Amazing Family Italian Vacation in 7 Days: Rome, Venice, and Florence

Today you touch down in miraculous Venice, one of the world’s most beautiful cities and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in its entirety.  A private car will take you from the airport to a private water taxi, which will deliver you right to the doors of your hotel while offering a sensational introduction to the magic of this magnificent metropolis. Enjoy lunch at one of the local restaurants – the seafood is, as you would expect, excellent, but the Venetians make pretty good pizza, too – and set out for the world-famous Harry's Bar, the birthplace of carpaccio and the delicious Bellini cocktail. Enjoy a quick peak at the establishment that has served drinks to everyone from literary luminaries to European royalty before setting out on a one-of-a-kind tour of this unforgettable city as you cruise the waterways, passing the most famous buildings in Venice on board an iconic gondola. These long, sleek black boats may be in part relics of Venice’s bright past, but in the hands of a skillful gondolier they can offer a romantic and enchanting introduction to the City of the Canals.

Today you set out on the Venice for Children Private Tour, which will give you and your kids an exciting, engaging and fascinating look at Venice's world-famous maritime past. After gazing upon the majestic Victor Emanuel Monument on the Riva degli Schiavoni, you’ll cross the main stretch of the Venetian lagoon to take in the spectacular setting of Palladio's San Giorgio Maggiore, a High Renaissance masterpiece whose glistening white marble seems to float on the blue waters. After a spectacular vista from the church’s bell tower, you’ll marvel upon the luxurious private yachts moored throughout the city and take in an informative lesson on the history and art of gondola construction from a member of the well-regarded Tramontin Family. These gorgeous crafts are truly in the hands of masters here, as you’ll hear about the guarded trade secrets and fine techniques that go into making some of the best boats in the world.

Stop by the imposing Venetian Arsenal, guarded by two of Saint Mark’s lions and the former center of Venice’s naval construction yards, where the craft were constructed that made Venice one of the world’s sea powers in the 16th-century. Then discover the secrets and stories behind the famous masks that make Venice’s Carenvale celebration one of the most famous of its kind in the world. The subtleties of the craft will be explained, you’ll be regaled by the stories from the Renaissance-era commedia dell’arte, and you’ll even get the chance to design your own mask, a truly unique keepsake to remind you of your incredible time in Venice.

After a delicious Italian breakfast, you’ll board a water taxi that will take you to Venice’s train station, just in time to board your first-class passage to Florence, the capital city of Tuscany and the center of the inspired Italian Renaissance, whose celebrated geniuses flourished under the cultivation of the Meidici. Your tour through this fantastic city begins at the Palazzo Vecchio, the crenelated and impressive city hall of Florence, whose off-center tower is iconic and outside of which replicas of some of the famous statues that once stood here can still be found, like Michelangelo’s David.

Then you turn to Orsanmichele, a church housing statuary from some of the most famed Renaissance artists. Take in the frescoed walls of the nearby Oratory of San Martino dei Buonomini, and make sure that you rub the snout of the wild pig statue that lurks outside the Straw Market: The stories say that you are sure to return to Florence if you do so. A climb to the top of a soaring medieval-era tower affords a sensational view over this picturesque metropolis, and a sweet treat in the form of gelato from one of the city’s famed gelaterias offers the perfect incentive for your strenuous scaling.

Today you encounter the great traditions and fascinating customs of Italian cooking, known the world over for the spirit and vivacity that fills each dish. Venture into the past at the amazing San Lorenzo market with Francesca Di Leonardo, who will show you the ropes of this vibrant scene. It all culminates in a homemade Tuscan feast, showcasing the best of the region’s ingredients and techniques, from a light and delicious salad to a dessert that is truly sublime. It is sure to be a culinary excursion that you will never forget.

This afternoon, skip the lines and head to the hallowed exhibit halls of the Galleria dell’Accademia, housing some of the most marvelous works of sculpture to ever grace the planet. Make your way past some of the museum’s paintings and the eccentric collection of Russian icons of the Grand Dukes of the House of Lorraine, taking in the famous plaster sculpture of Giambologna’s Taking of the Sabine Women and other pieces by Renaissance masters. Then enter the main hall, where you are flanked by Michelangelo’s Prisoner statues and confronted by that crowning masterpiece of Western sculpture: his renowned David statue. It’s a majestic artifact of the human spirit that manages to take your breath away no matter how many pictures you’ve seen.

This morning, you’ll be taken to Florence’s train station in time for a coffee and maybe some breakfast before boarding your first-class carriage on the train heading south to the captivating capital of Rome, the seat of Italian power for millennia and for centuries the center of the Western world. After being taken to your elegant and centrally-located hotel, you’ll set off on a guided tour of this incredible city, beginning at the Piazza del Quirinale, one of the largest palaces in the world and the current chief residence of the President of the Italian Republic, where you’ll witness the stirring ceremony of the Changing of the Guards.

Then make your way to the ancient heart of the city of Rome, to Piazza Colonna and the Column of Marcus Aurelius, an intricately carved stone victory pillar that commemorates the military triumphs of this most famous of emperors. Ogle at the gorgeous fountains that form the center of Piazza Navona and marvel at the immense dome of Rome’s Pantheon before witnessing the famed grandeur of the Trevi Fountain, the Baroque extravagance that is arguably the most famous fountain in the world. Cast a coin into the Trevi, and as legend has it, you’ll be sure to return to the Eternal City sometime in the future.

There may be no food quite so universally synonymous with the beloved simplicity of Italian cuisine than pizza: the world’s favorite flatbread and an Italian specialty since its creation to honor the new Queen Margherita in 1889. While pizza varies widely from region to region, nowhere in the country is it quite like in Rome. There are pizzerias everywhere, offering up some of the most delicious pieces of pie you’ve ever imagined, as well as culinary schools, anxious to teach you the secrets of making delicious pizza for yourself. You’ll learn how to make the dough that cooks up to be remarkably thin, crispy and flavorful, apply a generous helping of some of the famed toppings of Italian pizza, and even help the chef create a pizza buffet, where you’ll get the chance to sample the fruits of your labor.

In the afternoon, head to the world’s smallest country and the center of Catholicism as you enter the holdings of the Holy See, also known as Vatican City. You can tour the truly astounding St. Peter’s Basilica, a testament to the greatest minds of the Italian Renaissance, from Michelangelo to Bernini, from its soaring dome that dominates the skyline to the elegant and opulent baldacchino that fills the center of the basilica. After rubbing your hand on the foot of St. Peter and witnessing the stunning genius of Michelangelo’s Pietà,  take in the immense and important collection at the Vatican Museums. As you make your way past the unforgettable Augustus of Prima Porta and cast your eye upon Raphael’s masterpiece, The School of Athens, remember that the best is yet to come, as your journey ends beneath the inimitable ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, one of the most famous paintings in the Western world and the crowning glory of Michelangelo’s artistic vision and inestimable skill.

This morning, after a hearty breakfast, you’ll be taken by private car to the airport outside of Rome, in time to board the flight that will take you back home. From a Tuscan kitchen to the halls of the Vatican Museums, from the canals and lagoons of romantic Venice to the monuments to genius that fill the winding streets of Florence, this is a vacation that everyone in your family is sure to remember for the rest of their lives.