Venice - Vicenza - Verona

1^st day Venezia

Arrival at Venice Marco Polo Airport and transfer to hotel. Accommodation and free time for lunch.

In the afternoon you will start the visit of Palazzo Ducale (inside) The Palazzo Ducale, the seat of the ancient courts of the Republic, was built between the'300 and'400 Gothic "bloom" and the decorations of the rooms date from institutional and celebrate'500 end the myth of Venice, whose glory was allegorically represented by Veronese in the ceiling of the hall of the Higher Council. Then visit of St. Mark’s Basilica called golden for its mosaics glass tiles covered with gold leaf, was the private chapel of the Doge, strange combination of East-Christian art and ornamentation of Muslim origin, Byzantine and Gothic. You will admire the Tower from the square. Back to hotel for dinner and overnight.

2^ndday Venezia

After breakfast full day visit with local guide.The journey will start in the most extended of Venice, Castello, where once resided some of the most important foreign community; we will pass on the little school of San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, where there is a series of canvases devoted to the saints protectors of Dalmatian powered by Carpaccio, famous as the "Vision of St. Augustine." This small room is a precious testimony of the Italian Renaissance, recreated in an internal Venetian by Carpaccio. Continue towards the Arsenal ,after a maze of narrow streets, will arrive in Campo San Zanipolo, once defined as "the field of wonders," to admire the façade of the Scuola di San Marco, the equestrian statue of the mercenary Bartolomeo Colleoni del Verrocchio, the teacher of Leonardo da Vinci and the Gothic church of the Dominicans, pantheon of the Doges. Free time for quick lunch. In the afternoon tour of Murano, Burano , Torcello islands by private boat. Murano is the biggest Island famous for its glassworks. Here, in 1291 all the glassblowers, were moved for security reasons. We may enter into a furnace and assisting the creation of an object and continue our discovery of this art in the Museum of Ancient Glass. Further north, Burano, the island of lace, once a fishing village, with small colorful houses that one cannot avoid photographing. At the end the boat will leave to Torcello that is the smaller of the three Islands . Now, only 13 people are living there but, on the X century it was a big centre with 40.000 habitants, 12 churches and convents. It was also the richest and most powerful island on the lagoon. Here stands the oldest cathedral of the lagoon, the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. Dinner at a famous locanda and back to Venice for overnight.

3^rd day Venezia/Padua/ Vicenza

After breakfast departure for Padua. Visit of the the basilica of St. Anthony which is a constant destination for pilgrims and visitors from around the world. The artistic and cultural heritage of the city is large and of considerable historical interest, as always Padua was an important step for many scholars and artist: Giotto with Scrovegni Chapel, Mantegna later with the church of the Scrovegni, Galileo, with its observations to the telescope tower Bridge Mill in via Dante. Free time for lunch.

In the afternoon arrival in Vicenza visit of the golden city with local guide : Teatro Olimpico, one of the best Palladio’s masterpieces, the Basilica Palladiana , Piazza dei Signori and Corso Andrea Palladio, the main street. Accommodation at hotel. Dinner and overnight.

4^thday Vicenza

After breakfast departure for the visit of Villa La Rotonda. In the villa designed for the prelate, Palladio introduces, thus, formal elements assigned to suggest a significance of sacredness. Palladio probably was inspired by the roman Pantheon, then named "Rotonda", resuming the classical theme of the "sacred space" that comes from the contamination between the different formal models of the circle and of the quadrate, of the cube and of the sphere. Continue for the visit of a famous wine Factory , located on the way to Bassano del Grappa .Wine tasting.

In the afternoon visit of Villa Valmarana ai Nani where you can admire frescos from Giovanbattista and Giandomenico Tiepolo. Dinner at the villa and back to hotel for overnight.

5^th day Verona

After breakfast departure for the visit of Verona. Half day with local guide for the visit of the Arena, a Roman amphitheatre completed in the year 30 A.C., where gladiators fought against each other or wild animals; it can held around 30.000 spectators; the Juliet’s house the heroine of the Shakespeare play set in Verona. You can see the balcony , the inside with 16/17th century frescoes and painting relating to the story of Romeo and Juliet and the bronze statue of Juliet which stands in the courtyard; Piazza delle Erbe, centre of the city with its colourful market, the fountain with the roman statue known as Madonna Verona and the nearby Baroque Palazzo Maffei; not far Piazza dei Signori and the Scaligeri tombs in the Scaligeri Palace, that once was theTribunal, on the far side is the Palazzo del Governo also built by the Scaligeri. The basement of the ex- tribunal provides a suggestive archaeological journey. Free time for lunch and shopping. Accommodation at hotel , dinner and overnight.

6^thday Lake Garda

After breakfast departure for the visit of Gardone Riviera known for the luxury villas and tropical gardens. You will see the Vittoriale degli Italiani, the Monumental Citadel created by Gabriele D’Annunzio , a famous Italian writer, between 1921 and 1938 when he moved to Gardone Riviera. It is not only a house, but a complex made of buildings, streets, theatres and gardens, visited also by Mussolini in 1921. In year 2000 the WarMuseum was opened to underline the military experience of Gabriele d’Annunzio, who was not only a writer but also awarded with medals for the risks in the skies during several wars. Continue to Salò, the city where in 1943 Mussolini founded La Repubblica di Salò, and from where governed the Northern Italy until 1945 when he was killed from the partisans. Trough the Ancient Porta dell’Orologio you will discover with local guide the historic centre of Salò with Piazza Zanelli, the Teatro Vecchio and San Giovanni Battista Church. Time free for lunch an in the afternoon visit of Sirmione, a peninsula on the lake, where not only Catullus, but also Caesaris stayed. In the 8th century the Longobards built a convent and Dante, Carducci and Boito spent meaningful hours here. The Romans built 2 castles and a gigantic villa that rises on the rocks. Sirmione is well known all over the word for the thermal baths of Catullo. Visit of the Castle and by private boat you will see the Catullo Baths from the lake. Dinner in a local restaurant . Back to hotel and overnight.

7^th day Verona/ Milan

After breakfast transfer to Milan Malpensa airport for departure.