Florence, Rome and Historic Castles of Italy

Meet your tour manager upon arrival and transfer to Relais il Canalicchio, near Perugia – your home for the next three nights.

Take your time to settle in, perhaps taking a walk through the castle grounds, before you enjoy an included three-course evening meal, no doubt looking forward to a wonderful break ahead.

After breakfast, join your tour manager for an included tour of Umbria. The central region of Umbria is known as Italy’s green heart, and is renowned for its walled medieval hill towns, forested rolling green hills, and delicious local cuisine. Call first at Assisi, a charming hill town famous as the birthplace of St Francis, one of Italy’s patron saints. Explore the town’s huge 13th-century church, with its stunning frescoes depicting the life of its most famous former resident.

Continue to Perugia, Umbria’s regional capital, where some time is spent at leisure exploring this extraordinary city, with its historic centre of winding alleyways ringed by magnificent medieval walls. The tour continues to Gubbio, a well-preserved medieval town that sits peacefully on the slopes of Monte Ingino. Enjoy a fascinating guided tour of the town’s pristine Baroque palaces and churches, before heading back to your castle for an included three-course dinner.

Join your tour manager for an included tour to the cradle of the Renaissance, Florence. Travel by coach to Arezzo, where you’ll board the train to majestic Florence. Enjoy lunch and some time at leisure before exploring this beguiling city on an included tour, home to some of the world’s greatest Renaissance treasures, including Michelangelo’s David, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation. Wander the streets, which are paved with history, as you gaze upon the iconic Duomo, and the medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge. Return to Arezzo by train, and then on to Castello de Monterone, for a final night in the majestic castle, with an included dinner to round off a wonderful stay.

After breakfast, check out and join your tour manager as you enjoy a scenic transfer to your next castle in Abruzzo, with several fascinating calls along the way, including at the Umbrian town of Loreto. Enjoy a panoramic tour of this hill town, which is a popular pilgrimage site with Catholics, who believe that Loreto’s church, the Basilica of the Holy House, enshrines the house where the Blessed Virgin Mary once lived.

Leaving Umbria, you’ll enter the neighbouring region of Le Marche, with its glorious Adriatic coastline. Drive along the Conero Riviera, a stunning 12-mile stretch of coastline, lined with glorious beaches and overlooked by dramatic rocky promontories and caves, backed by the dense vegetation of the Conero Regional Park.

Stop en route for lunch (payable locally), before arriving at the Castello Chila at Loreto Aprutino, near Abruzzo, your home for the next two nights. Settle in before an included three-course dinner is served this evening.

Enjoy a day spent entirely at your leisure. Spend some time exploring the glorious castle grounds, or lounge around the pool. Alternatively, make the short walk into Loreto Aprutino, and wander around the shops, or find a bar or restaurant for a drink and a bite to eat. Lunch and dinner are by your own arrangement today.

Enjoy an early breakfast and check out ready to transfer to your next castle in Nerola, but not before you join your tour manager for an included tour of the Eternal City, Rome. An intoxicating blend of history, art and culture, charismatic Rome is one of the world’s must-see cities. Rome’s main sights to life are bought to life on an illuminating tour, from the vast Colosseum and the fabled Pantheon, to the awe-inspiring St Peter’s Basilica and the fascinating Vatican Museums (entrances payable locally). Enjoy lunch at your leisure and spend the afternoon exploring under your own steam. Rome has a plethora of historic and cultural sites to discover, as well as some of the world’s finest cafés and restaurants

Today you have the choice of joining an optional tour to Tivoli and the Alban Hills or spending the day at leisure, perhaps exploring the town of Nerola.

Those who choose the optional excursion will join their friendly tour manager in the morning, and head straight to Tivoli. In this classic hilltop town, you’ll have the opportunity to visit the renowned Villa D’Este with its famous terraces, park and water gardens (entrance payable locally). Continue to Frascati, which has a stunning view over Rome thanks to its vantage point in the rolling Alban Hills. Here you can enjoy lunch by your own arrangement, perhaps sampling a glass of delicious local white wine at a traditional fraschetta. The tour continues further into the Alban Hills and to the lakeside town of Castelgandolfo, where you can explore the 17th-century Apostolic Palace and the Pope’s summer residence, with its stunning 135-acre gardens and views over the extinct volcano overlooking Lake Albano (entrance to both payable locally), before you return to Nerola for the evening.

However you choose to spend your day, enjoy your final evening in Italy at leisure, no doubt reflecting on a memorable break, perhaps making the short walk to Nerola to find a local restaurant for dinner.

Check out and transfer back to the airport for your return flight, at the end of a wonderful break in Italy.