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Rome Fiumicino Airport
Milan Malpensa Airport
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Welcome to Rome
“Rome, a lifetime is not enough,” said Italian author Silvio Negro. Those who have stepped foot in this ancient city—whether it is one time or one hundred and one times— would certainly agree.
The Italian capital boasts an astonishing amount of iconic sights—the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Borghese Gardens, the Pantheon, the Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps, just to name a few. Rome’s real beauty, though, is that bewildering blend of ancient and modern interacting with each other on a daily basis: the clownishly dressed Vatican guard chatting on his iPhone; the monk strolling down a narrow cobbled lane in Trastevere wearing wireless earbuds; selfie-stick-welding tourists marching past the iconic marble stumps in the ancient Forum; the cacophony of Vespas buzzing around Piazza Venezia.
Rome is as equally modern as it is ancient; it’s as equally chaotic as it can be tranquil (especially if you know where to hide); it’s as equally astonishing as it is a workaday metropolis for locals living quotidian lives. Its restaurants are as equally fancy as they are no frills. It all gives this palimpsest of a city its particular sweetness—its La Dolce Vita—that can’t be replicated anywhere else on the planet.
Check in at Monti Palace
Check out from Monti Palace
High-speed train: 2 x business class tickets
Welcome to Florence
Florence, or Firenze in the local parlance, is a city of names. The Romans are responsible for the city’s moniker, originally Florentia: “may she flourish.” Spoiler alert: Florence did indeed flourish. And then some. Just conjure up some of the other names associated with the place: Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Rafael, Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Filippo Brunelleschi, Dante, Giotto, and Masaccio, among many others. The capital of Tuscany—that über-romanticized region in central Italy—Florence is known as the “cradle of the Renaissance.”
Check in at Palazzo Castri 1874
Florence Walking Tour
Overnight at Palazzo Castri 1874
Florentia—literally “florid city”—was the name given by the Romans to this settlement founded in the I century A.D. along the Arno river, at the foot of Fiesole, an Etruscan city whose ruins are visible on the hill which dominates the city.
The flowering of Florence in art, culture and international trade began in the 13th century and it reached its peak in the 15th century under the reign of the Medici family, who ruled over the city for more than three centuries.
Florence is the first city of the world in terms of concentration of artworks in relation to the city surface, and this may make it hard for first-time visitors to find their bearings in this labyrinth of masterpieces.
Wander around the city’s highlights accompanied by a local tour guide who will introduce you to the history and establish a starting point for further discovery and understanding of the main artworks found in its many museums.
Overnight at Palazzo Castri 1874
Gallerie Degli Uffizi
The Gallery entirely occupies the first and second floors of the large building constructed between 1560 and 1580 and designed by Giorgio Vasari. It is famous worldwide for its outstanding collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the Modern period). The collections of paintings from the 14th-century and Renaissance period include some absolute masterpieces: Giotto, Simone Martini, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, Filippo Lippi, Botticelli, Mantegna, Correggio, Leonardo, Raffaello, Michelangelo and Caravaggio, in addition to many precious works by European painters.
Moreover, the Gallery boasts an invaluable collection of ancient statues and busts from the Medici family, which adorns the corridors and consists of ancient Roman copies of lost Greek sculptures.
The Galleria Dell’Accademia
Enjoy the masterpieces of the Renaissance at the Accademia. The Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze exhibits the largest number of sculptures by Michelangelo in the world. Thanks to the guidance of a professional tour guide, Michelangelo’s masterpieces will hide no more secrets!
The foundation of the Gallery dates back to 1784, when the Grand Duke of Tuscany Pietro Leopoldo reorganized the Academy of Design Arts in Florence, founded in 1563 by Cosimo I de Medici, in the modern Academy of Fine Arts.
The new institution occupies the premises of the 14th-century San Matteo Hospital and the convent of San Niccolò di Cafaggio. The museum was enriched by the suppression of churches and convents ordained by Pietro Leopoldo in 1786 and by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1810. However, the decisive event for the history of the museum was the transfer of Michelangelo’s David from Piazza della Signoria in August 187
Overnight at Palazzo Castri 1874
La Serenissima, as it’s famously called, may be the only place on the planet where one won’t necessarily feel angst when adrift in a sea of twisting lanes and ubiquitous bridges. In fact, to get lost in Venice is to feel alive; so much so, finding one’s way might be the only disappointment Venice can (eventually) offer.
Like taking a photo pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa, taking a selfie in front of the Mona Lisa, and walking through Times Square, there are some things you just have to do. One of those things is taking a gondola ride in Venice. It’s iconic, it’s fun, and it’s a quintessential travel experience.
The 30-foot (11-meter) narrow boats were once the chief form of transportation in Venice, particularly for the upper classes. Today anyone with a handful of euros can hop in and go for a cruise through the back canals of this most enchanting city. Gondola rides last around 40 minutes and can be extended or a slight increase in the fee. Each boat holds about six people.
Gondoliers are required to wear black pants and a red-and-white striped shirt. Singing gondoliers are more of a product of Hollywood films, but maybe if you ask your gondolier nicely, he might belt out a few notes.
These things alone make Milan very worthy of a visit. But there’s so much more—even beyond the obvious fashion, upscale dining, and nightlife, all of which there is a plethora of here. Milan also has a series of restaurant-and-cafe-lined canals. It has incredible street art in the Isola neighborhood. And it has the aptly named Fondazione Prada, a fantastic contemporary art museum, designed by star Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.
Disembark at Villa del Balbianello, a real gem not to be missed, stunning shooting location for a number of famous movies such as “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones” and “Casino Royale”. Take some time to take pictures in its panoramic gardens.
Key Dates
1) Day 1 – 4: Monti Palace, Rome
2) Day 4 – 7: Palazzo Castri 1874, Florence
3) Day 7 – 9: Sina Palazzo Sant’Angelo, Venice
4) Day 9 – 12: Sina De La Ville, Milan
Hotel details
https://itineraries.safariportal.app/Nicolas-Delacharlerie/1115032233619490668
