Giro Musicale - 10 days

Highlights

Colosseum • St. Peter’s Basilica • Basilica Of St. Francis • The Duomo • Accademia • Cremona’s Famous Violin Collection • St. Mark's Basilica • The Doge’s Palace • 3 Performance Opportunities

Overnights

Cremona 2, Venice Area 1, Montecatini 2, Rome 3

Itinerary

DAY 1: DEPART
Depart on your 10-day concert tour to Italy!

DAY 2: MILAN/CREMONA
Benvenuti in Italia! Arrive in Italy, and meet your tour manager at the Milan airport. Transfer to Verona for a walking tour of Verona including Juliet’s Balcony and the Arena. Continue to Cremona for dinner and overnight.

DAY 3: CREMONA
Morning sightseeing of Cremona, birthplace of Monteverdi and the Stradivarius, includes a tour of the workshops of local violin artisans and Cremona’s private collection of valuable violins including a 1715 Stradivarius. Free afternoon. After dinner at a local restaurant, you’ll present your first performance in Cremona.

DAY 4: VENICE MAINLAND
Check out and transfer to “The Queen of the Adriatic,” Venice. Transfer to St. Mark’s Square via boat as the Venetians themselves do daily. Your walking tour of this Byzantine wonder includes St. Mark’s Basilica and entrances to the Doge’s Palace. Here, you can walk through the famous “Bridge of Sighs” which connects the palace to the prison. Throughout the summer, Piazza San Marco abounds with activity and live music. Enjoy a cool drink and listen to the strains of local musicians overlapping with the sounds of distant Gondoliers’ songs! After dinner at local restaurant, transfer to your hotel for the overnight.

DAY 5: FLORENCE/MONTECATINI
Travel to the Renaissance city of Florence for afternoon sightseeing with a local guide. This tour shows you the magnificent Duomo decorated in pink and green marble, the Baptistry doors of Ghiberti, that Michelangelo claimed were “The doors of Paradise,” and the elegant Santa Croce! Also included today are entrances to the Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s David! Take time to relax in the heart of the city before dinner together as a group. Return to Montecatini later this evening for the overnight.

DAY 6: SIENA/LUCCA/MONTECATINI
Today there is a full day excursion through old Tuscany. First journey to Siena, one of Italy’s best-preserved hill towns, to admire the green and white marbled Duomo and the famous Piazza del Campo. Free time for lunch before continuing to the walled city of Lucca for sightseeing with your Tour Manager. After dinner at a local restaurant, you’ll present your second formal concert performance in Lucca. Return to Montecatini for the overnight.

DAY 7: ASSISI/ROME
Depart Rome this morning and travel into nearby Umbria for a visit to the medieval hill town of Assisi. Here you will have time to stroll along the cobble-stoned streets marveling at the panoramic splendor of the lush rolling hills of the surrounding countryside. Be sure to visit the Basilica of St. Francis famous for the frescoes by Giotto depicting the saint’s life. Continue to Rome for check-in to your hotel and dinner at a local restaurant.

DAY 8: ROME
Relax this morning before your panoramic city sightseeing of Rome with a local guide. This motor coach tour introduces you to The Colosseum, The Roman Forum, The Circus Maximus, The Baths of Caracalla, The Monument of Vittorio Emanuele “Rome’s Wedding Cake monument,” and the Basilica of St. Peter, mother church of the Catholic faith. The rest of the day is free to explore the city. Your tour manager will be available to suggest many free time activities and additional museums of interest. Meet again later this evening for dinner together as a group.

DAY 9: ROME
Free morning to visit the Colosseum or do some shopping. Late this afternoon, travel outside the city walls to nearby Gallicano or Palestrina, where you will perform a concert. These charming towns outside Rome offer warm reception, wonderful audiences, and fantastic performance venues. Dinner this evening will be served in the location of the concert.

DAY 10: DEPART
Transfer to Rome airport for return flight to the US.