The Essence of Rome & Florence: A Golden Age Tour

Palazzo Medici Riccardi interior in Florence, Italy

What to expect on this itinerary

This luxurious, 8-day journey leads you across the wonders of Rome and Florence to experience the magic of Italy. Leave no stone unturned as you taste the culinary delights, marvel at the artistic masterpieces, and dip into the wild hot springs that can be found here. On this trip, you will witness the must-sees of Rome and Florence in addition to partaking in off-the-beaten-path excursions to discover the hidden gems and sites that are missed by the majority of visitors.

Countries Visited

Italy

Places Visited

Rome, Florence, Vatican City

Suggested Duration

8 Days

Customizable Itinerary

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Day 1

Rome – A Backstage Pass to the Teatro dell’Opera

Over the next eight days, you will be led through the many delights that Italy’s largest cities have to offer at a comfortable and customizable pace. Today, a driver will be ready to transfer you from the airport in Rome to your deluxe suite awaiting you in the heart of the city. Once you have had some time to settle in and become acquainted with your luxurious accommodation, your driver will transfer you to Rome’s premier opera house, Teatro dell’Opera, for an exhaustive tour. Once you have indulged in all of the secrets of the complex, you will be seated in a VIP box to enjoy a true Italian opera performance.

What's Included:

Transfer
Accommodation
Tour
Day 2

Rome – An Open-Air Excursion through the Highlights of Rome

Day 3

Rome – Visit a World-Class Golf Course and Spa

Day 4

Rome – Tour of the Vatican and Sunset Cruise

Day 5

Florence – Vinotherapy and Hot Springs of Tuscany

Day 6

Florence – Experience the Accademia Gallery

Day 7

Florence – Explore the Mediterranean Sea on a Yacht

Day 8

Florence – Craft Your Signature Scent with a Master Perfumer

Trip Highlights

  • Discover the backstage workings of the Teatro dell’Opera in a behind-the-scenes tour and al fresco performance
  • Zip through the sites of Rome on a luxury golf cart that will lead you past iconic sites, such as in the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, and the Trevi Fountain
  • Cross the Orbetello Lagoon to a Mediterranean Peninsula with a five-star golf course and spa
  • Open the closed doors of the Vatican on your private tour, including the rarely seen Bramante Staircase
  • Appreciate the sunset on the Tiber River on a peaceful, gourmet dinner cruise
  • Bask in the hot springs of Bagno Vignoni and experiment with vinotherapy
  • Marvel at the works in the Accademia Gallery as you follow your historian guide and Michelangelo expert
  • Set sail on the Mediterranean aboard a luxurious yacht with a customized lunch that will be prepared by a Michelin-starred chef
  • Craft your signature scent with the help of Florence’s Master Perfumer, an ideal souvenir for men and women alike

Detailed Description

A tour of Italy would not be complete without the inclusion of wine tastings, decadent cuisine, and time to marvel at the stunning vistas that this incredible country offers. On this tour, you will sit in the lap of luxury by soaking in a tub of local wine, following an ancient, anti-aging technique before indulging in a tasting at the vineyard. Onboard a yacht, you will sample traditional meals that will be made from fresh, local ingredients against a backdrop of the Mediterranean and the rolling hills of Tuscany. This adventure will send you across Rome, Florence, and the surrounding areas to provide you with the best locations, the most delicious meals, and the most spectacular views.

You will begin your journey in Rome with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a private, backstage tour of the Teatro dell’Opera. Not only will you experience the behind the scenes of putting on a performance on this stage, but you will also leave with a signed playbill of the show by the performers. The following day, you will be picked up in a luxury golf cart for an open-air, fully customizable tour of the highlights of the Eternal City. You will be able to stop and see whatever grabs your attention because the day will be yours to answer to whatever inspires and attracts you. For day three, you will spend a day on Italy’s official PGA Golf Course, where you will be hosted by world-class golfing experts. In the marble halls of the golf course’s on-site spa, you will discover the benefits of the Wellness Method. Day four will find you on a Closed Door Tour of the Vatican with private showings of sites that rarely opened to the public. You will then be provided with a full 30-minute period to spend alone and admire the design of the Sistine Chapel.

