programmi – My Best Italy

THE SCENIC COSTIERA AMALFITANA

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Amalfi Coast will drench you in colours: fill your eyes with the spectacular sunsets on the gulf, the blossoming bougainvillea, the majolica domes, and the vertical landscape created by the Lattari Mounts that plunge dramatically into the iridescent sea.

1st day

Arrival in Naples and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.

Lunch in a typical Pizzeria in downtown Naples.

Guided tour of the most important monuments of the city: from the medieval Castel Nuovo, often called “Maschio Angioino” and the huge Piazza del Plebiscito, to the top of the hill by cableway, reaching the monastery Certosa di S. Martino and Castel Sant’Elmo, from which you can enjoy a spectacular view of the sunset on the Gulf of Naples with Mount Vesuvius looming over the city.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Naples.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Transfer from Naples to Isle of Capri by boat.

Guided boat tour and visit to the Blue Grotto, a spectacular sea cave where sunlight creates a blue reflection that illuminates the cavern.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Free time for a coffee in the “Piazzetta”. We suggest you to stroll down Via Camerelle, famous for the luxury shops and fashion boutiques, or continue along Via Tragara to reach one of the most beautiful and breathtaking Capri overlooks, the scenic Belvedere Tragara, that faces the “Faraglioni” rock formations.

In the late afternoon, transfer by boat to Sorrento.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Sorrento.

3rd day

Tour inside the magical atmosphere of the Penisola Sorrentina and Costiera Amalfitana.

After breakfast, we will begin our tour with the beautiful Sorrento, where the sweet scent of lemon and orange is spread from every corner of the village. We suggest you to try Limoncello, the typical lemon liqueur of this region.

Transfer to Positano, whose multicoloured houses are enclaved in the green hills leading down the coast. Lose yourself inside the labyrinth of stairways and narrow alleys, discovering the traditional linen fabric boutiques where you can buy a unique piece of “Pezze di Positano” (typical linen clothes), a chic straw bag, or some pretty sandals.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, we will reach Amalfi, one of the most important trading power of the Mediterranean during 9^th-13^th centuries, due to the strategical position of its port.

In the late afternoon, transfer to Salerno.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Salerno.

4th day

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check-out and transfer to the airport or train station.

UNVEILED NAPLES + POMPEII and SORRENTO

Naples, a city of contrasts and paradoxes, will lead you to the discovery of a different way to understand history and life itself, visiting the old centre where all the historical ages are stratified, the unique Pompeii and the scenic Sorrento.

1st day

Arrival in Naples and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.

Lunch in a typical Pizzeria in downtown Naples.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour of Pompeii and Sorrento.

In Pompeii we will visit the impressive excavations and remains of the ancient Roman city that was buried under a thick carpet of volcanic ash in 79 AD.

The tour continues towards the magical atmosphere of Sorrento.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, you can go for a walk enjoying the seaside view of the islands of the Gulf, or taste Limoncello, a typical lemon liqueur of this region.

We will then make our way back to Naples.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Naples.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour of “Napoli Sotterranea”: discover from an atypical point of view the hidden Naples that lies 40 meters below the ground, the place from which the city was born.

Free time to walk down Via San Gregorio Armeno, la “Via dei Presepi”, the street of the nativity scene makers. Here you can find dozens of workshops where artisans keep on creating hand-crafted and unique souvenirs using old techniques.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

DISCOVERING ROME

Come to see the magnificent place where history started: the Eternal City and its landmarks will seduce you from the very first second.

1st day

Arrival in Rome and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.

Lunch in a typical restaurant of the Roman Ghetto.

After lunch, we start our guided tour from the Colosseum, the Amphitheatrum Flavium, the largest ever built and symbol of Rome. Walking down the Via dei Fori Imperiali, we find the Roman Forum, the core of financial, political and religious life in Rome, with its outstanding ruins of important ancient buildings. Via dei Fori Imperiali leads then to Piazza Venezia with the Vittoriano, the astonishing monument built in honor of the first king of a unified Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II. Next to it, there is the Campidoglio, one of the Seven Hills of Rome, and its trapezoidal square redesigned in 1534-38 by Michelangelo Buonarroti, using a singular and refined patterned paving.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour of the Vatican City, where you will be captivated by the impressive magnificence of the Basilica of St. Peter.

