14 Day North Continental 2013

DAY 1 Depart USA
Boarding our overnight flight, we’re off on the adventure of a lifetime.

DAY 2 Arrive in Milan, Afternoon at Leisure
Benvenuti in Italia! We are pleased to offer complimentary transfers from the Milan airport to your hotel at scheduled times. Your Perillo representative will be at the airport to greet you.

This afternoon you will meet your tour guide who will have some excellent dining suggestions for your first night in Italy.

DAY 3 Milan, Lugano, Switzerland, Como, Milan
From Milan we enjoy an exhilarating excursion to Lugano. Here we can fill our eyes with beauty and our bags with gifts. We continue to Como, loved by the rich & famous. Wordsworth, Shelley, Byron and George Clooney.

Back in Milan, one of the world’s trendiest cities, and one of the strongest bastions of traditional Italian cooking. Mangia! (B)

DAY 4 Milan City Sightseeing, Verona, Venice
This morning we visit the mightiest Gothic building ever created – Milan’s Duomo, it’s capacity 40,000.

Next, the spectacular glass-topped galleria the world’s first shopping mall. Continue to Piazza Della Scala, home of LaScala Opera House.

Next, a short visit to Verona and Juliet’s balcony. Our arrival in Venice is by boat. Venice is breathtaking with its misty lagoon and palaces seemingly floating on water. Nothing beats dining in a cozy Venetian restaurant enjoying local specialties and fine local wines.(B)

DAY 5 Venice, City Sightseeing, Murano Glass Factory
This morning we’ll meet our expert local guide for a walking tour of St. Mark’s Square, the great Byzantine Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs and an inside visit of the Doge’s Palace.

Next we’ll board our motoscafi to visit one of the world’s oldest glass-blowing factories on the island of Murano.

This afternoon you’ll have a chance to “get lost” in the city’s labyrinth of canals, bridges and tiny piazzas. Being a small island, it’s impossible to stray very far. But it won’t hurt to master the phrase “Dov’e’ Piazza San Marco?”

Maybe this would be the ideal evening for a traditional Venetian seafood feast! (B)

DAY 6 Venice, Padua, Florence
We’re off to Florence today with an inspiring stop along the way. Visitors to Padua are often surprised by a sense of deep spirituality. St. Anthony (patron Saint of lost objects) is interred here in the serene Basilica which dates back to the 1200s.

Next to Florence! Home of Dante, Boccaccio, Botticelli, da Vinci, and some say, the best gelato in Italy!

Once settled in our hotel, our tour director is happy to offer this evening’s restaurant suggestions. Perhaps, world famous Florentine steak tonight? (B)

DAY 7 Florence, Sightseeing including ‘The David’
Florence, the fountainhead of the Renaissance, awaits our inspection.

Our day of sightseeing includes the majestic Duomo built in 1296, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned “Gates of Paradise” doors.

We follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria, home of Santa Croce Church, Michelangelo’s final resting place.

“Breathtaking” is the only word to describe one’s first view of Michelangelo’s David. Yes, it’s quite large and detailed. But the real magic is in how Michelangelo transformed a lifeless rock into a man - full of pride, wary of his adversary, yet quietly confident. All with just a hammer and a chisel.

You’ll be sure to find a perfect Florentine dinner spot tonight.BB

DAY 8 Florence, Pisa, Wine Tasting in Tuscany, Florence
The bell tower of Pisa is among the most instantly recognizable structures on earth. Architects say it would be world famous even if it were perfectly straight. This morning we’ll see for ourselves, along with the beautiful Cathedral and Baptistery.

This afternoon we’ll visit a typical Tuscan winery to learn about the grape, the “nose,” food pairings and most importantly – which glass to use! Cin-Cin! We’ll return to Florence for some free time.

Tonight, ask your tour director for a nearby spot to enjoy fresh Tuscan fare.(B)

DAY 9 Florence, Sorrento
Our journey to Sorrento takes us through the rolling hills, scenic vineyards and post-card perfect vistas of Tuscany and Umbria. Soon, we are in Sorrento, high on a beautiful plateau, greeted by the sapphire blue Gulf of Naples and majestic Mount Vesuvius.

When most Americans think of Italian food, they’re usually thinking of the dishes of Naples and Sorrento - spaghetti with tomato and basil, mozzarella and pizza are all from this area. Here’s your chance to try the “real thing!” (B)

DAY 10 Sorrento, Capri, Sorrento
This morning you’ll be taken to Capri, the world’s most enchanting island.You can explore to your hearts content on your own or your tour conductor may have other ideas. You’ll be as captivated by Capri as Emperor Tiberius who used the Blue Grotto as his personal swimming pool.

