23 Days in Italy 2011

7 nights in Rome

Apartment: Rondanini

1. Wednesday:

· Metropolitano train to Trastevere Station, Trolley to Piazza Argentina, Bus to Piazza delle Cinque Terre

· Check in to apartment

· Pantheon

· Galleria Doria Pamphilj – Velasquez, Titian, Rubens, Caravaggio

· Santa Maria sopra Minerva

· Piazza della Minerva Obelisk - Bernini

· Buy Roma Passes

· Piazza Navonna – Bernini fountains – Four Rivers and Fontana del Moro

2. Thursday:

· Start 3 days of Roma Pass

· Colosseum Upper and Lower levels tour: 1 pm – 1.5 hours

· Palatine Hill and Museum

· Roman Forum

3. Friday:

· Baths of Diocletian – with the combined National Museum ticket, BUT – the National Museum closed due to strike

· Santa Maria degli Angeli (the baths main hall was used as the nave)

· Palazzo Barbarini

· Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini

· Capitoline Museums

4. Saturday:

· Galleria Borghese 11:00 reservation

· Thru the Villa Borghese Gardens to…

· …National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia

· Husband and wife sarcophagus

· Church of Santa Maria del Popolo

· Caravaggio – The Conversion on the way to Damascus, and Crucifixion of St. Peter

· Dolce Vita stroll from Piazza del Popolo to Victor Emmanuel Monument

· Mausoleum of Augustus – 28BC landmark, no entry

· Ara Pacis

5. Sunday:

· Bus #118 – outside the Circus Maximus Metro stop to…

· Catacombs of San Callisto - 30 minute tour

· Appian Way – lunch at the Appia Antica Caffe

· Catacombs of San Domitilla at 2:00

6. Monday:

· Church of San Luigi dei Francesi - Caravaggio

· Church of Sant’Agostino – Caravaggio

· St. Peter’s Basilica 1:15 – 3:30

· Trastevere walk from Santa Maria in Trastevere to the Jewish Ghetto

· Jewish Ghetto walk

· Ponte Sant’Angelo at night

7. Tuesday

· The Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel

5 nights in Sorrento

Hotel: Palazzo Guardati

8. Wednesday:

· 10:00 am - Trenitalia from Rome to Naples – 1 hr 10min

· Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sorrento

· Walking tour around Sorrento

9. Thursday:

· Pompeii

10. Friday:

· Naples Archeology museum

11. Saturday:

· Herculaneum

12. Sunday:

· Bus ride from Sorrento to Amalfi

· Bus from Amalfi to Ravello

· Tourist Bus from Ravello back to Amalfi

· Ferry from Amalfi to Sorrento

2 nights in Orvieto

Hotel: Hotel Duomo

13. Monday:

· Drive from Sorrento to Tivoli

· Hadrian’s Villa

· Drive to Orvieto

14. Tuesday:

· Orvieto Underground Tour

· Il Duomo – Cappella di San Brizio

· Pozzo di San Patrizio

· Pozzo della Cava

· Musei Archeologici Faina e Civico

2 nights in Montepulciano

Hotel: Il Marzocco

15. Wednesday:

· Drive from Orvieto to Montepulciano

· Walking tour

· La Foce garden tour

· Bagno Vignano

16. Thursday:

· Driving tour around Val d’Orcia

· San Biagio

· San Q’uerico

· St. Antimo Abbey

· Pienza – tour Pope Pius II’s palace

1 night in San Gimignano

Hotel: B&B Palazzo Al Torrione

17. Friday:

· Drive to San Gimignano

· Museo Civico & climb the Torre Grossa

1 night in Lucca

Hotel: Hotel Diana

18. Saturday:

· Drive to Pisa

· See the leaning tower, tour the Duomo and Baptistry

· Drive to Lucca

· Rent bikes

4 nights in Venice

Hotel: Palazzo Guardi

19. Sunday:

· drive to Venice

· Vaporetto on Grand Canal

· Correr & National Archeology Museum

20. Monday:

· Doge’s Palace Secret Itineraries Tour – 10:45am 1.5 hours

21. Tuesday:

· Basilica San Marco – reserved entry between 10:45 & 10:55

· Free guided tour 11:00am

22. Wednesday:

· Rialto Markets – sightseeing and shopping

· Guggenheim Museum (audioguide 7€ and worth it)

1 night at Milan Malpensa

Hotel: First Hotel

23. Thursday:

· Venice Campanile

· Scuolo San Rocco

· Vaporetto down Grand Canal

· 4:20 Train to Milan, bus to Malpensa, shuttle to hotel