First-Class Italy: Featuring Tuscany & Venice

With Italy's highlights and most spectacular locations ahead, your vacation begins today in Venice, a city of imagination and great history. As you arrive, make your own way to our hotel on the island of Lido. Lido is a narrow island that separates the Venetian Lagoon from the open sea and is recognized for its Liberty-style architecture and miles of wide beaches.

After checking in for two nights, there is free time to enjoy the hotel's amenities or set out to explore the colorful surrounding neighborhood. You could enjoy a glass of wine at a sidewalk café or perhaps walk to the beach for beautiful views.

Returning to the hotel this evening, meet the Tour Manager and your group of fellow travelers before our first dinner together at the hotel. Overnight Venice.

• Dinner

After breakfast, we take a boat to the mainland of Venice for a walking tour. Accompanied by an expert guide, we explore the most beloved sights of this 1,000-year-old city while hearing stories and little-known facts.

Crossing over small bridges of singular design, we see typical Venetian scenes of gondolas passing beneath and gliding along the canals. Other highlights of our tour include Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Campo Santa Margherita Square and Marco Polo House. At St. Mark's Square, we view the Grand Canal, Doge's Palace and St. Mark's Basilica.

As the tour concludes, the rest of your day and evening are free to continue sightseeing independently, on foot or by gondola. Maybe visit the Rialto Market to sample local fish and fresh produce, enter one of the impressive churches, see Renaissance art in a local museum, or explore one of the many local restaurants.

Venice has water taxis, known as vaporettos, that can take you to the nearby glass-crafting island of Murano, to the lace-making island of Burano or back to Lido when you finish exploring. Overnight Venice.

• Breakfast

The morning brings another chance to soak up the local sights and waterside views of Venice. You might like to spend this time relaxing alongside the canals or exploring the local shops in search of famous Venetian masks.

A midday transfer takes us to the Santa Maria station in Venice, where we begin the journey to our next destination, Montecatini Terme. After traveling First Class to Florence, we switch trains, and our onward journey then takes us through Tuscany's olive groves and orchards en route to this historic spa resort, established in the 16th century.

On arrival in the picturesque town, we check into our hotel in the lower part of Montecatini Terme. The Old Town of Montecatini Alto is located on the hill above us and is reachable by funicular. After some free time to acquaint yourself with our new surroundings, dinner is served at our hotel. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Walking to Montecatini's train station after breakfast, we board the morning train to Florence. Magnificent buildings and an ambiance unique to this part of Italy greet us as we arrive and set out on a guided city tour.

Our excursion begins in Santa Maria Novella Square, from which we venture through the city's medieval center to Signoria Square. Gaze upon renowned landmarks, including the exterior of Florence's centerpiece - the Duomo, then visit Palazzo Vecchio and Loggia dei Lanzi before passing the Uffizi Gallery. The tour concludes at the 14th-century Ponte Vecchio overlooking the Arno River, and from here, you are then free to continue exploring Florence, the world capital of Renaissance art, at leisure. If you would like to visit the Uffizi Gallery in your free time, we recommend booking tickets in advance.

Later, we travel by coach to Tenuta Torciano, a refined estate near San Gimignano that has been in the same family since its construction in 1720. Here, we tour the vineyards before a vacation highlight: dinner paired with wines made on the estate. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Sparkling water and colorful seaside villages lie ahead on today's visit to the Cinque Terre, five medieval towns studded along the rugged Italian Riviera. Traveling first by coach to the town of La Spezia, we are joined by an expert guide for our day hopping between two of the villages, Monterosso and Vernazza, by boat.

Experiencing the Cinque Terre from the sea gives us a unique perspective on these medieval settlements. The multi-hued buildings of these quaint fishing villages seem to stack up on one another, and some of the five are only accessible from the sea or by ancient clifftop footpaths. There is free time to explore Monterosso, then later Vernazza, wandering their car-free streets and historic piazzas before returning to the water.

Our coach returns us to Montecatini Terme, where your evening is free to explore or relax. The golden hues of sunset are magical here, and you could admire them while riding the funicular railway up to Montecatini Alto or wandering between tempting local restaurants. Overnight Montecatini Terme.

• Breakfast

We see another side of Italy today as we walk from our hotel to the nearby railway station, embarking on a journey toward the ancient city of Rome. The first leg of our train journey takes us to Florence, where we change trains and continue in First Class to Italy's dynamic capital city, Rome. Known as the Eternal City, this metropolis was once the seat of one of the world's most powerful empires. Now, it shines as a melting pot of art, history and religion, with ancient sights awaiting discovery around every corner.

