Best of Italy: Florence, Tuscany and Venice 5 Days Tour from Rome

Visit the highlights of Italy on a 5-day escorted tour from Rome visiting Assisi, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Padua, Venice and Tuscany's Wine Region. Day 1: Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence (dinner included) Departing at 7:15 AM from Hotel Massimo D’Azeglio by a deluxe coach, you will arrive in Assisi, ready to explore, at your own leisure, this tiny town surrounded by walls, built in the Middle Ages. Take your time to visit the Basilica of St. Francis, where you will see masterpieces by Giotto and Cimabue and, then, have free time for lunch (not included). Board on the bus to reach Siena, a Unesco World Heritage Site, known for the Palio, the historical horse race around the shell-shaped town square: Piazza del Campo. Next, you will continue on to Florence, where you will check in at your hotel (Hotel Mediterraneo 4*, Tourist or 1st Category) before enjoying dinner and a well-earned night of rest. Day 2: Florence (breakfast included) After breakfast, you will spend the day venturing around beautiful Florence, the so-called “Cradle of Renaissance", where, thanks to Michelangelo, Italian art reached the sublime. Based on Etruscan-Roman origins, the city flourished in the Middle Ages as a free “Comune” and was further refined during the Renaissance. You will be fascinated by the uncountable monuments, churches and buildings as Santa Maria del Fiore, more commonly referred to as the Duomo. On your visit, you will be amazed by its magnificent dome built by Filippo Brunelleschi. Cross a small piazza to see the “Campanile” (partly designed by Giotto) and the Baptistery, with its bronze doors where Michelangelo imagined the “Gates of Paradise.” In the heart of the city, you will see Piazza Della Signoria, Palazzo Della Signoria (also known as Palazzo Vecchio) and the Basilica of Santa Croce. Lunch in a typical Tuscan restaurant in Piazza Santa Croce and then spend the afternoon strolling the cobblestone streets of Florence on your own or take a short trip to Pisa (optional), one of the four main historical Marine Republics of Italy. There, you will tour the Piazza dei Miracoli with the Duomo, the Leaning Tower, and the Baptistery. Dinner at leisure, overnight stay in Florence (Hotel Mediterraneo 4*, Tourist or 1st Category). Day 3: Florence, Bologna, Padua, Venice (breakfast and lunch included) After breakfast in Florence, departure to Bologna. There, you will discover the elegant city center with its “porticos”, it’s shopping streets and so on. From Piazza Malpighi, you will walk to Piazza del Nettuno and Piazza Maggiore in the heart of the city, King Renzo’s Palace, Palazzo Podestà and the Basilica of San Petronio, one of the biggest in the world. Bologna is a real gourmet heaven… Don’t miss out on a tasty meal at your own leisure! In the afternoon, continue toward Padova, with Basilica of Sant’Antonio: one of the most visited churches by pilgrims of the catholic world. Later in the afternoon, arrival in Venice: the City of Love, one of the most romantic cities in the whole world and, undoubtedly the most beautiful city built by man! Check in at your hotel for dinner and overnight stay (Tourist Category: Hotel Delfino 4* in Mestre; 1st Category: Hotel Carlton on the Gran Canal 4* on Venice Island). Day 4: Venice (breakfast included) After breakfast, enjoy your private water-taxi transfer to Piazza San Marco, with skip the line tickets to visit the splendid St. Mark’s Basilica and, after this, check out the most iconic places of the “Floating City”: the Palazzo Dei Dogi, symbol of Venice’s glorious past, the legendary “Bridge of Sighs”. Spend the afternoon roaming along Venice’s canals at your leisure and then return to the hotel for overnight (Tourist Category: Hotel Delfino 4* in Mestre; 1st Category: Hotel Carlton on the Gran Canal 4* on Venice Island). Day 5: Venice, Montepulciano (Tuscany's Wine Region), Rome (breakfast included) After breakfast, departure from Piazzale Roma heading to Tuscany, world-known for its landscapes, its churches and castles and its delicious wines. You will proceed to Val di Chiana with a stop in Montepulciano, a medieval town rich in history and art. Known for its wine called "nobile", on purchase in local wine houses, Montepulciano also hosts an annual jazz and wine festival every July. Spend the afternoon discovering Montepulciano at your own pace, enjoying free wine tastings in many wine shops and free time for shopping. In the evening, you will arrive in Rome, where the tour ends.