Vantage World Travel

Grand Tour of Lazio 7D/6N

A possible itinerary, which can have many variations depending on your desires, which takes you on an incredible tour of this quintessence Italic region. From the Lake of Bolsena and the mounatis of the Tolfa you will follow the merging of the Etruscan civilization into the Roman, and the creation of the mighty Empire. It is also a tour of tastes following the scents of olive oil and fine wines. The itinerary is highly customizable and expandable both as a self-drive or chauffeur-driven program!

Start your discovery from Bolsena, on the shores of the greatest European lake of volcanic origin, and Montefiascone of Est! Est!! Est!!! fame. Then focus your attention on Tuscania, closely associated with an ancient Etruscan past that has left behind a few necropolises scattered throughout the countryside, and Viterbo boasting an illustrious past that saw the city holding the papal seat during the second half of the 13th C. Cross the Sabina, an area rich in olive trees, and Tivoli with the ancient and sumptuous Villa Adriana, the largest villa ever built during ancient times, and Villa d’Este, known for its fountains. Close by is Frascati and the Alban hills famous for their white wines. Drive among archaeology and vineyards through the Agro Pontino and the Circeo coast, with its dunes and fascinating promontory facing the Mediterranean to Rome, the glorious city of great emperors and Popes.

Tour Operation

Transportation:

• Self Drive - For those wanting to explore this region at their own pace as it allows you to be mobile at all times, to stop whenever you want, to visit to your heart’s content. It is also the Best Value available as to cost
• Chauffeur Driven - When only the best will suffice, an exclusive chauffeur-driven limousine will provide the ultimate in service and luxury. Our English-speaking experienced drivers still know what it means to give polite and reliable service, you will find them responsible, caring, discreet and completely dedicated to your enjoyment.

Accommodation: A great variety of properties are available, from quaint small hotels to deluxe accommodation including boutique properties and castles, to suit every taste and budget. Our experts will suggest the best properties for you in each region as required by your itinerary.

Visits: You will have the opportunity to visit local companies and producers where the most distinguished regional specialties are produced and see where the most famous grapes have been grown, with the opportunity to walk among the vineyards - local producers and wineries will be suggested depending on your itinerary

Restaurants: We have carefully selected regional restaurants where you will have the opportunity to experience and taste the very best of the cuisine specific to each region.

Possible Visits on the program: Vini Hotel Mottura, Olio Archibusacci, Az. Agr. L’Olivella, Az. Agr. Casale Marchese, Vini Casale del Giglio, Az. Agricola Fagiolo

Suggested Daily Itinerary by Area:

• The lake of Bolsena and the city of the Est! Est!! Est!!! - Bolsena is situated on the shores of the greatest European lake of volcanic origin. It is an attractive place of ancient origin with a medieval suburb and a castle. In the town there is la Collegiata di Santa Cristina, named after a young girl who lived during the time of Diocleziano. Cristina miraculously saved herself after being thrown into the lake with a rock tied around her neck. In the religious building is the chapel of the famous Eucharistic miracle. After the visit we will next tour Civita, an attractive, ancient and almost abandoned suburb, isolated on the top of a hill eroded from spectacular calanchi. Civita is connected to Bagnoregio by only a long suspension bridge. Following lunch we will drive in direction of Montefiascone, a viticultural suburb locating on top of a hill overlooking the lake. The town owes its fame to the Est! Est!! Est!!! white wine. The beautiful church of San Flaviano guards the tombstone of the dignitary Giovanni Defuk, the individual who had so appreciated the local nectar. We will visit one of the historical wine cellars and enjoy a tasting as well. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
• Etruscans and fine oil - After breakfast we will focus our attention on Tuscania, one of the most interesting and richest cities in the history of Lazio. This city is closely associated with an ancient Etruscan past that has left behind a few necropolises scattered throughout the surrounding countryside; its archeological finds are currently safeguarded in the National Museum. Of note are also the splendid Romanesque churches of Santa Maria Maggiore and San Pietro. These are refined examples of an art that has continued to bloom during the centuries within this center of the internal Etruria. Around lunch time, we will visit the olive press of Canino and enjoy some good local, traditional dishes, seasoned with the excellent extra virgin olive oil. In the afternoon, the beautiful Viterbo reveals a medieval influence in its urbanite structures. The cathedral, the civil buildings, the Palazzo Papale, the squares and the streets recount of an illustrious past that saw Viterbo holding the papal seat during the second half of the 13th. century. In the evening, after a walk in the area’s capital, we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.



