The Perfect Itinerary for Culture and History Loving First Time Travelers to Italy
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In just 11 short days, I embark on my travel design company’s very first small group travel adventure! I am beyond excited to head back to Italy for my fourth visit, a little nervous because I want to make sure all of my travelers have an amazing time, and starting to stress just a bit because the time to start packing is here.
Thanks to my partnerships with absolutely amazing travel partners around the world, and in Italy especially, we’ve created one of the most perfect Italian itineraries you can find. Our group has a few repeat visitors to Italy, as well as several first-time visitors, and I’m 100% confident that no one will be getting bored or feeling too busy.
Like I said - it’s the perfect itinerary!
We put together a 12 day itinerary with 10 full days in Italy. We start in Rome, then travel to Florence, and finally Venice. Here’s the day by day plan for our amazing Italian adventure, starting off each morning with breakfast included at our hotels:
DAY 1
Board our flights from the US to Rome, Italy
DAY 2
After an overnight flight where we’ll make sure to sleep to help prevent jet lag, we’ll land at Rome Fiumicino (FCO). After clearing customs and picking up any checked baggage, we’ll meet our private driver and be taken directly to our hotel
Free day to unpack, acclimate, and explore the city at our own leisure
DAY 3
In the afternoon, we’ll be transferred from our hotel to Trastevere for our evening food tour. We’ll be taking a walking tour of the Trastevere neighborhood and focusing on the traditional dishes and street food of the area. This part of the city is well known for its culinary scene, dotted with restaurants, trattorie and low-key eateries the locals love and adore. We’ll spend 4 hours with our guide, who will share insight into the history of these well-known family businesses, and we’ll enjoy authentic food at 10 different locations on our walking tour.
DAY 4
In the morning, we’ll hop on our transfer to our private tour of ancient Rome. We’ll get to go inside the Colosseum, after which we’ll move past the arches of Constantine and enter the Palatine Hill area, which is the birthplace of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the entire city. After, we will make our way down into the Roman Forum, and end our tour on Capitoline Hill, where we will finish our tour with the absolutely amazing view overlooking the whole Rome Forum and Palatine Hill.
This is a 3 hour tour, with the rest of the day at our leisure.
DAY 5
In the morning, our transfer will take us to our meeting point for our private tour of the Vatican. Our half-day tour begins at the Vatican Museums, which hold the largest collection of art in the world, and the best way to get through it all without missing out on any of the highlights is with an expert private guide. We’ll be seeing the Raphael Rooms, the Gallery of Maps, Tapestries and Candelabra, Giuseppe Momo’s Spiral Staircase, the Pio-Clementino courtyard and all of its marble statues (such as the Laocoon and Apollo Belvedere), and, last but not least, the Sistine Chapel. After, we will proceed towards St. Peter’s Basilica, where we’ll see Michelangelo’s dome and his statue Pietà, Bernini’s imposing baldacchino in the main altar, and the precious marbles that run across the entire basilica.
This is a 3 hour tour, with the rest of the day at our leisure.
DAY 6
Our first of two travel days - we’ll check out of our hotel in the morning after breakfast and be transferred to Roma Termini train station. We have first class tickets for our nonstop direct train to Santa Maria Novella station in Florence, where we’ll be met by our transfer and taken directly to our hotel. After checking in, we’ll have the remainder of the day to unpack and explore at our leisure.
DAY 7
In the morning, we’ll meet our guide for our highlights of Florence tour. After our walking tour of the city, we will conclude the experience with a visit to the Accademia Gallery where we’ll see the famous "White Giant" - Michelangelo's statue of David.
This is a 3 hour tour, with the rest of the day at our leisure.
DAY 8
We embark on a full day trip to explore Chianti, one of the world’s best-known wine growing regions. We will start in Siena, famous for the twice yearly horse races known as the Palio. We’ll enjoy a walking tour of Siena’s intact medieval center, which includes the magnificent Cathedral, the soaring Palazzo Pubblico, and the shell-shaped expanse of Piazza del Campo. We’ll then stop for an abundant Tuscan lunch with wine at the Compagnia dei Vinattieri, whose wine cellar has been excavated from the city’s ancient water pipes. Two vineyard visits and guided wine tastings await us in the afternoon.
DAY 9
Our second and final travel day - we’ll check out of our hotel in the morning after breakfast and be transferred to Santa Maria Novella station. We have first class tickets for our nonstop direct train to Venice Santa Lucia station in Venice, where we’ll be met by our transfer and taken directly to our hotel via private water taxi. After checking in, we’ll have time to unpack and explore at our leisure.
In the evening, we’ll meet our guide for our Venice Walk, Cicchetti and Wine Tour. We’ll explore the most authentic areas of Venice and learn about its history, culture, and legends. We’ll stop at three different bacari (traditional Venetian wine bars) to taste excellent wines and of course, the cicchetti: Venetian style tapas, full of the flavors of the lagoon.
DAY 10
After a morning at our leisure, we’ll meet our private water taxi which will take us to the island of Mazzorbo for a unique experience at an urban vineyard. Guided by a wine ambassador, we’ll learn the timeless viticultural heritage of the Venice lagoon and the story of how the vinyard Venissa came to be. After wine tasting and a four course lunch, our water taxi will return us to Venice city where we’ll enjoy the rest of the day at our leisure.
DAY 11
Our last full day of our trip is going to be lively! We’ll start our day with a private half-day walking tour through St. Mark's Square, the Basilica, and into the Doge's Palace.
After an afternoon at our leisure, we’ll enjoy a half hour gondola ride along the Grand Canal. Following, we’ll have the rest of the night to explore Venice and prepare to head home the next day.
DAY 12
Our private water taxi will meet us to take us to our airport transfer for our flights home.
I’m starting to prepare for our next small group trip to Italy, which will take us to the southern end of the country this time! It’s so difficult to choose which cities we’ll visit, when there are endless gorgeous places in southern Italy like Capri, Sicily, Sardinia, the Amalfi Coast, Bari, Pulgia, Sorrento, and more - like I said, the list is endless!
You can join my mailing list for updates on our upcoming trips and first dibs on booking your spot at this link.
I also plan trips for travelers that want to explore on their own and don’t want to join a group - in fact, this is how I usually travel myself and how most of my travelers explore Italy! You can send me your Italy travel design request by clicking the button below, after which I’ll send you a link to schedule our complimentary Zoom call to discuss your trip in depth.
Buonviaggo in Italia, amici!
I’m Erin, your new travel bestie. Based in Michigan with plans to see the entire globe, I am passionate about empowering my travel clients to create and experience your very best adventure. After studying abroad in Rome during college, marrying the love of my life in 2020 (COVID wedding!), and becoming a mom, I know that we all want to spend less time stressing on the internet and more time enjoying the people we love. Let me help you achieve this by taking on the work of your next vacation so you can spend more time enjoying your people.
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