Venice To Rome By Rail

The trip starts today in Venice, a city built on 118 islands linked by bridges and canals in the shallow Venetian lagoon. Once home to an empire, the city is now famous for its art, music and food culture; all of which we hope to experience during our stay. Your trip Leader plans to meet everyone at the hotel for a welcome meeting today at 6pm and for those that wish, there is the chance to go out for dinner afterwards for your first taste of Venetian cuisine. There are no activities planned before the group meeting at 6pm tonight, so you can arrive any time before then. Should you miss the meeting, your Leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. If you would like to receive a complimentary airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). The transfer will be by shared taxi and takes around 45 minutes with our hotel a further 5 minutes walk. If your flight arrives earlier in the day and you wish to explore simply head out on foot and lose yourself among the canals and narrow passageways of the city as you soak in its unique atmosphere. With so much to see and do in Venice itself and the surrounding islands you could easily spend several days here. If this is your first visit we recommend arriving early and booking additional hotel nights before the trip starts. Whether arriving by included taxi transfer, or making your own way to the hotel, please note that as vehicles are unable enter the narrow steets of the island you will need to make your own way on foot (around 700 metres, 10 minutes walk) from the drop off point at Piazzale Roma. Walk across the big bridge (Ponte della Costituzione) over the Grand Canal and continue straight past Santa Lucia train station to your left. After the train station turn left into the second street (Calle de la Misericordia). After a few minutes you will find Calle Pesaro and the Hotel Villa Rosa on your right-hand side.

We'll waste no time this morning in getting to the know the city, heading out on a walking orientation tour through the backstreets of Cannaregio, across the Rialto Bridge into Saint Mark's Square, home to Saint Mark's Basilica, one of the city's most famous landmarks. We'll see the Famous Bridge of Sighs and beautiful Doge's Palace before heading across the water by vaporetto water bus to the San Giorgio Maggiore Bell Tower for a bird's-eye view of this simply fabulous city. Afterwards you are free to continue discovering the essence of this enchanting city at your own pace. There are two ways to explore - on foot, losing yourself among the myriad passageways and piazza, or by boat, catching the vaporetto (water buses) that criss-cross along the canals or maybe even indulging in a gondola ride. We will provide you with a vaporetto day pass for you to use in your explorations, it's an easy and relaxing way to cruise around the city. Take in famous sights such the Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Doge's Palace, enjoy art and antiquities in world-class galleries and museums such as the Gallerie dell'Accademia, Peggy Guggenheim Collection and Palazzo Ducale. Browse the city's artisanal shops - glassware produced on the nearby island of Murano, leatherware, paperware and of course papier mache carnivale masks. Along the way be sure to stop off at a local bar for an aperativo and cicchetti, delectable Venetian small plates consisting of bite sized snacks. Popular plates include salt cod on polenta, fried meatballs, octopus salad, mini panini alongside simpler items like olives or boiled eggs.

We travel by high speed train this morning to the historic city of Bologna, the capital of Emilia Romagna. The city is famous for its arched porticoes which make it possible to walk for long distances sheltered from the elements; there are over 45 kilometres of arcade in the greater city. Bologna is also renowned for its culinary traditions; the popular meat based sauce Bolognese comes from here and the production of cured pork meats such as prosciutto, mortadella and salami is an important part of the local food industry. Tortellini (filled pasta) served in broth, and mortadella, the original Bologna sausage, are among other local specialties. We should arrive in Bologna by mid to late morning and after leaving our baggage at the hotel, your leader will take you out on a short orientation walk. Afterwards your time is left free to explore the city. A great vista over its red roofs of the city can be enjoyed from the Asinelli Tower one of the 'Due Torri', two leaning medieval defensive towers, whose distinctive outline provides a popular symbol of Bologna. It's best to book tickets for this online in advance. We will regroup in the late afternoon for an included pasta-making demonstration, followed by dinner and a glass of wine. We'll discover how traditional sfoglia all'uovo (egg pasta) is kneaded and rolled by hand and you'll have the opportunity to make and then eat your own pasta. While the pasta rests, you will be shown how the filling for traditional tortelloni is made and how to make other pasta shapes such as garganelli, strichetti and tagliatelle.