Italian Lakes & Tuscany

Commencing in central Milan at 2pm we will transfer you to Stresa on wonderful Lake Maggiore, where you will stay the next four nights. Join us tonight for a welcome drink before dinner in a local restaurant. This is an ideal chance to meet, and get to know, your Tour Manager and fellow travellers.

This morning we drive north to Domodossola at the foot of the Italian Alps. Here we board the famous Centovalli Express train which runs through the ‘Hundred Valleys’ to Locarno. Relaxing in the panoramic carriages, we pass over numerous bridges and through numerous tunnels, travelling beside waterfalls, villages and vineyards. A spectacular journey! Arriving in Locarno we will make a short stop in the grand square before boarding our coach to visit nearby Ascona. Lunchtime will be at leisure in this delightful lakeside town. As a finalé, we follow the scenic route home hugging the shores of Lake Maggiore all the way back to Stresa. Dinner tonight is in your hotel.  

Boarding our private boat we visit Lake Maggiore’s famous island of Isola Bella where we have included entrance and a guided tour of the palatial Borromeo villa and gardens, which dominate the island. The villa boasts Murano glass chandeliers, gobelin-covered chairs, intricate tapestries and paintings. The spectacular formal gardens rise behind the ornate villa, with patterned flower beds falling in terraces, with statues and ornamental stonework completing the Italianate style. Lunchtime is at leisure back in lakeside Stresa.Later this afternoon we visit the delightful town of Orta San Giulio beside the beautiful, and some say most romantic, of all the lakes – Lake Orta. Your evening is at leisure to discover a local trattoria for dinner.  

This morning we drive to Lake Como where we follow the western shore of the lake to Tremezzo. Here we board our private boat and enjoy a cruise on Lake Como, past a number of striking lakeside villas, to delightful Bellagio. This beautiful town is situated at the tip of the peninsula  deparating the lake’s two southern arms, with the Alps visible across the lake to the north. It’s time to relax in this delightful town which boasts peaceful villas and gardens nestled by the lakeside, elegant shops and walkways plus stylish al fresco dining at its very best. Your evening is at leisure back in the lakeside town of Stresa.

Bidding farewell to Lake Maggiore we drive south to the coastal region of Liguria, arriving around midday in Genoa. Once the capital of a naval empire, Genoa boasts the largest intact medieval city centre in the whole of Europe. Here we are joined by a local guide to enjoy a walking tour through the city’s old heart, with its pedestrian shopping malls, beautiful churches and squares, and nearly 50 UNESCO Listed palaces and stately homes to enjoy a 'street food' walking tour and taste local specialities such as foccacia al pesto, fried fish, farinata and gelato.

We spend the morning at leisure in the beautiful harbour town of Santa Margherita Ligure with its elegant shops, boutiques and cafés that litter the port. Later we take a boat along the rugged Liguria coastline to the world famous harbour of Portofino. Delightfully set in a tiny bay, overlooked by the church and castle high above, this old port makes a perfect afternoon stop. Later, we continue around the coast to visit the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, which is only accessible by boat.  

A delightful day is planned as we explore the famous Cinque Terre. The name means ‘five lands’ and comes from the five unspoilt fishing villages that cling to the cliffs, overlooking the sea. Boarding a train in Genoa, our first stop of the day will be in the pretty port of Monterosso. From here we catch a boat and cruise along the spectacular coastline of the Cinque Terre to visit the delightful villages of Vernazza and Portovenere. Arriving in La Spezia we board our coach and travel to Tuscany. We stay the next four nights in the typically ‘Tuscan’ town of Lucca – a medieval walled city, filled with palaces, churches and ancient houses. Dinner tonight is in a local restaurant.  

