9-Day Fully Escorted Small Group Tour: Rome, Florence Tuscany & Cinque Terre

DAY 1 – Arrival to Rome, Private Airport Transfer, Welcome Dinner

Welcome to Italy! When you arrive in Rome and have picked up your bags, your private driver will meet you and transfer you to your central city hotel. In the afternoon, you will have a welcome briefing from your tour host and meet the other members of your small tour group. After your introduction, you will all walk to a nearby restaurant for a welcome dinner and enjoy your first taste of Rome’s delicious cuisine.

DAY 2 – Breakfast, Private Transfer, Vatican Walking Tour, Pasta Cooking Class with Dinner

After breakfast at your hotel, you will meet your private driver, who will take you to the meeting point where your tour begins. Your guide will take you for a visit to The Vatican, including skip the line visits to the Vatican Museums in the middle of Rome’s independent city-state, the Vatican City. This tour lets you visit the most popular attractions within the museums such as the Raphael Rooms, the Belvedere Courtyard, the Pinecone Courtyard, the Candelabra, Maps and Tapestry Galleries, and most importantly, the Sistine Chapel.

After exiting into St. Peter’s Square and admiring the cathedral, your private driver will take you back to your hotel for a rest. In the late afternoon you will have a private transfer to meet your local foodie chef, who will take you ingredient shopping for your pasta cooking class with dinner.  You will then enjoy a lovely hands-on cooking class where you will make the pasta, the sauce, and pair it with some local wines. Enjoy the meal you prepare and then transfer back to your hotel in the evening.

Overnight in Rome.

DAY 3 – Breakfast, Free Day in Rome

Today is a free day to sleep in and relax a bit. You can explore the city at your leisure, or you can add one of our optional tours. Just ask what choices there are when you book your trip.

DAY 4 – Private station transfer, First Class Rail to Florence, Siena Tour, Winery Visit with Dinner

What makes this tour so popular is the combination of guided exploration and free time to do as you please. Your 4th day has you traveling by train from Rome to Florence.

In the morning, your private driver will pick you up with your luggage and take you to Rome’s train station. You will have tickets for the short ride to Florence. Upon arrival to Florence, you will have a private transfer to your hotel. Once you check into the Florence hotel, you have time to relax and explore on your own a bit.

In the early afternoon, your private transfer will take you for a wonderful visit to the heart of Tuscany. Your journey will start with a stop in the city of Siena, where you will tour this UNESCO historic site. Siena was once considered to be as influential as Florence in terms of its power and cultural influence and is full of interesting pieces of architecture and art as well as the Piazza del Campo, where horse races are held every summer.

After exploring Siena, you will be taken to a local family-run winery where you will be greeted with open arms for a tour of the small cellars. This is followed by a wonderful dinner featuring the local, organic ingredients of the area paired with the family’s local wines, a truly joyful experience. Return to your Florence hotel in the evening.

Overnight in Florence.

DAY 5 – Breakfast, Grand Tour of Florence with Accademia

After breakfast, your tour of Florence will begin with a journey into the city centre, where you will learn how the ancient statesman, Lorenzo de Medici, brought writers, artists, and architects to Florence in the 15th century, securing its reputation as the birthplace of the Renaissance. Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Botticelli are just a few of the famous artists whose works are on display in Florence.

Your tour will take you past the Palazzo Vecchio, over the Ponte Vecchio to the Piazza della Signoria, the Oltrarno area known for its artists and workshops. You will see the Duomo and bell tower by Giotto and Ghiberti’s Baptistery with its gold doors, then the tour will end with a visit to the Accademia Gallery. Here, your tickets will allow you to skip the lines and see Michelangelo’s influential statue of David, as well as other classic artworks.

You will return to your hotel on your own after this full day of sightseeing and spend another night in Florence.

Breakfast, Florence walking tour with skip the line David tickets.

Overnight Florence.

DAY 6 – Breakfast, Free Day

Today is a free day in Florence, so you can explore the city on your own.

DAY 7 – Breakfast, Private transportation, Pisa Visit, La Spezia

Today, you will travel from Florence to the northern coast of Italy, discovering incredible views in the fishing region of Cinque Terre. Your private driver will meet you at the hotel after breakfast and you will drive through the Tuscan Hills, along the Italian Riviera Coast, until you can spot the southern part of the Apuan Alps.

You will stop along the way at the medieval town of Pisa; home of the famous leaning tower. You will have free time to walk around the Piazza die Miracoli, take the funny photos of the tower, grab a bite to eat, visit the church and just take it all in before continuing to your hotel in one of the towns of the Cinque Terre region, La Spezia.

Check into your hotel then the rest of the day and evening is yours to enjoy and discover on your own.

Overnight La Spezia.

DAY 8 – Breakfast & Tour of Cinque Terre, Lunch and Dinner

During the day, your guide will introduce you to this spectacular corner of Italy, famous for its panorama, its wine, food, beautiful sea, and hiking opportunities. Our comprehensive exploration will include some of the most beautiful villages and landscapes of Cinque Terre National Park (a world-heritage protected by UNESCO since 1997): Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso, the villages clinging to a remote stretch of the Riviera coastline. You will enjoy the five-mile-long rocky coast, lined by thousands of dry walls built on terraces cultivated with vineyards and the small medieval fishing villages built on rock. Add to this the incredible color of the sea and the sky, and you will understand what paradise the Cinque Terre really is.

Enjoy the most astonishing views either from land and sea, as we stroll along the national park by boat, train, and walking/hiking on the fabulous trails on the cliff (including famous Via dell’Amore – see notes -) (what notes?) in a perfect mix for a memorable experience.

A delicious full lunch with wine in a typical restaurant on the sea is included, thus you will be able to enjoy incredible fresh seafood cooked the Ligurian way, accompanied by some great white wines typical of this region.

An amazing boat ride (weather and sea conditions permitting) will be an additional memorable perspective on the Riviera, and you will take home with you the most incredible pictures of this day.

In the evening, enjoy a lovely farewell dinner featuring the local seafood and wine. A great last day on tour.

DAY 9 - Departure

You will depart La Spezia independently after your breakfast in the hotel or add an optional departure transfer to an airport or train station. You can also add days to this program to extend the trip to other parts of Italy or Western Europe, ask your booking agent for ideas!