Italy with the Southern Coast — Eight Nights from Rome to Venice

You are met at Rome Fiumicino airport by a representative and driven to your hotel in a private vehicle. Rome is layered rather than laid out, and the first evening is best spent walking a short loop near your hotel rather than chasing anything specific. · Rome

A hop-on hop-off day in Rome. The ancient centre, the Vatican side of the river and the fountains and squares of the historic core sit far enough apart that a route you can leave and rejoin is the practical way to cover them. · Rome

You make your own way to the station for the train south to Naples, and your own way onward to your hotel on the Sorrento and Amalfi coast. The coast road south of Naples runs along cliffs with the sea below it, and the towns are stacked into the gaps. · Amalfi coast

No touring is scheduled and the day is yours. The coast is best taken slowly — the towns are close together and the views are the point. The cathedral of Sant'Andrea at Amalfi can be visited on a guided basis locally; it is not included. · Amalfi coast

You make your own way to the station at Naples for the train north to Florence, and your own way from Florence station to your hotel. A guided visit to the Uffizi Gallery can be arranged locally; it is not included. · Florence

A day out to Pisa, with the road transfer from Florence and back included. The Leaning Tower stands with the cathedral and the baptistery on the Campo dei Miracoli, a walled green set apart from the modern town. · Florence

You make your own way to the station for the train to Venice, and your own way from Venice station to your hotel. A gondola ride is included — the small canals are only visible from water level, which is the reason to do it despite it being the obvious thing to do. · Venice

A half-day tour by motorboat to the three best known islands of the Venetian lagoon. You watch master glassblowers at work in a Murano factory, browse lace and painted houses on Burano, and see the Byzantine churches of Torcello including Santa Fosca. · Venice

Breakfast at the hotel, then check out and a private transfer from your hotel to the airport. The source advises reaching the airport three to four hours before your departure flight, and Venice is a city where moving luggage takes longer than the map suggests.