A Luxury Italian Bucket List Trip

Soak up the romance in Venice

Enjoy three nights in Venice, one of the world’s most romantic cities, exploring its maze of canals and seeing St. Mark’s Square, the Doge’s Palace and Rialto Bridge. Romantic gondola rides beckon, but you could also see inside a private palace on the Grand Canal, discover tucked-away galleries, or visit quieter islands such as Burano and Torcello out in the lagoon, where traditional Venetian culture still runs deep. The entire city is considered a World Heritage Site, an extraordinary architectural masterpiece in which even the smallest building may contain works by some of Europe’s greatest artists.

Three nights by Lake Como

Lake Como has been a popular retreat since the time of the Roman Empire, and its popularity shows no signs of waning. Shaped like an inverted ‘Y’, the lake is long and slender and one of Europe’s deepest. Surrounded by the Rhaetian Alps and close to the border with Switzerland, its enviable position means few fail to be charmed by its beauty. This is one of Italy’s prettiest destinations, with picturesque towns, grand villas and beautiful gardens dotted around the lake.

Take to the water on a boat tour to truly appreciate Como’s beauty from the best angle. You’ll see the small wooden island of Comacina as well as the characteristic bell tower of Santa Maria Maddalena, before proceeding to Bellagio, known as the pearl of the lake, where you can walk along the narrow streets.

One night in Milan

An arbiter of international style, Milan is Italy’s financial and industrial heart, a thoroughly modern European city with a great history not far beneath the surface. Whether shopping, seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, dining out or discovering hip canal-side bars, Milan is a city with an overlooked charm hiding just beneath the chic surface.

Three nights in Florence

Surrounded by rolling Tuscan hills, the beautiful city of Florence is one of Europe’s most enchanting and historically influential cities. If anywhere in the world can claim to have shaped modern Western consciousness, it is Florence’s grand piazzas and palazzos. The world’s greatest Renaissance artworks and sculpture can be found at every turn in the historical centre.

Start by exploring on a private guided walking tour. Begin with the church of Santa Maria del Fiore – the famous Duomo – to view Brunelleschi’s magnificent dome. Nearby you’ll see the Campanile of Giotto (bell tower) and Ghiberti’s enchanting ‘Gates of Paradise’, the door to the Baptistry. A short walk next takes you to the Medici Palace, from where the powerful dynasty ruled over the Golden Age of Florence. You’ll can also visit the Academia Gallery, home to Michelangelo’s ‘David’, one of the finest sculptures ever created.

Florence is also a great jumping-off-point for exploring the nearby cities of Pisa and Siena – and the vineyards of Chianti.

Four nights on the Amalfi Coast

Draped along the cliffs on the southern side of the Sorrento Peninsula, between Salerno and the city of Sorrento, the Amalfi Coast is one of the most dramatic and glamorous spots in Italy. Between the two, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello’s candy-coloured buildings spill their way down into blue bays.

The peninsular combines affluent sophistication with an honest simplicity, where super yachts and gurgling Italian sports cars next sit amidst an unchanging rural way of life. The food gloriously reflects this and some of Europe’s finest restaurants can be found here, thriving on fresh local produce, whilst the Neapolitan food found everywhere here to many epitomises Italian cuisine. The views and food are perhaps the main draw here, but there is a rich history to explore too, hidden beaches to discover and pristine trails in the Lattari Mountains to climb.

Three days in Rome

Rome, Italy’s capital and largest city, needs little introduction. In one of the most storied locations in the world, glorious reminders of Rome’s illustrious past, from ancient Roman wonders to Renaissance masterpieces, are all on show. That’s not to say that its cosmopolitan streets do not embrace the now; Rome is as exhilarating and forward-thinking as ever.

No trip is complete without a guided tour of Ancient Rome, taking in the Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. Start at the great Roman Forum, for centuries the centre of civic life as the site of triumphal processions, elections, public speeches and criminal trials. Then, along the Via Sacra (Sacred Way), head to the Palatine Hill, one of the most ancient parts of the city, where you’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the Circus Maximus, an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium Last but not least, enter the magnificent Colosseum, considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering, and capable of seating up to 50,000 spectators.