15 Nights | Splendors of Northern Italy
Italy’s myriad splendors are known the world over, and you’ll encounter your first of many in Milan, where you’ll see Da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Delve into the luminous architectural and artistic highlights of water-bound Venice and discover Northern Italy’s gems: Verona, Padua, Bologna and Ferrara.
Then travel to Florence, where the Renaissance began. See astonishing works by Michelangelo, Rafael, Donatello and Boticelli, and savor a spectacular homemade lunch and a Chianti wine tasting at Castello di Verrazzano. A fitting end to your Italian adventure awaits in Rome with all of its wonders—the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican Museum, Trevi Fountain, Sistine Chapel and so much more.
Who will enjoy this cruise/tour? Art lovers who want to trace the Renaissance treasures from Italy’s most famous cities—Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan.
You will visit the following 8 places:
Venice
Venice is a city in northeastern Italy sited on a group of 118 small islands separated by canals and linked by bridges. The city is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture, and its artwork. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. Venice has been known as the La Dominante, Serenissima, Queen of the Adriatic, City of Water, City of Masks, City of Bridges, The Floating City, and City of Canals. It has also been described as being one of Europe's most romantic cities. It is truly an amazing, stunning and interesting city for the adventurous to explore!
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with 367,569 inhabitants (1,500,000 in the metropolitan area). The city lies on the River Arno and is known for its history and its importance in the Middle Ages and in the Renaissance, especially for its art and architecture. A centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of the time, Florence is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance; it has been called the Athens of the Middle Ages. Florence is often known as the ''Jewel of the Renaissance''.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in 1,285.3 km2 (496.3 sq mi). Rome's metropolitan area is the second largest in Italy Milan, with some 3.7 million residents. The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy. The historic centre of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With wonderful palaces, millennium-old churches, grand romantic ruins, opulent monuments, ornate statues and graceful fountains, Rome has an immensely rich historical heritage and cosmopolitan atmosphere, making it one of Europe's and the world's most visited, famous, influential and beautiful capitals.
Milan
Milan is a city in Italy and the capital of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1,315,000, while the urban area is the largest in Italy and the fifth largest in the European Union with a population of 4,345,000 over an area of 2,370 km2 (915 sq mi). The Milan metropolitan area, by far the largest in Italy, is estimated by the OECD to have a population of 7,400,000. The city is the main industrial, commercial, and financial centre of Italy and a leading global city of fashion and design. Its business district hosts the Borsa Italiana (Italy's main stock exchange) and the headquarters of the largest national banks and companies. Milan's museums, theatres and landmarks (including the Milan Cathedral, the fifth-largest cathedral in the world, and Santa Maria delle Grazie, decorated with Leonardo da Vinci paintings such as The Last Supper, a UNESCO World Heritage Site) attract over 8 million visitors annually.