Introduction

We will be visiting one of the arts and culture centers of the
world…Italy!

Most of our travel will be by train, like the locals do in this
country.  The train schedules are usually within a minute of
their scheduled time, which means we will need to be ready
to jump on and off at the appropriate times.  Trains wait for
no one.

Our intent is to give you a good overview of this country’s
culture to allow you to experience the similarities and the
differences between Italy and the USA.  We will also get to
see some of the world’s greatest artwork, including
Michaelango’s David and the Sistine Chapel.

This journey should give you a small peek into this part of
the world. Enjoy!

Day 1- We will depart from M/SP to our first destination.

Day 2- Today we will be arriving in Italy at our first destination, Rome.  We will take the rest of the day to relax and get situated for our journey to begin.  We may have time to explore a couple of sites that are within walking distances of our hotel.

Day 3-Today we will do a hop on-hop off bus to get us to the sites that we will be visiting.  The main stops today will be the Roman Forum, Parliament Hill, Colosseum, and the Pantheon.  Our first stop will be the Colosseum as it gets quite crowded later in the day. The Roman Colosseum, a 2,000 year old amphitheater, was used for deadly gladiator contests.  At the Roman Forum you will walk among the medieval squares, see town halls, alleys, and building ruins from the Middle Ages, when this was the political, commercial, and social center of the Roman Empire.  After lunch we will explore the rest of the sights in this city, including the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain (home of Three Coins in the Fountain song), and the Pantheon.

Day 4- Having seen the outdoor side of Rome, we will now head to the indoor side of Rome.  The main two indoor sites would be the Borghese Museum and garden and the Sistine Chapel.  The Borghese features one the world’s greatest private art collections assembled by Cardinal Scipione Borghese in the 17^th century in his Roman garden villa.  The collection is particularly rich in ancient Roman, Renaissance, and Baroque art, with major works by Bernini, Titian, Caravaggio, Raphael, Rubens, and Canova.  We all have heard of the Sistine Chapel.  The museum is quite large and may be a long wait to get to this ceiling painting, but everyone in Rome is “forced” to see it as one of their stops.

Day 5-Today we will leave Rome behind us and head to the Tuscany area. Our train ride from Rome to La Spezia is about a 4 hour ride through the countryside.  We will get to our hotel for the next two nights and relax for the balance of the day.

Day 6- Today we will have an all day train ticket that will take us to the villages of the Cinque Terre area.  Cinque Terre means Five Lands and comprise the five small coastal villages of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterossa.  They are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The ticket you will receive will include unlimited train travel and hiking passes.  There is a path connecting all of the villages if you are interested in hiking extensively, however, some of the path has been closed due to landslides.  The main attraction of the Cinque Terre is the landscape.  Well embedded in this magnificent natural beauty, one can admire the intense human activity of the ancestors, when the wine terraces were built.  An enormous work of transportation, carrying all the heavy stones on the men’s shoulders and women’s heads.  It is estimated to have taken 200 years to build the entire stone-wall network, with its total length which has been calculated to be at least equal to the Great Wall of China.  The trails tend to open and close routinely, so if you wish to hike or walk a trail, you will need to check at a local office to confirm if the trail is open.  Some trails are quite steep and uneven, while others are nearly flat and paved.  Information is available in numerous places throughout the five villages about the trails.

Day 7- This morning we will take to the water and view these same five villages from water level, which gives an entirely different perspective of the villages.  From the boat we will get back on the train and head to Pisa, home of the famous Leaning Tower.  After depositing our luggage at our hotel, we will hop back on the train to a nearby city of Lucca. Lucca is one of Tuscany’s most beloved artistic cities, an unskippable part of any tour of the region. Nicknamed the town of a hundred churches on account of its incredible number of places of worship, it is unique among city-states for having maintained its independence up until 1847.  Historical circumstances demanded that Lucca fortify itself, and so its immense artistic and architectural heritage is ringed by a massive circuit of defensive walls.  After viewing the wall, amphitheater, and churches, we will return to Pisa for the overnight.

