Compare Food and Wine: The EuroChocolate Festival of Italy by Go Ahead Tours vs Venice, Florence and Rome by Viandando Luxury Travel

Day 1: Travel day

Board your overnight flight to Florence today.

Day 2: Arrival in Florence

Meals:Dinner

Welcome to Italy! Meet your fellow travelers at tonight’s welcome dinner.

Day 3: Sightseeing tour of Florence

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Set off to see Florence, the city at the center of the Renaissance with a local guide.

• Visit the Duomo, Florence’s legendary cathedral

• Pass Giotto’s Campanile, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture

• Step inside the Basilica of Santa Croce, the burial site of many illustrious Italians, including Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo

• See the medieval Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo della Signoria, center of Florentine life

This evening, join a local chef for a cooking class where you’ll make pasta by hand, create two kinds of bruschetta and craft tiramisu for dessert. Eat your creations for dinner with accompanying wines.

Day 4: Free day in Florence

Meals: Breakfast

Enjoy a full free day in Florence or add excursions.

Optional Excursion - Medieval Lucca & the Flavors of the Countryside $119*pp

Optional Excursion - Fiesole Villa Dinner $95*pp

Day 5: Siena via San Gimignano

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Included entrances: Wine tasting

En route to the enchanting city of Siena, stop in San Gimignano, “the city of beautiful towers.”

• Explore the small medieval town of San Gimignano on your own

• Sample some of the region’s fine wines and olive oils at a winery

• Arrive in Siena for this evening’s included dinner

Day 6: Montalcino & Siena

Meals: Breakfast, Light lunch

Included entrances: Wine tasting

Today, you’ll visit a winery and explore the vibrant cities of Montalcino and Siena

• Spend free time wandering the streets of Montalcino

• Taste three acclaimed Brunello grape wines and enjoy a light lunch

• Return to Siena, where a local guide shows you Siena Cathedral, home to major works of art by Donatello and Pisano, and the adjoining Piccolomini Library

• Stroll Siena’s medieval streets, stopping at the historic Piazza del Campo

Perugia2 nights Hotel info

Day 7: Perugia via Cortona & Lake Trasimeno

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Continue your travelers across the Tuscan landscape and into Umbria as you head toward Perugia.

• Explore the hillside town of Cortona on your own before visiting the Museum of the Etruscan Academy, home to an impressive collection of Etruscan artifacts

• Visit Lake Trasimeno, where Hannibal battled the Romans

• Enjoy a lunch of traditional Umbrian specialties

Day 8: Sightseeing tour of Perugia & EuroChocolate Festival

Meals: Breakfast

Set out on a guided tour of Perugia, the medieval town known for its Etruscan Arch before indulging in the famous (and delicious) festivities.

• See the Palazzo dei Priori, a medieval palace dating back to 1298, and the Cathedral of San Lorenzo

• Wander the tunnels of Rocca Paolina, Perugia’s historic underground city

• Savor chocolate delicacies while perusing the many chocolate “exhibits” on display at the EuroChocolate Festival

Day 9: Rome via Orvieto

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Journey across Umbrian valleys en route to Rome.  Stop along the way in the Etruscan town of Orvieto for a wine tasting and lunch. Later, arrive in Rome in time for a farewell drink with your fellow travelers.

Day 10: Departure

Meals: Breakfast (excluding early morning departures)

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or extend your stay to further explore the city of Rome.

Day 1: Arrival At Venice Airport And Private Transfer To Your Accommodation

Arrival at Venice International airport and transfer to your accommodation. Rest of the day at your leisure for resting and relaxing.

Day 2: Venice Wine Tour

Enjoy our Venice Wine tour. During this fascinating 2-hour walking tour of Venice, you’ll receive an insider’s glimpse into the lives and habits of authentic Venetians while visiting a favorite local Venetian hangout: winebars called baccari (or bacari). After meeting your guide in the center of Venice, you will wind through streets and over secondary canals as you learn more about lesser-known legends and hidden places off the beaten track. See unforgettable landmarks, and experience Venice as few visitors do! Your private walking and wine-tasting tour includes stops in two baccari (winebars) that are filled to the brim with Venetians at the classic aperitivo time of 7pm. At the winebar, crowded with locals, you can sip a bubbly Prosecco or a smooth Soave and devour a cicchetto, a local Venetian snack, while your expert local guide tells you more about the traditional cuisine, native wines, history, and assorted lore. Some typical cicchettos are small pieces of toast with baccala, tiny meatballs, hardboiled eggs filled with anchovies, or pieces of fried, seasonal vegetables. This tour is perfect before lunch or dinner. After the tour, you guide will be happy to suggest a great local restaurant for lunch or dinner where you can continue discovering this authentic side Venice!

