Roma, Florence, Parma and Milan
- Duration: 9 Days / 8 Nights
- Participants: Small groups: 6/15 partecipants
Arrival in Rome. Orientation tour and promenade in the heart of Rome, starting from the Baroque area of Rome where we can admire the famous Navona Square, one of the most famous monumental squares in Rome, built in the monumental style by the Pamphili family at the behest of Pope Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphili) with the typical shape of an ancient stadium. Here the Fountain by Bernini and the Church of Santa Agnese by Borromini. We will continue to the Pantheon, the Roman temple dedicated to all the gods, one of the most visited monuments in Rome for its majestic dome and architectural particularity, as well as the mysteries hidden behind its history. It is the most important testimony of the great Roman Empire and is also the best preserved building. The Pantheon preserves the tombs of the two first kings of Italy. We can have a stop in one of the famous patisserie (the Historical Ancient Giolitti for a tea or cappuccino or La Palma a shop with sumptuous interiors, long counter and outdoor tables offering 150 flavors of ice cream) then will continue through the narrow and colorful streets up to Piazza Venezia and Via del Teatro di Marcello, from where we will board on our bus and reach the hotel.
For dinner we will move to The Rione Testaccio, which can be considered an open air museum: crossing it is a journey that embraces all eras, from the remains of the Imperial Rome emporium to the fascist palaces and the testimonies of industrial archeology. It is one of the quarters of the Roman nightlife, historically gay friendly, a privileged location in many films of Italian cinema. We will have dinner in a typical trattoria with traditional Roman menus.
Meals: lunch, dinner
You will immediately immersed in the heart of fashion, the area chosen by most artists and stylists for their ateliers or sales outlets: among the beautiful Via Veneto, an icon of dolce vita and Via del Corso, passing thorugh small hidden and colourful boutiques, Spanigh step the Valentino’s Maison to reach the fashion streets of Via Borgognona, Via Condotti, Via Frattina and Via del Corso. Here you can find the most famous brand: Max Mara, Roberto Cavalli, Marina Rinaldi, Moschino, Hermes, Ferretti, Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada, Fendi. We cannot miss a stop at Trevi’s Fountain where you may enjoy a good homemade ice cream. You can enjoy to browse in the artisanal shops for shoes, leather, jewelry and so on.
In Via del Corso, a long and narrow avenue formerly used as a horse-free track during one of the many Roman carnivals, now frequented by local people and tourists because of the many shops for all budgets. You will walk along Via Del Babuino, a street of antique and high fashion shops and Via Margutta, the street of artists and made famous by the film Roman Holidays, a place of art galleries and trendy restaurants, which once housed artisan shops and stables. The 2 streets are parallel until they rejoin to flow into the beautiful Piazza del Popolo.
Overnight in glamour a hotel in Rome
Meals: lunch, dinner in a glamour restaurant in city center
In the morning we will go for shopping to at the outlet di Castel Romano MCArthur Glen, at about 40 minutes from Rome. In this shopping park you will find international brands and designer labels at very discounted prices.
After lunch we will move to the city again and spend the rest of the time in the typical quarter of Trastevere. The name derives from the Latin trans Tiberim (“beyond the Tiber”), which was already the ancient name of the corresponding Augustan region, because the city had its origin and main development instead on the opposite bank. Here you can breathe a bohemian athmosphere, You can browse the local winding streets full of the strangest craft shops, street vendors and small flea markets.
You will not find famous brand or stylist atelier, but surely the authentic Roman lifestyle here you could be inspired by new purchases for your new look.
Trastevere is the most fascinating, lively and characteristic neighborhood of the city, is the best way to discover hidden treasures, glimpses of ancient Rome and flashes of true, authentic Roman life. In the evening the neighborhood transforms to become the hub of youthful nightlife and comes alive until the first light of dawn. The places of greatest attraction are Piazza Trilussa, dedicated to the famous Roman poet, where you can meet students, bohemians, musicians and street artists at any time of the day and Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere where you can enjoy an aperitif in the adjacent square bars or dine in one of the many pizzerias or trattorias.
Overnight in a glamour hotel in Rome
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
We cannot leave Rome without visiting the House museum of the early twentieth century which belonged to the Boncompagni Ludovisi family, intended as a center for the promotion and documentation of the decorative arts, fashion and costume, intended as an evolution of social taste, of the modern period. A common thread unites these distinct cultural spheres and is the story of the taste for beauty and quality of production of the products.
In the Museum of Fashion Decorative Arts, Fashion and Costume, furniture, furnishings, clothes, fashion accessories trace the path of the search for decoration and ease in Italian society, in particular of the twentieth century. The union of creative geniuses and excellent performers in both cases determined the growth and cult of Made in Italy.
On the way to Florence we will stop at Prada outlet in Montevarchi.
Overnight in Florence in a glamour hotel (Lungarno hotels Ferragamo property or similar)
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
This day will be devoted to the tradition of fashion and parfumery industry in Florence.
The fashion industry in Florence is mostly influenced by Gucci and Ferragamo.
We will see the Gucci Art Lab the new innovative structure at the gates of Florence, research and development laboratories for new materials and a climatic chamber with test environments and the and the Ferragamo museum
dedicated to the history of the Ferragamo company, to the life of its founder, Salvatore Ferragamo and his creations.
