The Aristocrat

Great Hotels. Centrally-located, First-Class & Deluxe hotels, exclusively.

Smaller Groups. 20-to-40 guests per tour.

Airport Transfers. Arrival and departure transfers in Italy.

Buffet Breakfast Daily. A very hearty start to each day!

5 Dinners. Including pasta or soup, choice of entrees, vegetable, salad, dessert, coffee, wine, mineral water, beer or soft drink.

Wine Tasting. Vineyard tour and wine tasting.

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.

Day 1 - Depart USA
Boarding your overnight flight, we're off for the adventure of a lifetime!

Day 2 - Arrive in Venice, Afternoon Free, Dinner Out
Benvenuti a Venezia! We are pleased to offer complimentary motorboat transfers from the Venice airport to your hotel at scheduled times. Your Perillo representative will be at the airport to greet you.

Your tour guide will be on hand to preview the exciting trip ahead. Then we’ll enjoy a ‘get- acquainted’ dinner at a fine restaurant just steps from St. Mark’s Square.
Meals: D

Day 3 - Venice, City Sightseeing, Murano Glass Factory Visit
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?”

Dinner is on your own tonight and there are lots of great choices around your hotel. Even Hemingway’s famous “Harry’s Bar” is just around the corner! Your guide will be happy to make suggestions.
Meals: BB

Day 4 - Venice, Padua, Florence, Dinner in Hotel
This morning it’s back to the mainland where we’ll meet our dependable driver for the ride to Florence. But on the way we’ll make a memorable stop.

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.

Tonight we’ll enjoy dinner at our hotel. A toast (brindisi) to Florence and our new traveling friends! Meals: BB, D

Day 5 - Florence, Sightseeing including 'The David', Dinner Out
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.

Tonight, please be our guest at a fine local Florentine restaurant with flowing wines and great friends!
Meals: BB, D

Day 6 - Florence, Siena , Wine Tasting in Tuscany
While the ambitious city of Florence was launching the Rennaissance, Siena was her “laid back” country cousin. Just 30 miles south of Florence, she is considered the best preserved medeival city in Italy.

Our guided tour will include the elaborately carved Gothic cathedral, Town Hall and Piazza del Campo-site of the famous Palio horse race. You’ll have time for lunch on your own, shopping and a little more exploration.

This afternoon we’ll visit a typical Tuscan winery to learn about the grape, the “nose,” food pairings and more importantly-which glass to use! Cin-Cin!

Tonight, it’s dinner on your own in Florence.
Meals: BB

Day 7 - Morning Drive to Rome, St. Peter’s Basilica, Imperial Rome & the Colosseum, Dinner in Hotel
This morning we enjoy our drive south to Rome through Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio - the “green heart” of Italy.

This afternoon we visit St. Peter’s Basilica. We’ll see Michelangelo’s Pieta and Bernini’s seven- story bronze canopy above the main altar.

Next we board our coach for a panoramic tour of “Imperial Rome” including Castel Sant’Angelo, 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, we rejoin the 21st century with a satisfying dinner at our hotel.

Meals: BB, D

Day 8 - Rome, The Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel
This morning, with our expert local guide, we’ll tour the Vatican Museums - a treasure trove of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures, tapestries and Renaissance paintings. 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.

Your tour guide will have some great suggestions for dinner on your own in Rome.
Meals: BB

Day 9 - Rome, Full Day of Leisure, Dinner Out
A free day in Rome! But don’t sleep in too late – there’s much to do and see! Ask your tour guide for suggestions.

Why not start with an espresso in Piazza Navona, toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return and stroll across the Tiber for another look at the Vatican. Rome is a great city for walking, shopping and people watching.

Tonight is our last dinner together. No tears. You’ll exchange e-mails with your new friends and make plans for the future
Meals: BB, D

Day 10 - Flight Home, Rome, USA
This morning we board our flight home, arriving in the USA the same day. While we say “arrivederci” to Italy, we realize we’re taking a little piece of it back home with us.

Thanks for traveling with the Perillo family and please return soon. Meals: BB

Touring Date	Land Only	Land + Air	Single (Land Only)	Single (Land + Air)
5/28/2012 - 6/6/2012	$3,890
6/11/2012 - 6/20/2012	$3,890
6/25/2012 - 7/4/2012	$3,890
7/9/2012 - 7/18/2012	$3,890
7/16/2012 - 7/25/2012	$3,890
7/23/2012 - 8/1/2012	$3,890
8/13/2012 - 8/22/2012	$3,690
9/3/2012 - 9/12/2012	$3,990
9/10/2012 - 9/19/2012	$3,990
9/17/2012 - 9/26/2012	$3,990
9/24/2012 - 10/3/2012	$3,990
10/1/2012 - 10/10/2012	$3,890
10/8/2012 - 10/17/2012	$3,890
Note: Departures appearing above in green are guaranteed to operate by the tour operator.
Airfare Disclaimer A NOTE ABOUT AIRFARE: We encourage you to buy your airfare from the tour operator, because if your tour cancels then your airlines tickets will be covered. Purchasing flights separately at a lesser rate and incorporating it with a Non-Guaranteed Departure Date can result in loss of total cost of your flight investment. Depending on the fare rules, flights may be Non-Refundable and/or Non-Transferable. Neither the tour operator and/or Atlas Cruises & Tours will be held responsible for loss if a tour is cancelled for Lack of Participation. If you would like to check for discounted fares on Guaranteed Departures or for competitive pricing on air and hotel packages, we invite you to follow this link. Documents TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Necessary Travel Documents such as Passports and Visas is the responsibility of the traveler. Passports must be valid six months from your return travel date.

Deluxe, state-of-the-art motorcoaches with EXTRA legroom.

Vineyard tour and wine tasting included.

Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides.

Wireless Headsets to hear your guide clearly and distinctly in public places.

All tour prices are per person, in US dollars, based on double occupancy.

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