On day five, you will set out for Florence, where you will spend the day wine tasting with the option to experience vinotherapy in an ancient village in the heart of Tuscany. The following day, you will meet with a local art historian and certified Michelangelo expert for a private tour of the Accademia Gallery. During your tour, you will learn about the history of this world-famous artist and how his work came to take the world by storm. Day seven will set you out to sea in the sweet fresh air of the Mediterranean aboard a yacht with a Michelin-starred chef and Master Winemaker to keep you company. You will be able to taste the essence of the sea with a seafood lunch and perfectly paired wine for each of the four courses. For your final day, you will meet a Master Perfumer in their shop in Florence to be walked through creating your own signature scent. With their assistance, you will have the opportunity to create a scent that is unique to you. You will get a feel for the beating heart of Florence and its ancient traditions before your private driver arrives to transport you directly to the terminal of your airport in Rome for your flight home.

Each and every day of this trip has been carefully crafted to delight, inspire, and produce an authentically Italian experience. You will have the opportunity to explore Rome, Florence, and the surrounding areas, knowing that every experience is fully customized for you and your group. This luxurious, Italian getaway is completely customizable, so you can adjust anything and everything to better suit your moods and desires once you are in Italy.

Starting Price

$7,800 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

  • Accommodations
  • In-country transportation
  • Some or all activities and tours
  • Expert trip planning
  • 24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.8

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 880 reviews

Luxury European Family Vacation Review: Italy, France, England, London, Paris, Rome, Florence, Vatican City, EuroDisney

We were so lucky for having this representative as a travel consultant and guru!

His planning, advising and hard work contributed on making our trip a wonderful one.

We are a family of 5, with children from ages 14 to 6.

Our trip began in Mexico City, we flew to Paris and we  were then met by our driver who was extremely kind and welcoming. He took us to the hotel in central Paris to be received  by the general manager with gifts to all our children. She surprised us with an upgrade to a 2 bedroom suite overlooking  the Tulleries and the Eiffel Tower, what a treat!

Since we have  family in Paris  we took time to visit them.

Our third day in Paris consisted of a walking tour throughout the Latin Quarter, suggested by our agent. We were met at our hotel by our guide. He is  an architect, who knew about the story of how the city started developing. Our guide took us to hidden, beautiful churches which very few people knew about, and the paths we walked on were so charming in their own mysterious way.  He kindly brought a book full with pictures to help our kids understand better. He was quite charming and understanding with our youngest daughter.  

We were met on our fourth day by our driver who took us to Eurodisney for a quick treat for the kids, again our agent arranged the right hotel, everything went smoothly.

On our 6th day our driver met us promptly at our hotel to take us to the airport and catch our flight to Rome.

At Rome we were met at the luggage pick up by our guide who was very welcoming and warm, at the exit we met our driver who after our time with him want to bring back home with us! He was a master to the best food in Rome and also gave us a tour of the not so touristy places to visit! At the end of our visit our youngest daughter wanted him with us every hour of the day!

Our hotel was a beautifull small hotel in the heart of the city , just 2 minutes from the Spanish Steps!

Our visit to Vatican city was all taken care of and went smoothly.

Our agent suggested Gadiator School were the kids had a blast! And learned all about ancient Rome.

We took a train to Florence and our driver took us with all our luggage up to the door of the train! We didint have to figure out anything at all! Every aspect was already taken care for!

As we arrived in Florence train station our driver was waiting for us to help us with our luggage. We arrived to a beautifull hotel in the center of town .

Our visit to Pitti Palace and Uffizzi galery was led by Francesca who had a magic touch with the kids and took great pleasure in explaining every question for us.

As this was also a pleasure trip our agent suggested a Chianti wine tour, wich we enjoyed with a delicious lunch. Our driver in Florence was a treat since he knew all about wines, grapes and wineries in Italy.

On our last day we visited Bologna for a quick tour of the central piazza , and then headed to the Lamborghini factory for an amazing treat to our 11 year old son.

Arriving at venice our guide was already waiting for us to take us via taxi to our hotel just to block from St Mark square, with a beautifull terraze for breakefast.