• An ancient abbey and the villa of the water games - In the morning, we will cross the Sabina, an area rich in olive trees, and arrive to the splendid abbey of Farfa, a complex whose dominion included vast territories of Central Italy during the Middle Ages. Around the magnificient church of Santa Maria and the cloister is a beautiful, small village of only a few houses. We will visit an olive press facility, where a guided tasting will present us with details about the organoleptic characteristics of the local oil. After lunch we will go back in history to visit the ancient, sumptuous the Villa Adriana in Tivoli. This villa, whose construction was ordered by the emperor Adrian in the second century A.D, was the largest villa ever built during ancient times. . A frequent respite during the emperor’s travels, its majestic dimensions equaled the pomp of its interior furnishings, reproducing the structures and styles typical of the eastern provinces of the empire. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay
• Toward the Roman hills: Frascati and the Lake of Nemi - The day opens with a visit to Frascati, the most famous of the Roman castles. Offering a wonderful panorama of the metropolis, this was the successor of the ancient suburb of Tuscolo, and a frequented country retreat for Romans due to its location on the Albani Hills. Villa Aldobrandini with its park, the park of Villa Torlonia and other noble residences reflect the charm of an illustrious past. At lunch time we will visit a Frascati wine cellar, where Trebbiano, Greco e Malvasia are among the most delightful wines. In the afternoon, continuing along the itinerary among the volcanic hills, we will reach Nemi, an attractive suburb looking down upon the glassy dark blue waters of Lake Nemi, created in the crater of an ancient volcano. Here, strawberries, small fruits and flowers are currently the most successful crops. In ancient times, Emperor Caligula’s boats occasionally traveled through the waters of the lake. In the evening, after a walk in the village, we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.



• Among archaeology, wines of the Agro Pontino and the Circeo coast - Today we will direct our attention to the territory south of the capital. Ninfa is an abandoned, medieval city situated in an area rich in nature and archaeological ruins. Destroyed and rebuilt many times, it was definitely abandoned at the end of 17th.century due to malaria. Today it is fascinating to visit the ruins overwhelmed by the vegetation, the botanical garden, the Castello dei Caetani, the spring of the Ninfa River, and the small lake. The Agro Pontino, an area of meticulous reclamation, attracts us with its channels and perpendicular streets. Sabaudia, built in the thirties reflecting the characteristics of the rationalist architecture of the times, is an elegant center to visit, especially for its architecture. The nearby lake, the dunes, the fascinating promontory of the Circeo, the Mediterranean vegetation and the National Park are all elements that characterize this unique environment. Orchards and vineyards are also part of the landscape. We will visit a great and highly rated wine cellar of the Agro Pontino, near Aprilia, with a guided tasting of the house products. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
• Ancient Rome - It would take a life-time to fully appreciate this glorious city of great emperors and Popes. Rome lies on seven hills, and was founded by the mythical Romulus who was nursed by the she-wolf, la Lupa, and has been a hub of political and cultural expansion in the Mediterranean and in modern Europe. The Roman Forum, the vital hub of ancient Roman life, the magnificent Colosseum, a theater for brutal shows, the monuments honoring triumphs and victories, the massive Pantheon and the Via Appia strewn with ruins and memories, are some of the most amazing fragments of the ancient urban life of the eternal city. A passionate guided tour, aimed at illustrating in a thematic way some of the most salient, artistic points of the city, will take us back into a glorious ancient history. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
• The Rome of the Popes and the baroque city - The throbbing heart of Christianity and the essential reference in the metropolitan panorama, San Pietro with its cupolone (huge dome), captures the attention of tourists, believers and lovers. Our attention is magically drawn to the splendid basilica, Michelangelo’s Pietà, the sumptuous atmosphere of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel with its vivacious colors and Swiss guards who watch over the papal citadel. We will delve into the world’s smallest state, and view the rich, dramatic baroque of the church façades, the interiors of several churches embellished with sculptures and friezes, the fountain of Piazza Navona, and the animated, extravagant streets and squares. In the evening we will arrive at our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Contact us for your Own Itinerary

We know each region inside out and can prepare “the” specific itinerary you desire with the exact services you need.

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