Italy – a living museum where the past meets the future. This grand tour of Italy’s finest is the perfect Italian holiday like no other. You’ll thrill to the enchantment of Italy’s magnificent cities and unique countryside. Marvel at the splendor of the “Eternal City” of Rome, the jewel of the Renaissance – Florence, and the haunting magic of Venice where the first Jewish Ghetto was instituted in 1516. View breathtaking scenery from the northern Italian lakes. Visit Verona where Romeo and Juliet lived. See San Gimignano’s 13 medieval towers and ancient Siena. A special treat is Tivoli’s Villa d’Este and its dazzling water displays.

Day 1: Sunday New York
Evening flight to Rome, a magic city of past and present fame.

Day 2: Monday Rome
Morning arrival to the “Eternal City” of Rome where your Tour Escort greets you and takes you to your hotel after a short orientation tour. Balance of the day at leisure.
Overnight Rome

Day 3: Tuesday Rome, Tivoli
This morning enjoy a tour of Rome. The city was not built in a day and therefore cannot be seen in a day! Our tour includes monumental ruins of Rome’s former grandeur: the Roman Forum where the Arch of Titus stays, the Colisseum, Circus Maximus, and the Pantheon, Rome’s best preserved ancient building. See Piazza Venezia dominated by the “wedding cake” – the huge Memorial to King Victor Emmanuelle II. From here we walk to the historical Ghetto of Rome where we pay a visit to the imposing Great Synagogue and the Jewish Museum. Late afternoon drive on the Via Tiburtina to the small hill town –Tivoli. Admire the dazzling water displays at fantastic 16th century Villa d’Este. Its fountains represent the most intricate gravity water pipe system in the world.
The night tour of Rome we are invited to join, will unveil us the well-known piazzas of Rome: Piazza Navona with Bernini’s fountains, Piazza d’Espana with its captivating Spanish Steps – the symbol of romantic Rome and the hallmark of the Roman “Dolce Vita” – Fontana di Trevi.
Overnight Rome.

Day 4: Wednesday Rome
The entire day is at your disposal, to do as you please. You may enjoy further browsing the sites, window-shop on the fashionable shops along Via Condotti, perhaps Europe’s most elegant street and it gives you the chance to do as the Romans do: “dolce far niente”! Or take a scenic full day trip to the famous Island of Capri known as the “Pearl of the Mediterranean” and if time permits stop in Pompeii (optional).
Overnight Rome

Day 5: Thursday Siena, Florence
Early in the morning we leave Rome. Drive along the famous Autostrada del Sol and through Chianti Hills, to Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, may be the best-preserved medieval city in Italy; it still looks much as it did in the Middle Ages.
A walking tour within the walled portion of the city gives us the opportunity to simply enjoy the unique atmosphere of this historic but lively town. We stop in Piazza del Campo – an incredibly beautiful shell-shaped square, site of the world-famous biannual Palio (a horse race around the Piazza del Campo., the neighborhoods of Siena compete in) and visit the ancient Jewish quarter with its old synagogue. From Siena we continue to Florence, cradle of the Renaissance, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Overnight Florence

Day 6: Friday Florence
In no other city did the arts flourish as they did in Florence between the 13th and 16th centuries. Recognizing there is so much to see, you will be provided with an in-depth briefing by your tour escort. Our comprehensive sightseeing of Florence begins at Piazzale Michelangelo for a splendid view of the city. During the walking tour of the historic center of the city we see some of the world’s greatest treasures: sculpture-studded Piazza della Signoria with its Palazzo Vecchio (the historic Town Hall) and Loggia dei Lanzi, Ponte Vecchio, the famous bronze doors of the Baptistery - Gates of Paradise as Michelangelo called them, Giotto’s belfry ,the birthplace of Dante Aligheri. Special reservations have been made for you to visit Galleria dell’Accademia, home of Michelangelo’s David, and the Uffizzi Gallery. Our visit will not be complete without seeing Florence’s magnificent Synagogue, a Synagogue "worthy of Florence", one of the most beautiful in Europe; It was dedicated in 1882.
Evening services followed by Shabbat dinner.
Overnight Florence

Day 7: Shabbat Florence
Following Shabbat Services and lunch enjoy a walking tour of the area around the hotel.

