A Luxury Italian Bucket List Trip

As you wander Venice’s winding streets and waterways with an expert guide, you’ll learn all about the city’s history. Visit the shimmering, mosaic-filled St. Mark’s Basilica, the mightiest of Venetian monuments, and the lively market on and around the Rialto Bridge.

No visit to Venice would be complete without a gondola ride around sleepy backwaters or a private cruise along the Grand Canal. Getting out on the water gives a new perspective on this remarkable city, spread across some 118 islands between the mouths of Po and Piave rivers, criss-crossed by some 170 canals and 400 bridges.

Sample the finest Venetian produce at Ristorante Venissa on the quiet island of Mazzorbo. The restaurant has been awarded both a Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star, the atmospheric cellar dining room surrounded by the estate’s vegetable gardens and vines.

Explore the highlights of this dynamic city, known the world over for its glamour. The cathedral is the fourth largest in the world and is a spectacular example of Gothic architecture. The Milanese are also known for their style, and you can visit the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. The Dominican convent adjoining the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie houses one of the most important masterpieces in the world, Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper.

The Teatro alla Scala was founded under the auspices of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, to replace the Royal Ducal Theatre which was destroyed by a fire. Designed by the great neoclassical architect Giuseppe Piermarini, La Scala opened in the summer of 1778 and has been hosting world-class opera and ballet ever since.

You’re sure to have seen it in plenty of books, and now you can learn all about the city of Pisa and its leaning tower. The tower itself is the belfry for a magnificent cathedral complex with a baptistry and walled cemetery, and on your tour you’ll hear what inspired the artists and architects of this cathedral square, known as the ‘Field of Miracles’.

Discover the beautiful Chianti region with a private driver at your disposal. Learn about – and taste – some of the most excellent Italian wines, or perhaps simply soak up the beauty of Tuscany countryside and its Medieval towns.

Your tour starts at the Piazza del Duomo with the spectacular Romanesque and Gothic cathedral. The square is surrounded by the Santa Maria della Scala Hospital, the Archbishop’s Palace, the unfinished Duomo, Opera del Duomo museum, the crypt and the baptistry. You’ll then reach the Piazza del Campo, a unique shell-shaped area which was paved with bricks in the 14th century. Be sure to look out for the different animals and symbols that represent the city’s 17 contradas.

To visit Pompeii is as close as you can get to travelling in a time machine. In August of 79 AD, Vesuvius had been rumbling for some days and it is estimated that a large part of the population of 20,000 had been evacuated; those that were left were as if suspended in time, as the plaster casts made of the bodies that were found shows. Today you can walk Roman streets, look into bars and stroll into Patrician villas, complete with frescoes and mosaics.

Discover the spectacular Amalfi Coast, situated like an amphitheatre among the mountains and the sea, with a private guide. Visit Ravello and the Villas Rufolo and Cimbrone, two sites not to be missed for their splendour and decorations. Both villas have amazingly beautiful gardens. The wonderful Positano is considered to be one of the most picturesque of all Italy’s coastal resorts.

Head out into the Gulf of Naples across to the beautiful island of Capri, a draw to visitors for thousands of years. The tour will touch Li Galli Islands, the legendary home of the sirens who lured Ulysses to the islands with their enchanted singing. This is also an ideal place for snorkelling with its clear waters and underwater treasures. Tide permitting, you will approach the famous Blue Grotto where it will be possible to get inside using a local small boat.

Arrive early at the Vatican, when the museums are still closed to the public, with your personal guide. You will pass through room after room full of treasures, before the culmination of the visit, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel with its ceiling frescoes and Last Judgement on the altar wall. From here, enter St Peter’s Basilica, a testament to Renaissance architecture, showcasing the work of Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. One of the first treasures to capture your gaze will be Michelangelo’s Pieta, sculpted by the artist at the age of 23.

The Papal Audience is held on Wednesdays if the Pope is in Rome, giving pilgrims and visitors the chance to see the pontiff and receive the Papal Blessing or Apostolic Blessing from the successor of the Apostle Peter during their visit. The Audience with the Pope consists of small teachings and readings mainly in Italian but also in English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese. Your guide will help to find the best place for you to enjoy this special moment.

Rivalry between noble families has long been a part of Italy’s history, each competing to build the highest tower or the most elaborate palace. Visit some of Rome’s most impressive houses, starting at the Palazzo Colonna, home to the Colonna family for over 1000 years. The visit takes in the private apartments of Princess Isabelle with the famous Grottesche by Pinturicchio, the glorious gallery, the State Apartments and the Throne Room. These contain works by Carraci (the bean eater), Guercino, Poussin, Tintoretto and Ribera, as well as priceless furniture. From here, continue to the Villa Medici with its spectacular 15th-century gardens, once the property of Cardinal de Medici.