This morning we visit nearby Pisa with its famous Leaning Tower, Cathedral and Baptistery in the magnificent Piazza dei Miracoli. Your afternoon has been left entirely free to explore delightful Lucca. Perhaps visit the former home of Puccini, where he wrote ‘Turandot’. Take a bike ride or a stroll around the entire town on top of the broad city walls.
As a highlight this evening we drive into the picturesque Tuscan countryside to visit a local olive oil farmhouse estate. Before dinner is served in the Osteria, we spend time amongst the olive groves and enjoy an olive oil tasting accompanied by Tuscan wines and a selection of antipasto including local meats, cheese and bread – all specialities of this region.

Today is dedicated to nearby ‘Firenze’ (Florence). A local guide will bring to life this truly beautiful city which is otherwise known as the ‘Cradle of the Renaissance’. We see the Duomo and take in the magnificent statues in the Piazza della Signoria. We also include a guided visit to the famous Accademia Gallery, home to Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and numerous other extraordinary Italian, Florentine and Renaissance works of art.You will have plenty of ‘My Time’ to enjoy Florence at your own pace. Espresso coffee on Piazza Santa Croce where Michelangelo is buried? A gelato whilst strolling across the Ponte Vecchio? Don’t forget the excellent shopping.

After a relaxing start we enjoy a tasting lunch.  The rest of your afternoon and evening are at leisure in Lucca.

Travelling north, we visit a local cheese farm to learn how ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano’ (Parmesan) cheese is made, before enjoying a tasting and light lunch. Afterwards, we visit the fantastic Ferrari Museum at Maranello, near Modena. A local guide will join us and show us around this fantastic exhibition of bright red, old, new and future Ferraris and Formula One racing cars. Continuing to Lake Garda, we reach the charming lakeside town of Bardolino, where we stay the next three nights. Dinner tonight will be in our hotel restaurant.  

This morning we visit the delightful lakeside town of Salo.  Explore its historical centre which is filled with lanes and little squares with noble houses, elegant shops and the longest promenade on Lake Garda, at your own pace. Later we continue to Redaelli de Zinis in Calvagese della Riviera. This is a famous local winery and restaurant. Here we enjoy a wine tasting and sample some of the locally sourced produce before lunch.

We have left today entirely free to enjoy glorious Lake Garda.  Often regarded as the most beautiful of all the Italian Lakes, Garda is also the largest and deepest. Do as little or as much as you want. Maybe catch a ferry across the lake to explore and shop in the characterful ‘picture postcard’ ports of Lazise or Sirmione.  

Skirting the lake we will visit Romeo and Juliet’s Verona. A local guide will bring to life this beautiful city, where these tragic lovers avowed a love that spanned the centuries.  We have included a visit to the Roman Amphitheatre, Verona Arena.  Built in the first half of the 1st century A.D and renowned as one of the largest amphitheatres in Italy.  It is extraordinarily well-preserved and its elliptical shape produces perfect acoustics.  In 1913 the staging of a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida gave it a new purpose as an opera theatre.  With a seating area made up of 44 levels and a capacity of around 15,000 spectators, every summer, the Roman amphitheatre is transformed into the world's largest open-air opera house.
Later we arrive at our charming Villa hotel near Vicenza, where we stay the last two nights.  B,D

After a leisurely start, we spend time in the beautiful city of Vicenza. Made famous as the home of the influential 16 century architect Andrea Palladio, ‘Vicenza and the Palladian Villas’ is UNESCO heritage listed. Our local guide will bring this beautiful city to life. Highlights will include; seeing Piazza dei Signori, with its ‘Torre di Piazza’ clock tower, flanked by Palladio’s striking Basili Palladiana and medieval law courts, and visiting Palladio’s last work and masterpiece, Teatro Olimpico. Later you have free time to explore the heart of the town at leisure. The shopping down Corso Andrea Palladio is excellent.  On the way back to our hotel we stop to enjoy a wine tasting in a local vineyard.
Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner in our Villa hotel.

Your tour ends today after breakfast. We have included a morning group transfer to drop off at Venice Marco Polo airport and and Venice Mestre train station. We recommend you book flights and trains that depart after 1.00pm today.