Florence and Rome

This itinerary is the starting point for your tour, but it’s not set in stone. If there are days you would like to change, or specific places you’d like to go, we can work with you to create a personalized program that fits the needs of you and your students.

Day 1: Overnight Flight

Depart from the USA.

Day 2: Florence

Arrive in Rome, meet your ACIS Tour Manager, and drive to the former Etruscan city of Orvieto. Take the funicular up to the historical center and admire the view of the surrounding Umbrian countryside. Visit the beautiful Duomo before continuing to Florence for dinner.

Day 3: Florence

Discover the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance today with a local guide. See Ghiberti's Baptistry Doors, Santa Croce, the Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria as well as a timed entrance to the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David. In the afternoon enjoy a Tuscan cooking lesson where an Italian chef will teach you how to prepare a three-course Tuscan meal. Participants will aid the chef in the preparation and then everyone will enjoy a tasting.

Day 4: Florence

Explore more of old Tuscany today. First journey to Siena, one of Italy's best-preserved hill towns, for a walking tour that shows you the green and white marbled Duomo and the famous Piazza del Campo. Then indulge in a magnificent Tuscan style lunch at a countryside farmhouse, where you'll learn about the traditions and cuisine characteristic to Italy's rural way of life. You will continue next to explore medieval San Gimignano, famed for its wines and beautiful tall towers, before returning to your accommodations.

Day 5: Assisi

Today drive to Cortona and enjoy views of the medieval buildings perched on the hillside overlooking the valley and remnants of the area's Etruscan history. Then end your day in Assisi, where St. Francis lived and founded the Franciscan Friars.

Day 6: Rome

Visit the Basilica of St. Francis and the Porziuncola at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. Then it's time to depart Assisi for Rome, the Eternal City.

Day 7: Rome

Today's sightseeing tour introduces you to every phase of Rome's history with a panoramic drive of the city. In addition, your local guide accompanies you through the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, and continues to St. Peter's Basilica. Tonight we'll provide restaurant vouchers and suggestions for our favorite trattorias so you can dine like (and with) the locals.

Day 8: Rome

Today go inside the iconic and historic Colosseum with a local guide (another line-avoiding timed reservation) and learn the many stories of this nearly 2,000-year-old Roman landmark that's considered one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world. Your ticket also includes entrance to the nearby Roman Forum if your group has time. Later you will live la dolce vita as you visit one of Rome's most historic gelaterias to see how the famous Italian-style ice cream is produced during a gelateria tour and tasting. Your learning will be rewarded with a sweet sample of your favorite flavor as well as one of the gelateria's iconic Sanpietrino treats. In the evening, you'll enjoy an authentic Roman pizza dinner. Then join your tour manager for a passeggiata romana through the piazzas around the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps.

Day 9: Departure

Depart for the USA.