The Best of Italy & Palio

Pick up at the Rome airport and private transfer to hotel.

After checking in at the hotel, visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with a Chinese audioguide.

• THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

The Vatican Museums are Christian and art museums located within the city boundaries of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by popes throughout the centuries including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world.

• THE SISTINE CHAPEL​

The Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest treasures of the Vatican City, of Rome and of the world in general. It is known as much for its decoration, as for being the temple in which popes are chosen and crowned.

The construction of the building was carried out between 1473 and 1481 during the mandate of Pope Sixtus IV, to whom it owes its current name. The architect responsible for the construction was Giovanni of Dolci and it is the only work that he is remembered for.

What grabs the attention in the Sistine Chapel is not its architecture, but the frescoes that completely cover the walls and the ceiling. Some of the most important artists who worked in the chapel are Botticelli, Perugino, Luca and Michelangelo.

Overnight in Rome.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit the city with your Chinese-speaking guide.

• ROME

​Rome, Italy's capital, is a sprawling, cosmopolitan city with nearly 3,000 years of globally influential art, architecture and culture on display. Ancient ruins such as the Forum and the Colosseum evoke the power of the former Roman Empire. 

Dinner in Rome.

Overnight in Rome.

Breakfast at the hotel in Rome.

After breakfast, transfer from Rome to Florence by fast train.

After checking in at Florence hotel, visit Pisa and discover its leaning tower during a group excursion by bus with an English-speaking guide.

• PISA

Pisa is a city in Italy's Tuscany region best known for its iconic Leaning Tower. Already tilting when it was completed in 1372, the 56m white-marble cylinder is the bell tower of the Romanesque, striped-marble cathedral that rises next to it in the Piazza dei Miracoli. Also in the piazza is the Baptistry, whose renowned acoustics are demonstrated by amateur singers daily, and the Caposanto Monumentale cemetery.

Overnight in Florence.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Excursion to Siena to watch the Palio di Siena horse race.

• PALIO DI SIENA​

The Palio is the most important event in Siena, taking place on July 2 and August 16 every year.

In the Palio, the various Sienese "contrade", or areas in which the city is divided, challenge each other in a passionate horse race in the heart of the city in the Piazza del Campo.

Originally, there were about fifty-nine "Contrade"; now only seventeen remain, ten of which take part in the historical pageant and in the race at each Palio (seven by right and three drawn by lots).

Each Contrade has its own unique emblem and colors and represents an area of the city. As one walks through the streets of Siena it is easy to know in which Contrade you currently are in by observing the flags and emblems displayed along the street. 

At around 3 p.m. each Contrade performs a blessing ceremony of its horse and afterwards joins in the large parade in historical costume, with over 600 participants, that winds through the city. The parade arrives around 5 p.m. at the Piazza del Campo, and ends by around 6.30-7 p.m. Shortly thereafter the explosion of a firecracker signals the entrance of the horses into the piazza.

Overnight in Florence.

Breakfast at the hotel.

Visit Florence with your Chinese-speaking guide.

• FLORENCE

​Florence, capital of Italy's Tuscany region, is home to many masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of its most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with a terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. The Galleria dell'Accademia displays Michelangelo's “David” sculpture. The Uffizi Gallery exhibits Botticelli's “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci's “Annunciation.”

Typical dinner in Florence.

Overnight in Florence.

Breakfast at the hotel in Florence.

After breakfast, transfer from Florence to Venice by fast train.

After checking in at the hotel in Venice, visit the city with your Chinese-speaking guide.

• VENICE

Venice, the capital of northern Italy's Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals – including the Grand Canal thoroughfare – lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark's Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city's red roofs.

Aperitivo in Venice.

Overnight in Venice.

Breakfast at the hotel in Venice.

After breakfast, transfer from Venice to Milan by train.

After checking in at the hotel, visit the city with your Chinese-speaking guide.

• MILAN

​Milan, a metropolis in Italy's northern Lombardy region, is a global capital of fashion and design. Home to the national stock exchange, it's a financial hub also known for its high-end restaurants and shops. The Gothic Duomo di Milano cathedral and the Santa Maria delle Grazie convent, housing Leonardo da Vinci's mural “The Last Supper,” testify to centuries of art and culture.

Dinner in Milan.

Overnight in Milan.

Breakfast at the hotel in Milan.

Private transfer from hotel to Milan airport.