Description

Classic Italy offers an unforgettable journey through the country that invented the bella vita. This in-depth view of Venice, the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, and Rome is perfect for those who want to experience the most famous of Italys sights along with the lesser known countryside in Tuscany and the Italian Riviera.

DAY 1: NEWARK (FOR THOSE WHO OPT TO TAKE THE GROUP FLIGHT)
As the group flight takes off, the trip officially begins!

DAYS 2 - 4: VENICE
Our first stop is Venice a dreamlike city of bridges and canals unlike any other in the world. Youll be amazed at your first look at the splendor of the Grand Canal lined with crumbling, decadent palaces. We wander the citys tangled streets, marveling at the colors and reflections that only Venice can offer, visit St. Marks Basilica and the palace of the Doges, and get an insiders look at the last gondola shop in Venice to learn about this centuries-old craft. Venice was once one of the prime stops on the Grand Tour of Europe and its easy to understand why the crumbling, decadent beauty of this city in the lagoon will surely leave its mark on you.

DAYS 4 - 7: PISA, CINQUE TERRE
After stopping in Pisa for a picnic on the Campo dei Miracoli and a look at its famous Leaning Tower, we continue on to the Cinque Terre, five idyllic fishing villages perched on dramatic cliffs that plunge into the crystal-blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Well hike the trail that connects the towns, enjoying spectacular views of the sea and the vineyards that line the cliffs, and also sampling local specialties along the way like pesto and focaccia. Well taste fresh seafood and relax on the beach in our seaside paradise. We stay right in the heart of the Cinque Terre at a family-run hotel where we are treated like long-lost cousins when we return every year.

DAYS 7 - 10: TUSCANY, FLORENCE
Then we travel to Tuscany, where we will spend our time at a gorgeous 500-year-old estate in the legendary Tuscan countryside. Bike or walk along the grounds, which are still used as a working cattle farm, and take a dip in the pool before enjoying a sunset youll never forget. Here too well get a hands-on cooking lessons from expert Italian chefs, and well also take a day trip to Siena, one of Italys loveliest cities, and home of the Palio an annual horse race where riders compete without saddles on an uneven dirt track for a chance to become champions in a suspenseful, nailbiter of a spectacle.

We also head into Florence, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and home to Michelangelo's "David," the world-famous Duomo, and the Uffizi Museum, which houses the best collection of Italian Renaissance art in the world. Here, well learn about the lives and works of such artists as Donatello and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as writers like Dante and Machiavelli, and well come to understand the importance of the banking family called the Medici who not only revolutionized modern banking, but also nearly singlehandedly funded the Renaissance in Italy. Art and culture are not all that are in store for us in Florence, however. Youll also get a tour of a family-owned chocolate shop and learn the art of making chocolate by hand, as the owners have been doing for generations. Then well spend some time shopping before enjoying the best pizzeria in the city and challenging ourselves to go all the way on TFTs famous Gelato Tour.

DAYS 10 - 13: ROME
Our final destination is Rome, capital of the mightiest empire in history. In Rome, you will have the opportunity to choose from among many exciting options each day. Its impossible to see it all in the Eternal City, but you can choose whats most important for you. In this city youll notice an incredible juxtaposition of ancient and modern, with the Colosseum around the corner from the Armani store. In this ancient place you can really feel the pulse of history, standing in the Roman Forum where Julius Caesar and Cicero once orated, or peering into the Circus Maximus and imagining the Roman population cheering for the chariot races. Well tour the Colosseum, an architectural wonder where bloody gladiatorial competitions once took place under the hot Roman sun, and well visit the Trevi Fountain by night, enjoying the spectacle of the busy throng of people all tossing a coin into the water over their shoulder. Do this yourself, and, according to the legend, youre sure to return to Rome.

The city of Rome also contains the Vatican City an independent state governed by the Roman Catholic Church and its head, the Pope. Well tour the vast collections at the Vatican Museums, where long hallways containing treasures from Ancient Rome to the present day culminate in the unbelievable beauty of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, painted by the Renaissance master Michelangelo. Youll also have the option of visiting Ostia Antica, once a bustling port town in the days of the Ancient Romans that is now immaculately preserved. Walk among its ordered streets lined with reconstructed ruins, and imagine what daily life was like two millennia ago.

Highlights

Travel for Teens has many other trips. If you combine 2 trips (25 days), you receive 15% off the 2nd trip of equal or lesser value. You can also combine 3 trips for only 10,500 USD (37 days).

- Wander the golden halls of the Vatican and stare in awe at Michelangelos Sistine Chapel ceiling.
- Gain access to the lowest levels of the crypt of St. Peters Basilica to explore the Roman necropolis and behold the very tomb of St. Peter.
- Cook Italian specialties with a chef at our Tuscan estate.
- Taste heaven on our inimitable Gelato Tour and visit a homemade chocolate shop in Florence where your taste buds will thank you forever.
- Hike between the tiny fishing villages of the Cinque Terre.
- Visit the last authentic gondola workshop in Venice and learn how to craft a gondola from the maestro.

Where We Go:
* Venice
* The Cinque Terre
* Tuscany
* Rome

Travel for Teens is the only teen travel company featured on the Travel Channel!

It was also recently featured on the Forbes Traveler website!

For more information on these programs, please contact Travel for Teens through the contact link at the top or at the bottom of this page.

Type of Programs

• Cultural Exploration

Languages

• English
• Italian

Cost in US$:

4,185 plus airfare

This Program is open to

American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel

in Groups

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Physical Exam/Health Records

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 week

Travel For Teens's Mission Statement

Travel for Teens believes that teen travel should be both fun and enriching. Our programs feature choice in what you do, see, and experience, a dynamic that sets us apart from superficial tours that herd large groups from one site to another. We visit the best of the mainstream attractions while offering the opportunity to explore the culture from a less touristy perspective. We interact with our host cultures, taking cooking and dance lessons, performing valuable service work to help local communities, and conversing with the people who have spent their lives living in the places we journey to. We have crafted our unique programs to engender love for travel, hunger for learning, curiosity about differences, appreciation of similarities across cultures, and an understanding of what it means to be a global citizen.

Year Founded

2003