Italian Intermezzo

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Overview

Travel from the shores of Venice to the ancient city of Rome on this 8-day guided tour of Italy. Begin your journey in Milan, where a festive feast complete with decadent Italian wines await you. In Venice, relax on a private boat as you pass by the iconic city to St Mark's Square, where you will see a gilded basilica anchoring the bustling piazza. Embark on a traditional gondola ride with your skilled Venetian gondolier, gliding along the canals while enjoying music. See the legendary Colosseum in Rome, then travel to the Vatican Museums, where a Local Expert will lead you through the papal art collection and to Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Celebrate a fantastic trip over dinner in a local restaurant.

Itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Milan

Greet your Travel Director at Milan’s Malpensa Airport. Later, head to a traditional restaurant known for its delicious Milanese dishes. Tonight’s dinner is a chance to mingle and get to know your fellow travellers over a pleasant evening.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Duo Milan Porta Nuova

Day 2: Venice, the Queen of the Adriatic Relaxed Start

Journey across the Veneto plain, rich in agriculture, known for its peach trees & vineyards, with the Dolomite mountains on the northern horizon. Your hotel, exuding authentic Venetian charm, beautifully reflects the history and culture of the surrounding area. As night falls, there’s the opportunity to immerse yourself in the magic of St. Mark’s Square, with its orchestras and delightful alfresco cafes, providing an unforgettable experience.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Indigo – Sant’Elena, Venice

Day 3: Venice and the Magic of La Serenissima Relaxed Start

Wake up ready to embrace this romantic city. What better way to see Venice than from a private boat, sailing past palazzos and churches to St. Mark’s Square? See the gilded basilica, the Doge’s Palace and Lord Byron’s Bridge of Sighs. No visit to Venice would be complete without a gondola serenade through the myriad of beautiful canals. Relax and enjoy the local traditional songs, as you drift along in awe. While here, join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience during a visit to a traditional glassmaking workshop, where you can see how beautiful handcrafted glass is made by expert glassblowers, safeguarding traditional skills. Spend the afternoon and evening as you wish. Or, leave the hustle of St. Mark’s Square behind on a delightful private cruise around the islands of the Venetian lagoon on an Optional Experience to the island of Burano. Alight at the island of Burano, famous for its candy-coloured houses, artisan lace makers and leaning bell tower that would give Pisa a good run for its money. Enjoy a superb meal sampling the local specialities with wine included.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Indigo – Sant’Elena, Venice

Day 4: Tranquil Tuscany, Pisa and Florence

Stop in Pisa to see the remarkable Leaning Tower, where Galileo is said to have conducted his famous experiments on velocity and gravity. In the evening, consider joining an Optional Experience featuring a traditional Tuscan dinner paired with local wines — including, of course, Chianti from the region’s renowned vineyards.

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Albani Firenze, Florence

Day 5: Free Time in Renaissance Florence

This morning, explore Florence with Insight Choice: choose to visit the Accademia Museum to see Michelangelo’s David, or take a stroll with your Travel Director and enjoy a typical Italian treat in a local cafe. Afterwards, join a guided walk with your Local Expert through the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria, where you’ll admire the cathedral, Giotto’s bell tower, baptistery and Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, as well as the statues fronting the Palazzo Vecchio. Afterwards, enjoy a demonstration of Florence’s renowned leatherwork and gold craftsmanship before an afternoon at leisure. In the evening, you may wish to join an Optional Experience to San Gimignano, where medieval towers and artisan shops line the cobbled streets of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: NH Firenze, Florence

Day 6: Chianti Country to Orvieto and on to Rome

Journey to Umbrian Orvieto, a hilltop village overlooking a vineyard-covered plain. Explore the town with your Travel Director and visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral, before continuing towards the Eternal City of Rome. Enjoy the backstreets and secrets of pedestrian Rome on an optional experience taking a “passeggiata” (stroll) with your Local Expert discovering the piazzas and fountains. Be amazed at sights such as the fascinating Pantheon and the beauty of 17th-century fountains and beautiful piazzas. Why not throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the city?

Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Villa Pamphili, Rome

Day 7: Rome Sightseeing and the Vatican

In the morning, enjoy the very best of the city’s highlights, including fast-tracked entry to the Vatican Museums with a Local Expert. Admire the Papal art collection and step inside the Sistine Chapel, where you’ll marvel at Michelangelo’s masterpiece on the ceiling. Afterwards, view the magnificent exterior of St Peter’s Basilica, followed by free time. In the evening, dine on Lazio’s culinary specialities as you celebrate your journey through Italy’s heritage and culture with your fellow travellers.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Accommodation: Villa Pamphili, Rome

Day 8: Arrivederci Roma

Bid farewell to the glories of Italy, savouring the memories of its enchanting cities, historic landmarks and stunning landscapes. Italy’s unique allure will linger in your heart long after you leave.

Meals: Breakfast

Trip Inclusions

Dining Summary

3 Dinner (D)
7 Breakfast (B)

Choice Highlights

Choose between two carefully selected activities
Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo’s monumental statue, ‘David’, in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world’s most famous sculpture.
Florence: Join your Travel Director on a short walk to a local spot loved by residents. Sample a classic Italian treat and hear how it became a staple of the area. It’s a chance to experience the flavours locals grow up with and return to time and again.

