Classic Italy, Revisited:
Rome & Florence in 8 Unforgettable Days
🏛 Day 1 – Welcome to Rome!
Arrival & hotel check-in in central Rome
Guided walking tour of the city center, including Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Campo de' Fiori, and more
Welcome aperitivo + dinner: Toast your arrival with local wine, Roman classic dishes, and conversation about the Eternal City and more
🕊 Day 2 – The Sacred: Vatican City & The Glories of Heaven
Skip-the-line Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter’s Basilica
Focus: Michelangelo’s ceiling & Last Judgment — beauty and damnation
Optional climb to St. Peter’s dome for epic rooftop views
Afternoon gelato & stroll along the Tiber
Dinner on your own in Trastevere (suggestions provided)
⚔️ Day 3 – The Profane: Power, Spectacle & the Pagan Past
Colosseum & Roman Forum tour: blood, glory, and empire
Explore underground chambers (optional add-on)
Visit to San Clemente Basilica: Layered history from paganism to Christianity
Guided walk of Monti district and aperitivo hour
Dinner on your own (suggestions provided)
🔥 Day 4 – Hidden Rome: Catacombs, Martyrs & the Macabre
Morning tour of the Appian Way and Catacombs of San Sebastiano
Visit the Capuchin Crypt – “What you are, we once were...”
Light lunch at a countryside osteria
Free afternoon: relax, shop, bike the Appian Way or explore the city
Optional add-on night tour: Rome by moonlight (ghost stories & legends) or another
🚄 Day 5 – Travel to Florence: From Empire to Renaissance
High-speed train to Florence (1.5 hrs)
City walking tour: Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, and Ponte Vecchio
Visit Santa Croce (resting place of Michelangelo, Dante, and Machiavelli)
Aperitivo with a rooftop view of Brunelleschi’s dome
🎼🏛️ Day 6 – The Renaissance Unfolds
Visit the Accademia Gallery to marvel at Michelangelo’s David and explore the instruments, sounds, and composers that shaped Florence’s music history
Explore Brunelleschi's Duomo and baptistery - doors to paradise
Dante walking tour and visit to his house/museum
Dinner on your own
Optional: Attend a classical music concert or opera in a historic venue OR tour Florence's wine doors ("buchette del vino")
🎨📜 Day 7 – Masters & Mystics: From Botticelli to Dante
Guided tour of the Uffizi Gallery - masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo, and Raphael - followed by free time to explore the museum
Afternoon on your own for lunch on Via dei Neri, leather markets, climbing the bell tower, or other activities
Dante walking tour and visit to his house/museum
Farewell dinner: Florentine classics at a local gem
☀️ Day 8 – Departure or Optional Add-Ons
Breakfast and goodbyes
Optional add-on: day trip to Siena, or extend your stay in Tuscany or Venice
Private transfers to Florence airport or train station
