Page 104 - Cork & Tee Sample Program Flipbook, 2018

setting for pilgrims and visitors alike. If you are looking for a test, there are 320 steps from the
base of the dome at St. Peter’s up to the cupola. The great view of the city framed by St. Peter’s
Square is most certainly worth the journey. Your tour will conclude at 11:00 a.m.

Return to your hotel to collect your bags and check out. We’ve arranged for a private driver to
meet you at noon and recommend lunch in the Trastevere district, one of Rome’s oldest
neighborhoods. Lined with cobbled streets, it’s more like an Italian village than a city. After
lunch, your driver will drop you off at the Rome railway station in advance of a mid-afternoon
departure 1 hr 30 min to Florence. Upon arrival to Santa Maria Novella railway station, private
transfer 10 min your accommodations.

Soon after your arrival to Florence, consider an apertivo at La Terrazza, located in the medieval
Consorti tower at the adjacent Hotel Continentale. This rooftop bar is surrounded by the most
impeccable views of the Arno and the hills beyond, Brunelleschi's Dome and Palazzo Vecchio.

Proposed Accommodations for 3 Nights: Portrait Firenze, a stylish, all-suites property well
situated overlooking the River Arno and the iconic Ponte Vecchio

Day 3: The Art & History of Florence, Capital of the Renaissance. Sleep in this morning and
spend the morning at leisure. Florence offers wealth, culture and sophistication—from
outstanding art and architecture to shopping and museums. You might like to explore the outdoor
San Lorenzo market for small gifts and inexpensive items and/or the boutiques such as
Ferragamo on Via Tournabuoni. Please see Appendix I for suggested activities to do on your
own.

This afternoon, meet your Florence history and art guide for a private, half-day tour that will
combine certain art riches of Florence with
historical context to provide you with a vivid
picture of Florence during its Renaissance
heyday. We suggest and have included a
guided visit to L’Accademia, which was
founded in the nineteenth century to house
Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of David,
arguably the most famous sculpture work in
the world. As part of this visit, your guide
will share with you why David is a symbol of
Renaissance optimism. She also will assist in
your study of five other sculptures by
Michelangelo at the gallery—the four
unfinished Prisoners and St. Matthew—along with another must-see, Giambologna’s Rape of the

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