Here we will visit the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, and the Vatican Museums with its huge artistic heritage, product of centuries of collecting and papal commissions.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Free time to enjoy the shops of the capital: taste a delicious gelato or shop in a fashion boutique.

We suggest moving off towards Castel Sant’Angelo or walking down following the south bank of river Tevere, where narrow cobbled alleys and ancient houses preserve the colours and atmosphere of Trastevere.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour of the city centre, beginning with one of the Baroque Rome’s most spectacular squares: Piazza Navona. Walking in front of the Pantheon, one of the best preserved of all Ancient Roman buildings, we will Via del Corso to discover along the way two famous and extraordinary sites: The Trevi Fountain and Piazza di Spagna. The Trevi Fountain, caught on film by the well-known filmmaker Federico Fellini in “La Dolce Vita”, is the largest Baroque fountain in the city. Piazza di Spagna is, on the other hand, located in one of the most elegant and exclusive areas in the historic centre.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Free time in the afternoon to relax, taking a stroll through the wonderful gardens of Villa Borghese or, if you love art, visiting by yourself the church of Santa Maria del Popolo with two of Caravaggio’s masterpieces.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

4th day

Breakfast at the hotel.

Check-out and transfer to the airport or train station.

CHARMING FLORENCE

The characteristic soul of Florence, birthplace of some of the most important artist of Renaissance, will open up to you with this detailed tour of the city centre.

1st day

Arrival in Florence and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

Guided tour of Florence’s most important attractions, beginning with Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, with its bell tower, the extraordinary dome (the biggest brick-work dome ever built in the whole world) and the spectacular polychrome marble panels of the façade.

We continue our tour down to Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, the town-hall of Florence, crossing then the Arno river on Ponte Vecchio, the characteristic medieval bridge with jewelry and art shops built along it.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

After breakfast, guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery, home to one of the world’s largest art collection. Here you can find Raffaello’s and Botticelli’s masterpieces, as well as works by Giotto, Tintoretto, Caravaggio, and many others. Divided into various rooms arranged by chronological order, the exhibition displays works from the 12^th to the 18^th Century, with the best collection of Renaissance works in the world.

Lunch in a typical local restaurant.

In the afternoon, walk to Piazzale Michelangelo where you will have a breathtaking view of the city centre.

Free time to enjoy the city’s shops: taste a delicious gelato or shop in high fashion boutique.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

In the morning, you could have the chance to visit San Lorenzo Market and the Mercato Centrale.

Florence leather market is known all over the world, as well as its artisan workshops, which create and produce high quality products, such as bags, jackets, shoes and many other accessories.

The Central Market, on the other hand, attracts visitors but also locals: here you can taste many different foods including bread, pastries, meats, sausages, cheeses, fresh pastas, wines and the famous “Lampredotto” the typical Florentine street food.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

BOLOGNA GOURMAND

Being known all over Italy as “La Grassa” (the Fat One), Bologna combines the passion for culinary art, together with its ancient origins embodied by the tall towers, long porticoes and red brick buildings.

1st day

Arrival in Bologna and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.
Lunch in a typical restaurant in the historical centre to taste the savoury flavours of this region.

Guided tour of the most important monuments of the city. From the huge Piazza Maggiore, the core of Bologna, you can let yourself be seduced by some of the buildings that overlook the square: Palazzo D’Accursio (headquarter of the Town Hall) and the Basilica of San Petronio, housing the largest sundial in the world (67 meters). Around the corner, you can admire the Fountain of Neptune, one of the symbols of the city. In front of it, you will find Palazzo Re Enzo that conceals the Voltone del Podestà, which represents one of the so called “7 secrets of Bologna”.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

You will then be picked up at the hotel and you will join the cooking class with professional chef to learn how to prepare the most traditional Bolognese Pasta: Tortellini, Tortelloni and Tagliatelle with three different and tasty sauces. Lunch included.

In the afternoon, guided tour of a winery in the countryside of Bologna. Immersed in a wonderful natural setting, you will experience a wine tasting, with a taste of a typical product of this region.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Bologna.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour around the old market “Il Quadrilatero”, where the main craft guilds of the city used to work and sell their goods since the Middle Ages. In these narrow streets antiquity and modernity blend together, since most of these shops have preserved the historical architecture and furnishing, creating so an atmosphere suspended in time. Gastronomy shopping has never been so fantastic!

