The
South of France & Italy
Itinerary
Day 1 - Departure for France.
Day 2 - Arrival in Nice & check-in at the Sofitel Nice
for 3 nights. Welcome dinner in the Vieux Nice.
Day 3 - After petit dejeuner, departure for the medieval
villege of Eze. Visit & the art of glass-blowing at Verrerie d’Art. Free
time for sightseeing & shopping. Lunch at the legendary Chateau de la
Chevre d’Or, a Relais & Chateaux, perched between the mountains and the
Mediterranean in the heart of Eze. Afternoon visit of Parfumerie Fragonard.
Since 1926, Fragonard has created perfumes combining traditional techniques
with the most modern methods. Discover the Moulin of Sainte Anne in Grasse, an
olive oil mill since 1706. The day wil conclude with a unique visit &
cocktail at the Musee de l’Art Culinaire in Villeneuve-Loubet. This museum,
with eight exhibition rooms, was created in 1966, in the house were Auguste
Escoffier, the famous chef is born. Evening at leisure in Nice.
Day 4 - Morning at leisure to stroll Cours Saleya and its
flower market or the fish market, Place St. Francois in the Old Nice. Stroll
St. Paul de Vence, a typical perched village. The medieval remparts were
completely reinforced by Francois I in the 16th century. Visit of Confiserie
Florian, Gorges du Loup located at the foot of a rocky mountain in the shaded
coolness of a sparkling river. Our journey will take us to La Roquette-sur-Var
to visit the beautiful property of Monsieur Audibert, amid the olive trees for
a tasting of regional products. Free time for shopping & discovering
Monaco, the world’s oldest ruling monarchy. As we drive in on the Moyenne
Corniche, one of the world’s most beautiful coastal highways, you will discover
the skyscrapers of present-day Monaco. It is hard to imagine its turbulent
history. Dinner at Le Roquebrune in Roquebrune-Cap Martin over looking the
Mediterranean Sea featuring their famous "Bouillabaisse."
Day 5 - After petit dejeuner, departure for Florence. Lunch
at Il Bottacio di Montignoso, a beautiful 17th-century oil mill converted into
a Relais & Chateaux in Montignoso. Afternoon visit of the Leaning Tower of
Pisa which started to lean almost from the day it was built in 1173. Check-in
at the Sofitel Florence for 3 nights. Evening at leisure.
Day 6 - After petit dejeuner, guided walking tour of
Florence, the Baptistry of San Giovanni, with its "Gates of Paradise"
doors, Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria
and Ponte Vecchio. Stroll the St. Lorenzo food market. Casse-croute on regional
food products at the Lorenzo de Medici Cooking School. Afternoon, guided visit
of the Uffizi Gallery. Remainder of afternoon at leisure. Dinner at Trattoria
13 Gobbi.
Day 7 - After petit dejeuner, morning at leisure to further
discover Florence. Early afternoon, departure for intimate Siena, the medieval
city par excellence and the discovery of the vineyards of Tuscany. Dinner at
Castello Vicchiomaggio with a visit of the cellars and a tasting of regional
wines. Castello Vicchiomaggio built between the IXth & XVth centuries, is
situated on the crest of a hill, dominating the Greve valley.
Day 8 - After petit dejeuner, guided visit of the Accademia
to see Michelangelo’s original "David." Lunch at Trattoria La Mela in
Bologna. Ample time for sightseeing and shopping in the capital of
Emilia-Romagna, home to Italy’s oldest unversity. With its mellow-bricked
palaces & porticos, Bologna is know for its cusine; widely considered to be
Italy’s finest. Check-in at Hotel Stendhal in Parma for 3 nights.
Day 9 - Visits of the Consorzzio del Parmigiano Reggiano in
Parma and the Prosciutto di Parma in Langhirano. Lunch at Marco Parizzi.
Remainder of afternoon & evening at leisure to discover Italy’s most
prosperous town. Parma is a monument to good living, with fine food, an
excellent opera house, and a wealth of elegant cafes and exclusive stores. The
Duomo is one of the country’s finest Lombard-Romanesque churches, distinguished
by the 16th century painter Correggio’s great dome frescos of the Assumption of
the Virgin. See the 12th-century octagonal Baptistery with its 12 carvings
depictng the months of the year. The Galleria Nazionale, the antiquities museum
and the Teato Farnese are all housed in the vast Palazzo della Pilotta.Day 10
Day 10 - After breakfast, departure for Venice. Lunch at Le
Calandre in Padova, a Relais & Chateaux. Raffaele & Massimiliano Alajmo
will greet you and ask you to share in their passion. Massimiliano, one of
Europe’s youngest chefs, will introduce you to the cuinary traditions of his
region. Discover the rich history of Venice: the Basilica St. Mark, the Doge’s
Palace with its splendid rooms decorated by 16th century artits such as Titian,
Tintoretto and Veronese. Also view the bridge of Sighs and Piombi Prison with a
gondola trip on its petite canals. Venice is as much a city of atmosphere as of
museums & monuments - a theatrical cityrich in history and beauty that is
impossible to capture. Late return to Parma.
Day 11 - After petit dejeuner, departure for Milan. Guided
visit of Milan to include the Duomo, the largest monument in Milan and the most
gigantic and complex Gothic building in Italy; la Scala Opera Theatre, the most
famous opera house in the world both because of the high level of its
performances, and also because it is the testing groundof all the world’s
singers and musicians; Santa Maria delle Grazie where Ludovico il Moro ordered
Leonardo da Vincito paint the Last Supper (1495-98); visit to Peck, a food
emporium and ample time for shopping in the Victor Emanuel II Arcade. Dinner at
Claudio Sadler. Departure for Lake Maggiore, the second largest lake in Italy.
Check-in for 2 nights at the Grand Hotel Bristol in Stresa.
Day 12 - Day at leisure to discover Stresa, an ancient
fishing village, situated at the extreme southern point of the Golfo Boromeo in
a splendid woodland setting on the slopes of Mount Mottarone and is perhaps the
most famous holiday resort in the Lago Maggiore region. Escape to Isola Bella,
the most important of the Barromean isands, because od its splendid Baroque
house & the charming garden it stands in. The island was originally
inhabited by fishermen, and it was here that Carlo Borromeo III (1596-1652)
decided to build an entire town, which he wished to name after his wife, Isbella
d’Adda - hence the present name of the island. This 16th-century palazzo is
surrounded by a luxurious English-style garden, rich in splendid botanical
varieties, many of which are of exotic origins. Farewell dinner at La Quartina.
Day 13 - Early departure for return flight to U.S.
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