NORTH OF ITALY
Day 1 - ARRIVAL
Arrival at Malpensa Airport (Milan) and transfer to Lake Como.
Lake Como is also called Lario and is one of the favorite destinations in northern Italy thanks to its beautiful landscapes and its natural environment.
Transfer to hotel, welcome dinner and overnight.
Day 2 - VILLA CARLOTTA - BELLAGIO
Breakfast in hotel and visit of Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo.
Villa Carlotta welcomes visitors with its magnificent botanic garden and art masterpieces in over 70.000 square metres of gardens and museum. The beautiful Villa was built at the end of XVII century by the Milanese marquis Giorgio Clerici in a natural basin between lake and mountains, facing the dolomite Grignas and the peninsula of Bellagio. The architect created for the Clericis an important but sober building, with an Italian garden decorated with sculptures, stairs and fountains.
In the afternoon, boat excursion to Bellagio.
Few places are as romantic as Lake Como, and even fewer resorts as beautiful as Bellagio. Called the “Pearl of the Lake”, Bellagio’s world class hotels and restaurants provide the perfect place to soak up the lake’s famous panorama. The village is characterized by century-old buildings, stone lanes and picturesque cobbled stairways filled with shops showcasing the finest Italian wares.
Overnight.
Day 3 - ISOLA BELLA - VILLA TARANTO
Breakfast in hotel and transfer to Lake Maggiore.
Boat excursion to Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori. Isola Bella is a place of splendor thanks to the recurrent blooming and the priceless architectural treasures that blend into a wonderful microcosm.
Visit of Palazzo Borromeo: a baroque chest of wonders floating on the water. The marvellous outdoor Italian gardens and succession of richly furnished rooms inside make it an irresistible tourist attraction. Continuation to Pallanza and arrival at Villa Taranto. Visit of the Botanical garden of Villa Taranto. Coming into the gardens is just like making a travel through foreign lands. The Garden includes about 1,000 non-native plants and about 20,000 varieties and species of particular botanical importance.
Back to Como. Overnight.
Day 4 - SIRMIONE - GIARDINI GIUSTI
Breakfast in hotel and departure by bus to Verona with stop at Lake Garda.
Free visit of Sirmione, a walled city in a peninsula of Lake Garda. The beauty of the place, the mild climate and thermal waters were already appreciated by the ancient Romans, who chose Sirmione as holiday resort. Sirmione is situated on a narrow peninsula and it is now a tourist and spa center internationally renowned.
Afternoon in Verona and guided visit of Giardini Giusti, which for the last three and a half centuries has been one of the show gardens of Italy, and a ‘must-see’ on most 18th century Grand Tours.
The garden is approached through the palazzo built by the Giusti family, along an avenue of pencil-thin cypresses. On the ground level there is a maze that is said to be one of the oldest in Europe and parterres which are believed to be the oldest in Italy. The garden extends up the hillside on a series of terraces and from the pavilion half-way up and from the top level there are stunning views over the garden and beyond to the city of Verona.
Overnight.
Day 5 - VERONA - VALPOLICELLA (VILLA POJEGA-RIZZARDI)
Breakfast in hotel and half-day leisure time in Verona.
The city shows its alternation of various dominations through its architecture: from the settlement of the Romans, to the age of commons, to the era of the Signoria of the Scaliger family until its Venetian and Habsburg dominations.
Verona is the city of lovers and the place where Shakespeare set his most famous romantic drama of all time: Romeo and Juliet.
In the afternoon, half-day in Valpolicella with visit of Gardens of Villa Pojega-Rizzardi. The estate of Pojega was purchased in 1649 by the Rizzardi family, who were at that time living in Verona. Count Antonio Rizzardi commissioned the gardens from the famous architect Luigi Trezza in 1783. It is one of the last remaining examples of an “Italian-style garden” and is renowned for its outdoor green amphitheater and the spectacular surrounding views. The garden features include a temple, a green amphitheater, stone walls, sculptures, tree tunnels and a belvedere. Many of these features were created by the technique of bending the trees and the hedges.
The resulting landscape, together with the fountains and ponds, has produced a unique and impressive garden.
Typical dinner in a local restaurant.
Overnight.
Day 6 - TRAUTTMANSDORFF GARDEN - MERANO
Breakfast in hotel and transfer to Merano.
Visit of Trauttmansdorff Garden. The garden covers an area of twelve hectares and it presents plants from all over the world. The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle is a total sensory experience for both anyone who is young – or young at heart. It’s a place of recreation and a place to just hang out; it’s for laymen as well as for botanical experts. In recognition of this successful blend of nature and art, and for its innovative spirit, Trauttmansdorff was named Italy’s Most Beautiful Garden in 2005; just a year later, it earned the distinction of being voted Europe’s No. 6 Garden. Tyrolean lunch in a Brewery.
