine accompanied by great local wine.  (B, D)

Day 2  - July 8  -   Boat Ride to Borromee Islands: Isola Bella, Baroque Palace, Isola Superiore, Overnight in Stresa

This morning, our group will tour the jewels of lake Maggiore, the Borromee islands, so named after the noble Italian family of Borromeo, to which all but the island of dei Pescatori (fishermen) belong.   The 4 islands at the mouth of the bay of Pallanza are noted for their wealth of vegetation and for the beauty of their surroundings. 

We’ll stop at the most famous of the island, the one called Isola Bella (beautiful island) but called like that because the Count Charles III Borromeo dedicated it to his wife Isabella by constructing a palace surrounded with terraced gardens.  We’ll have a guided tour of the elegant and sumptuous palace with priceless art, tapestries, furniture, an unusual mosaic grotto.  We'll also enjoy time in the ornate garden, with overlapping terraces, a classic example of 17th c. Italian garden.

From here, we’ll board back on the boat and transfer to the island of the Pescatori or the so-called Isola Superiore, occupied almost entirely by a pretty little fishing village.  Free time to explore and have lunch before we head back to Stresa.  Let us know if you want company for lunch or dinner.  (B)
 

Day 3  -  July 9  -  Guided Tour of Milan, Lake Como, Bellagio, Overnight in Bellagio

This morning, we’ll depart Stresa early.  Milan, the capital of Lombardy, the second largest city of Italy and the main commercial and industrial centre of the country, is the next destination in our tour.  Milan is also a shopper's paradise and home to many high-end top designers' flagship stores.

We’ll enjoy a guided tour of Milan, starting from the Duomo, where you’ll be amazed by the beauty of the magnificent late Gothic cathedral.  We’ll continue our walking tour through the Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II, which will lead us to the square of the theatre of La Scala, one of the world's most famous opera houses.  Our tour will end at the Cenacolo Vinciano, the museum where you can admire Leonardo da Vinci's great “Last Supper”.  Free time after the tour to explore on your own, do some shopping and lunch before we leave for Lake Como.

Lake Como is considered the most beautiful lake in all of Italy.  It is no wonder long ago, many poets came here for inspiration and  today, lots famous and wealthy people have villas overlooking the this gorgeous lake.   We will based ourselves the next 2 nights in pretty and elegant Bellagio, clearly best point to appreciate the best sights around the lake and also the best departure point for excursions to the western or eastern banks of Lake Como.  Bellagio is often called the "prettiest town in Europe", with its promenade along the lake and narrow streets filled with shops and restaurants.

We’ll check in at the hotel and have dinner together at a local restaurant.  (B, D)

Day 4   -   July 10   -   Leisure Day, Overnight in Bellagio
Today, you’ll enjoy a full free day in Bellagio on Lake Como, to explore, do some shopping and visit the 2 gorgeous Villas called Villa Serbelloni and Villa Melzi with their beautiful gardens. You may also take a ferry to the city of Como, easily reached from the dock right in town.  (B, D)
 

Day 5  -    July 11  -  Lake Garda - Salò & Sirmione, Overnight in Sirmione

Today, we’ll leave Bellagio early in the morning and head to Lake Garda.  This is the biggest lake of Italy, with the western bank belonging to Lombardy, the northern to Trentino Alto Adige and the eastern to Veneto.  The Lake lies beautifully in between high mountains, olive groves and vineyards. The region around the Lake is Alpine and Mediterranean at the same time with distinct variations of countryside, vegetation and culture. You’ll be amazed by the beauty of the vegetation - lemons, oranges, olive trees and vineyards.

We'll stop in the village of Salò, which became famous for giving the name to Mussolini’s short-lived puppet republic in 1944. We’ll have lunch there before we board a boat which will take us to Sirmione, our base for the next 2 nights. 

Sirmione is a lovely and lively town, located near the end of a promontory.  It's been a spa destination since Roman times, with warm sulphur springs that rise in the lake.  It hosts the remains of a beautiful Roman villa dating back to the 1st century BC called Grotte di Catullo and also a beautiful 13th century fortress which once belongs to the Scaligeri family. 

You'll have time to explore on your own, see the sites.  (B, L)

 

Day 6   -   July 12  -   Verona, Overnight in Sirmione

Today, we’ll depart early in the morning and head towards one of the jewels of the Veneto region, Verona.  Known as the Piccola Roma (little Rome) for its importance in imperial days, Verona reached its truly golden era during the 13th and 14th century under the Della Scala family, also known as the Scaligeri.  Verona also became the set for the Shakesperian masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet.  We'll enjoy a guided walking tour of the city, through the streets where you can admire many magnificent Roman ruins like a 1st-century AD Arena, the delightful Piazza Erbe with a 2,000 year old fountain, a place where people gathered since the Roman times.

Group lunch is planned after the tour followed by some free time to shop and explore.

We’ll be back in Sirmione in the afternoon.  (B, L)
 

Day 7   -  July 13  -  Padova, Venice, Overnight in Venice

Today, we’ll leave Sirmione and move to our last home base, Venice.  On the way, we'll stop in Padova, one of the most ancient and interesting cities of Italy.  Padova is famous for its university founded in 1222.  It is rich in art and architecture.  You will see the magnificent  Basilica di Sant'Antonio, one of the most lavish churches in all of Christendom and one of the most popular pilgrimage destination in Italy.  You’ll tour Palazzo del Bo, a historic university building that originally housed the medical faculty renowned throughout Europe.  Among its famous teachers and students was Gabriele Falloppio, after whom the fallopian tubes are named.  See the pulpit where Galileo taught physics and the wooden anatomy table theatre and now the oldest surviving medical lecture theater in the world.   We’ll have a guided tour of the city, starting with the main highlight of the city, which is the church of Il Santo, where we'll visit the tomb of St Anthony. 

Free time after the tour before we proceed to magnificent Venice, our last base in this tour.  Venice is certainly the most unique and romantic city in the world: standing on an archipelago of 117 islets, 4 km from the mainland and 2km from the open sea, with its hundreds of bridges and canals.  Countless beautiful churches with important pieces of art, important museums and an atmosphere which makes the city simply magical.  

We’ll reach the closest point on the mainland and board a water taxi, which will take us to our hotel close to St. Mark's square.

The rest of the day will be at leisure and dinner on your own.  (B)
 

Day 8 -  July 14 -  Venice Guided Tour, Overnight in Venice

This morning our fabulous local guide will show you the most important sites of Venice. You will visit St. Mark's square.  You will see the ancient political and administrative center of the Republic of Venice, the Doge's Palace, the seat of the government including the prisons and the famous Bridge of Sighs, St. Mark's Church with its gold mosaics, Rialto Market and more.

You're free after the tour.  A Farewell group dinner is planned tonight. (B, D)
 

Day 9  -  July 15  -  Departure Day

This is your last day in Italy.  Prepare for your flight home.  
A private boat will take you to the airport. (B)


 

Join a tour group to Northern Italy that will take you to Milan, Lake Como, Bellagio, Verona, Padova, Venice, Stresa on Lake Maggiore, and Salo & Sirmione on Lake Garda.

Tour Inclusions:

9 Days of Land Tour

Beautiful and Elegant  Accommodations

Breakfasts Daily

5 Dinners with wine and 1 Lunch with wine

Services of  an Excellent Tour Manager Throughout the Tour

Guided Tour of Milan, Verona, Padova, Venice

Transportation to All Planned

Activities

Entrance Fees to All Scheduled Museums And Sites

Baggage Handling

Airport Transfer in Milan

NOT INCLUDED:

Gratuity to your tour manager.

Airport transfer in Venice.

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