Day 8- This morning we will leave Tuscany behind us and head to the art center of Italy, Florence.  After dropping off our luggage, we will head to the Accademia, home of the famous David sculpture, along with the best examples of Venetian artworks.   There are many other items to gaze upon in the gallery, but all eyes go to David with its placement front and center in the gallery.  This afternoon you will have an option of exploring Florence on your own (as it is a very walkable city) or going to the Uffizi Gallery.  The Uffizi has many works of art that were commissioned by and were part of the powerful Medici family and were donated to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany so that these magnificent works could be enjoyed by everyone and are part of the cultural patrimony of humankind.  The Museum of Musical Instruments room displays old, one of a kind masterpieces by Stradivari and Crisofori, the inventor of the piano.  This evening we will all walk to the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.  During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was not destroyed by the Germans during their retreat on the advance of the liberating British Army on Aug 4, 1944, unlike all other bridges in Florence.  Butchers initially occupied the shops on the bridge, which now have been replaced by jewelers and art dealers.

Day 9- Leaving culture and art behind us, we now head to romance and the city of Venice.  We will spend the day viewing the Basilica, St Mark’s Square, and the Doge Palace.  We will spend time watching the gondolas passing under the arched bridges, the many quaint piazzaz and the criss-crossing canals that this city sits upon.  The Rialto Bridge is one of the four bridges spanning the Grand Canal in Venice.  It is the oldest bridge across the canal and was the dividing line for San Marco and San Polo.  The Doge’s Palace was built in Venetian Gothic style and was the residence of the Doge of Venice.  It was opened as a museum in 1923.  We will explore the prison areas as well as the beautiful palace areas.  Take a good look at all the gold as you ascend the stairway into the palace.

Day 10- We continue our stay in Venice, but head out to the islands.  The island of Murano, the glass blowing island and Burano, the lace island, will be our main focus.  Be careful today, as past experiences show that people spend money on items on this particular day.

Day 11- Today we will have about a 6 hour train ride from Venice to Naples.  Sit back and enjoy the scenery as we travel through great countryside views.  We will have time upon our arrival for a little sightseeing in the city before heading back to our hotel.

Day 12- We will head to our next highlight, the ruins of Pompei, this morning.  We will pass by Mount Vesuvius on the way to the ruins of Pompei.  We will have a guided tour of the ruins and then spend a little more additional time exploring on our own as the guide gives us a good introduction, but does not cover the entire grounds.  There are many artifacts that have been recovered on display and replicas of some of the bodies that were covered as Mount Vesuvius erupted on that day in 79 AD.  Two thousand people died and the city was abandoned for almost as many years.  When a group of explorers rediscovered the site in 1748, they were surprised to find that underneath a thick layer of dust and debris, that Pompei was mostly intact.  This site has taught us a great deal about everyday life in the ancient world.  There is a new area recently opened up for viewing, which is nearly intact paintings and buildings.  When we all are ready to move on, we will continue on to our overnight stay in Sorrento, a short distance down the Amalfi Coast. 

Day 13- Today we will discover the famous beauty of one of Italy’s most iconic shorelines with this full-day tour of the Amalfi Coast from Sorrento. Travel in an air-conditioned mini-coach along spectacular coastal roads, stopping to visit the region’s three most popular and beautiful villages—Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello. You will be able to enjoy leisure time in each town to stroll narrow cobblestone streets and shop for unique handmade goods.

Day 14- To change pace a bit, we will return to Rome, not by train, but by ferry boat.  Enjoy the scenic villages as we pass by at sea level, looking up to the villages instead of down to the water.  The ferry will return us to Naples, where we will then return the rest of the way to Rome via train.

Day 15- We will depart for home with memories of Italy in our souls.

More for LE$$ Tours Value
Included:               Roundtrip airfare to Europe
                                14 nights at personally selected lodging
                                Transportation to all locations
                                Admission to all sights listed
                                Several options to fill your day, your way (which allows
                                 you the flexibility to set your own small portion of the               itinerary)
                                Personal tour guide to accompany you from start to finish

More for Le$$ Tours Sights and Activities- We offer more activities and
sights on our trips than any other company, which includes:

Spanish Steps
Trevi Fountain
Pantheon
Roman Colosseum
Roman Forum
Palentine Hill
Cinque Terre Train
Cinque Terre Boat ride
Borghese Gallery
Pompei visit
Accademia Gallery
Florence Dom
Ponte Vecchio
Tower of Pisa
Uffizi Gallery
St Mark’s Square
Doge’s Palace
Rialto Fish Market
Boat to Murano and Burano Islands
Pompei Tour
Sorrento Experience
Amalfi Coast drive
Coastal Ferry Ride

Thecost of the tour is $3750 based on current estimates
(depending on airfare increases and fuel surcharges
instituted by airlines and created by currency exchange
rates).  This cost will only be increased if these two costs
increase significantly in the interim since printing. 

