Italy 10-Day Luxury Private Tour

Welcome to Italy. Your driver meets you at Rome airport and takes you to your hotel in the historic center, where you can settle in and rest after the flight. If you feel like a short walk later, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps are close by and much calmer in the evening. A simple dinner of pasta in a neighborhood trattoria is a good first taste of the city. Your local team is a phone call away for anything you need, from restaurant tips to the plan for tomorrow.

Meet your guide in the morning and step into ancient Rome at the Colosseum, then walk the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill, where the emperors built their palaces above the city. Your guide brings the ruins to life and keeps the pace comfortable. After lunch, wander through the old center to the Pantheon, still covered by its vast dome after almost two thousand years, and on to Piazza Navona. The rest of the afternoon is yours for a coffee in the square or a quiet hour at the hotel.

A day for the Vatican, the smallest country in the world. With your guide and pre-booked tickets, walk through the Vatican Museums, past classical sculpture and the Raphael Rooms, to the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s ceiling. Finish in St Peter’s Basilica, whose size is hard to take in at first sight. Shoulders and knees should be covered, and your guide plans around closing days and religious events. The afternoon is free for the cobbled lanes of Trastevere or a slow walk along the Tiber. Dinner tonight is included in a classic Roman restaurant.

After breakfast, your driver takes you to the station for the fast train to Florence, about an hour and a half through the hills of Umbria and Tuscany. Your driver meets you on arrival and takes you to your hotel, where you have time to rest and take a first walk to the cathedral. Late in the afternoon, join a local chef for a cooking class: fresh pasta, a Tuscan sauce and a classic dessert, followed by dinner at the table with the dishes you made. It is a relaxed, sociable way to start your time in Florence.

Spend an unhurried morning with your guide among the great works of the Renaissance. See Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia Gallery, then walk past the cathedral and its marble bell tower to Piazza della Signoria and the Uffizi Gallery, home to Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Both galleries close on Mondays, so we plan this day around that. The afternoon is free for the artisan workshops of the Oltrarno, the shade of the Boboli Gardens, or sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo. In the evening, Florence is yours to enjoy at your own pace.

A slow day in the Tuscan hills with your private driver. A typical route takes you through the hills of Chianti to San Gimignano, the hill town of medieval towers, and on to Siena and its shell-shaped Piazza del Campo. Lunch is included, ideally at a country restaurant among the olive groves. Drives between stops are short and scenic, and we can shape the day around food, art or landscapes. You are back in Florence in time for a quiet evening, perhaps with a gelato by the river.

A private transfer takes you to the station for the train to Venice, a little over two hours across the Apennines. A private boat then carries you down the Grand Canal or along quieter side canals to your hotel, the most memorable arrival in Italy. Spend the afternoon getting gently lost in the lanes, which is the best way to meet the city. A gondola ride at sunset can be arranged if you would like one, and your local team will suggest a good spot for an early evening stroll.

Start early with your Venetian guide at St Mark’s Square, before the crowds, and visit the golden mosaics of St Mark’s Basilica. Continue to the Doge’s Palace, crossing the Bridge of Sighs from the inside on the way to the old prisons. Your guide then leads you away from the main routes to quieter squares and canals. The afternoon is free for the Rialto market, a plate of cicchetti, the small Venetian snacks, at a canal-side café, or the view from the top of the campanile. Dinner tonight is included in a Venetian restaurant.

A gentle last full day, with no fixed plans. Take a boat across the lagoon to Murano to watch the glassblowers, and on to Burano for its brightly painted houses and lace, or simply enjoy a slow morning, the Rialto market and a long lunch by the water. A gondola ride through the small canals can be arranged if you would like one. In the evening, your local team will suggest a good spot for a farewell dinner, and Venice is at its loveliest once the day visitors have gone.

Enjoy a final breakfast and, if your flight allows, one last walk or coffee in the piazza. Your private transfer, by boat or by car, takes you to Venice Marco Polo Airport at the right time for your flight, about thirty minutes from the city center, and your local team stays in touch until you leave. If your flight home leaves from Rome, tell us when you book and we will plan the last night there instead. Extra nights, a few days on Lake Como or a stay on the Amalfi Coast can easily be added.