sell10 Day Heart of Italy Tour 2025

Boarding your overnight flight, you’re off on a journey that will remain etched in your memory forever!

Benvenuti a Roma, the Eternal City! We are pleased to offer complimentary transfers from the Rome airport to your hotel at scheduled times. Your Perillo representative will be at the airport to greet you. There will be time to relax this afternoon before a dinner out at a local restaurant.

This morning, after breakfast in your hotel, you’ll be on your way to the Colosseum. You’ll step back in time as you enter this magnificent Amphitheater, reliving the brutal entertainment of the gladiators and the lions, refereed by the Emperor himself.

You’ll have some free time this afternoon to get some shopping done or perhaps one last gelato!

Tonight, enjoy a delicious dinner in the characteristic district of Trastevere, one of the centers of the Roman night life. This lively area of tiny winding streets gives a taste of what one imagines Italy to be like, with cobbled streets and music-filled trattorias on every corner.

This morning, it’s a five-minute drive to another country—Vatican City! With your expert local guide, you’ll tour the Vatican Museums. Your visit culminates in the Sistine Chapel, the room where the Pope is elected. Next, visit St. Peter’s Basilica, by far the largest church in Christendom. You’ll enter through the Holy Door, which is a special door that is only opened during Jubilee Years. Walking through the Holy Door will give you a plenary indulgence, which is a complete remission of your sins. Next, you’ll see Michelangelo’s Pietà, sculpted when he was just 24, as well as Bernini’s seven-story bronze canopy located above the main altar.

This afternoon, you’ll visit St. Paul Outside the Walls, one of Rome’s four Papal Basilicas. According to tradition, the church lies on the site where the Apostle Paul was buried.

You’ll pass by the Palazzo della Civilta’ Italiana, also known as the “Square Colosseum”, considered one of the most representative examples of Fascist architecture. You’ll get to enjoy some free time at Bar Palombini for coffee and a snack.

You’ll be free for the remainder of the day. Be sure to ask your tour leader for restaurant recommendations – so many wonderful places to eat in this amazing city!

(Please note that the visit of St. Peter’s Basilica is subject to availability based on the events planned by the Pope.)

This morning after breakfast, you’ll head over to Assisi, the birthplace of St. Francis, one of Italy’s most famous patron saints. This afternoon you’ll enjoy a walking tour of this beautiful city with a local guide. Visit the Pala Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, an important pilgrimage site dedicated to St. Francis and you’ll also visit the crypt where the remains of St. Francis are kept.

Next, you’ll get to enjoy an olive oil tasting at a family-owned oil mill - the extra virgin olive oils from Umbria are some of the finest in the country.

Tonight, you’ll enjoy dinner in your hotel.

This morning you’ll travel to Todi, a fantastic medieval gem in the heart of Umbria, dating back to 1300 BC. Wandering through Italy’s medieval villages, one finds narrow cobblestone alleys leading to breathtaking panoramic vistas, where the beauty of the landscape merges seamlessly with history. You’ll visit the Church of Saint Mary of Consolation, built between 1508 and 1607; it is the site where miraculous healings took place. You’ll also visit the Church of San Fortunato, a Gothic- and Renaissance-style, Roman Catholic church and the Cathedral of Todi, which was built between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries and is dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary.

Next, you’ll travel to Perugia, Italy's city of chocolate and home to the iconic Baci Perugina. The main monuments in this beautiful town date back mostly to the medieval and Renaissance era, but there is no shortage of important evidence of the more ancient Etruscan era.

You’ll see the Rocca Paolina, a Renaissance fortress, built in 1540-1543 for Pope Paul III.

You’ll stroll along Corso Vannucci, a wide pedestrian-only street and take in all of Perugia’s beauty.

You’ll see the Cathedral of Perugia, a Roman Catholic cathedral dedicated to Saint Lawrence.

Next you’ll have a Willy Wonka-esque experience - a Perugia Chocolate Tour and Tasting!

You’ll get to enjoy 5 different types of chocolates, a ⁠chocolate ice cream tasting and coffee with chocolate cream.

Tonight, you’re free to enjoy dinner out on your own.

This morning, you’ll depart for Gubbio, a well-preserved medieval town dating back to the Etruscan period. You’ll enjoy a guided walking tour of this wonderful medieval city, famous for the largest Christmas tree in the world.

You’ll get to see the Palace of the Consuls, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Gubbio, located in the main square: Piazza del Duomo. The palace, which was built in the early 13th century by the city of Spoleto to serve as the seat of the city’s government, is one of the most important examples of medieval civic architecture in Italy.

Next, we though you would enjoy a wine tasting and lunch at Cantina Semonte.

After lunch you’ll return to the hotel and you’ll have some time to freshen up before going out for dinner tonight.

This morning you’ll depart for your next destination – Florence. But along the way you’ll stop for a visit of Siena. You’ll stroll through this amazing city which looks like a fascinating maze of alleys that rise and fall and intersect. Your guided tour will include the elaborately carved Duomo, one of the greatest examples of Italian Romanesque-Gothic architecture. It is sad that the great composer Richard Wagner, upon seeing the Cathedral of Siena for the first time, was moved to tears. You’ll be amazed at the art and beauty as well as its wonderful marle floor which is a unique example in the history of art.

Next, you’ll continue to Florence and check in to your beautiful hotel. You’ll be free to enjoy dinner on your own tonight – so many choices in this amazing city!

Florence—the fountainhead of the Renaissance, awaits us! Your day of sightseeing includes the majestic Duomo Complex built in 1296, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Baptistery with its renowned Gates of Paradise doors.

Follow the medieval streets to the most striking square in Florence, Piazza della Signoria.

“Breathtaking” is the only word to describe one’s first view of Michelangelo’s David. Yes, it’s quite large and detailed. But the real magic is in how Michelangelo transformed a lifeless rock into a man—full of pride, wary of his adversary, yet quietly confident. All with just a hammer and chisel!

This afternoon you’ll visit a typical Tuscan winery to learn about the grape, the nose, food pairings and, most importantly which glass to use! You’ll enjoy a wine tasting with these special wines along with an early dinner. Cin-Cin!

This morning you board your flight home, arriving in the USA the same day. Unless, of course, you have decided to extend your stay and let this unforgettable journey continue a little longer! While you say arrivederci to Italy, you’ll realize you’re taking a little piece of it back home with you.

Thanks for traveling with the Perillo family, and please return soon.