Compare Opera & Food by Vita Italian Tours
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| Trip |
5 | Excellent
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| Duration | 11 days |
| Price From | $ 3,726 |
| Price Per Day | $ 339 |
| Highlights |
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| Trip Style | Small group tour |
| Lodging Level | Standard |
| Physical Level |
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| Travel Themes |
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| Countries Visited | |
| Cities and Attractions |
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| Flights & Transport | Ground transport included |
| Activities |
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| Meals Included |
10 Breakfasts, 10 Lunches and 10 Dinners |
| Description |
The tour concentrates on the celebrated Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro and the open-air opera season in Macerata in the beautiful Le Marche Region. Between musical performances, there are guided visits to fascinating medieval and Renaissance towns. The tour begins in Rome highlighted by an afternoon guided walking tour to many of the Capital’s landmarks. The next day we travel to Le Marche Region in Central Italy. We will have four days in Macerata to experience its world renowned Opera Festival held at the imposing open air arena: the Sferisterio. After Macerata, we head north to the City of Pesaro situated on the Adriatic Coast, a city proud of its talented and famous son Rossini, born in 1792. Naturally, the city is a centre of musical appreciation with performances at the annual Rossini Opera Festival in August. The City of Pesaro is rich in culture and historical landmarks. From Pesaro we will visit the famous Renaissance town of Urbino with its Ducal Palace which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. There are also guided visits to Loreto, Recanati, Gradara, San Marino and Novilara. The tour includes 4 opera performances. There are 2 performances at the Sferisterio in Macerata and 2 performances at the Rossini Opera Festival of Pesaro. |
Day 1: Rome
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Your tour leaders Mario, Viny and Gianni will meet you at the hotel in the centre of Rome at 4.00pm. Introductions and a small talk on the tour will precede an afternoon stroll through some of the famous ‘piazze’ of Rome. The guided walking tour will include Piazza della Repubblica, Fountain of Trevi, Piazza della Rotonda, Piazza Navona and finally Campo de` Fiori. Then we travel to Trastevere with an early dinner in a family restaurant in this beautiful part of Rome.
Day 2: Rome/Ascoli Piceno/Macerata
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast we leave Rome for Macerata. We will travel in air-conditioned comfort through some of the most beautiful countryside of the Central Apennines. We make a brief stop at Ascoli Piceno for a tour of the historical part of the City. We will walk around the Piazza del Popolo and the other main square Piazza Arringo. After a quick lunch we then proceed to Macerata for check in at our hotel. Dinner at a local restaurant before an evening at the opera at the magnificent Sferisterio.
Day 3: Macerata
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast we will spend the morning with a local guide who will take us through the city’s famous landmarks and museums. Lunch will be at a traditional restaurant. The afternoon is free for you to stroll through some of the beautiful streets of Macerata. A special dinner is organised at a local restaurant specialising in local cuisine and wines.
Day 4: Macerata/Recanati
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we will visit the town of Recanati. This was the birthplace of Giacomo Leopardi, Italy’s greatest romantic poet. It is also the home of the world renowned tenor Benianimio Gigli. We then visit the museum in Villa Colloredo-Melson on the outskirts of the town which holds Recanati greatest art treasures, a room with four of Lorenzo Lotto’s finest pictures. The afternoon is free. An early dinner before a performance again at the Sferisterio.
Day 5: Macerata/Loreto/Pesaro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast we leave Macerata and travel to the northern most part of Le Marche Region and our stay for the next 6 nights is in the City of Pesaro. Pesaro is situated on the Adriatic Coast. On the way we will make a stop at Loreto for lunch, a beautiful hill town second only to Assisi and Rome as a place of religious pilgrimage. The town is a showcase of some of Italy’s greatest artists and architects. Dinner at the hotel will be preceded by an optional passeggiata through the historical centre of Pesaro.
Day 6: Pesaro/San Marino
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Today after breakfast at the hotel, we travel just over the border of Le Marche for a day visit to the tiny Republic of San Marino. It is a day for shopping as San Marino is jammed with duty free shops. Apart from souvenirs, you will be able to pick up perfume, watches and leather bags at very reasonable prices. San Marino is also worth a visit for its history and pageantry and its magnificent hilltop setting which offers excellent views of the countryside. We travel back to Pesaro for a free afternoon. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 7: Pesaro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast a local guide will accompany you as we stroll through the streets of Pesaro. We will visit the house of the Gioachino Rossini and the Rossini Conservatoire which hosts many items of Rossini memorabilia. We will explore the ancient centre of Pesaro with its Ducal Palace and Piazza del Popolo. Lunch will be at one of the local trattorias just off the Piazza del Popolo. The afternoon is at leisure. Dinner at the hotel before attending a performance at Teatro Rossini, one of the 3 venues used during the festival.
Day 8 Pesaro/Gradara
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today’s visit is to Gradara, a medieval village dominated by its magnificent castle which overlooks the Adriatic Sea. We will tour the castle and the impressive old walled town. Gradara was made famous by the legendary love affair between Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini as immortalised in the 5th Canto of Dante’s Inferno. Lunch at Gradara with piadina and local wine. In the afternoon you will have time to relax before an optional tour of the Villa Imperiale. Dinner at the hotel.
Day 9: Pesaro/Urbino
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Today we explore the land once ruled by the medieval lords of Montefeltro. We visit Urbino one of Italy’s fascinating towns of the Renaissance. It is also the birth place of Raphael. A conducted tour of the magnificent Ducal Palace which houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche with its precious paintings by Piero della Francesca, Tiziano, Paolo Uccello and Raphael. A lunch is organised in a traditional osteria in Urbino. An early dinner at the hotel before our second opera performance.
Day 10: Pesaro
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
After breakfast we will visit the Civic Museums and several important churches and their art treasures. Lunch is organised at Novilara, a nearby hill town, in a traditional trattoria which is famous for its local produce and pasta e fagioli on the menu. After a pleasant stroll of Novilara, we travel back to Pesaro. There will be a special farewell dinner in a famous restaurant in Pesaro.
Day 11: Pesaro
Meals: Breakfast
The tour officially ends after breakfast. Mario, Viny and Gianni will farewell the group at the hotel.
