10 days -September 2-11, 2009
$2995 ppdo Includes Roundtrip Air
from Los Angeles
Day 1: Your exciting vacation begins today as you board your overnight flight from LAX to Italy.
Day 2: STRESA. Arrival into Milan’s Malpensa Airport. Here you will be met and transferred to your hotel in Stresa on Lake Maggiore. The balance of the day is at leisure. This evening enjoy a welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant. GRAND HOTEL BRISTOL (or similar) (D)
Lake Maggiore
Day 3: STRESA. Day at leisure to stroll the elegant lakeside promenade past the Grand Hotel des Iles Borromees, which was used as a location by Hemingway in A Farewell to Arms, to the town’s main square, filled with cafes and boutiques. Stresa, whose popularity as a resort began in 1906, also offers visitors a cable car ride up to Monte Mottarone to view the Alps. Optional morning cruise by private boat to the Borromean islands, the jewels of Lake Maggiore, Isola Bella and Isola Madre, known for their exquisite, terraced gardens. (B)
Day 4: STRESA-LUGANO-COMO. After a leisurely breakfast, we travel by motorcoach to the Italian speaking region of Switzerland on a visit to Lugano, whose pristine lake straddles both Switzerland and Italy. Time for lunch and to shop for Swiss chocolates and watches. Later, back in Italy enjoy a scenic drive to Lake Como and the charming town of Bellagio, on the tip of a promontory, where the lake divides. Balance of the day is at leisure. Dinner at the hotel. HOTEL BELVEDERE (or similar) (B,D)
Lake Como
Day 5: COMO. After breakfast, cruise the Lake and view its impressive waterfront villas and dramatic Alpine peaks. The splendor of this lake is legendary. Writers from Virgil to Hemingway have praised its beauty. Your cruise takes you past scenic resorts with splendid villas, including the most famous, Carlotta.(B)
Day 6: COMO-MILAN-GARDA. Depart by motorcoach to Lake Garda. Stop en route for an orientation visit of Milan, Italy ’s preeminent center of culture and fashion. See Milan’s towering Gothic cathedral, its exterior embellished with innumerable sculptures and a sea of spires and towers. From the Duomo, walk to La Scala,the celebrated opera house. You will also see the city’s famous Galleria. After touring Milan, drive to your hotel in the resort lake village of Desenzano del Gardo. Balance of the day is at leisure, with dinner later that evening. HOTEL VILLA MARIA (or similar) (B,D)
Day 7: GARDA. Today, visit the old Roman town of Sirmione, at the tip of a peninsula jutting out on the lake. Then travel to Limone for a short visit of the quaint town famous for its lemon groves, and continue by motorcoach to the upper-most point of the lake, Riva del Garda, an elegant town of cobblestone streets with a dramatic backdrop of mountains. (B)
Day 8: GARDA. Day at leisure to enjoy the tranquility of the Lake and Alpine setting. Optional excursion to magical Venice, where you will cruise the canals past Palladian palazzos and churches, to St. Mark’s Square. Here you will see St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doges’ Palace and witness a demonstration of Murano glass-blowing. (B)
Day 9:: GARDA-VERONA-MILAN. Today we’re off to Veronafor a guided walking tour to see Juliet’s balcony, immortalized in Romeo and Julie;the market square, and the 1 st century Arena, home to the prestigious Verona Opera Festival. From Verona, travel to Marostica, a medieval town, surrounded by the ancient walls of its castles. Then stop at Bassano del Grappa to enjoy a special grappa tasting at the Poli Grappa Museum and a no-host lunch. Continue to Milan, arriving in the early evening. CROWNE PLAZA (or similar) (B)
Day 10: After breakfast, your memorable trip ends when you transfer to the airport for your flight back to the U.S.A.(B)
