Tour begins: 6:00 PM, Ca' di Dio, Venice. Welcome to Venice! Your hotel is located on the shores of picturesque Giudecca Island. Tonight, join us for a welcome reception and dinner.

Travel to Florence by high-speed rail. A transfer is included from Santa Maria Novella Train Station to your stylish hotel in the center of the city, just a short walk to Galleria degli Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria as well as popular streets like Via Tornabuoni. Upon arrival, a private talk by an art historian sets the stage for your exploration of the birthplace of the Renaissance. After lunch at the hotel, take a walking tour of Florence's historic center, followed by a guided visit to the fabulous Galleria dell'Accademia, home to artistic treasures such as Michelangelo's David. You have a choice of an included dinner at a local restaurant tonight or tomorrow night, with wine included. Buon appetito!

Drive outside the city of Florence and through the Tuscan countryside for a Tauck Exclusive at the ancient monastery of Badia de Passignano in the Chianti Classico region, where the monks are known for their love of learning (Galileo taught here in 1587) and their cultivation of grapes. Tour the wine cellar with a sommelier, sample its famous Chiantis, and have lunch at Osteria di Passignano... a celebration of traditional Tuscan cuisine paired with some of the famous wines produced in surrounding vineyards... followed by a little extra-virgin olive oil tasting with the chef. Return to Florence to relax or explore as you please, enjoying dinner on your own.

With your local guide, you'll stand in awe of Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, on a vast piazza surrounded by colonnades. The great dome, designed by Michelangelo, is one of the largest in the world; it houses a soaring ornate cathedral, the tombs of popes since Early Christian times, and galleries of ancient masterpieces, including Michelangelo's Pieta. After your visit, head back to the hotel for an afternoon at leisure, then return this evening when the crowds are gone for a Tauck Exclusive an after-hours tour of the Vatican and its museums unparalleled repositories of relics, archaeological treasures, paintings, sculptures, maps, and tapestries collected over centuries and the magnificent Sistine Chapel (subject to availability and day of tour may vary). Outside the galleries, Vatican City is illuminated against the night sky and your visit is one that you won't soon forget.