• Relaxing three-night stay on Lake Maggiore
• Lake region touring, including medieval Orta San Giulio and Stresa
• Cruise to Isola Bella, with palace and gardens tour
• Full-day Cinque Terre excursion featuring Vernazza
• Visit to medieval Lucca
• Beautiful Florence
• Winery visit and tasting
• Majestic Dolomites
• Venice sightseeing
• Outstanding small group accommodations

Day 1: Depart U.S. for Milan, Italy

Day 2: Arrive Milan/Stresa After arriving in Milan, we drive to the international resort of Stresa on lovely Lake Maggiore, straddling the border be­­­tween Italy and Switzerland. This afternoon is at leisure before tonight’s welcome dinner. D

Day 3: Stresa We embark this morning on a cruise to Isola Bella, the beautiful Borromean island in the middle of Lake Maggiore. Fully occupied by 17^th-century Palazzo Borromeo and its extravagantly landscaped gardens, the island offers lovely views of the lake and surrounding mountains. We take a guided tour of the palazzo, with its priceless works of fine art, and stroll through the flower-decked gardens then enjoy lunch together on the nearby Isola dei Pescatori. B,L

Day 4: Stresa/Orta San Giulio This morning we visit the lovely lakeside town of Orta San Giulio – dubbed “God’s watercolor” by Italian writer Piero Chiara – with its cobblestoned streets, 16^th-century town hall, and medieval houses flanking the inviting town square. After lunch on our own here, we return to our hotel for an afternoon at leisure. B

Day 5: Stresa/Barolo/Santa Margherita We leave the Piedmont region today, bound for Santa Margherita and the Cinque Terre. En route, we stop in the village of Barolo for lunch and to sample Barolo, the “king of wines,” at Marchesi di Barolo, Italy’s premier vintner of its greatest wine. We continue on to the Italian Riviera resort town of Santa Margherita, with its palm-lined esplanade overlooking the harbor. Tonight we enjoy dinner together at our hotel. B,L,D

Day 6: Santa Margherita/Portofino This morning we travel by boat to the renowned – and beautiful – resort town of Portofino, a former fishing village where palatial yachts now crowd the port and the good life is celebrated. We have free time to wander the colorful streets and visit the chic boutiques and galleries here before we return to our hotel midday. B

Day 7: Santa Margherita/Cinque Terre/Portovenere We depart this morning by train for the hour-long trip to the Cinque Terre (literally, “Five Lands”), the five cliff-clinging villages seemingly carved from the mountains. Originally medieval fishing villages, the Cinque Terre were inaccessible by land for centuries; even today, no road connects all five. We stop in scenic Vernazza then board a boat for a comfortable cruise along the rugged coastline to visit another village of the Cinque Terre. From here we cruise to the port town of Portovenere, with its cluster of colorful column-shaped houses. After a brief walking tour of the Old Town, we have time to explore and enjoy lunch on our own. We dine together tonight at our hotel. B,D   

Day 8: Santa Margherita/Lucca/Radda-in-Chianti Moving on today, we travel south to beloved Tuscany, stopping first in the atmospheric medieval town of Lucca. We take a walking tour of this incredibly well-preserved gem, whose city walls and ramparts remain intact and a popular attraction. After time for lunch on our own, we continue on to our lodgings. B,D

Day 9: Radda-in-Chianti/Florence We spend today touring and exploring wondrous Florence, a living monu­ment to the Renaissance and crown jewel of Tuscany. Our day includes a guided morning walking tour followed by free time. Together we visit the Galleria dell’Accademia to view Michelangelo’s sublime David and his pieces for the papal tombs; and the Duomo, with its stupendous dome by Brunelleschi. Then we’re free to stroll the 14th-century Ponte Vecchio, with its many jewelry shops; visit renowned museums and churches; shop for leather goods and artful Florentine paper; and to enjoy lunch on our own. We return to our hotel in the mid-afternoon. B

Day 10: Radda-in-Chianti/Siena Today we visit the walled city of Siena, whose historic center is a UNESCO site and whose ochre-colored buildings and ancient ramparts vividly evoke its medieval past. Fan-shaped Piazza del Campo is one of Europe’s greatest public squares; its Duomo, with pillars of black and white marble, is one of Italy’s finest, with masterpieces by Donatello and Michelangelo. Following a guided walking tour that includes an inside visit to the Duomo, we have free time to explore on our own. We return to our hotel late afternoon, with the remainder of the day at leisure. B