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

$ 39

Monthly

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RIMINI, GRADARA and SANTARCANGELO

Immersed in the cerulean blue and the emerald green, between the water of the Adriatic Sea and the hills of Valmarecchia, Rimini has got a strong vocation towards tourism: rich in amenities and facilities, as well as in monuments and culture, this city will cuddle and amaze you at the same time.

1st day

Arrival in Rimini and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Guided tour of Rimini, with its rich historical and artistic heritage and its 15km long (9 mi) of sandy
beach. Located on the Adriatic Sea, the city is the hometown of the famous director Federico
Fellini and it has got an interesting city centre, full of monuments from all ages, like churches,
monasteries, archaeological sites, villas and palaces: the Arch of Augustus, the Tiberius Bridge,
the Amphitheatre and the Domus del Chirurgo from the Roman age, Castel Sismondo from
Middle Ages and Tempio Malatestiano, that represents one of the main example of Reinaissance
architecture.
After the tour, free time for shopping or your own leisure.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to Santarcangelo, an historical town with ancient origins located on the
top of the hill called Colle Giove. The medieval village is characterized by the almost intact city
walls, cobbled streets and the differences in height of the ground.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
In the afternoon, transfer to San Leo, the jewel of the province of Rimini. This ancient town has
got a spectacular fortress laid down on an enormous rocky outcrop from which you can enjoy a
great view of the surrounding mountains, along the Marecchia Valley, all the way down to the sea.
Free time for a gelato or a stroll into the centre.

Return to Rimini.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Rimini.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to Gradara.
The town is situated at 142 metres above sea level, with the Republic of San Marino and Rimini in
the background, and it is characterized by a double line of medieval walls. Its castle is famous
because it was immortalized by Dante in his “Divine Comedy” as the scene of the famous and
tragic episode of Paolo and Francesca. We will enter the castle and visit the rooms where the
tragedy of the two lovers took place back in 1289.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch, transfer to the airport of train station.

$ 39

Monthly

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DISCOVER THE AUTHENTIC FERRARA

Ferrara and Comacchio: a geographical area that has converted itself during the centuries and through hard work, becoming a beautiful destination rich in history and a natural unique territory.

1st day

Arrival in Ferrara and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.
Lunch in a typical restaurant of the historical centre.
Half day guided tour of the most important Ferrara monuments, such as Castello Estense, the Este
large manor house erected to protect the town from external threats, Palazzo Schifanoia, with its
decorative allegorical frescoes, and Palazzo dei Diamanti, named after the diamond points of the
façade’s stone blocks.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
The tour stars with a boat excursion in the Valli di Comacchio, the “fish basins of Comacchio”. We
will discover the beautiful views of these saltwater wetlands where the most important resource
for people was the fish farming of eels.
Typical seafood lunch included.
In the afternoon, walk in the characteristic town of Comacchio called “the Little Venice” because it
has been built on more than thirteen different islands connected by bridges. We will then visit the
Manifattura dei Marinati: a museum that is not just a place to visit, but also a symbol that allows
us to fully understand the true conditions of a land constantly struggling with itself.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Ferrara.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
Visit of the Jewish Ferrara and Via delle Volte: two of the most ancients and characteristics
neighborhoods of the city.
The Jewish settlement, located in three streets forming a triangle near the cathedral, became a
ghetto in the 17 th century. Walking through the courtyards and the secret alleys, you can breathe

in the intense atmosphere of the Ghetto which has kept its structure and characteristics from the
ancient days to the present.
Then, walking down the evocative cobblestoned Via delle Volte, we will see buildings from 12 th
and 13 th centuries and enjoy the view on the succession of several different arches.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch, transfer to the airport of train station.

FAENZA, BRISIGHELLA AND CASOLA VALSENIO

A total immersion in Faenza and its surroundings: from the traditional decorated majolicas of the city centre to the luxuriant hills of Brisighella and Casola Valsenio, painted in different shades of green.

1st day

Arrival in Faenza and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch, guided tour of the main monuments of the historical centre, and entrance at the
International Museum of Ceramics: the culture of ceramics spanning five continents and many
centuries is documented in these rooms, which contain the largest collection in the world
dedicated to ceramics.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Faenza or surroundings.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
After breakfast, transfer to Casola Valsenio for a tour of the Herb Garden dedicated to the
conservation and growing of plants of special medicinal and aromatic interest that includes over
480 species of wild plants used since the late Middle Ages. The garden is located on a small terrace
overlooking the wonderful Senio valley.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Guided tour around the old market “Il Quadrilatero”, where the main craft guilds of the city used to work and sell their goods since the Middle Ages. In this narrow streets antiquity and modernity blend together, since most of these shops have preserved the historical architecture and furnishing, creating so an atmosphere suspended in time. Gastronomy shopping has never been so fantastic!

