VENICE, THE SECRET PALACES OF THE LAGOON. We will arrive and meet with our Tour Leader and settle in the hotel. Our visit will concern the most secret places of the city, crossing canals over which people still hang out their clothes to dry. We will discover the charm of the authentic Venice. Our Venetian guide will show us the Arsenal and the floating fruit and vegetable market. We will go into its maze of streets to reach the church that treasures the Last Supper by Tintoretto. But we won’t overlook the historic palaces, Cà Foscari, Cà Giustiniani, Cà d’Oro and Cà Dario, that create a scenery on the Grand Canal that is unique worldwide. Going towards Rialto we will find the Pizzeria Rosa Rossa, where Johnny Depp used to go whilst filming The Tourist. After lunch we will go to Palazzo Vernier dei Leoni, head office of the Peggy Guggenheim Foundation, where we will admire the extraordinary works of European art. We will end the day visiting the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica on Piazza San Marco. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.

MURANO AND BURANO, THE COLOURS OF THE ISLANDS. After breakfast we will go on an excursion by shuttle of the islands of the lagoon. We will discover the ancient glassmaking tradition of Murano between the artistic parlours that treasure ancient artisanal secrets. We will visit the Museum of Glass with very prestigious works that have been in competition with the Bohemian crystal ever since the middleages. Our guide will describe the refined technique “a caldo”, invented on the island with rods for working with filigree coloured glass. We will have lunch in a restaurant with some delicious fried fish and we will go on to Burano. Here the brightly coloured facades of the houses break the uniform outline of the lagoon. They say that the boatmen had this custom in order to find their home in the fog. In the heart of the historic hamlet of the fishermen we will find artisanal shops where you can buy typical hand made lace. We will taste il bussolà, typical doughnut shaped cookie from this island and, before we get back, we will visit the only church with a leaning bell tower because of the subsidence of some piling on the foundation. Here we will also find a precious canvas with the Crucifixion by Tiepolo. Dinner and overnight stay at hotel.

VICENZA, THE HOMETOWN OF PALLADIO. We will arrive and meet with our Tour Leader to discover the solemn treasures of this city in Veneto that became the main residence of Venetian aristocracy. We will start from the architectural works of art in the Palladian Basilica and the Olympic Theatre in which Andrea di Pietro della Gondola, Palladio, found his inspiration for classical proportions. Our guide will show us the research of this great architect that, starting from Greek-Roman models, generated a true stylistic revolution in the whole of Europe and America. We will visit the historic city centre going through Vicenza’s four monumental squares, from the Palace of the Ragione to that of the Capitanato. After having lunch in a restaurant, where we will have the pleasure to taste the typical dishes of the city such as meat lasagne and cod, we will have free time for a walk through its refined boutiques, jewellery and hat shops. One of the stops we won’t be able to miss is the Artists Café, where painters and writers meet. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

THE PALLADIAN VILLAS AND THE BOTANIC GARDEN OF PADUA. After breakfast we will go on an excursion to the Palladian Villas, the superb homes of the noble families of Barbaro, Corner, Emo, Grimaldi and Foscari. We will discover their artistic perfection and we will live a cultural experience in architectonic sceneries that are unique in the world. After having lunch in a restaurant we will go to visit the Botanic Garden of Padua, the most ancient in the world. We will admire the unparalleled naturalistic heritage where Venice displays rare exotic species that have been collected and imported by its fleet ever since the Fifteen hundreds. We will then go back to the hotel, have dinner and spend the night in the hotel.

VERONA, HABSBURG PEARL AMONGST SHAKESPEAREAN PLACES. After having breakfast we will go deep into the magical atmosphere of Romeo and Juliet. Our guide will take us to Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza Bra, as well as the Palazzo of the Gran Guardia, the neoclassical Palazzo Barberini, the Town Hall and the Arena. We will discover the corners of the Nineteenth century Verona, Habsburg pearl and enchanting location for musical events. After brunch in the historical Bottega del Vino, where artists and writers go, where we will taste braise risotto, bigoli (typical hand made pasta) with duck and “pasta e fasoi”, we will not be able to miss a visit to the balcony of the famous House of Juliet. We will follow a special Shakespearian itinerary that will let us relive the places that were described in the work of the great playwright. You will then enjoy some free time, have dinner and the chance to see a concert in the Arena, the wonderful roman amphitheatre, in order to end our tour with a great event. Overnight stay at the hotel.

GOODBYE. After breakfast you will enjoy some free time. Later on, departure.

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