THE ITALIAN LAKES, THE ARENA DI VERONA AND PASSION PLAY IN OBERAMMERGAU

Arrive in Milan. Have time to rest from the jet lag. In the afternoon take a guided tour of the center of the city and enjoy your first Aperitivo at an iconic bar in Milan before enjoying a welcome dinner in a selected restaurant. Reach resplendent Lake Como and visit the medieval center of its namesake town. Take a boat to the romantic lakeside town of Bellagio, strolling its stone lanes lined with century-old buildings and cobbled stairways: the perfect place to soak up the lake’s famed panorama. Proceed by ferry to the glorious Villa Carlotta with its magnificent botanical park and galleries of master artworks.

Head towards Franciacorta Wine region where you will visit a selected wine estate to discover the world of the renowned Spumante Metodo Classico, local sparkling white wine that rivals the French champagne and to enjoy a delicious lunch. Then reach Verona where you will attend the opera at the world-famed festival in the Arena. Visit Sirmione built on a peninsula in the southern part of the lake. You will first see it from the water with a boat tour; enjoy some time at leisure in the village: you have the possibility of visiting the medieval castle, the Romanesque church of San Pietro in Mavino, or the Grotte di Catullo. In the afternoon reach the Sigurtà Gardens and visit one of the most beautiful Italian gardens in Europe. Take an exclusive cooking class at a renowned wine estate in the Valpolicella wine country, have lunch with your own prepared food then embark on a special guided tour of Verona traditional Osterie, taking in sites related to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Stop in Bolzano, beautiful city that mixes Italian and Austrian heritage. Have a walk on the well-known Portici Street with its charming shops and take a coffee in Walter Square. In the early afternoon reach the Renon plateau high above the city to admire its breathtaking views of the western Dolomites before reaching Innsbruck: Visit the Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens. Proceed to Munich where you will learn and taste the traditional specialties during some workshops and food experiences. Visit the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, that gained world fame as was used as a model for Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. On the way back to Munich, passing through the Ettal district stop to visit a dairy farm and a distillery with tastings and visit castle Linderhof.