SMALL GROUP TOURS IN ITALY

 Tour of France & Italy

May 27 - June 8, 2009

Oct. 21 - Nov. 2, 2009

Open to ALL

Destinations in France: Paris, Burgundy: Beaune, Avignon in Provence, Nice, Antibes

Destinations in Italy:  Paris, Burgundy region including Beaune, Avignon in Provence, French Riviera - Nice, Milan, Verona, Parma, Piedmont including Barolo, Barbaresco, La Morra

 French and Italian Wine Appreciation

History, Art and Architecture Appreciation

Breathtaking Landscapes

City of Paris

Florence, Italy - The Birthplace of Renaissance

World-Class Museums:  Louvre & Accademia

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

 Fantastic Wineries of Burgundy and Piedmont

A Taste of Provence and French Riviera

 Scenic Countryside of France and Italy

Roman and Greek Antiquities 

TOUR COST:

$5,250.00

Single Supplement: $1,450.00,

if rooming alone

Information Request

Reservation Form

Arrival Airport - Paris, France - Book your flight early to secure a flight that arrives Paris early in the morning.

Departure Airport - Bologna, Italy.  --The alternative airport is Florence or Milan.  Please talk to us about this before booking your flights.

NOTE:  You may arrive early or stay longer.  Inquire about booking the hotels for the additional nights.

 ITINERARIES FOR MAY & SEPTEMBER TOURS

(B = Breakfast,  L = Lunch,  D = Dinner)

NOTE:  Activities or order of activities are subject to change due to unforeseen closures, etc.  We reserve the right to replace an activity.

Day 1 -  Wed.,  May 27 or  Oct. 21 - Arrival in Paris, Overnight Paris

Early evening orientation tour with your tour manager followed by welcome dinner.  (B, D)

Day 2 - Thurs., May 28 or Oct. 22 - Guided tour of Paris, Guided Tour of Louvre Museum & Notre Dame Cathedral, Overnight in Paris  

Morning panoramic tour of Paris to see city and its famous sites like the famous avenue of Champs Elysees, Arch de Triomf, Place Vendome, Opera Garnier, Conciergerie, Ile St.Louis, the Church Saint Séverin, the Sorbonne, the Panthéon, the Church St. Sulpice, the St. Germain District, Orsay Museum, the Concorde Square, the Madeleine Church, the Champs Elysées, the Grand and Petit Palais, the Invalides with Napoleon's Tomb, the Ecole Militaire, the Eiffel Tower, Conciergerie, and more.

You will also have a guided tour or the the world's largest palace and museum, the Musee du Louvre, and see the famous Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and more.  Also planned is a guided visit of the Notre Dame cathedral in Ile de la Cité.  Group lunch is planned.

Free Evening.  Dinner on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions.  (B, L)

Day 3 – Fri.,  May 29 or Oct. 23 – Leisure Time in Paris, Departure for Beaune in Burgundy, Overnight in Beaune

Enjoy Paris on your own today.  Explore your favorite neighborhood or visit a museum like Orsay or Rodin.  If  interested in some shopping, head to Galleries Lafayette, a 10-stories department store in Paris.  You can also shop in Avenue Montaigne, where you can find many of the top designer labels.  

Late afternoon departure for Beaune, one of the most charming cities in the Burgundy region.     

Free time after our orientation stroll.  Dinner on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions.  (B)

Day 4- Sat., May 30 or Oct. 24 ^-  Burgundy Wine tour, Overnight in Beaune

Guided tour of Beaune in the morning followed by a visit to one of the most important wine producer of the area.  Group lunch is planned in Beaune.

Free Evening.  Dinner on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions.  (B, L)

Day 5  - Sun.,  May 31 or Oct. 25  – Leisure Day in Beaune, Overnight in Beaune

Sunday in Beaune is always lively and fun. Enjoy open markets, lively restaurants and cafes.  Don’t miss the 2 main sites of Beaune: Hotel Dieu, once a hospital-hospice and now a museum and one of the most important and famous Wine Museum of Burgundy.  

Dinner on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions.  (B)

Day 6 – Mon. - June 1 or Oct. 26 - Avignon in Provence, Nice in French Riviera, Overnight in Nice

Today, we will travel to Nice, one of the pearls of the French Riviera.  We will stop in Provence, in the city of Avignon, famous for being the Papal seat in the 14^th century.  Today, you can still admire its main site, the Popes Palace.  We will enjoy a guided tour followed by free time.  Lunch on your own.

Evening arrival in Nice.  Free time after our orientation stroll.  Dinner on your own.

Those of you joining us in the May tour will be staying in Cannes instead of Nice.  You will have free time in Cannes to explore this city famous for the yearly Cannes Film Festival.  Evening free time and dinner on your own.

We will have restaurant suggestions.  (B)

Day 7 – Tues.,  June 2 or Oct. 27 ^–  Leisure Day Nice, Overnight in Nice

Free morning in Nice.  Visit the charming old town famous for its open market and  outdoor restaurants and the “Promenade des Anglais”, a beautiful boulevard running along the Mediterranean Sea.  Nice also has 2 important museums, the Matisse and Chagall museums, that you may be of interest to you. 