In the afternoon, leisure time in Merano: a charming town with mild climate and Mediterranean vegetation situated in the heart of the Alps. Among the most famous guests of the thermal town stand the Empress Elisabeth (Sissi), the writer Franz Kafka, the composer Richard Strauss and the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
Back to Verona. Overnight.
Day 7 - VICENZA (VILLA VALMARANA)
Breakfast in hotel and transfer to Vicenza.
Visit of Villa Valmarana and its Garden, an outstanding architectural and artistic site belonging to the Valmarana family taking its name from the statues of dwarves (nani) which decorate its garden wall. The Villa’s surroundings are designed to suite different tastes and functional needs, ranging from an Italian garden with the dovecote and the well, the walk through the hornbeam and the pagoda in the woods. Villa Valmarana is widely considered the highest testimony of the genius of Tiepolo.
Visit of Vicenza historic city center. Declared a World Heritage by Unesco in 1994, Vicenza is decorated with a majestic architecture signed by only one name: Andrea Palladio. The architectural genius has left the clearest sign of his art here and thanks to Palladio we can admire buildings of incomparable elegance today. Among these is the Palladian Basilica, there is a breathtaking view of the three squares below from the top floor, and the beautiful Loggia of the Capitan. Sights include the Corso Palladio with the exteriors of Palazzo Thiene, Palazzo Chiericati, the Basilica Palladiana, the Duomo, and the wonderful Teatro Olimpico*.
Transfer to the hotel of Padua. Overnight.
Day 8 - VALSANZIBIO - ARQUÀ PETRARCA
Breakfast in hotel and transfer to the Euganean Hills.
Guided visit of Valsanzibio garden. The gardens were created for Antonio Barbarigo during 1665-69 and with their carefree atmosphere and garden ‘rooms’ full of surprises have been described as one of the most entertaining gardens in Italy. One of the most striking features is a series of ascending pools decorated with statues and fountains, and in one case a graceful Watergate which has Diana, goddess of hunting sitting astride the pediment with her dogs close a hand. There is also a large and effective maze, a charming rabbit island and various giochi d’acqui (water tricks) which provide further unexpected amusement.
Leisure time at Arquà Petrarca. Wine tasting with light lunch near Arquà Petrarca. In the afternoon, visit of the private garden of Le Paradis des Papillons, near Padua. Created by a passionate young garden designer, this unusual, naturalistic garden supports not just the butterflies that give the garden its name (the owners are French), but a wide range of other animals including ducks, chickens, peacocks and rabbits. The garden itself takes its inspiration from English gardens and is filled with a wonderful range of plants. “Giotto By Night” Evening guided excursion to the Ghetto of Padua and the Scrovegni Chapel. It contains a rich and elaborate fresco that is universally considered Giotto di Bondone’s masterpiece. Completed in 1305, Giotto and his assistants painted from top to bottom to relate the complex and emotional narrative on the lives of Mary and Jesus. The interior is a vibrant feast of color, vaulted by a starry sky with the two centers of Christ and Mary, the Last Judgement in the West and the Annunciation in the East, witnessed by God, frame the nave of the chapel.
Overnight.
Day 9 - VILLA PISANI - ORTO BOTANICO DI PADOVA - PADUA
Breakfast in hotel and transfer to Stra. Visit of Villa Pisani at Stra.
When Alvise Pisani was elected Doge of Venice in 1735 he commissioned a grand villa to reflect his powerful status and originally the area behind the villa was filled with French parterres. These were replaced by a long pool of water which now dominates the garden, with the palace at one end and an ornate pavilion, converted into luxurious stables, at the other. Avenues provide further views along the length of the garden while a hexagonal belvedere overlooks the avenues in all directions. High walls enclose Pisani’s impressive array of greenhouses, where prize winning camellias were once grown.
Guided visit of the Orto Botanico di Padova (Padua Botanic Garden), which was established in 1545, making it the oldest university botanical garden in the world. During the 19th century a series of greenhouses were built, and one of them now contains the garden’s most famous possessions, a dwarf fan palm (Chamaerops humilis) from 1781. The garden is surrounded by a circular wall (and a moat to keep out plant-stealing intruders!) and divided into quadrants, within which various beds are arranged. Despite 19th century alterations to the site, this remains one of the finest examples of a 16th century botanical garden in Italy, with a fine collection of plants from around the world.
Leisure time in Padua city center.
Farewell dinner in a restaurant of the center and overnight.
Day 10 - DEPARTURE
Breakfast and check out. Transfer by bus to the airport of Venice.