Day 11: Radda-in-Chianti/Verona/Bolzano As we travel north today, we stop in storied Verona, renowned as the setting of several Shakespeare plays, including, of course, Romeo and Juliet. A UNESCO site, Verona boasts well-preserved monuments from antiquity, including a 1^st-century Roman amphitheater still in use today, as we see on our guided walking tour. After time for lunch and to explore on our own here, we continue our journey to the South Tyrol, Italy’s German-accented northern reaches bordering Austria and Switzerland. We’re bound for the regional capital of Bolzano, gateway to the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. Late afternoon we reach our hotel, where we dine together tonight. B,D

Day 12: Bolzano Set in a basin surrounded by rounded forest-green hills, Bolzano boasts an enviable quality of life – and truly spectacular scenery. We take a cable car to a spot for views of the 18-peak Dolomites, their vertical walls and sheer cliffs presenting a magnificent backdrop to the surrounding woodlands, valleys, and pastures. Then we walk through Bolzano’s colorful historic center and visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, well known for housing the mummified corpse of Ötzi the Iceman, dating to 3300 BCE. This afternoon is at leisure to enjoy this surprisingly cosmopolitan city as we wish; tonight we dine at a local restaurant. B,D

Day 13: Bolzano/Venice En route to Venice today, we travel through the Dolomites themselves, enjoying jaw-dropping scenery at every turn. When we reach Venice this afternoon, we are free to begin savoring this wondrous city as we wish and enjoy dinner on our own. B,L

Day 14: Venice This morning we take a guided walk through vast St. Mark’s Square. The afternoon is free for independent exploration; tonight we bid “arrivederci” to Italy and to our ­fellow travelers at a farewell dinner. B,D

Day 15: Depart for U.S. We depart early this morning for our connecting flights to the U.S. B

Please note: This trip involves considerable walking up hills or stairs, and on uneven or cobblestone streets. In addition, Italy does not allow buses to enter many historic city centers, meaning that we will be walking to and from our tour bus, which must park in designated areas. You should be in good physical condition to enjoy this trip to the fullest. 

B = Breakfast included L = Lunch included D = Dinner included

• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
• 13 nights’ accommodations in Superior First Class and First Class hotels
• 23 meals: 13 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 7 dinners
• Extensive sightseeing as described, including all ­entrance fees
• Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
• Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip
• Luggage handling for one bag per person
• Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
• $100 frequent traveler credit towards your next ­Odysseys Unlimited tour ($200 after 3 tours; $300 after 10 tours)

2023 Tour Dates & Prices
including international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees

Please call if your city is not listed or for land only prices. Prices are per person based on double occu­pancy and include airline taxes, surcharges, and fees of $579, which are subject to change until final payment is made.

Single travelers please add $1,395. Your $475 deposit is fully refundable up to 95 days prior to departure. All 2023 tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, surcharges, and fees) are guaranteed.

*Accommodations: Days 5-7: Excelsior Palace Hotel (Santa Margherita)

Airline upgrades (subject to availability; pricing subject to change) on round-trip Trans-Atlantic flight: Business Class – $3,995 per person; Premium Economy – $1,395 per person

2024 Tour Dates & Prices
including international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees

Please call if your city is not listed or for land only prices. Prices are per person based on double occu­pancy and include airline taxes, surcharges, and fees of $579, which are subject to change until final payment is made.

Single travelers please add $1,395. Your $475 deposit is fully refundable up to 95 days prior to departure. All tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, surcharges, and fees) are guaranteed.

Airline upgrades (subject to availability; pricing subject to change) on round-trip Trans-Atlantic flight: Business Class – $3,995 per person; Premium Economy – $1,395 per person

Venice – On Your Own

3 days/2 nights for $435 total price
Single Supplement: $325

End your journey with a longer stay in this most beautiful of cities.

Your Tour Price Includes

• 2 nights’ accommodations at Palazzo Veneziano (Superior First Class)
• 2 meals: 2 breakfasts
• Transfer to airport

Please see the Accommodations tab for hotel information.

Beppe Severgnini
La Bella Figura, A Field Guide to the Italian Mind
Italians themselves love this guide to the Italian character, which addresses their never-ending passion for beauty, disorder and high emotion. Severgnini opens the book with a snapshot of the hubbub at Malpensa Airport, then moves on to Tuscany, Rome, Naples and Sardinia.