At 2:30pm, we will leave Nice for a short excursion to Antibes, ancient, narrow cobblestoned village.  You are free to stay behind in Nice or join us in Antibes.  Antibes was colonized by the Greeks 2000 years ago and later became part of the Roman Empire.  Today, Old Antibes is an unspoiled and authentic village.  The Chateau Grimaldi houses the Picasso museum, if you are interested in art.  The new modern city of Antibes, outside the Old Antibes' city walls, is charming with beautiful beaches.

Dinner on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions. (B)

Day 8 – Wed.,  June 3  or Oct. 28 -  Departure for Piedmont, Italy;  Overnight in La Morra

Today, we leave France and travel to Italy through the region of Liguria. We’ll proceed along the coastline to the city of Savona and then drive north towards the area we’ll be exploring the   next 2 days.  The Langhe region, a succession of gentle vine-clad hills producing great wines and precious truffles. This area today is considered the finest vineyards of Italy, celebrated for fantastic landscapes and for outstanding local wine producers, well known throughout the world.   Barolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Barbaresco and Moscato are the wines you will have the chance to enjoy during our pleasant stay in this region.

We will spend the next 2 nights in a charming hill town of La Morra, commanding a fantastic view over the valley below.

Group dinner is planned tonight. (B, D)

Day 9 - Thurs., June 4 or Oct. 29 -  Winery Visits - Barbaresco, Barolo, Overnight in La Morra

Full day trip to Barbaresco and Barolo - Today we selected 2 of the finest wineries of the region, where you will be able to enjoy their guided tours followed by sampling of their excellent wines. We will drive to the town of Barbaresco and enjoy a guided tour of a great winery followed by a wine tasting of this special wine.

You will then go to the charming town of Barolo.  You will visit a Corkscrew museum and the Enoteca Regionale del Barolo, followed by some free time to explore.  Group lunch is planned.

Later in the afternoon, we will visit one of the most spectacular wineries of the entire Langhe region, the Cordero di Montezemolo.  We will have a guided tour followed by some wine tasting.

Free time in the evening.  Dinner will be on your own.  We will have restaurant suggestions. (B, L)

Day 10 – Fri.,  June 5 or Oct. 30  –  Parma,  Overnight in Parma

We will depart La Morra and travel to Parma, our homebase for the next 3 nights.  Parma is a historical city and a culinary mecca.  It is a city also known for art but food reigns supreme as the city is known for Prosciutto di Parma ham and one of the most loved cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano.  A guided tour of Parma in the afternoon is scheduled which will include a visit to the beautiful 11^th century cathedral, the baptistry (the most important, evolved monument during the Medieval period in Italy), the 16^th century church of Steccata and square of Pillotta.

(B, D)

Day 11 – Sat., June 6  or Oct. 31 – Milan, Overnight in Parma

Today, our day trip will take us to Milan.   We’ll enjoy a guided tour of Milan, starting from the Duomo, where you’ll be amazed by the beauty of the city's magnificent late Gothic cathedral.  We’ll continue our walking tour of Milan through the Gallery Vittorio Emanuele II, which will lead us to the square of La Scala theater, one of the world's most famous opera houses.  Our tour will end at the Cenacolo Vinciano, the museum where you can admire Leonardo da Vinci's great “Last Supper”.  Free time after the tour to explore on your own.  (B)

Day 12 – Sun.,  June 7 or Nov. 1  –  Verona, Farewell Dinner, Overnight in Parma

Today, we’ll depart early in the morning and head towards one of the jewels of the Veneto region, Verona.  Known as the Piccola Roma (little Rome) for its importance in imperial days, Verona reached its truly golden era during the 13th and 14th century under the Della Scala family, also known as the Scaligeri.  Verona also became the set for the Shakesperian masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet.  We'll enjoy a guided walking tour of the city, through the streets where you can admire many magnificent Roman ruins like a 1st-century AD Arena, the delightful Piazza Erbe with a 2,000 year old fountain, a place where people gathered since the Roman times.  (B, D)

Day 13 – Mon., June 8 or Nov. 2 - Departure Day

An early morning group transfer will be take you to Bologna or Florence for your flight home.   You may also leave from Milan but a special transfer will have to be booked for you.  Please talk to us before purchasing your airline tickets. (B)

UPSCALE TRAVEL

TOUR INCLUSIONS & HIGHLIGHTS:

13 Days of Land Tour

Beautiful & Elegant Accommodations

4 Dinners and 3 Lunches with Wine

Excellent Professional Tour Manager Throughout The Tour

Guided Tour of City of Paris

Guided Inside Visit of Notre Dame in Paris

Guided Tour in Burgundy: Beaune

Guided Tour Avignon in Provence

Guided Tour of Florence

Guided Tour of Volterra

Guided Tour of Louvre Museum in Paris and Accademia in Florence

Excursions to San Gimignano in Tuscany, Monterosso in Cinque Terre, Antibes in the French Riviera

Lucca in Tuscany and La Morra in Burgundy Experience

Excursions to towns of Barolo and Barbaresco in Piedmont

Winery Tours and Wine Tasting in Burgundy and Piedmont (Barolo & Barbaresco)

Private Transportation to All Planned

Activities

Entrance Fees to All Scheduled Museums And Sites

Gratuities to tour guides.

NOT INCLUDED:

Airport Transfers.  We will coordinate transfers so you can share with other travelers, if interested. 

Gratuity to tour escort/manager.

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