9 Days 8 Nights Romantic Europe Tour and The Passion Play
Day 1
Rome
Arrive in Rome, Italy. There will be time to rest or start exploring the Eternal City after meeting our tour director and traveling companions. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 2
Rome
Sightseeing with the local guide will start with vistas of beautiful Piazza Venezia and the Roman Forum. Visit the Coliseum to hear about gladiatorial combats and early Christian martyrdom. Proceed via Circus Maximus and across the Tiber to Janiculum Hill for a sweeping panoramic view. Finally see the monumental St. Peter’s Square and Basilica in the Vatican. Time afterwards for independent activities. An optional tour of the Sistine Chapel will be offered. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 3
Florence
Morning breakfast and depart for peaceful Assisi. We will visit the massive 13th Century Basilica of St. Francis. Continue to Florence, the splendid capital of Tuscany. We will arrive in time for a first glimpse of the Renaissance treasures. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day 4
Venice/Mestre
Our guided sightseeing tour will include magnificent Santa Maria Del Fiore, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery’s heavy bronze “Gates of Paradise” and the Signoria Square. To top it off we will have the chance to admire Michelangelo’s celebrated David in the Gallery of Fine Arts. There will be time afterward to shop for Florentine leather goods and gold jewelry before heading across the wooded Etruscan Apennines Hills to the northern tip of the Adriatic Sea for dinner and overnight in Mestre.
Day 5
Venice/Mestre
We will start morning sightseeing in style as we glide by the public market through ancient canals to meet our resident expert. Highlights of the walking tour of Venice are St. Mark’s Square and the Byzantine splendor of St. Mark’s Basilica, the lavish Doges’ Palace and Bridge of Sighs. Also we will watch Venetian glass blowers fashion their delicate objects in an age old traditional manner. Then enjoy the afternoon at leisure or join an optional gondola ride. We will stop at a local restaurant for dinner before returning to our hotel for overnight.
Day 6
Oberammergau
Today we leave Italy via the spectacular Brenner Pass which leads through the Tyrolean Alps to Austria. In Innsbruck, we will enjoy a pleasant stroll through quaint medieval lanes to take in Emperor Maximilian’s Golden Roof. The Bavarian Alps dominate the scenery as we motor to the old-world, woodcarvers’ village of Oberammergau.
Day 7
Oberammergau
Today’s activities will be the focus of our tour — Oberammergau, the Passion Play. In this charming village, surrounded by unforgettable Alpine views, we will experience the last week of Christ’s life. Dinner and overnight.
Day 8
Milan
We will depart early through the Bavarian and the Italian Alps to Landeck and stop at St. Moritz for a short visit. Continue to the famous Lake Como. Later we will drive to Milan, the hub of Italy’s economic miracle, to see the magnificent Gothic Duomo, the glass domed Galleria and the famous La Scala Opera House. Dinner and overnight.
Day 9
Departure
Today we will bid farewell to newly made friends as our journey comes to an end. Transfer to airport for departure flight.