According to Fran Lebowitz, “If you read a lot, nothing is as great as you’ve imagined. Venice is — Venice is better.” Although she did not mention Rome, Rome is the same—even better than you imagine. And no one brings you Venice & Rome like Monograms! So stop imagining and join us on this Italy vacation. We’ve arranged your hotel reservations, daily breakfast, sightseeing, connection between the cities, and transfers from/to your hotels to/from the train stations. Plus, Venice & Rome have so much to offer—historical monuments, ancient ruins, amazing cuisine, world-class shopping, and educational and fun walking experiences—that we know it can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve also arranged the services of a Monograms Local Host®, a one-of-a-kind feature to make sure you have a “friend in the city” who will answer your questions, offer you suggestions, and be there to help make sure your Italy trip runs smoothly.

Your Italy trip begins the moment you arrive in Venice, as we can pick you up at the airport and take you to your selected hotel. Here, your Local Host will greet you with a warm welcome and give you a set of materials to familiarize you with the city and to help personalize your trip. The next morning, after included breakfast, we’ve arranged for you to have guided sightseeing with a local expert of the must-see attractions, including St. Mark’s Square and Basilica. We’ll take you inside Doges’ Palace, a symbol of Venice built in 1340, and the Bridge of Sighs, built in the 1600s and offering prisoners their last view of Venice before their imprisonment. As an added feature, we’ve included entrances to the Marciana Library, one of the oldest Italian libraries built in the 16th century, and the Correr and Archaeological Museums, which offer interesting insight into Venice’s art and history. Also, we’ve arranged for you to learn about Venice’s history in glassmaking as you watch glassblowers fashion their delicate objects.

In Rome, your guided sightseeing with a local expert includes the attractions you cannot go home without seeing: the Vatican Museums; the Sistine Chapel, where the Conclave is held to elect new popes and where you’ll see Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment and his famous ceiling paintings; St. Peter’s Square & Basilica, where even today the pope often presides; the iconic Colosseum, built in the 1st century to hold 50,000 spectators; and the Roman Forum, where you’ll really get a sense of what life was like in ancient Rome.

You’ll also have time to explore both cities on your own (with the support of your Local Host, of course). You may want to take an excursion to Pompeii to see what life was like in 79 AD before Mount Vesuvius buried the town, join a ghost walking tour in Venice or in Rome, enjoy a gondola ride while being serenaded in Venice, or visit Rome’s catacombs. You may want to shop at the designer boutiques and famous fashion houses in Rome, or browse the local stores as you wander through the maze of alleys in Venice. Perhaps just grab a drink and relax while you people-watch in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square or Rome’s Piazza Navona. Your Local Hosts can help you arrange activities and will have plenty of suggestions.

And did we mention your Italy trip includes first-class transportation between the cities via high-speed train? We’ve even included transfers to/from the train stations. Plus, for someone unfamiliar with the train system, it can seem intimidating, so your Local Host will be there with you to help make sure you get on the correct train! Between the transportation and transfers we’ve included, the sightseeing and guides we’ve arranged, and the hotels we’ve booked, this Italy trip will be better than you imagined—just like Venice!

City Highlights

Guided sightseeing; inside visits and special features are shown in UPPERCASE. ALSO INCLUDED: personal headset for included city sightseeing; entrances to the Marciana Library, and the Correr and Archaeological Museums in Venice

Meals

Buffet breakfast daily

Transportation

Travel by high-speed train (first class) Venice-Rome; transfers to/from train stations

PRODUCT_LINE: MONOGRAMS-DIW2-2018