Visit Italy’s most unique gardens and travel through her stunning landscapes in our Gardens and Lakes of Italy tour.
All itineraries are sample itineraries and can be customized to suit your preferences.
- Rome
- Tivoli Gardens
- Gardens of Bomarzo
- Assisi
- Florence
- Tuscan countryside
- Brunello di Montalcino winery
- Cinque Terre
- Lake Como
- Lake Maggiore
- Pisa
Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates!
Your custom trip package will include accommodations, transportation within the country, guided tours and activities, unique experiences, trip planning, a downloadable, printable, and online itinerary, and personal support during your trip.
DAY 1: FLIGHT TO ROME, ITALY
Board your overnight flight to Rome, Italy’s Fiumicino airport.
DAY 2: WELCOME TO ROME!
Welcome to Rome – one of the world’s most historic cities. Depart Rome’s Fiumicino airport and transfer to your hotel. Later, visit Rome by night to view the city, its monuments, sites, and churches.
DAY 3: VATICAN & IMPERIAL ROME
In the morning, you will start off in the Vatican State, the richest community in the world. Here, you will enter the Sistine Chapel and admire Michelangelo’s famous painted ceiling, including The Creation. Next door in St. Peter’s Basilica, see one of Michelangelo’s early works, The Pieta, and the dome completed after his death. Next, visit the Colosseum, the largest amphitheater ever built and considered one of the greatest works of engineering and architecture. Finally, look out over the site of the Roman Forum, for centuries the center of Roman public life. The afternoon is at leisure for you to rest or enjoy the city at your pace. In the evening, dine in one of the most famous squares in Rome: Piazza Navona. After dinner, stroll through the historic center to view the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain.
DAY 4: VILLA D’ESTE AND VILLA ADRIANA
This morning, visit Villa d’Este, located in Tivoli, near Rome, a 16th century villa that houses some of the most spectacular frescoes and gardens in the world. Wander down the many paths and steps toward breathtaking panoramas while being refreshed by the garden’s hundreds of fountains. Next, you will visit Villa Adriana, or Hadrian’s villa, built in the 2nd century AD by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a retreat from his residence at the Palatine Hill in Rome.
DAY 5: ASSISI
Today, visit the Garden of Bomarzo, also known as Sacro Bosco (Sacred Gardens), a 16th century garden with astonishing, large sculptures, some sculpted in bedrock. You will then make your way to the region of Umbria, toward the peaceful town of Assisi where the beloved religious figure St. Francis was born and lived. Here, you will have a guided tour of the village and visit the Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, a 13th century basilica that is one of the most important landmarks for Christian pilgrimage in Italy and houses the tomb of St. Francis.
DAY 6: COUNTRYSIDE OF TUSCANY
Enjoy a wonderful day trip to Tuscany’s most famous hilltop town—San Gimignano! Soak up the unique atmosphere of this medieval village and visit an ice cream shop made world famous by its unique flavors. Make your way to the town of Siena, a medieval city known for its unique cuisine, museums, art, but namely the Palio: a dangerous, yet very festive, horse race held twice a year in the Piazza del Campo. In the evening, enjoy a typical Tuscan dining experience and learn to make pasta!
DAY 7: FLORENCE—THE CITY OF ART
After breakfast, head to Florence: the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. Join a local guide for a tour of the Academy Gallery to see Michelangelo’s statue of David. Continue to Giotto’s bell tower next to the cathedral and see the ‘Gates of Paradise’ before visiting the Piazza della Signoria, to this day the political heart of Florence. Continue to Piazza Santa Croce, famous for its Basilica and luxury shops. Next, visit Palazzo Pitti, a current day museum housing over 250,000 works of art and splendid gardens. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.
DAY 8: BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO & PIENZA
Today, visit the extraordinary countryside of Tuscany and admire the rolling hills of sunflowers and vineyards as you make your way to a wine farm where the famous wine, Brunello di Montalcino, is made. Have a relaxing lunch in the Tuscan hills before continuing on to Pienza, a characteristic Tuscan hilltop town. Stroll through the narrow streets of the historic center before going back to your hotel.
DAY 9: PISA & LA SPEZIA
After breakfast, make your way to Pisa, where you will visit the Square of Miracles and the bell tower of the cathedral, also known as “the leaning tower of Pisa.” Marvel at the Cathedral and Baptistry, decorated with mosaics and designs in solid marble. Next, enjoy lunch at a wine farm and olive grove! Now, continue on to La Spezia, a city in the region of Liguria, Northern Italy. Relax and enjoy an evening at leisure.
DAY 10: CINQUE TERRE
Get ready to explore the ‘Cinque Terre,’ or ‘five lands,’ which were for years in complete isolation, only accessible by donkey or boat. You will join a local guide in the town of Manarola, admiring the brightly colored houses perched atop a cliff overlooking the sea, before taking a train to one of the scenic fishing villages, Monterosso. Explore the old medieval quarter and popular sandy beach before boarding a boat to cruise the rugged coastline while viewing all five towns of the Cinque Terre from the sea.
DAY 11: LAKE MAGGIORE
This morning, head north toward Italy’s magnificent lake district. Stop at Lake Maggiore, where you will relax for the evening, enjoying the stunning beauty of the lake and the town.
DAY 12: ISOLA BELLA & ISOLA DELLA MADRE
Board a private boat across Lake Maggiore to the beautiful Borromean Islands. Visit Isola Bella, renowned for its incredible Borromean palace and remarkable botanical gardens. Next, go on a scenic drive along the shores of the lake, past luxurious villas set in spectacular gardens while admiring the Swiss Alps in the distance. Evening at leisure to enjoy the scenery.
DAY 13: LAKE COMO & VILLA CARLOTTA
Spend the morning visiting Villa Carlotta, built at the end of the 17th century and famous for its art and romantic gardens. From Villa Carlotta, board a private vessel to view some of the lake’s most luxurious villas, only visible by boat. Marvel at the crystal waters as you make your way to the town of Bellagio – called the pearl of Lake Como. Spend the morning in Bellagio exploring the narrow, cobblestone alleyways and shop in the elegant boutiques before your tour finale dinner on the Isola dei Pescatori (Fisherman’s Island).
Day 14: DEPARTURE FROM LAKE COMO
Transfer to Milan Malpensa airport.
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