Day 1, Mon 16 September
Individual group members can check in to the hotel anytime from 2pm onward. The official start-time for the tour is 6pm when we rendezvous in the hotel’s roof-top bar for introductions and pre-dinner drinks (at your own expense). From there it is a...
Day 2, Tues 17 September
The first full day of our tour begins with a guided excursion in three vehicles around ancient and Renaissance Rome, highlighting its geographical layout, earliest foundations and religious history, main basilicas and Renaissance sites, with an...
Day 3, Wed 18 September
In the morning we will travel by private bus to Villa d’Este estate in Tivoli. We will be guided through Cardinal Ippolito d’Este’s stately home and its extensive gardens with stunning fountains. From there a short drive leads to a group lunch...
Day 4, Thurs 19 September
A full day to wander through and wonder at the incredible art and architectural wealth within the Vatican. In the morning we will visit the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, the Pinacoteca devoted mainly to Italian painters and some of Raphael’s...
Day 5, Fri 20 September
After checking out of our hotel we will head to the Borghese Gallery, home to works by Raphael, Titian, Veronese, Parmigianino, Caravaggio, Bernini and other art luminaries. After time for lunch (at your own expense) and a stroll around the Villa...
Day 6, Sat 21 September
The day begins with a short stroll to Orvieto’s cathedral, built with alternating bands of local white travertine and blue-grey basalt. Inside we will view the magnificent 15thcentury frescoes in the Chapel of the Madonna di San Brizio, depicting...
Day 7, Sun 22 September
After a leisurely start to the day we will drive to Pienza via the scenic Montepulciano route. Along the way we will stop in to visit the unique 16th century, centrally planned Sanctuary of the Madonna of San Biagio, near Montepulciano. After a group...
Day 8, Mon 23 September
Our tour today begins in Siena’s Piazza del Campo, regarded as one of Europe’s greatest medieval squares, renowned for its beauty and famous for il Palio, the wild biannual horse race. Here we will see the sculpted fountain, Fonte Gaia, before...
Day 9, Tues 24 September
Siena’s Santa Maria della Scala was once an important hospital dedicated to caring for abandoned children, the poor, the sick and pilgrims. Now a museum, it is considered one of Siena’s most important artistic hubs. A local guide will lead us on a...