GLOBUS 2009: ITALIAN TREASURES (ZK)

2009: Globus Europe Vacations

11 days incl. air, or 10 days from Rome to Rome

This Italy vacation includes not only highlight cities like Rome, Florence, and Venice, but also overnight stays in Lucca and St. Francis' Assisi. You receive guided sightseeing tours in the major cities - Rome, Florence, and Venice. These guided tours include all major sights, such as St. Peter's, the Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum in Rome; Michelangelo's David in Florence; St. Mark's and the Doges' Palace with the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, which you enter by private boat; and St. Francis and St. Clare's Basilicas in Assisi. However, this vacation offers even more: a special welcome dinner in a lively Roman restaurant, visits to San Gimignano and Siena, famous for the biannual, medieval-style horse race, the Palio, and stops at Verrazzano Castle to learn about the famous Chianti wine. In Verona, enjoy a walking tour and take pictures of Juliet's balcony. You also travel along the picturesque coastline to Ravenna and admire the mosaics in the 6th-century Basilica of St. Apollinaris in Classe. Stop in Orvieto, which you access by riding a funicular right through its ramparts! You'll have memories to last a lifetime from this vacation featuring the Italian Treasures.

Special Departure:
December 21 - Christmas Eve in Lucca

HOTELS
Rome Cicerone (SF) or Crowne Plaza St. Peter's (F), Lucca Grand Hotel Guinigi (F), Florence Sheraton Firenze (SF), Venice All'Angelo (F), Assisi San Francesco, Rome NH Villa Carpegna (F) or Crowne Plaza St. Peter's (F)

Call (559) 686-1631 for more information or to book today! Mention code 7482256

Tour Operator

Globus

Duration

11 Days

Escorted

Escorted - Yes

Itinerary

Day	Destination	Description
Day 1	Board your overnight transatlantic flight	Board your overnight transatlantic flight.
Day 2	Rome	Time to rest or start exploring the "Eternal City" on your own. At 6 pm, meet your Tour Director and traveling companions and leave the hotel for a special welcome dinner with wine at one of Rome's lively restaurants. (D)
Day 3	Rome	Sightseeing with your Local Guide starts with a visit to the VATICAN MUSEUMS and SISTINE CHAPEL, world famous for Michelangelo's ceiling paintings and The Last Judgement. Continue to monumental ST. PETER'S SQUARE and BASILICA. Cross the Tiber and visit the COLOSSEUM and the ROMAN FORUM, where Roman legions marched in triumph. Time for independent activities and exciting optional excursion possibilities. (B)
Day 4	Rome-Pisa-Lucca	This morning, head north along the Tyrrhenian coastline through an area where many a town was founded at the very beginning of recorded history by the mysterious, highly civilized Etruscans. Stop in Pisa for lunch and to take pictures of its Leaning Tower, 180 feet high and no less than 12 feet out of the perpendicular. Then, continue to Lucca, and enjoy an orientation walk and time to explore this pretty town on your own. (B,D)
Day 5	Lucca-San Gimignano-Siena-Florence	A scenic day in Tuscany. Morning visit to hilltop San Gimignano, the most picturesque of Italy's perfectly preserved medieval towns. On to Siena for a leisurely lunchtime break and a walk through ancient narrow lanes to beautiful PIAZZA DEL CAMPO, theater of the biannual Palio, Siena's spectacular medieval-style horse race. In the afternoon, drive along the Chianti Road leading from Siena due north to Florence. On the way, call at splendid VERRAZZANO CASTLE to hear about the fine art of blending four types of grapes to obtain the famous Chianti. Enjoy a WINE TASTING, accompanied by local specialties. Why not try the culinary delights of a fine Florentine restaurant tonight? (B)
Day 6	Florence	During your walking tour with a Local Guide, visit the ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS with Michelangelo's celebrated David and the magnificent CATHEDRAL. Admire Giotto's Bell Tower, the Baptistry's heavy bronze "Gate of Paradise," and sculpture-studded SIGNORIA SQUARE. Afternoon free for independent sightseeing and browsing through the shops. Leather goods and gold jewelry sold by the ounce are attractive buys. (B,D)
Day 7	Florence-Verona-Venice	Stop in Verona, setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to see Juliet's Balcony and the Arena, an incredibly well-preserved pink marble Roman amphitheater. Built in the 1st century AD, it is now the magical venue for world-famous opera performances. Tonight you are in Venice, a powerful magnet for romantics and art lovers from around the globe. Enter in style by PRIVATE BOAT. (B)
Day 8	Venice	Morning sightseeing with your Local Guide features ST. MARK'S SQUARE and the byzantine BASILICA, lavish DOGES' PALACE and the BRIDGE OF SIGHS. Also watch skilled GLASSBLOWERS fashion their delicate objects in an age-old traditional manner. Then, enjoy Venice at your own pace or join an optional gondola ride. Tonight is your chance to sample the city's fine restaurants. (B)
Day 9	Venice-Ravenna-Assisi	Along the coastline of the Adriatic Sea to Ravenna. Here, see the famous mosaics in the 6th-century Basilica of ST. APOLLINARIS IN CLASSE. In the afternoon, arrive in Assisi. During your walking tour with a Local Guide, visit the CHURCH of ST. CLARE and the BASILICA of ST. FRANCIS, the hub of a religious order devoted to the ideals of humility, forgiveness, simplicity, and love for all God's creatures. Hear about monastic life and view the priceless frescoes adorning the walls of the church. (B,D)
Day 10	Assisi-Orvieto-Rome	Following the Tiber Valley, reach Orvieto, perched high atop a volcanic rock. Access, denied to many a would-be conqueror through the ages, is easy for you. Ride a modern FUNICULAR right through the forbidding ramparts. Time for lunch, browsing through tempting shops in the lanes off Piazza del Duomo, and finding the right angle for a picture of the fabulous gothic CATHEDRAL. In the late afternoon, return to Rome. Why not join an optional festive dinner at one of Rome's fine restaurants to bid farewell to the companions of a memorable Italian vacation? (B)
Day 11	Your homebound flight arrives the same day	Your homebound flight arrives the same day. (B)