More for Le$$ Tours Terms and Conditions

To maintain our lower level of overhead and to be able
to provide small group tours at these prices, please read
and agree to the following conditions for our tours.

Prices
Prices shown are per person, double occupancy,
stated in US Dollars.  Single supplements will be $400
for this tour.

Deposits
Deposit of $1000 per person is due upon reservation.  Please
send check to address on payment page or pay by credit
card.  Payments made by credit card will be charged a
2% convenience fee.

Additional Payment Additional payments will be due on
Mar 1, 2023 of $1500 and final payment of $1250 will be due
Aug 1, 2023.

Deposit and payments indicate that you have read and
consent to the provisions contained within these terms
and conditions section.

This tour does not include personal expenditures, such
as room service, laundry service, tour and driver gratuities,
personal items, baggage fees for airlines, passport fees,
and meals

Special Requests
Participants may request add-on flights to MSP airport
at the time of reservation.  Additional days may also be
added at registration time.  If there are special medical or
dietary requests, please inform us of the specifics at the
 time of registration to allow us to try to accommodate
for these requests (no guarantees on some requests in
some locations).

Smoking Policy
We operate with a no smoking policy in the van, at the
sights, and at the hotels for the comfort of everyone
on the tour.

Cancellation Policy
Cancellation in writing prior to Mar payment date will
receive payment refund less deposit of $500 plus cost of
 the airline ticket if already purchased.  From Mar 1 on, $1000
will be forfeited.  Airline tickets are always nonrefundable
after they are issued in addition. After May 1, there will be
no refund unless replacement can be found (only portion
that can be transferred to someone will be refunded in this
situation).

If minimum required number of participants is not met
for any given tour, all money will be refunded to all
registered participants.

Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend that you purchase travel
 insurance with cancellation coverage to protect
yourself in case you need to cancel.  We recommend
Travel Guard Insurance, as they have competitive rates
and great service. We are licensed providers of travel
insurance and can help you with this if desired.

Liability Issues
Neither we nor any other vendor or person connected
with this tour shall be liable to the participant directly or
indirectly for any accidents, damage, delay, or injury
caused to the participant, including, but not limited to,
acts of war, acts of terrorism, malfunctions of equipment,
strikes, theft, weather, quarantines, or change of itinerary. 
If additional costs are incurred due to the above reasons,
such as additional hotel, meal, and transportation, the
participant will be responsible for these additional costs.

Liability Issues
Neither we nor any other vendor or person connected with
 this tour shall be liable to the participant directly or indirectly
for any accident, damage, delay, or injury caused to the
participant, including, but not limited to, acts of war,
 malfunctions of equipment, strikes, theft, weather,
quarantines, or change of itinerary.  If additional costs are incurred due to any unforeseen reason, such as hotels, meals, and transportation, these costs will be the participant’s responsibility.

The airline contract, when issued, becomes a sole contract
between the passenger and the airline.  The only portion
of liability of transportation rests with the common carrier
liability issues. Likewise, if a valid passport and/or visa for
countries to be visited is not in order and the participant is
prevented from boarding the plane, he will not receive a
refund and will be responsible for any and all costs to him
in this regard.

Send payment to:        More for Le$$ Tours
                                         44147  460^th Ave
                                         Perham, MN 56573

           

For more information call (507) 456-6611 or see
www.moreforlesstours.com         OR
diana@moreforlesstours.com

Please reserve a space on the _________________tour for ____persons.

Complete address________________________________________________

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Name(s) as they appear on passport(s) and passport numbers with expirations

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Email address__________________________________________________

Birthdates________________________________________________

Medical concerns (if any)

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Emergency contact info_____________________________________________________

Please enclose $1000 deposit per person for this trip.  This deposit indicates that I have read and agree with the terms and conditions as stated.