Day 3: Murano And Burano Tour

Morning dedicated to the visit of the amazing islands of Murano and Burano. First stop is Murano. This island, where all of Venice’s glass factories have been located since the 13th-century, is the most famous place for glassmaking in the entire world – and for good reason, as you’ll see soon. You’ll stop at an authentic glassmaking factory, which we’ve handpicked both for its history and quality. Then you will continue to Burano, a working fisherman’s island, famous for its brightly painted buildings. Return to Venice around lunch time and afternoon at your leisure.

Day 4: Private Transfer To Venice Station, High – Speed Train To Florence And Transfer To Your Accommodation

Following breakfast and check out your private boat driver will meet you at your hotel and take you to Venice station. Catch your high – speed train to Florence. Upon arrival transfer to your accommodation

PRIVATE GUIDED TOUR OF FLORENCE WITH ACCADEMIA GALLERY

Start your Florentine sojourn with a guided orientation walk to admire the most important Florentine sites: the Cathedral with its Giotto Bell Tower, Piazza della Signoria with the Palazzo Vecchio and the Ponte Vecchio knowing for its gleaming gold shops. The tour also includes the visit of the Accademia Gallery that houses the David by Michelangelo.

Day 5: Cooking Class Followed By Lunch And Leisure Time In San Gimignano

Following breakfast your private driver will meet at your accommodation and take you to a lovely agriturismo immersed in a magnificent Tuuscan landscape. Enjoy a fun cooking class and learn all the secrets to prepare a full delicious Tuscan Menu. At the end of your class enjoy the fruits of your labour accompanied by the great wines produced at the Estate. In the afternoon take the chance to visit San Gimignano an enchanting hilly town known as the “medieval Manhattan” for its striking skyline, which outlines thirteen medieval watchtowers. Return to Florence late afternoon and overnight stay.

Day 6: Guided Visit Of The Uffizi Gallery And Palazzo Vecchio

Today enjoy a guided visit of the incredible Uffizi Gallery – one of the world’s oldest museums and one of the most important art collections anywhere. With works by Raphael, da Vinci, Botticelli and Caravaggio.This tour also visits the Palazzo Vecchio; one-time home to the Medici family. Here you’ll visit the Council of 500, made famous by Dan Brown and Michelangelo. Afternoon at your leisure.

Day 7: High – Speed Train To Rome And Trastevere Food Tour

Following breakfast and check out take your high – speed train to Rome. Upon arrival transfer to your accommodation. Late afternoon enjoy our Twilight Trastevere Food Tour. On this guided 4-hour walking food tour we explore this photogenic neighborhood by night. You’ll sample a sumptuous blend of Italian classics like pizza and pasta, real Roman street food, less-known meats and cheeses, and amazing wine in a secret cellar – its history will blow you away. Few activities in Rome deliver as many hidden surprises and enchanting moments as this, so be sure to join us for an unforgettable night in one of our favorite neighbourhoods in Rome. Take advantage of Rome’s vibrant nightlife by walking through the streets of Trastevere with a local.

Day 8: Underground Imperial Rome Tour

Enjoy a VIP tour of the Colosseum Underground & Arena Floor! Feel the fear and hear the roars of the crowd above you as you enjoy this full Colosseum Underground tour. Stepping beneath the arena floor, you’ll walk in the footsteps of gladiators who waited here before battle. As you tour the tunnels, your guide will tell you about the real life of gladiators before taking you back up to the arena floor. Walk out onto a recreation of the stage where the fighting took place and be blown away by the most impressive view of the Colosseum (seen by so few!). After your Colosseum and Colosseum Underground tour, you’ll experience the very heart of Ancient Rome: the Roman Forum. Here was where Rome ruled its empire of untold political and cultural influence—and of more than 2.5 million square miles and 65 million people. At the Palatine Hill you’ll discover the origins of Ancient Rome. Legend has it that this is the spot where Remus and Romulus were found by the she-wolf and where they battled to decide which would have the privilege of building their own town. Hear how this legendary battle impacted the world you know today (your very own life even!) We owe the Ancient Romans more than you’d believe!

Day 9: Small Group Early Bird Vatican Museums Tour

This morning enjoy our Pristine Sistine Early entrance Small group Vatican Tour (the tour starts at 07.15 am). Enter the museums before the general public to see the Sistine Chapel at a quieter time. See the best of the Vatican City in under four hours. With a guided tour of the Sistine Chapel, a Vatican Museums tour (including the Raphael Rooms) and a St. Peter’s Basilica tour, you’ll cover all the bases. Engage with the art and architecture of the Vatican. Our guides are passionate art experts, full of stories and familiar with even the smallest details of these massive museums. The tour will end around 11.00 am. Rest of the day at your leisure.

10: Fly Back Home

Following breakfast and check out your private driver will take you to Naples International airport to catch your flight back home.