Day 8: Sunday Pisa, Venice
Early departure to Pisa. Here, in Campo dei Miracoli, we will find the most splendiferous assemblage of Romanesque architecture in Italy, we will see the famous Leaning Tower. Although it was designed to be perfectly vertical, it started to lean during construction, at the end of the 12th century. Joining again Autostrada del Sol, we drive to the floating city of Venice. For Jews, however, Venice is a place with a dark history; it is where the world’s first ghetto was instituted (1516) and the quality of Jewish life often shifted with the whims of the ruling power.
Overnight in Venice area.

Day 9: Monday Venice
Today we will absorb Venice’s unique atmosphere; its canals and streets remain the same as they were hundreds of years ago. Our walking tour starts with the ghetto neighborhood, where the German, Italian and Levantine (Sephardic) communities were independent, yet lived side by side to one another. We first stop at Ghetto Vecchio – the “Old Ghetto” and visit its outstanding ornate Spanish Synagogue. This synagogue (along with Old-New Shul in Prague) may be the only in the world that has held services continuously from its dedication in 1550 until the present day. In Ghetto Nuovo we visit the Jewish Museum. We continue along the Canal Grande to Ponte Rialto, a hallmark of the city to the heart of Venice: St Mark’s square. See the soaring Bell Tower, the incredibly rich Basilica of St Mark, the exquisite Palace of of the Doges (the powerful and prosperous dukes of Venice) and the nearby legendary Bridge of Sights. Then time for your own Venetian adventures… just as you dreamed it would be. You can visit a traditional glassblowing factory on the island of Murano and enjoy a traditional Gondola ride (optional). In the evening enjoy a typical Venetian 18th Century of famous Opera arias, Italian songs and folkloreAt Palazzo Zeno – one of the most magnificent old palaces of Venice (optional).
Overnight, in Venice area.

Day 10: Tuesday Verona, Sirmione, Milan
Leaving Venice, we drive west to Verona, the town where Romeo and Juliet lived and loved immortalized in Shakespeare’s tragedy. You’ll see bewitching plazas, medieval market squares and buildings dating back to the 13th century. Stop to admire the Roman Arena and pay homage to Juliet’s balcony. Next, driving across the plains of Lombardy we arrive to the magic, unique Sirmione, spa and resort on Lake Garda, Italy’s largest lake, with beautiful vistas of the Gardone Riviera and the distant Dolomites.
Continue to Milan, by far the largest city in Italy, renowned as one of the world capitals of design and fashion. The afternoon orientation tour will show you Milan’s famous cathedral, the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in the Piazza Duomo - reputed to be the world's oldest shopping mall, Teatro alla Scala, one of the world's most famous opera houses.
Overnight Milan

Day 11: Wednesday Lake District
Before us today, is a delightful excursion to Italy’s Lake District. Driving through charming and colorful small villages of Lormbardy, we reach Lago Maggiore. Traveling along the shores we’ll have views of elegant 19th century villas, small ports, exquisite gardens surrounded by majestic mountains. We stop in Stresa for a short relaxing cruise to Isola Bella (The Beautiful Island) for an exclusive visit of the monumental Baroque Borromean Palace and its impressive gardens. Return to Milan late in the afternoon; the remainder of the day is at your leisure to enjoy the city.
Overnight Milan

Day 12: Thursday Milan, New York
Transfer to the Airport for your flight home.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE: 

• Round trip air fare from New York 
• First Class Hotels. 
• Kosher Meals daily. (For details see General Conditions). 
• Transportation by air conditioned coaches. 
• Sightseeing, transfers and entrance fees as per Itinerary. 
• Experienced English speaking Tour Escort.

NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

• Airport and security tax.
• Travel Insurance (For details see General Conditions).
• Gratuities to local service providers and Tour Escort.
• Optional tours as per Itinerary.
• Individual transfers.
• Any item not mentioned under “included in price”.