R.W.B. Lewis
The City of Florence, Historical Vistas and Personal Sightings
A vivid tour of the city and its riches by the fine biographer of Edith Wharton and Henry James. Lewis has written what he calls “a partial biography of Florence,” beautifully interweaving the personal and the historical.

Alice Powers
Italy in Mind
A terrific collection of some of the best literary writing on Italy, including pieces by Melville, Lawrence, Henry James, Mary McCarthy and many others.

Eyewitness Guides
Eyewitness Guide Italy
Another gem in the Eyewitness series, this superb guide is handsome, convenient and up-to-date. Featuring color photography, dozens of excellent local maps and a region-by-region synopsis of the country’s attractions.

National Geographic Maps
Italy Adventure Map
A shaded, color map of Italy, at a scale of 1:1,000,000.

Berndtson & Berndtson
Florence Map
A detailed, plastic-covered city map of Florence at a scale of 1:7,000.

Berndtson & Berndtson
Venice Map
A colorful, detailed city map of Venice, perfect for finding your way around the famously labyrinthine streets and canals.

Waverly Root
The Food of Italy
Evocative of Italy and its diverse cuisine, this classic book, organized geographically, offers a cook’s tour of the country. It’s a well-informed and wonderful culinary guide.

David Gilmour
The Pursuit of Italy
From Cicero to Dante, Giuseppe Verdi and 20th-century Italian politicians, Gilmour traces the history of Italian life and culture.

Roger Crowley
City of Fortune, How Venice Ruled the Seas
Roger Crowley spins tales of three centuries of plunder and plague, imperial conquest and piracy in this riveting new history, chronicling the transformation of a tiny city of lagoon dwellers into the richest place on earth.

Joseph Luzzi
My Two Italies
Award-winning author and scholar Luzzi presents Italy in all its glory and squalor – its artistic magnificence, north-south disunity and its dirty politics and corruption – in this highly personal portrait.

Titus Burckhardt
Siena, City of the Virgin
Burckhardt’s classic portrait includes dozens of illustrations, maps and photographs of architecture and early Renaissance art of Siena.

John Hooper
The Italians
Italy correspondent for The Economist Hooper explores Italy – its baffling contradictions, unique character and contemporary culture – in this illuminating portrait.

Thomas F. Madden
Venice, A New History
With authority, Madden tackles the history of the celebrated city from Roman times onward.

Christopher Hibbert
The House of Medici, Its Rise and Fall
A well-written, entertaining history of the Medicis in Renaissance Florence. Great to read before going to Florence, where the influence of the Medicis and the artists they supported is still very much in evidence.

A. Richard Turner
Renaissance Florence, The Invention of a New Art
A cultural and social history of the city focusing on the great art and famous monuments, featuring vivid color pictures and illustrations.

Dial Parrott
The Genius of Venice, Piazza San Marco and the Making of the Republic
With 112 color illustrations and four maps, the Genius of Venice presents the magnificent buildings of the celebrated piazza as, in the words of John Ruskin, the “living books of history” in this handsome cultural history.

D.H. Lawrence
D.H. Lawrence and Italy
This omnibus Penguin Classics edition includes Lawrence’s three travel tales, each very different in tone and all wonderful: Sea and Sardinia is a nostalgic look at traditional ways of life; Twilight in Italy, an evocation of Lawrence’s memorable stay on Lake Garda; and Etruscan Places, his musings on ancient sites, including the painted tombs of Tarquinia.

Frances Mayes
Every Day in Tuscany, Seasons of an Italian Life
Twenty years later, Mayes is still besotted by Italy – her house, the tumbling geraniums, the people and the food – all lovingly documented in her best memoir yet. With interludes in Portofino, Assisi and Rome and a focus on Renaissance master artist Luca Signorelli.

Jan Morris
The World of Venice
Morris displays her talent for research, telling anecdote and well-wrought prose in this spirited portrait of a beloved city, its history and inhabitants. If you are going to read one book on Venice, we recommend this favorite.

Frank Schaeffer
Portofino, A Novel
Set in the 1960s, this coming-of-age tale follows a young boy’s encounters with the sights and people of the seaside town of Portofino, while he avoids his missionary parents’ constant bickering and their attempts to convert the locals.

Donna Leon
Death at La Fenice
The first of the tremendously good Guido Brunetti mysteries, all set in the author’s beloved Venice, in which a famous conductor is found dead at the celebrated La Fenice theater.