TUSCANY, UMBRIA & ROME (TUR)

Maremma – Talamone – Orbetello - Siena – Pisa – Lucca – Orvieto – Todi – Assisi – Spello – Spoleto - Rome - Vatican City

Tour Features:

• 9 day Escorted Tour
• First Class Hotel/Resort (4 star) with private bath
• Welcome cocktail at arrival
• 15 buffet-style meals (B, L & D)
• Mineral water with lunch and dinner
• Deluxe air-conditioned motor coaches, mini-buses, vans or cars
• English speaking professional Tour Director
• Group transfer from/to Rome airport and RR station or Civitavecchia Port
• Group transfer from Maremma to Rome (stop in Orvieto & Todi)

Stay and Visit® Italy – Orofino Tours presents an unforgettable tour of the Tuscan and Umbrian Regions and Rome in places which are still being discovered by tourists: Maremma, Talamone, Orbetello, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, Orvieto, Todi, Assisi , Spello, Spoleto, Rome and Vatican City. Let us whisk you away on this unique tour. Let us whisk you away on this unique tour. All you have to do is unpack your luggage and begin enjoying …“La Dolce Vita” while staying in our beautiful, hospitable 4 star hotels. These scenic and idyllic regions will leave an indelible picture in your memories and the simplicity and mysticism will penetrate your soul. The buffet-style lunches (L) and dinners (D) will include mineral water. Breakfast (B) will be continental style. Boxed lunches will be prepared by our hotel for each full day optional tour.

Day 1 - Sat - Depart from your city to Rome.

Day 2 - Sun – Rome - Arrive in Rome at Fiumicino airport, Termini train station or Civitavecchia Port and transfer to our four star Grand Hotel Corte dei Butteri Resort, Maremma, Tuscany. Our tour bus will depart at approximately 10:00 AM. The exact time will be communicated with the final documents. (Transfer for different dates and times will be at your expense). A welcome cocktail will be served upon arrival. This resort has a wonderful private beach with a crystal clear sea located on the scenic Argentario gulf between Porto Santo Stefano and Isola del Giglio. Beach umbrellas and chairs are provided to our guests free of charge. The complex has 700 yards of private beach, 7 hectares of pine forest and a small lake. Sport activities include: swimming, tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and bocce ball. This hotel/resort will be our home away from home for the next 4 nights. (L & D)

Day 3 – Mon - Orbetello & Talamone - Full day optional tour 1 - A Venice-like peninsula town with picturesque lagoons, Orbetello is surrounded by small villages such as Talamone, Porto Santo Stefano and Porto Ercole. Today’s trip will be an exciting experience of ecologically important flora, fauna and archeological ruins of Etruscan civilization. We will go back to the hotel for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit Talamone. This beautiful village is one of the most romantic on Tuscany’s Etruscan Riviera and one of the very few territories left in Italy which remains uncontaminated by the tourist explosion. The turquoise water of the Tyrrhenian Sea, the beautiful coastline, the simple and tranquil village life are the perfect combination for romance and relaxation. Talamone was the background for the movie “Quantum of Solace”. (B, L & D)

Day 4 - Tue – Siena - Full Day - Optional Tour 2 - Today we will see first hand why the scenery of Tuscan countryside is so famous. We will visit Siena, Italy's best preserved medieval town. Siena's heart is the “Piazza del Campo” famous for the “Palio”, a festival and horse race that takes place on the piazza twice a year. The beautiful Duomo (Cathedral) contains works by Donatello and Pisano. From the Torre del Mangia (Tower) you will have an excellent view of the city. For the wine connoisseur there is Cantina in Piazza to sample some of the local wines. This region is well known for the “Chianti Classico”. (B, L & D)

Day 5 - Wed – Lucca & Pisa - Full day optional tour 3 – This morning we will visit the lovely city of Lucca. Its walls remained intact even as the city expanded and modernized. When the wide walls lost their military importance, they became a pedestrian promenade ringing the old town. The walls are still intact today and the four principal sides are each lined with a different type of tree. In the afternoon we will see Italy's most photographed attraction, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower is one of many works of art and architecture in the city's Campo dei Miracoli or "Field of Miracles''. The Campo dei Miracoli also houses the Duomo (Cathedral), the Baptistery and the Camposanto (monumental cemetery). (B, L & D)

* If you prefer, you can stay in our Tuscany/Maremma Hotel/Resort on Thu, Fri & Sat (day 6, 7 & 8) at no extra cost with 3 meals per day included. In this case the transfer from our Tuscany/Maremma Hotel/Resort to the airport, port, and/or railroad station will be at your expenses.