Our next day started with a guided tour of St. marks church with an amazing guide...on the second day we enjoyed a visit to Murano and Burano Islands with our guide who was also a proud story teller of beautifull venice ,charming and patiente with the kids.

Sadly we had to leave to London and our guide took care of everything for us ....even accompanning us to the check in counter.

Arriving in London our driver was waiting and took us to a beautifull hotel infront of Kensington gardens were we amazingly received and taken care for for our two day visit.

As you can read from our review we have nothing but good and grateful words for the work our agent and his team did for us. He understood perfectly what we needed to make this unforgettable.

Again thank you !

Hope to travel again through your agency!

Stewart family

Mexico City.

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Travel Review: Italy Trip, Amalfi Coast, Florence, Rome, The Vatican, Wine Tour, Colosseum, 9-Day Tour
My wife and I recently came back from our honeymoon in Italy and we can't stop telling people about it.  We worked with our trip planner and she was fantastic--spot on--and met every need we had. We started working with her months prior to the trip and had no idea how perfect the trip would be. We went to the Amalfi Coast, Florence and ended in Rome. She did a fabulous job meeting our needs from the location of the hotels to the activities in each location. I have been to Italy before and thought the trips were well planned but this travel company and our trip planner was another level. The hotels we stayed at were in great locations with impeccable service and very nice. We definitely recommend the private tours as they brought the towns, region, people and history to life. We had an art historian who gave us a tour of Florence and an architect--who teaches for several of the U.S. universities located in Rome--who toured us through Rome for 2 days and ended with a private tour of the Vatican that was very educational. We could not be more pleased with the people associated with this company as they are all first rate. The ease with which we got around Italy was amazing as every transfer from city to train to hotel was coordinated and punctual.  We would highly recommend anyone planning to visit these cities take the private tours. This was a fantastic and flawless trip.  We highly recommend this company for anyone wanting a personalized trip to an incredible country.  We look forward to booking with this company again to explore more of Italy.

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Italy Vacation Review: Rome, Florence, Sorrento, Local Food & Wine

The vacation was awesome and the travel company we worked with made it so! All three cities were amazing; Rome, Florence, and Sorrento. We were extremely grateful for the logistics and resources we were set up with by our travel company. The tour guides we were set up with first for the Vatican tour and second for the walking tour of Florence both made the experience that much more invigorating providing knowledge and history in context. That made Florence especially my favorite in addition to the unreal food and wine. We constantly felt a great balance of high touch, guided activities and freedom to explore and get lost! There is no doubt in my mind we would use the same travel company again once we start planning our trip back.

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Italy Tour Review: Venice, Sienna, San Gimignano, Rome, Revello, Amalfi, Pizza Making Class, Winery
TRIP OF A LIFETIME!!! We have wanted to travel to Italy for a long time and have encountered many different tour groups/agencies. We were going back and forth for a while trying to figure out what our *must sees* were, how much time we should spend in one place, and Transportation (do we want to drive by in a bus and just wave at the sights or actually be able to get out and learn/experience Italy with just our small group). When talking on zoom with the travel agent (many many and did I say many times) she was able to provide so much knowledge and listened to what we wanted to do. We were able to go over the itinerary and change things with them over zoom. It was nice to have the agency based out of Italy because they would know best (where to stay, what to visit, where to eat). They created a group chat before we left for our trip and we were able to contact them along our journey with any questions we had. The whole team (including the tour guides and drivers) were amazing and we are so thankful for all the work they put in to make our trip amazing! We were provided first-class treatment every day,  our transfers, tour guides, and accommodations were truly amazing!! As for the trip, we had two weeks to travel around Italy, starting in Venice, Florence, Rome, and the Amalfi coast. From Florence we were able to take a couple of day trips to some really cool and historic towns, We visited Sienna and San Gimignano and we also visited a boutique winery in the Chianti region. In Rome, we visited the Vatican with our private tour guide, We also went to the colosseum the next day with her. She timed it so nicely that we were the first ones in the colosseum and it was absolutely breathtaking. Later on, in Rome, we had a pizza-making class with a small group of people which was a really fun experience. Lastly, we headed to the Amalfi coast making stops in Sorrento, Positano, Revello, and of course Amalfi. Absolutely stunning! And the view from our hotel room was even better, looking right over the Amalfi coast. Truly Beautiful! 