Dates/Pricing

Disclaimer

US$ Price Details

Single room supplement:
$421

Triple room reduction per person:
$38

Extra nights per person in Rome:
Mar.-Apr.: in single room $245, in twin room $180, in triple room $146
May-Apr.'10: in single room $267, in twin room $195, in triple room $160

2010 departures are subject to itinerary and price modification.

Our Volume Buying Power Saves You Money!
-We may be able to provide you with flight arrangements from your gateway city.
-Additional accommodations before or after your tour may be available at our low prices.

Additional Information:
-Departure/arrival taxes and fares from other cities will be advised at the time of booking.
-2008, 2009 & 2010 vacation itineraries and prices are subject to change.

Guaranteed Air-Inclusive Price:
Air-inclusive prices do not include a September 11th fee up to $10, passenger facility charges of up to $18, Federal domestic flight segment fees of up to $3.50 per segment and U.S. and International arrival and departure and other government imposed fees of up to $300 depending on your itinerary. Please see the Applicable Airfare Taxes and Fee link above for more information.

Air booked in conjunction with a land vacation is considered an air-inclusive vacation. Air can only be booked by Globus in conjunction with a land package and is only available for passengers traveling from the United States. For vacation departures in 2008, your final air-inclusive vacation price is guaranteed when your air schedule had been confirmed and your entire vacation package has been paid in full. For vacation departures in 2009, an additional $250 non-refundable deposit (total $500 non-refundable) is required for air booked in conjunction with any land vacation and your final air-inclusive vacation price is guaranteed when your flight information is confirmed and Globus has received your full land and air deposit.

Not Included in the Vacation Price:
Federal inspection fees for the Federal U.S. Customs and Immigrations; International Air Transportation tax; agricultural tax; other per person taxes imposed by government entities; airport taxes and fees including the September 11th Security fee up to $10 per person, Passenger facility charges up to $18 per person, Federal domestic flight segment fees up to $3.50 per segment and U.S. and International arrival and departure, and other government imposed fees up to $300 per person; port taxes; passports; visas and vaccinations; tips to your Tour or Cruise Director, Local Host, driver, Local Guides, and/or ships' crew; gratuities on ferries, trains, and cruise ships; laundry; telephone; minibar; alcohol, beverages, and food outside of the contracted Globus menu as presented at a hotel or restaurant (these extra items will be billed to you before leaving the hotel, ship, or restaurant); optional excursions; airport transfers on non-qualifying flights; porterage at airports and train stations; Travel Protection premiums; all airline imposed baggage fees (including internal flights); and all other items of a personal nature.

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