Walking tour from parking to the magnificient complex of Santa Maria del Fiore with its huge Cathedral, the Bell Tower and the Baptistery. In the afternoon visit to the Famous market of San Lorenzo: opened air area with all handcraft boots (leather, ceramics, paper and any kind of souvenir) and the closed area completely devoted to the food. Here you can have your own snack tasting the real genuine “Panino with Lampredotto” (the abomasum of the slaughtered cattle, used as a low quality food, but very appreciated in the typical Florentine cuisine.
Perfumery experience: In the late afternoon you will be delighted to enjoy a lifetime experience creating and taking home your own unique Italian fragrance and give yourself to an unforgettable and fascinating sensorial experience, focus on the creation of a personal scent, blending together aromatic notes of several raw materials.
Overnight in Florence in a glamour hotel (Lungarno hotels Ferragamo property or similar)
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Proceeding to Parma, we will stop in Reggio Emilia, Headquarter of the international fashion brand Max Mara
Recognized worldwide as the precursor of modern pret-à-porter, the Max Mara Group is one of the most important international fashion houses and the first Italian clothing company created (in 1951) with the intention of offering women’s clothing “haute de gamme ”produced according to industrial processes of excellence. We will see the manufacturing laboratory of coats in the nearby village of San Maurizio and after lunch, the outlet Distribuzione Tessile (Max Mara, Marina Rinaldi, Sportmax, Max& Co., Marella, Penny Black clothing without brand at more reasonable prices).
Overnight hotel Maria Luigia or similar
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
We will take a walk in the center of Parma, an ancient city that has become a Roman colony and after the fall of the Empire lived alternating periods of well-being and decline. We will see the beautiful cathedral, the ducal palace, the Palazzo della Pilotta and La Certosa di Parma. The latter helped to make the city known to the world thanks to Stendhal who visited Parma in 1814 and was so fascinated by it that he decided to set his novel in it (title in French: La Chartreuse de Parme). It tells the story of an Italian nobleman during the Napoleonic era and the subsequent period of the Restoration. In the past seven centuries of its history, the Certosa di Parma has been a monastery, a tobacco factory, a reformer and is now home to the Penitentiary Police School.
Your lunch will be in a typical “degusteria” since Parma is famous for its ham, parmesan and many other typical products of the area.
Godmother of Parma is the Duchess Maria Luigia, second wife of Napoleon Buonaparte, Duchess of Parma, Piacenza and Guastalla from 1816 to 1847. A true myth still today, an indelible memory in the heart of the Parmesans:
The Austrian sovereign who knew how to win the love and trust of her subjects by ruling for a long period in peace and prosperity.
The golden violet, the beloved flower with which it surrounded itself, has since become the symbol of the city, almost an object of worshiping the afternoon we will visit the Borsari Collection. Borsari is an ancient perfume house. The first was created in 1880 and the most recent is from 2010. The founder Borsari, after a long time managed to have the secret formula of the friars who elaborated this fragrance for Maria Luigia and began production by making this perfume known to the whole world. The historical part of the collection is dedicated to the Violetta di Parma, the second graphic relating to the evolution of the style of its perfumes.
We will terminate the day in Milan the capital of social life.
We will enjoy the Milanese aperitif puts everyone in agreement and leaves its mark. Tourists and Milanese themselves agree: the aperitif is the most genuine and economical way to discover a small part of Italian cuisine. You will find a wide range of foods (hot and cold table with pizza, grilled vegetables, meats, cheeses, pasta, sandwiches, potatoes, desserts and fruit in some cases) and drinks (mainly cocktails)
Overnight in a glamour hotel of Milan (StarhotelsE.c.ho. or Leonardo hotel City center or NH Hotels or similar)
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
The morning will be devoted to the visit of Milan. We will start from Castello Scorzesco to continue to Teatro della Scala, the square with the famous Duomo, the third largest church in the world and the renowned Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, defined by many as a station without rails, tracks and trains. In fact, the hustle and bustle of people is very similar to that of a railway station, with the substantial difference that shopping here definitely counts more than the mobility needs. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, in fact, is a real shopping center with boutiques of the major high fashion brands alongside historic cafes and fast food chains.
lunch at the famous Peck the temple of the Gastronomy.
Your afternoon will be completely devoted to the visit and the shopping.
In Milan it is impossible not to shop. We have already seen it with the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery but it is the so-called “Fashion Quadrilateral” (via Montenapoleone, via della Spiga, via Manzoni, via Sant’Andrea) the Milanese shopping temple. Ferragamo, Prada, Valentino, Gucci, Krizia, Dolce & Gabbana, Trussardi, Chanel, Moschino, Versace and other major brands are practically all present in a concentration that is not reflected anywhere else in the world, even in New York. An interesting aspect of the fashion district is that it is trendy, anticipating what will then be the tastes that will be the most popular.
In the evening you will be delighted by a typical Milanese dinner in the Navigli district so called because it is defined by the two canals that enter Milan from the south: the Grande canal and the Pavese canal. They are connected by the Darsena, an artificial basin that limits the neighborhood to the north: the first brings water, the second receives it. The area is very popular with Milanese people and is one of the best known by tourists for the picturesque atmosphere of the canals overlooked by numerous restaurants, bars and pubs, for artisan shops and art galleries.
Overnight in a glamour hotel of Milan (StarhotelsE.c.ho. or Leonardo hotel City center or NH Hotels or similar)
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Proceed to the international airport of Malpensa to fly back to hometown with unforgettable memories.
Meals: breakfast