Day 6 - Thu – Orvieto, Todi & Rome – Pack your baggage. This morning after breakfast, we will depart for the capital of the Roman Empire, Rome also known as The Eternal, Capital of the World, and The City. Along the way, we will stop in Orvieto & Todi. Orvieto has one of the loveliest cathedrals in Italy with a facade encrusted with brilliantly colored mosaics. Flanking the Duomo are wine shops offering the famous wines of the area. Sit at a café table and sip Orvieto Classico while you watch the ever-changing tableau of this evocative square, or stop for a gelato at one of the finest ice cream shops in Italy. We will continue to Todi, described by the University of Kentucky as the most livable town on earth for its size, its climate, its hilltop location and for its surroundings. The “Gran Premio Internazionale Mongolfieristico” (international ballooning competition) is held every year in Todi with participants from Europe and the US. The museum (admission not included) has rare Etruscan coins and paintings from the 16th century. In Rome our four star Grand Hotel Olympic will be our home away from home for the next 3 nights. This beautiful Papal palace in the heart of Rome, between the Vatican City and Piazza del Popolo, is a short distance to all the essential points of the city, 5 minute walk from Vatican City and St. Peter cathedral. Legend has it that Rome was founded by the twins Romulus and Remus and is definitively unique with its rich history and fervent vitality of its citizens. We encourage you to savor your first Roman dinner at nearby typical and well known restaurants and enjoy your meal with a glass or two of “er vino de‘Castelli“, typical regional wine. (B)
Day 7 - Fri – Assisi – Spello – Spoleto - Full day optional tour 4 - The day begins with a visit to the mystical town of Assisi. Saint Francis (founder of the Franciscan order) was born here and the reverence, mysticism and spirituality of the Saint can be felt by the visitor while in Assisi. You will see one of the two churches of St. Francis Basilica, containing magnificent frescoes attributed to Giotto, and the crypt where St. Francis’ ashes are buried. From Assisi we will journey to Spello, considered one of the best areas for Italy's wines, culinary specialties, olive oil, truffles and porcini mushrooms. Spoleto is described as the cradle for the Italian tradition of arts and crafts. The world's top artists of theater, opera, music, painting and sculpture convene to Spoleto every year for the renowned “Festival of Two Worlds”. (B)

Day 8 - Sat – Vatican City & Imperial Rome – Optional tours 5 & 6 - This morning a professional guide will narrate the tour of Vatican City (approximately 3 hours). The story of the “Vatican” started about two thousand years ago when the Apostle Peter was buried across the Tiber River in 67 A.D. The Basilica of Saint Peter is one of the four major basilicas of Rome. It is the most prominent building inside the Vatican City and built on the ruins of Old Saint Peter's Basilica. As you enter, to your right, Michelangelo’s “Pieta” is displayed. The “Colonnade” was built by Bernini (1656-1666). The Vatican Museums display works from the extensive collection of the Roman Catholic Church. The Sistine Chapel is in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope. Its fame rests in its decoration, frescoed throughout by the greatest Renaissance artists including Michelangelo. The ceiling is legendary and it is in the Sistine Chapel that every new Pope is selected.
This afternoon we will have a tour of Imperial Rome (approximately 3 hours). We will visit the Coliseum, the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire and the most representative symbol of Rome. You will appreciate the magnificence and glory of what was Rome 2000 years ago. We will continue down via dei Fori Imperiali and, along the Via Sacra, we will follow in the footsteps of Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony and Nero. At the altar where Julius Caesar was cremated, visitors from around the world still leave flowers and candles at this site to this day. Then you will visit the Capitol Hill with its square by Michelangelo and Piazza Venezia considered the Centre of Italy. (B)

Day 9 – Sun - Rome - 7:00 AM group transfer to Fiumicino airport and Stazione Termini train station. (Transfer will be at your expenses for different dates and times). Have a safe return home, treasure the memories…grazie and arrivederci a presto! (B)

OR EXTEND YOUR EXPERIENCE TO

CALABRIA & AEOLIAN ISLAND

OR

FLORENCE & VENICE

We reserve the right to change the itinerary and schedule times for logistic reasons. 

Departures from North America

Departures (Saturday)	Returns (Sunday)	2011 Prices (taxes included*)
April 23	May 1	US$ 799
May 14	May 22	US$ 799
June 4	June 12	US$ 899
June 25	July 3	US$ 899
July 16	July 24	US$ 999
August 6	August 14	US$ 999
September 3	September 11	US$ 899
September 24	October 2	US$ 899
October 15	October 23	US$ 799

*As of 1/1/2011 the City of Rome has introduced and will collect a new "Tourist Tax" of 3 Euros per night per person (12 and older).
This tax is not included in our rates and must be paid at the hotel. The "Grand Hotel Olympic" will collect the tax in the name of each traveler.

This rate is not commissionable (except for our official travel representatives) and no discounts are applicable.

Airfares are not included and are your responsibility .

Departure dates and rates are guaranteed and confirmed at the time of reservation.

Prices are per person based on double/triple/quadruple occupancy. An additional 50% premium will be applied for single occupancy. Children under 12 staying in the room with 2 parents receive a 50% discount.

Optional tours as described, admission fees to museums, galleries, etc. are not included.

The package price of all 6 optional tours is US$ 399.

The package price of the first 4 optional tours in Tuscany & Umbria (day 3, 4, 5, 7) is US$ 299

For the Full Day Optional Tours we will provide a travel lunch bag.

Stay and Visit Orofino Tours is not responsible for any third party arrangements, tours or excursions organized independently by the client.

For Hotel Extra Nights please check our Italy Hotels.

Transfers will be at additional cost to you when you join early/late or leave early/late.

We strongly recommend a travel protection plan with Travelex for trip cancellation, interruption, loss of luggage or getting sick.

In addition to the travel protection we recommend purchasing an adequate amount of Euros using Travelex Wallet.