19-day GRAND ITALIAN TOUR

Passengers are greeted at Catania Airport, Sicily and transferred to our hotel. After an orientation dinner, the first days are spent traversing Sicily. We will explore the island's second-largest town, Catania, before visiting sites related to Operation Husky, through which the Allies liberated the island from the Axis powers. We will dive deep into the initial steps of the Allied campaign and discover plenty of culture and history along the way. From Sicily, we cross over to mainland Italy by ferry across the Strait of Messina and head to the ancient Greek town of Paestum. We'll spend the next day taking in the ruins of Pompeii, after learning about Operation Avalanche. Then, we’ll travel to the historic Monte Cassino, where modern monasticism was born under the Rule of Saint Benedict, and where one of the bloodiest battles was fought during WWII. Before we head to Rome, we stop at Anzio beachhead, where the Allies landed under Operation Shingle.

The next leg of our journey will focus on the Eternal City: Rome. In between taking in the cultural glory and ambiance of this ancient bedrock of modern society, we will also explore the 20th century history of the city: a guided tour of Rome in the footsteps of Mussolini will shed light on the role of architectural propaganda in fascist regimes. Our tour would not be complete without visiting the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and the Florence American Cemetery where we will remember thousands of American servicemen who paid the ultimate price for the liberation of Italy. Starting from the charming medieval town of Lucca, we will explore the history of the last major WWII German defensive line in Italy, the heavily fortified Gothic Line. Beyond that, you'll also have time to explore the most beautiful cities of the European Renaissance: Florence with its abundant museums and fine art treasures, and Pisa with its famous Leaning Tower.

After arriving in Milan, we will stroll around the sites that were significant in the rise and fall of fascism, including Piazzale Loreto, where the corpses of Mussolini, his mistress and his followers were hung by partisans. We learn also about the liberation of Milan, which marked the eventual liberation of entire Italy. The next day, we will sail on Lake Como, on the shores of which Mussolini was captured and executed. In the town of Como, we take a ferry to the picturesque town of Bellagio, a scenic place greatly admired by President J. F. Kennedy. After returning to Milan, we take a tour of the historical-cultural center of the city, to see the famous Last Supper mural and learn more about the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci and his inventions. The tour ends with a farewell dinner. On the last day, our guests are taken to the Malpensa International Airport for their return flights.