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| Day 1 |
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DEPART U.S.
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Depart the U.S on your overnight flight to Italy.
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| Day 2 |
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ARRIVE VENICE - WELCOME DINNER
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Arrive at the Venice Airport, meet your guide, and transfer to your hotel near the Grand Canal. In the evening, gather for a special Welcome Dinner at a nearby restaurant. D
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| Day 3 |
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VENICE BIENNALE
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This morning enjoy a two-hour guided visit to the Biennale, and use your day pass to explore the exhibits on your own. The Biennale, which fosters innovation and experiment, exhibits contemporary art at the Giardini di Castello, the Arsenale, and other sites around the city. The Theater Festival will be underway as well. Tonight rejoin your group for dinner at one of Venice’s many charming restaurants. B/D
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| Day 4 |
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VENICE: SAN MARCO & SAN GRIORGIO DEI GRECI
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Enjoy a guided visit to the splendid Basilica di San Marco, whose structure and rich mosaics remind the visitor of the Venetian Republic’s close ties to Byzantium. Visit the San Marco Galleria and the Treasury. Continue to San Giorgio dei Greci, built in 1573 by the Greek Orthodox community and filled with icons and artworks in Byzantine styles. After lunch in a nearby restaurant, take the remainder of the day and the evening to explore Venice. Take the vaporetto (water bus) to the island of Murano to see the glass works, visit the ghetto where the Jews of Venice lived for 300 years, or enjoy the byways and canals. You could arrange in advance to attend the theater or a concert tonight. B/L. |
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| Day 5 |
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PADUA - SCROVEGNI CHAPEL
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Drive to medieval Padua, home to one of Europe’s oldest universities. See Giotto’s masterful frescoes in the beautiful Scrovegni Chapel. Have lunch together in a restaurant, and time in the afternoon to tour on your own, perhaps visiting the Basilica of St. Anthony or the Botanical Garden. Take a look at the magnificent Pedrocchi Café, meeting place for writers and artists since the time of Stendahl and Byron. Return to Venice for dinner. B/L/D
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| Day 6 |
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VENICE BIENNALE
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Enjoy a two-hour guided visit to the Biennale and then use your day pass to explore the galleries of your choice. In the evening, join your group for dinner in another of Venice’s restaurants. B/D
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| Day 7 |
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PALLADIAN VILLAS OF VICENZA AND THE VENETO
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Travel by coach to the architect Palladio’s city of Vicenza and to the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.* Andrea Palladio is widely considered the most influential person in the history of Western architecture. Enjoy a guided walking tour of his legacy in Vicenza, and drive into the countryside to see two of his villas. Return to Venice and have dinner on your own. You could arrange in advance to attend a concert or theater performance tonight. B/L
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| Day 8 |
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VENICE: PEGGY GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION
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Visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in her former home on the Grand Canal. The collection features works of Picasso, Dali, Magritte, Pollock and other artists of their time. After lunch have one more afternoon in Venice on your own, followed by your Farewell dinner at a typical Venetian restaurant. B/L/D
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| Day 9 |
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VENICE DEPARTURE: RETURN TO U.S.
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Transfer to the airport by private motor launch for your flight home. B
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