Enticing Italy
From Milan to Sicily

Welcome to Italy! After arriving in Milan, you'll have individual transfers to the Grand Hotel Dino in Baveno, where you'll spend two relaxing nights in rooms with amazing views. 

In the evening, enjoy a welcome drink with the Big Journey Tour Manager and your fellow travellers, followed by a delicious dinner. 

Start your day with a scenic boat ride on Lake Maggiore to the enchanting Isola Bella. Enjoy a guided tour, aperitivo, and access to the stunning Palazzo Borromeo and its magnificent Baroque gardens.

The afternoon and evening are yours to relax and explore at your leisure. Dinner is also at your leisure, with plenty of options to discover in the area.

After breakfast, we’ll depart Lake Maggiore and head to Milan for a panoramic morning tour.

Then, we journey east to the romantic city of Verona, where we’ll check into our hotel for two nights. In the afternoon, explore Verona on a guided walking tour, discovering the charming streets of Romeo and Juliet’s city.

The evening is free to enjoy dinner at your own pace.

Today, we board a high-speed train to Venice. Upon arrival, meet our guide for a walking tour through Venice’s iconic streets and canals.

You’ll have a 24-hour ACTV Travelcard for unlimited water-bus rides, giving you the freedom to explore at your leisure.

After lunch and some free time, we’ll return to Verona by train.

Dinner is on your own.

Our journey continues south as we head to Bologna, renowned for its exceptional cuisine.

Enjoy free time to explore or shop before we depart for Tuscany, where the breathtaking landscape welcomes us to the spa town of Montecatini Terme for a three-night stay.

The evening concludes with a group dinner at our hotel.

After a short train ride, we arrive in Florence for a guided morning walking tour of the city’s rich history and Renaissance beauty.

The rest of the day is yours to explore Florence at your own pace, with an afternoon treat of Italian gelato from a famous local shop, courtesy of our Tour Manager. We’ll return to Montecatini in the evening, where dinner is at your leisure.

Following breakfast we will board our coach for a full day tour to Pisa and Lucca.

First stop will be Lucca for a walking tour of this highly attractive entirely-walled Renaissance town. Walking through the historical centre along the cobblestone streets we will see the Casa di Puccini, where the great opera composer was born which is now a house museum.

There will be time for lunch before we board the coach again and head off to Pisa. We will meet our guide for a tour of the Campo dei Miracoli (Miracles Square) comprising Duomo, Baptistry and the famous Leaning Tower, to which entrance is included for those who want to climb the steps!

Enjoy an evening at leisure.

On our way to Rome, we’ll stop at a renowned Chianti vineyard for a delightful wine-tasting experience, hosted by a sommelier and paired with local snacks.

Arriving in Rome, we’ll check in for a three-night stay at the Hotel Villa Pamphili, where each room features a private balcony. The evening is free for you to explore the culinary scene at your own pace.

Today, enjoy a guided tour of Ancient Rome, including the Colosseum and Roman Forum, with our private coach.

The rest of the day and evening are free for leisure, with our coach available for any dinner plans.

Experience the Vatican Museums with ease! We offer skip-the-line tickets and audio guides for a hassle-free visit. If you're interested, simply let us know in advance, and we’ll arrange everything before your tour.

**Optional Entrance to the Vatican Museums: €49.00 per person, which includes skip-the-line tickets and audio guides. Please note that availability is subject to confirmation at the time of booking.

Spend the rest of the day at your own pace. In the evening, join us for a special farewell dinner featuring drinks and a surprise performance. 

Today we will leave Rome and journey over to the island of Sicily.   We will depart the hotel by coach and transfer to Rome Airport for our short flight to Catania, a city located on the eastern part of the island.  On arrival, we will board our waiting coach, meet up with our fellow travellers who arrived yesterday and drive north, along the coast, to the world famous hill-top resort of Taormina.

Tonight we will enjoy and welcome drink and get-together, followed by dinner in a local restaurant/trattoria.

This morning we will visit Taormina's greatest tourist attraction, Teatro Greco, a Greco-Roman theatre built into a rocky hillside. Although generally known as the 'Greek' Theatre, Taormina's historic open-air theatre owes much of its present appearance to the Romans. Designed with an unsurpassable backdrop of blue sea, coastline, distant smoking Etna, and inland mountains, we will wander around the theatre complex, the stage and backstage areas, as well see panoramic views from the curving rows of seats.

After some free time to get some lunch, we will depart by coach for a guided excursion to Mount Etna which is among Europe’s tallest (and the world’s most active) volcanoes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013, the volcano has shaped Sicilian history and continues to impact life on the island today. We will ascend the volcano by coach to Piazzale Rifugio Sapienza (6200ft). For those who wish to ascend further to around 8200ft there is the option of a cable-car/funicular (payable direct).**

Back at the hotel, the evening is at leisure.

(**This does not take you as far as the crater which is further uphill)

We depart after breakfast towards Agrigento, one of Sicily's finest ancient cities. On the way we will stop at Piazza Armerina, a pretty and historic town nestled in the heart of Sicily.   Whilst here we will visit the truly astonishing classical mosaics at the Villa Romana del Casale, an important Unesco World Heritage Site due to its containing the most complex and largest collection of Roman mosaics in the world - there are 3535 square metres of them.  We will continue to our hotel in Agrigento.

Dinner will be together this evening in a local restaurant.

We depart after breakfast for a guided tour of the Valley of the Temples, a magnificent collection of seven ancient Greek temples from the 6th and 5th centuries BC and Sicily's most enthralling archaeological site. The most well-preserved and striking of them, the Concordia, is arguably the best-preserved temple in the world outside the Hephaistion in Athens.

From here we will head north to Monreale, a historic hill-town just outside Palermo, a picturesque place most famous for the fine mosaics in the town's great Norman cathedral which we will tour and visit. The cathedral and cloisters at Monreale are frequently cited as the island's greatest Norman buildings. The upper part of the cathedral's interior is completely covered in gleaming gold mosaics; more than 6,000 square metres of mosaic.

Continue to Palermo and our hotel for the next 3 nights.  The evening is at leisure.

This morning we will have a guided visit and backstage tour of the famous Teatro Massimo - Sicily's premier opera/concert theatre with its stunning interiors and detailed exterior. It is the biggest in Italy, and one of the largest in Europe, renowned for its excellent acoustics and holds over 1,300 seats. Then we will visit the Palazzo dei Normanni (Royal Palace) and the Cappella Palatina. Home to Sicily's regional parliament, this venerable palace dates back to the 9th century. However, it owes its current look (and name) to a major Norman makeover, during which spectacular mosaics were added to its royal apartments and magnificent chapel, the Cappella Palatina. Visits to the apartments take in the mosaic-lined Sala dei Venti, and Sala di Ruggero II, King Roger's 12th-century bedroom.

The rest of the day and evening is at leisure.

This morning we have a treat in store - a guided visit and tour of one of Palermo's historic open-air markets. A Palermitan street market is a cacophony of sights, sounds and scents and the tradition dates from the 9th century Saracen rule of the island, which explains their striking similarity to Arab souqs. They are a great place to soak up some local atmosphere even if you don't actually buy anything, but you'll have to know where to find them, hidden as they are from the main streets - that's why we recommend you tag along on this tour.

Tonight we will enjoy a Farewell Dinner together in a local restaurant.

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye.  We have arranged transfers to Palermo airport for your flight home.