I took the EF Go Ahead Tour of Italy, an 11-day tour with an extension to the Sorrento peninsula. The tour begins in Venice, then goes on to Florence, Rome, and ends in Sorrento with the flight home from Naples. We chose to go in March, and I highly recommend doing so if you want to avoid the summer tourism season and the very hot weather. It was still crowded, but nothing like you’ll see in late spring or summer. EF Go Ahead Tours caters to adults, and the trips include hotel, breakfasts, professional guides, transportation and several meals, including wine and beer. Along with that, the guided portion includes sightseeing of these fantastic places:
- St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice
- The Duomo of Florence
- The Ponte Vecchio in Florence
- The Piazza della Repubblica in Florence
- The Grand Canal of Venice
- The Roman Colosseum
- The Roman Forum
Venice, Italy Tour
The tour begins in Venice, Italy, where you land at the airport and potentially wait awhile for the rest of your group to arrive. From there you’ll take a boat to meet your guide on one of the 118 islands that comprise the city of Venice. We stayed on the island of Lido which is a short boat ride from Venice proper. The only way to reach Venice once you’ve landed is by boat, which gives you a unique view of the city as you approach.
We spent our first night in Lido exploring the local area, sampling food and cocktails and settling into our hotel.
After our included breakfast we headed by boat to the ancient city of Venice, founded in the fifth century. The entire city, including its 118 islands and the lagoon, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, thanks to its concentration of architectural and artistic masterpieces, its unique and efficient network of canals, and the relationship between the people and the surrounding ecosystem. Upon arrival we met up with our local guide, who took us on a walking tour of the city which included:
- St. Mark’s Square and St. Mark’s Basilica—an opulent, domed church built in the 11th century to house the body of St. Mark the Apostle.
- The Doge’s Palace, a masterpiece of Venetian Gothic style built in 1340 which served as the residence of the Doge (the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice) and the seat of the Venetian government.
- The Bridge of Sighs, a famous landmark built in 1600 to connect the Doge’s Palace to a prison across the canal. Legend has it the prisoners would sigh as they went across and saw their last view of beautiful Venice before heading to their fate.
- A Murano glassblowing demonstration to learn about Venice’s most celebrated art form, whose roots date back to the 10th century.
From there we were on our own to explore and boy did we explore. We started with a gondola ride through the city to the grand canal, which is an optional excursion through the tour. You can’t go to Venice and NOT ride in a gondola! After leaving our gondolier behind we began our search for cicchetti, a traditional Venician food consisting of small servings of a combination of one or more of seafood, meat and vegetable ingredients laid on top of a slice of bread or polenta. It was delicious! Because we went during the off season we were able to eat our Ciccetti in a beautiful canal-side restaurant next to the iconic Rialto bridge. We spent the rest of the day exploring, taking the St. Mark’s Campanile elevator ride up to see the view, sampling local wines and foods, and browsing the shops.
After our day in Venice we took the boat home to Lido and watched the sun set over the island, followed by cocktails in a bar by the sea. What a beautiful way to end our first stop in Italy!
Venice Itinerary
- Guided walking tour of Venice
- All transportation
- Breakfast daily
- Two nights in local hotel
- Group dinner with wine or beer
- Glassblowing demonstration
- Optional gondola ride through the canals
Florence, Italy
We said arrivederci to Venice and boarded our private coach to head to Florence, the capital of and the most populated region of Tuscany. Florence is home to countless masterpieces of Renaissance art and architecture. One of the most iconic sights is the Duomo, a cathedral with an enormous terracotta-tiled dome engineered by Brunelleschi and a bell tower by Giotto. Museums such as the Galleria dell’Accademia display Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture and the Uffizi Gallery exhibit Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” and da Vinci’s “Annunciation among countless others. What Rome is to history, Florence is to art. It was one of the wealthiest cities of its time, and the art and architecture does not disappoint.
We arrived in late afternoon and, our hotel being in walking distance to the center of Florence, headed out to explore on our own after checking in.
We arose the following morning to breakfast, which is included with the tour. Did I mention the breakfasts in these hotels? Magnificant!
All of Italy, especially Florence, is known for leather goods and jewelry. There are beautiful items all over the city, and the famous medieval bridge known as the Ponte Vecchio is filled with sparkling jewelry. If you decide to bring home items, be careful of the popup shops along the road as the quality might be less than what you’ll find in reputable shops.
We did opt for the excursion to San Gimignano which was a beautiful drive. The town is mostly shops you can find in other areas, but it is lovely. The wine tasting was a nice experience and one that feels like something you should do in Tuscany; however, the wine wasn’t great. I’ve had much better wines elsewhere in Italy.
Florence, Italy Itinerary Includes:
- Daily breakfast
- Guided walking tour of Florence
- Two nights in a local hotel
- Free time in Florence or an optional excursion to San Gimignano
- Group dinner at a local restaurant
Rome, Italy
What Florence is to art, Rome is to history. In Rome you’ll find the remnants of the ancient Romans all around you. The entire historic city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Rome, Italy Itinerary
The EF Go Ahead tour includes the following:
- Two breakfasts
- Guided sightseeing tour
- Optional excursion to Vatican City
- Optional excursion to a pasta-making class and dinner
- Optional excursion to St. Paul’s Basilica & the Catacombs
- Group dinner with wine and beer
We chose the excursion to Vatican City where we were given a private walking tour of the Vatican museum, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the iconic Sistine Chapel. It did not disappoint. The entire city and museum contains priceless works of art and is a mecca for the Catholic faith from all over the world. We spent our next day in Rome as a free day and set off to explore all the sites, such as the Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain and the Pantheon and enjoy local flavors.
Sorrento Peninsula
The Sorrento Peninsula is an iconic sliver of land home to the glamorous and spectacular Almafi Coast. The extension is optional, and we chose to include it to extend our trip to see Pompeii and the beautiful coastline. You’ll have plenty of time to explore Sorrento even if you do the tour of Capri, which I highly recommend. The area is a summer playground, and since we were there in March we almost had the island to ourselves. The region is known for its lemons, so you’ll want to try local favorites such as Limoncello, lemon cake, seafood dishes and, of course, a Limencello spritz.
Sorrento Peninsula Itinerary includes:
- Breakfast
- Guided tour of Pompeii
- Optional excursion to the island of Capri
- Farewell drink with our wonderful guide Monique
EF Go Ahead Tour of Italy – If You Go
This EF Go Ahead tour is a fantastic overview of Italy. The pace is fast and furious, covering multiple archaeological and World Heritage sites with several hotel stops. These adult tours include porter service with your luggage, which is a small but nice luxury. There’s lots of walking, uphill and on cobblestones, and time spent on the coach getting from one site to another. Even from the coach, the views are spectacular! You’ll enjoy the educational aspect of the trip, great guides, traditional Italian food, and an astonishing view of the ancient Roman world.
If you’d like to see all my photos check out my Google Photos album. Arrivederci and I’ll see you on the next trip!
Off Duty Traveler 