Arriving in Rome in the mid-afternoon, we check into our hotel, and then you are free to start getting to know the past and the present of this incredible destination. You could get your first look at Rome's historic landmarks or get to know the stylish modern side of the city at its fashionable boutiques before returning to the hotel for dinner this evening. Overnight Rome.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Beginning at the awe-inspiring Colosseum, get to know Rome this morning on a guided tour. Built nearly 2,000 years ago, this is the largest amphitheater ever constructed and is believed to have hosted around 50,000 spectators during gladiatorial contests. We enter to see the tunnels the gladiators walked down and view the battlefield at the center of the arena, with just over an hour to explore before continuing our walking tour.

Our expert guide brings the history of this great city to life as we learn about the powerful governing center of ancient Rome and its emperors, viewing the exteriors of the Roman Forum and the Roman Pantheon. We also visit the iconic Trevi Fountain, where you may like to throw a coin and make a wish.

After our tour, you are free to spend the rest of the day sightseeing at leisure. For dinner this evening, you could visit a trattoria or café to enjoy an authentic Roman specialty, such as gnocchi, pizza al taglio or pasta alla carbonara. Overnight Rome.

• Breakfast

With a free morning in Rome, you can continue to explore at your own pace. Maybe start with a cappuccino at a café near Piazza Navona, revisit the ancient sites from yesterday's tour, or wander through the cobbled streets and soak up the atmosphere. If you wish to spend your morning visiting Vatican City, seeing the breathtaking art of the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums, we recommend booking in advance.

This afternoon, we leave Rome aboard a First Class train to Naples, the gateway to the Amalfi Coast. Here, we are driven by motorcoach to Agriturismo La Sorgente for our first taste of the region. This traditional farmhouse on a large agricultural farm has been run by the same family for generations. Upon arrival, we savor a delicious early dinner featuring fresh produce from the estate, including homemade limoncello and mozzarella, while admiring ancient olive groves, lemon orchards and vineyards. 

Afterward, we continue by coach to our hotel, where, after checking in, you can enjoy an evening at leisure in this magical setting. Overnight Sorrento.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After driving to Sorrento's port this morning, we embark on a cruise along the crystalline waters of the Amalfi Coast - a true highlight of our vacation. Our first stop is Amalfi, and you have two hours to uncover its beauty. You could lounge on the beach or at the harbor and admire the contrast of faded classical buildings against green mountains and azure water. The town has a 9th-century cathedral, as well as many shops and eateries, where you could find lunch independently before rejoining the ship.

Our cruise continues to Positano, one of the region's most beautiful and popular towns, and approaching by boat gives us an unforgettable view of the multi-colored buildings seemingly layered on top of one another. Brightly-painted stucco homes sit on steep, narrow streets, and you have free time here to stroll amongst them, lounge on the beach, or sip a coffee or glass of wine at the waterside.

Arriving back at our hotel this evening, you are free to dine independently in Sorrento or soak up the views from our hotel. Overnight Sorrento.

• Breakfast

Relax with a leisurely morning in this magnificent location ahead of a mid-morning transfer by rail to the fascinating preserved city of Pompeii. Here, we uncover layers of history on a guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Alongside an expert, we learn about the daily activities carried out by the citizens of this once-great city, witnessing a moment captured in time due to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Our tour takes us among the homes, bathhouses, and religious and government buildings that once formed Pompeii. Our guide's stories complement each moment, and we enjoy up-close looks at ruins preserved with incredible detail thanks to the ash that rained on the city following the volcano's eruption.

Returning to Sorrento by train later this afternoon, you have some time to unwind at the hotel ahead of this evening's hands-on pizza-making experience at a local restaurant. Led by a master pizzaiolo, we discover the secrets to making this dish before sitting down to dine on our creations - a memorable conclusion to our time in Italy. Overnight Sorrento.

• Breakfast, Dinner

Bursting with iconic destinations and world-famous cities, spellbinding scenery and much-loved cuisine, Italy has provided many unforgettable moments. On this once-in-a-lifetime journey, we explored Venice's timeless canals, the Renaissance architecture of Florence and Rome's ancient history. Sun-baked coasts showcased Italy's laid-back charm, from the colorful villages of the Cinque Terre to the fragrant hills and elegant towns of the Amalfi Coast. We also savored the country's celebrated cuisine on visits to Tenuta Torciano, a Sorrento agriturismo and at a local pizza-making lesson.

After breakfast in Sorrento this morning, your Italian adventure comes to a close. A transfer is available from the hotel to Naples' airport, with arrival at the airport around 9 a.m.; however, you can also transfer independently for your flight home, making your travel plans accordingly.

• Breakfast