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

RAVENNA BETWEEN NATURE, MOSAICS and CERAMICS

Breathe the lively and briny air of Ravenna that, with the Adriatic coast and the charming Cervia Salt pans at a short distance, will offer you an outstanding natural environment as well as the cultural richness.

1st day

Arrival in Ravenna and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.

Lunch in a typical restaurant of the historical centre.

Half day guided tour of Dante Alighieri’s Tomb and some of the extraordinary early Christian and Byzantine religious buildingsof the city (5^th-6^th centuries AD), included by UNESCO on the World Heritage List. Let yourself be astonished by the outstanding mosaics that will feast your eyes on the gold!

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

You will then be picked up at the hotel to join a mosaic lab: you will visit the workshop and learn the secrets of mosaic-making, creating your very own souvenir to take home.

Lunch in a typical restaurant of the historical centre.

In the afternoon, guided tour of Cervia Salt pans. This area, which is the southern access point and station of the Po Delta Regional Park, has got an environment of extraordinary beauty and fascination from a botanical and avifaunal point of view. Here you will have the chance to spot herons, cormorants, avocets, kingfishers and, during the right season, if you are lucky, flamingos.

Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Ravenna.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.

Transfer to Faenza. Short walk from the city centre to the International Museum of Ceramics where we will start our guided tour inside the museum. The culture of ceramics spanning five continents and many centuries is documented in these rooms, which contain the largest collection in the world dedicated to ceramics.

Lunch in a typical restaurant.

After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.

End of services.

IF YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH ITALIAN COOKERY: possibility to take cooking classes instead of the mosaic lab. You will be taught to prepare some of the most traditional dishes of the region and, at the end, taste what you have cooked. Lunch included.

TOUR BOLOGNA, BRISIGHELLA and RAVENNA

A combined tour that matches some of the characteristic elements of the Emilia-Romagna: the big city of Bologna placed in the middle of the region, the beautiful and close to the seaside Ravenna, and Brisighella, laid down on the nearby hills.

1st day

Arrival in Bologna and transfer to 3/4* Hotel.
Lunch in a typical restaurant in the historical centre to taste the savoury flavours of this region.
Guided tour of the most important monuments of the city. From the huge Piazza Maggiore, the
core of Bologna, you can let yourself be seduced by some of the buildings that overlook the
square: Palazzo D'Accursio (headquarter of the Town Hall) and the Basilica of San Petronio,
housing the largest sundial in the world (67 meters). Around the corner, you can admire the
Fountain of Neptune, one of the symbols of the city. In front of it, you will find Palazzo Re Enzo
that conceals the Voltone del Podestà, which represents one of the so called “7 secrets of
Bologna”.
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel.

2nd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
Transfer to Brisighella, where we will begin our guided tour discovering this village lost in a natural
and still untouched scenery.
Oil tasting: different types of olive oil, served with some traditional cheeses, jam, honey and wines
of this territory. Between October/November it is also possible to see an olive-press working.
After a short walk through the streets of the Medieval Centre, the tour continues to Ravenna.
Lunch in a typical restaurant in the centre of Ravenna.
In the afternoon, guided tour of Dante Alighieri’s Tomb and some of the extraordinary early
Christian and Byzantine religious buildings of the city (5 th -6 th centuries AD), included by UNESCO on
the World Heritage List. Let yourself be astonished by the outstanding mosaics that will feast your
eyes on the gold!
Dinner. Overnight stay in Hotel in Bologna.

3rd day

Breakfast at the Hotel.
After breakfast, guided tour to the Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Luca in Bologna. Located
atop a forested hill, is both a reassuring visual landmark for people from the city returning home
and a symbol of the city itself. It is possible to reach it by car or walking the 3.8km of monumental
roof arcade (Portico di San Luca) consisting of 666 arches, built to protect the icon of the Virgin of
St. Luca as it was paraded up the hill.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
After lunch, transfer to the airport or train station.