PROGRAM
B = Breakfast L = Lunch D = Dinner
Please note program is subject to changes
Day 1 26 May 2022 - Arrival Rome, Italy
Arrival Rome, Italy from your home destination, by own arrangement. Check-in at your hotel in the very heart of Rome – Romanico Palace. The evening at your own leisure.
Day 2 27 May 2022 - Rome Classical Walking Tour and Villa d’Este, Tivoli (B, L, D)
The group will meet with ARNE & CARLOS and enjoy a guided walking tour together where we will soak in the atmosphere of the eternal city - visiting the market at Campo de Fiori, throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, rest by the Spanish Steps, be amazed by the world’s best-preserved ancient temple the Pantheon and be charmed by the Bernini fountains of Piazza Navona, where we will enjoy a traditional lunch. Afterward, we will visit the first garden of the tour, at Villa d’Este with its spectacular waterworks and theatrical effects. This is probably the most famous of all Italian renaissance villas because of the beautiful gardens with hundreds of spraying fountains. It is one of the most remarkable illustrations of Renaissance culture. The gardens with the fountains are a masterpiece of hydraulic engineering, both for the general layout and the complex system of distribution of water. After returning to our hotel, we have dinner together at a local restaurant nearby.
Day 3 28 May 2022 - Castel Gondolfo and Giardini di Ninfa (B, L)
Departure by bus to Castel Gandolfo - the little village famous because the Pope has his summer residence here. We will visit Villa Barberini and its amazing gardens, sweeping over the belvedere and the holm oak galleries, over 400 years old, shading the walkways between the ruins of the Domitian palace. The historic gardens include the Citrus Garden, the Maze, the Garden of Mirrors and the Herb Slope. After lunch in Castel Gandolfo, the tour continues to the most romantic garden in the world, Giardini di Ninfa. The name Ninfa derives from a Roman temple built near the current garden and dedicated to the water deities. The creation of the garden was essentially a work of sensitivity and informality, without geometric preconceptions. After returning to Rome, the evening is at your own leisure.
Day 4 29 May 2022 - Rome - Florence (B, L)
After breakfast, departure by bus from Rome to Florence. Underway a little break in charming Orvieto with lunch at Ristorante Grotte del Funaro. Arrival in Florence and check in at Hotel Executive. A guided city walk through the historical centre of Florence to admire the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore and walk the beautiful bridge Ponte Vecchio with all their gold shops. After the walk feel free to explore further on your own, and enjoy dinner in a restaurant by your own choice.
Day 5 30 May 2022 - Florence and Medici Gardens (B, D)
Today we will visit the Medici Gardens just outside of Florence. The Medici Villa of Castello became part of the assets owned by the Medici family in 1477 and it was for this villa that Botticelli painted The Birth of Venus and Spring, later transferred to the Uffizi. The afternoon is at your own leisure, and in the evening the group will meet and have dinner together.
Day 6 31 May 2022 - Florence to Verona (B, D
Departure by bus from Florence to Verona but before leaving Florence we will stop and visit the gardens of Villa Gamberaia - one of the most perfect examples of garden architecture, with its unique water parterre, bowling alley, secret garden, nymphaeum, lemon garden with magnificent views over the Arno Valley. We continue to Verona and after check-in at our centrally located Hotel Indigo, free time explore the area on your own or relax in the hotel. In the afternoon we meet for a city walk before our evening visit to the Serego Aligheri winery with tastings and dinner. The winery belongs to the direct descendants of the poet Dante, and form Valpolicella’s oldest and most traditional estates. The property was bought as far back as 1353 by Pietro Alighieri, Dante's son. Since then, winemaking has been a continuous tradition in the family. Serego Alighieri wines and agricultural products that come from these historic lands, are sold all over the world.
Day 7 1 Jun 2022 - Giusti Gardini and Ortobotanico Padova (B, L)
Today we have a full-day tour, visiting the undiscovered treasure of the Giusti Gardens and the Ortobotanico Padova. This garden is one of the relatively undiscovered treasures of Verona. It dates back to 1404 and features Roman ruins, fountains and mythological statues. When the ‘Grand Tour’ became popular, Giardino Giusti became an obligatory stopping-off point for travelers visiting Verona, including poets, artists, and crowned heads of Europe. The garden’s emphasis is on architectural features, references to mythology, and links with the classical world. The garden features items that were in vogue in sixteenth-century gardens - pots with citrus plants, mythological statues, fountains, lemon houses, grottoes, grotesque masks, Roman ruins, and also pavilions to sit and rest and enjoy the panoramic views of Verona. Our next garden is the Botanical garden of Padua, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List:
“The Botanical Garden of Padua is the original of all botanical gardens throughout the world, and represents the birth of science, of scientific exchanges, and understanding of the relationship between nature and culture. It has made a profound contribution to the development of many modern scientific disciplines, notably botany, medicine, chemistry, ecology, and pharmacy.”
Day 8 2 Jun 2022 - Verona – Franciacorta – Stresa, Lago di Maggiore (B, L)
The drive today from Verona to Lake Maggiore goes through the beautiful wine area of Franciacorta – Italy’s exclusive champagne-style wine. We will have a delightful stop at the Mosnel Winery with a tour of the estate, wine tastings and lunch. In early afternoon we arrive in Stresa, Lake Maggiore and check in to our hotel the Regina Palace. Enjoy the evening by the lake at your own leisure.
Day 9 3 Jun 2022 - Full day tour to Lago di Como (B, L)
Our tour today goes to the idyllic Lake Como. Ever since the ancient Romans escaped the summer heat in villas overlooking Lake Como, travelers have loved this scenic Italian lake. With the craggy Alps for a backdrop, a unique microclimate where tropical plants thrive, and a long history of lavish summer estates, Lake Como is surrounded by some of Italy’s most beautiful gardens – and we will visit two of the most famous – Villa Melzi in Bellagio, and from here a short boat trip to Tramezzo to visit Villa Carlotta. We will enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Tramezzo. Early evening we are back in Stresa, to enjoy an evening at own leisure.
Day 10 4 Jun 2022 - Villa Taranto and Isola Bella (B, L)
“A beautiful garden does not need to be big, but it should be the realization of one’s dream, even though it is only a couple of square metres large, and it is situated on a balcony”.
So explained Captain Neil McEacharn, the man who created these marvelous gardens at Villa Taranto. Many thousands of plants, brought from the far corners of the world, and rare collections, some of them unique in Europe and acclimatized after long laborious efforts, have been arranged with art in this beautiful setting, between the mountains and the lake.
Early evening we will be picked up by boat for our special last evening of the tour, to be celebrated in beautiful surroundings at Isola Bella and Palazzo Borromeo which is like a baroque chest of wonders floating on the water. When the Palazzo close for the daily visitors and evening starts to fall, the wonderful gardens are reserved ONLY for our group. The lights on the mainland the flower-scented air are a magnificent setting for our last evening. Touring these unique botanic gardens as the only guests, we will arrive at the towers - where aperitives are waiting, served in this corner of Eden. From the gardens, we will proceed through the narrow streets arriving at the restaurant Elvezia which has been owned by the same family – Marcacci Rossi – for five generations. The cuisine is typical local which means fresh fish from the lake and homemade pasta with a creative touch. After dinner, the boat takes us back to Regina Palace.
Day 11 5 Jun 2022 - Bus transfer to Milan Malpensa Airport (B)
After breakfast, check out and bus transfer to Malpensa Airport Departures - own arrangements.
