This 7-night tour is for women who want it all--shopping in Milan, relaxing in the tiny town of Varenna on Lake Como, gliding down the Grand Canal in Venice--all in one fabulous, hassle-free week.
Join us for a special tour especially for women who love fashion, fun, and food. You can relax knowing you are in expert hands with Paula Russell as your on-site guide. You'll stay in great hotels, travel by 1st class train, explore three of Italy's most beautiful places, and shop until you drop.
Highlights of the tour include:
- shopping at Vittorio Emmanuele II Galleria
- a day in Bellagio on Lake Como
- gondola ride in Venice
- authentic Italian cuisine (see Eating on the Tour)
- a full day to shop Milan's famous Golden Quad
- reserved tickets to see Da Vinci's Last Supper
Fall is a glorious time to visit Italy. The weather is mild, the summer crowds are gone, and menus are full of dishes featuring seasonal treats like pasta with truffles, cinghiale (wild boar), and hearty soups. Shops are full of the colors of the season-- you'll find many small treasures to bring home for Christmas gifts. It's a perfect time to experience la dolce vita (the good life).
We hope you will join Paula Russell, owner of Time of Your Life Tours, Italy expert, and your personal on-site guide, for a fabulous trip in the company of interesting, fun-loving women just like you.
Read over the itinerary and other information below. If you have any questions email us at: info@timeofyourlifetours.net and be sure to include your phone number if you'd like Paula to call you.
If you're ready to join the tour, print the Sign-Up Form,
fill it in, and send it to us with your $1000 deposit to reserve your
space as soon as possible and no later than August 1, 2009. We've had lots of interest in this tour, so please don't delay
and risk disappointment! NOTE: Space is limited to only 12 women .
Price for this fabulous tour and seminar is $5700 per person, double occupancy for a private tour , sharing a room with me , or $4800 per person double occupancy for two or more tour members. Single supplement fee is $1000 for a private room. Sign-Up Now!
If you've been longing for Italy, here is your chance to finally live your dream...
Living La Dolce Vita: October 4-11, 2009
Day Zero: Saturday--Many flights will leave the US on Saturday to arrive in Milan on Sunday.
Day One--Sunday--Meet at our hotel, right inside the elegant glass-roofed Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It's famous for upscale, gorgeous shops (including a huge Prada store), boutiques, and cafes. We'll go out for a special welcome dinner.
Day Two--Monday--After a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, we'll stroll over to the Milan Duomo (cathedral). It's one of the true wonders of the world. You'll enjoy a guided tour of the inside, and we'll take the elevator up to the roof, where you can walk among more than 22,000 statues and gargoyles and gaze out over the city. On a clear day you can see the Alps in the distance.
We'll catch a train in the afternoon, and in an hour we'll be in the lovely town of Varenna, the "Pearl of Lake Como." We'll check into our gorgeous hotel right on the Lake, and you'll have time to explore the town or the hotel's extensive gardens. We'll enjoy traditional dishes prepared by a master chef in the best restaurant in town.
Day Three--Tuesday--We'll catch a ferry and glide across Lake Como to fabulous Bellagio. You'll have time to shop the many boutiques and specialty shops, explore this charming celebrity haunt, and have lunch before we head back to Varenna. You'll enjoy a dinner of regional specialties in a lovely restaurant.
Day Four--Wednesday--We'll travel by 1st class train to magical Venice, and then by water taxi to our hotel, close to everything, but away from the crowds. You'll have free time to explore Venice before dinner at an upscale modern restaurant with great food and amazing waterfront view. You'll also enjoy a twilight ride along quiet canals in a gondola.
Day Five--Thursday--We'll board a vaporetto (water bus) and ride along the length of the Grand Canal, past the elaborate palazzos facing the world's most beautiful "street."
We'll visit the Fortuny Museum where you'll see the fabrics, fashions, theatrical sets and more of the famous 20th century designer Mariano Fortuny.You'll have free time for lunch and perhaps a stroll along the Rialto Bridge with its markets and shops. Or maybe you'd like to visit the Palazzo Mocenigo where you'll see the luxurious fashions and furnishings of a 17th century aristocratic Venetian home.
Later in the afternoon, after the crowds have left, we'll tour the incredible golden Basilica San Marco inside and out, and take the elevator up to the top of the campanile (bell tower) for spectacular views of Venice. You'll have time to shop and explore before a dinner of outstanding regional dishes in a local trattoria.
Day Six--Friday--We'll travel back to Milan for some power shopping in the fashion capital. Head out to the famous Golden Quad where you'll find the latest trends and colors from all the top fashion houses as well as the up and coming new designers. Or explore one of the many other shopping districts--we'll provide maps and information. Dinner will be in a local trattoria serving traditional Milanese dishes.
Day Seven--Saturday-- We'll have reserved tickets for Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece, The Last Supper.Or perhaps you'd rather continue shopping and picking up ideas in any of Milan's great shopping districts--maybe even find some bargains at the many outlet stores. It's your choice.
Day Eight--Sunday--Fly home with great memories.
MORE INFORMATION: Prices and Deadlines, Terms and Conditions, and Sign-Up form. Or email us at: info@timeofyourlifetours.net . If you'd like us to call you, be sure and include your phone number and a good time to call in your email.