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Luxury Italy Vacation Review: Rome, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast, Vatican, Vasari Corridor

We had a wonderful family trip to Italy.  We had a small group of 7 travelling. It was the first overseas trip for my 3 nieces.   Our agent was fantastic.   She was very responsive to our needs and planned an itinerary that was full of guided tours, but left plenty of time to explore on our own. We went to Rome, Pompeii, Amalfi, Florence and Venice.  The hotels in the 3 cities were all in good locations for walking.  All of the guides that provided the private tours for our little group were all very knowledgeable and friendly.  It was nice having private tours with skip the line access to the museums.   The only negative thing I can say is that the Vatican Museum was very over crowded and made it hard to see as much as we would have wanted to see.  However, that does not reflect negatively on our agent or the company since that is out of their control.  We still enjoyed visiting the Vatican and Museum and is a must see for anyone going to Rome.

On the recommendation of our agent, we drove down to the Amalfi Coast after our visit to Pompeii.   That was well worth it.  That area is so beautiful and we all agreed we would like to spend more time there. 

We had beautiful weather the first half of the trip.   However, upon arrival in Florence and Venice, the weather did not cooperate and we had rain and cooler temperatures.  We had not packed for that type of weather, so we were all a little chilly the last couple of days.  However, we did not let that dampen our enthusiasm or keep us from getting out and seeing things.  I will definitely pack better in the future.  

Overall, I was very pleased with our agent and the services our agents provided.  Everything went flawlessly and effortlessly for us thanks to our Italy travel agents. We would definitely use their services again if/when we go back to Italy.  

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Italy Tour Review: Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, San Gimignano, Siena, Amalfi Coast, Mask & Cooking Classes, Winery Visit, Capri
The majority of the trip was wonderful but there were some issues. The highlights were 1.) In Venice the Gondola Ride with Champagne, the hotel which was a great location, the Mask Class was fun & well organized, the trip to the Islands, the Food Tour with our guide, the promptness of all the transfer guides; these were wonderful.2.) In Florence the Cooking Class was fun however nobody told the chefs most of our group were vegetarians. Luckily they rearranged the menu although we were late because we had to walk over a mile to get to the class which was posted at the wrong location so we paid to take a taxi back to where the class was being held. The tour to San Gimignano & Siena started off a bit strained because of the mile walk (remember 2 people were over 70 years old) to get to the tour office. The guide spoke so softly 2/3 of the bus could not hear her, even asking her to speak up numerous time. Toward the end of the bus ride there she gave us headphones. The trip to the Chianti Winery was fabulous. Maybe even a highpoint. We were dropped off at 11:00 at night in a warehouse looking area with no pick-up. We ask for a taxi. The first taxi kicked us out because he could only take 4 so we waited for a second one. The hotel in Florence was nice with a spa. We checked out & paid any expenses. Later the hotel texted my son in Hawaii regarding 990 euros for the rooms mistakenly asking him to clear it up. 3.) In Rome the Vatican tour was so crowded (we did not know it was Italy's birthday/holiday) glad we had fast tickets. Stopped for lunch & had lunch with the guide (we paid). He was very knowledgeable about the Forum, Circus Maximus & Coliseum. The hotel was nice.  4.) Naples was really nice. Loved our guide who drove us around the various towns & Amalfi coast. The following day we toured Pompeii with another guide. She was also wonderful. Glad we had fast tickets. We didn't know it was another holiday (Armistice Day) so entrance fees were free & very crowded. The boat ride to Capri was the best day. Loved the private boat with the Captain. The only hitch this day was we finished early the guide back at the boat launch told us the Taxi was paid for but the driver said she was wrong so again we paid for another Taxi.   

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Customizable Itinerary

This is a sample itinerary to inspire a personalized trip designed with your travel specialist.

28,000+ Verified Traveler Reviews