Additional Included Highlights

Personal radio headsets give you the freedom to wander during visits to famous highlights, without missing any of your Local Expert’s fascinating commentary.
Hotel and restaurant tips are included – you’ll never have to worry about how much to give, nor search for foreign currency. We also include all taxes and porterage charges at hotels.
We carry your bags for you and promptly deliver them to your hotel door.
From time to time, your Travel Director will delight you with an Insight Flourish, which is a local specialty representing the destination.
Stay connected with friends and family with our complimentary coach and hotel Wi-Fi (where available).
If your arrival and/or departure flights are as per the itinerary start and end dates, then transfers are available at scheduled times. If your flights are outside these times, or you have booked additional nights accommodation with Insight Vacations, you may purchase transfers or make your own way from/to the airport.

Authentic Dining

Milan: Enjoy a special dinner with wine, as you get to know your fellow travellers.
Rome: Savour regional flavours and embrace Rome’s rich culinary heritage as you toast to the Eternal City over your Roman dinner.

Insight Choice

Florence: Stand beside Michelangelo’s monumental statue, ‘David’, in the Accademia Gallery, and admire the exquisite technique and absorbing history behind the world’s most famous sculpture.
Florence: Join your Travel Director on a short walk to a local spot loved by residents. Sample a classic Italian treat and hear how it became a staple of the area. It’s a chance to experience the flavours locals grow up with and return to time and again.

Insight Experiences

Vatican City: Visit the Vatican Museums, witness the genius of Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel and see St. Peter’s Basilica.

Make Travel Matter

Venice: Witness the ancient skill of glassblowing, now practised by precious few masters. Watch artisans create delicate works of art using rare traditional practices. The workshop’s artisans teach visitors about the traditional craft of glassblowing and its history which dates back to the 15th century. Every visit helps to support the workshop and the survival of this traditional craft. This workshop directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities.

Top Rated Highlights

Venice: Travel by boat along the Giudecca Canal as your Travel Director gives an orientation to Venice. Pass 13th to 18th-century palazzi, the Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Square, an iconic introduction to the city from the water.
Venice: Glide through Venice’s canals on an iconic gondola ride, passing beneath historic bridges and past elegant palaces. Soak up the city’s romantic atmosphere as your gondolier navigates the tranquil waterways, offering a unique perspective of this timeless floating city.
Pisa: During your orientation, your Travel Director will show you the baptistery bristling with marble spines, and the colonnaded bell tower lurching behind the 11th-century cathedral – the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Florence: See the historic neighbourhood of the Santa Croce Basilica and witness local craftspersons at work during a gold and leatherwork demonstration.
Orvieto: During your orientation of this Umbrian hilltop town with your Travel Director, visit Piazza del Duomo to admire the cathedral.
Rome: Explore Rome’s storied past as you see the sweeping Circus Maximus, once the largest stadium in ancient Rome and host to thrilling chariot races. Admire the Arch of Constantine, a triumphal monument built to celebrate Emperor Constantine’s victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge and gaze up at the Palatine Hill, the most central of Rome’s seven hills and the site where, according to legend, Romulus founded the city.

Well-being

Enjoy the comfort of Insight’s luxurious, air-conditioned, 40-seat coach with double the standard legroom and onboard washroom. Our customized luxury coaches are sanitized before the start of your tour and are maintained to very high standards. Physical distancing measures have been implemented on our customized luxury coaches.
Hand sanitizer is freely available on board for you to use throughout the day.

Trip Dates:

26 Apr 2026 10 May 2026 17 May 2026 31 May 2026 07 Jun 2026 14 Jun 2026 28 Jun 2026 12 Jul 2026 19 Jul 2026 26 Jul 2026 02 Aug 2026 16 Aug 2026 23 Aug 2026 30 Aug 2026 06 Sep 2026 13 Sep 2026 20 Sep 2026 04 Oct 2026 11 Oct 2026 18 Oct 2026

Room Type:

Twin Share

Solo (Own Room)

Sunday

26 Apr 2026

Milan

Sunday

03 May 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,350

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Sunday

10 May 2026

Milan

Sunday

17 May 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,750

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Sunday

17 May 2026

Milan

Sunday

24 May 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,995

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Sunday

31 May 2026

Milan

Sunday

07 Jun 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,050

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Sunday

07 Jun 2026

Milan

Sunday

14 Jun 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,050

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Sunday

14 Jun 2026

Milan

Sunday

21 Jun 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,350

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Sunday

28 Jun 2026

Milan

Sunday

05 Jul 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,275

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Sunday

12 Jul 2026

Milan

Sunday

19 Jul 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,150

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Sunday

19 Jul 2026

Milan

Sunday

26 Jul 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,150

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Sunday

26 Jul 2026

Milan

Sunday

02 Aug 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,150

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Sunday

02 Aug 2026

Milan

Sunday

09 Aug 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $4,875

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Sunday

16 Aug 2026

Milan

Sunday

23 Aug 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,150

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Sunday

23 Aug 2026

Milan

Sunday

30 Aug 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,150

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Sunday

30 Aug 2026

Milan

Sunday

06 Sep 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,350

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Sunday

06 Sep 2026

Milan

Sunday

13 Sep 2026

Rome

Our Price

AUD $5,875

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Sunday

13 Sep 2026

Milan

Sunday

20 Sep 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,875

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Sunday

20 Sep 2026

Milan

Sunday

27 Sep 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,750

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Sunday

04 Oct 2026

Milan

Sunday

11 Oct 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,850

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Sunday

11 Oct 2026

Milan

Sunday

18 Oct 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,750

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Sunday

18 Oct 2026

Milan

Sunday

25 Oct 2026

Rome

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AUD $5,750

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