Tonight, still glowing from the sun, it’s time to enjoy another fine gastronomic experience.(B)

DAY 11 Sorrento, Pompeii, Naples, Rome
Pompeii - an entire city perfectly preserved as it was on that fateful day almost 2,000 years ago, when ash and lava literally stopped it in its tracks. You’ll see the tragic fossils of people attempting to escape along with their children and dogs.

Late this morning, we continue on to Naples. We enjoy a brief panoramic tour of this beautiful city.

A few hours later, we enter the gates of Rome and settle into our hotel.(B)

DAY 12 Rome, Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, Afternoon at Leisure
This morning we visit Vatican City, “headquarters” for more than a billion Catholics worldwide. We begin at the Vatican Museum, a treasure trove of sculptures, paintings and tapestries. Our visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, the room where the pope is elected. We enter in total silence, not wanting to disturb Michelangelo’s famed frescoes, depicting stories from the Bible and the “End of Times.” You’ll be fascinated by which of Michelangelo’s contemporaries he assigned to heaven and which to hell.

We’ll also visit St. Peter’s Basilica. We’ll see Michelangelo’s Pieta, sculpted when he was just 24, and Bernini’s seven-story bronze canopy soaring high above the main altar.

This afternoon, Rome is all yours! Tonight, may we suggest fettuccine alla romana; alla’amatriciana with bacon and paprika; spaghetti alla carbonara; roast lamb with garlic and rosemary; stuffed artichokes….. is your appetite whet yet? Tonight, treat yourself to one of Rome’s fine restaurants for a fabulous dinner.(B)

DAY 13 Rome City Sightseeing, Afternoon at Leisure
Hail Caesar! All aboard our chariot for a panoramic tour of Imperial Rome including the Roman Forum, Largo Argentina, the Jewish Ghetto and the Circus Maximus.

Then we’ll enter the Colosseum, reliving the brutal entertainment of the gladiators and the lions, refereed by the Emperor himself.

Tonight’s dinner decision is easy for dining aficionados. Just in case though, your tour director will be happy to offer suggestions for your final dinner in Italia. Arrivederci, Roma! (B)

DAY 14 Flight Home
This morning we board our flight home. No tears. You’ll exchange e-mails with your new friends and make plans for the future. How about we all meet again on a Perillo Tour to Italy! (B)

This is the tour for food lovers who prefer to dine on their own! Many of you have requested a tour where you have the freedom to explore the culinary delights that Italy offers. This is that tour! Of course, your tour guide will have a multitude of dining suggestions featuring local restaurants and trattorias. This itinerary is exactly the same as our 14-day Italy North Classic, but dinners are not included. A full buffet breakfast is included daily.

• Great Hotels. Centrally-located, First-Class, exclusively.
• Smaller Groups. 20-to-40 guests per tour.
• More Legroom. Deluxe, state-of-the-art motorcoaches with EXTRA legroom.
• Airport Transfers. Arrival and departure transfers in Italy.
• Buffet Breakfast Daily. A very hearty start to each day!
• Wine Tasting. Vineyard tour and wine tasting.
• Wireless Headsets to hear your guide clearly and distinctly in public places.
• 1 Tote Bag Per Person, baggage tags and travel documents included.
• Baggage Handling. Never touch your bag! (except at airports).
• Hotel Taxes, Hotel Service Charges and All Tips for hotel and restaurant personnel.
• Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides.

Milan: Hotel Manin
Venice: Hotel Bonvecchaiti
Florence: Hotel Rivoli
Sorrento: Hotel Corallo
Rome: Ambasciatori Palace

• Circumstances may change the day and/or sequence of scheduled activities, as well as the substitution of hotels, events, shows, sightseeing, itinerary, restaurants, hosts, etc.
• Rates are per person and include roundtrip airport transfers in Italy at scheduled times.
• Please ask your Vacations To Go travel counselor for more information.

* The prices shown are U.S. dollars per person, based on double occupancy, and subject to availability. Prices quoted for land/cruise arrangements are subject to increase without notice. Once we have received your deposit, land/cruise prices are guaranteed. Air prices quoted via phone or email are subject to increase and are guaranteed only from the time that full payment is received. Also, air prices or air promotions mentioned on this site or on the phone do not include baggage fees imposed by airlines. Sorry, we are unable to offer air from countries other than the U.S. However, for those international customers who are able to arrange their own transportation to the trip origination city, we are able to offer the land/cruise portion of the package, at the price quoted.