Expert: Harlan and Kara deBell, "Travel Siblings," Valerie Wilson Travel
Length of trip: Eight days
Highlights: The art and architecture of three Italian cities,
plus shopping, eating, and of course, a gondola ride in Venice
DAY 1: ARRIVE IN ROME
Check into the St. Regis
Grand Hotel, Rome, and spend the
rest of your first day getting
pampered at the hotel's spa
and enjoying the opulent Old
World elegance of the place.
(Even the standard rooms
have hand-painted frescoes!)
DAY 2:ROME
Spend the first half of the day
in Vatican City. See Raphael's
Transfiguration, the Raphael
Rooms, the Belvedere Garden
featuring the famous Laocoön
and His Sons sculpture, and,
of course, the restored Sistine
Chapel, famous for Michelangelo's
ceiling and the Last
Judgment fresco.... Walk
to St. Peter's Basilica and
take in Michelangelo's dome,
his statue Pietà, Bernini's
magnificent Baldacchino,
and the tombs of the Popes....
Continue on to the Colosseum
and get a taste of what it
might have been like to be
a gladiator doing combat in
the Amphitheater Flavium....
Stop for an al fresco lunch
at
'Gusto, which serves
fantastic pizza.... Visit the
city center, starting at Piazza
Navona then heading to the
Pantheon.... End the day at
the Spanish Steps; take in
a gorgeous view of the city
and sample delicious cuisine
on the terrace of nearby
Ristorante Mirabelle.
DAY 3 TO 5: FLORENCE
Take a two-hour train ride
to Florence and check into
the Villa La Vedetta,
a boutique hotel housed in a
neo-Renaissance villa that
has a gorgeous view of the
city.... It's easy to self-navigate
the art and architecture
Florence is known for: Start
the day at the Uffizi Gallery,
where you'll see masterpieces
by Giotto, Botticelli, Raphael,
da Vinci, and Michelangelo,
among others.... Walk to
the Piazza della Signoria,
home to an outdoor sculpture
gallery. Nearby, you can
see impressive works of
art like the gold "Gates of
Paradise" doors of the
Baptistry, Giotto's bell
tower, and the famous
Basilica di Santa Maria dome,
by Brunelleschi.... Visit
Accademia, where you'll
see Michelangelo's David....
If your tastes lean more
toward wearable art,
window shopping at the
famous jewelry stores
lining the Ponte Vecchio
is a must—we particularly
like the Orlando Orlandini
Atelier.... If you're into
shopping, make the 40-
minute trip to countryside
outlet The Mall for big savings
on designers like Gucci,
Giorgio Armani, and Bottega
Veneta.... We love riverside
restaurant Borgo San Jacopo
for dinner, or, for an exceptional
view of the city, try
the Tuscan fare (like the
super-rich warm blue-lobster
fillet with goose liver and
herb sauce) at La Loggia
restaurant at the Villa San
Michele, a former monastery.
