Reserved for SMCPSRA*
*If your group is interested in a similar experience, please contact us at babciaandyiayia@gmail.com
Join us for an 15 day adventure that will wind through Italy’s multi-faceted landscape. From city treasures to country delights, we’ve covered it all! Combined with our signature travel style, we will enjoy the best of Italy… in small group style!
What’s Included:
- Breakfast and dinner or lunch daily
- 15 full days and 15 nights of accommodation plus departure day arrangements
- Balance between scheduled experiences and unscheduled time to explore further or relax as you choose
- City passes for Rome, Venice, and Florence to enjoy unscheduled time any way you please.
- All attraction tickets and passes for experiences and guided tours (always with local experts)
- All transportation including a Vaporetto pass for the canals in Venice
- Efficient travel time by basing our travel needs mostly on the train system (This allows us the ability to “hit the ground running” in city centers)
- Opportunities to plan any optional or “on your own time” with either tour manager to customize your experience
- Exclusive “B and Y” travel information and guidance including daily itinerary cards including pre and post trip planning
Our Commitment:
As we get to know you, we will be able to find those little corners of Italy that delight and enchant. From magical bookstores, fabled artworks, and secret passageways, we’ll share with you those little things that make Italy’s amazing cities the experience of a lifetime.
Here is the itinerary for June 15th to June 30th, 2024:
Arrival Day:
Fly in to Naples. Transfer by car or van to our Sorrento Hotel. To start with, we’ll take a walking food tour to get an idea of what to expect on the local menus.
Day One:
Enjoy Sorrento and the local sites taking in the coastal town and the fabulous food. Then sit down in relax in sun splashed Sorrento for a welcome dinner.
Day Two:
Enjoy a half day trip to Capri with optional time to swim, tour or see the Blue Grotto. Finish the day with a lemon filled dinner in the charming town center.
Day Three:
We’ll start our morning with a Pompeii guided tour (2-3 hours) before heading north to Rome after lunch. Our train ride will take us right past Mount Vesuvius and into the city’s Termini Station. Arrive in Rome to and stay in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. We’ll end the day with a passagiata through the city’s charming neighborhoods.
Day Four:
Tour of the The Borghese Gallery and then join us for a “church crawl” which includes the Pantheon. Then, take a Food Walking tour to introduce you to Roman menus. We’ll also have an option to go to the world famous Capitoline Museums. Spend the evening relaxing at one of Rome’s many charming outdoor cafes. Dinner will be in Piazza Navona
Day Five:
Start the day at the Vatican Museum taking in some of the most famous art in the world. Then, take in the wonders of Bernini and Michelangelo inside St. Peter’s Basilica. For those interested, we will also have exclusive tour of St Peter’s Tomb in the sub necropolis.
Day Six:
Start the day at the Colosseum and more of Ancient Rome before we transition onto amazing Florence after a late lunch. Start our three nights in the heart of Florence just steps from the Duomo.
Experiences make memories and here at Babcia and YiaYia, we purposefully include them to make memories that last forever.
Day Seven:
Get familiar with an Eco Cart City Tour that will take you through the city center including the amazing Ponte Vecchio bridge. Spend the remainder of the day exploring this amazing city!
Day Eight:
Begin the day with a visit the Uffizi Museum, where some of the most famous works of art reside. Continue on to meet the Medicis at Pitti Palace. Take on the most famous dome in the city and maybe take on the challenge of climbing to the top of the Duomo.
Day Nine:
We’ll meet up with Gina, the best tour guide in Tuscany, for a try at Truffle Hunting and cooking class followed by lunch that we’ve prepared! Finish with a flourish in Florence by visiting one of the many amazing workshops and museums including the iconic Accademia!
Day Ten:
We’ll make our way north with a stop in Pisa to enjoy the iconic leaning tower and the storied Camposanto. Time permitting, we’ll even stop at Lucca to enjoy the massive walls. We’ll spend the night at the splendid Castello di Luzzano where we will enjoy the the hospitality of the Lombardy Region!
Day Eleven:
We’ll start by enjoying a three hour tour that takes you to the big three: DaVinci’s Last Supper, The Duomo, and the famous glass domed Galleria. Then, find a seat under an umbrella at a lovely trattoria and have lunch on the main piazza. Continue on to our two nights at an authentic Agriturismo. We’ll take a moment to relax and soak up the Italian sunshine as well as partake in some wine tasting! Salute!
Day Twelve:
Rest and relax or check out the local towns that are full of true Italian charm. This idyllic stop will recharge your batteries for our last destination, Venice!
Day Thirteen:
Start the day off with a short train ride to Venice. Stay in a boutique hotel in the heart of the city. Experience Venice with a canal ride right from the train station. Wander Venice on a walking tour tasting Venetian cicchetti along the way.
Day Fourteen:
Get ready to be blown away by the Doge’s Palace, the Bridge of Sighs, numerous bridges including the Rialto Bridge. Take in the awe inspiring art of the Accademia.
Day Fifteen:
Explore St. Marks Cathedral and its museum. Take a Vaporetti to visit Murano and its glass blowing galleries. End the day and sit back to enjoy a classic gondola ride. We’ll end our stay with a goodbye dinner.
Departure Day:
We’ll wrap up our time with breakfast on the go as we meet our airport transfer. Fly out from Marco Polo Airport.
Unless…. you are interested in continuing on your adventure! We’ll be happy to help you plan your experience!
Total Projected Cost: $6875.00
That’s about $510.00 a day with your additional airfare!
Check out this super charming hand drawn map to get a lay of the land.
Overview of the fine print:
- The total cost for all 18 days is a projected $6975.00
- Considering that air travel runs approximately $1300.00 RT from IAD (Dulles), that puts the estimated cost at $510.00 per day/per person.
- Our date to depart the U.S. is June 14, 2024, date of arrival in Naples is June 15th, 2024, date of departure from Venice is July 1st, 2024.
- All participants must hold a current travel insurance policy and must provide valid passport (with a minimum of six months remaining from the last date of travel).
- Our services include pre-trip social communication including links to give background information on our trips. We do this through a private facebook page. (We will be happy to set anyone up so they can look at just our page and participate pre-trip.)
- Our services will also assist with air travel arrangements. We will either work with you one on one or we will refer you to our trusted partners in the travel industry depending on your needs.
- A minimum of eight participants are required for this experience.
- Hotels are either the choice presented or equivalent based on group availability.
Projected Payment: Your reservation is set when you have received confirmation of receipt of your completed deposit. No contract exists until we have confirmed receipt of the deposit. The balance will be due no later than eight weeks before the start of the tour. If the balance is not received as above then we reserve the right to treat the booking as canceled. Tours booked less than eight weeks before the start must be paid for in full at the time of sending the booking form. The person making the deposit guarantees payment of the total cost of the booking made on behalf of all persons for whom the booking is made. Deposits are non-refundable after the first payment has been made.
Deposit opens January 1st: $1575.00
Payment 1: March 1st: $1800.00
Payment 2: April 1st: $1800.00
Payment 3: May 1st: $1800.00
Cancellation: Cancellations can only be accepted in writing. In the event of any cancellation, including the non-payment of the balance, the deposit paid will always be forfeited after one month. In the event of cancellation after the balance has been paid the following scale of charges (as percentages of the total tour cost) will be incurred:
- 81 or more days before start of tour: 50%
- 57 – 80 days before start of tour: 75%
- 56 days or less before start: 100%