SWOSU – Italy 2023

DAY 1 – DEPARTURE – Saturday, May 20

Depart Home for Rome

DAY 2 – ROME – Sunday, May 21

Arrive in Rome, Italy 

Airport Transfer 

On-ground Briefing
Orientation Walking Tour – The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do incase of an emergency. 

Rome Walking Tour: Santa Maria della Vittoria (Bernini’s Ecstasy), Spanish Steps, & Trevi Fountain

Welcome Dinner – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a wide variety of menu options to cater all diets. 

DAY 3 – ROME – Monday, May 22

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Tour Forum, Palatine Hill, Colosseum – The Foro Romano (Roman Forum) is located just to the west of the Colosseum and is the truly ancient city of Rome – the very place where history took place, with processions, criminal trials, elections, and intrigue all happening here. It was the site of the original Senate, and where Caesar’s body was brought following his assassination. The ruins of some of Rome’s most important ancient structures can be found at or near the Forum.

The Colosseum is the world-famous icon is an ancient amphitheater dating from AD 70 and is the iconic, unmissable sight of Rome. 

The flat-topped Palatine Hill that rises above the Forum is where the emperors built their palaces (and indeed “Palatine” is the source of the word “palace”. 

Walk around Testaccio Area and Lunch Break  – Where else in the world can you find the last surviving ancient Roman pyramid, a food market that keeps international foodies talking and an art gallery in what was once Europe’s largest slaughterhouse? Arrive at Testaccio hungry – most of modern Roman cuisine has its origins in this neighbourhood, which is still among the best locations to sample authentic dishes. 

Structured Free Time & Cultural Immersion 

DAY 4 – ROME – Tuesday, May 23

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Guided Tour Vatican Museum and St.Peter’s Basilica – The Vatican Museums are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the most renowned Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. St. Peter’s Basilica is the jewel of Vatican City. Dominating the skyline of the area, the Basilica is spread over a massive 23,000 square meters of land. 

Guided Visit of Villa Borghese – This is one of the world’s most beautiful art museum hosting the works of extraordinary artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Canova and Raffaello. 

Structured Free Time & Cultural Immersion 

DAY 5 – ROME – Wednesday, May 24

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Guided Tour of Capitoline Museum – This is the oldest public museum in the world founded in 1471 by Sisto IV

DAY 6 – ROME/FLORENCE – Thursday, May 25

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Train Rome to Florence (approx. 2hrs)

Lunch Break at Central Market

Florence Walking Tour – The Duomo, Baptistery, Piazzale Michelangelo, San Miniato, Piazza della Signoria, Loggia dei Lanzi, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti
Monuments Visits – Get inside access in the main monuments of Duomo Square: the Baptistery of San Giovanni, Giotto’s Bell Tower, Brunelleschi’s Dome, the Opera del Duomo Museum and the ancient basilica of Santa Reparata.
Structured Free Time & Cultural Immersion 

DAY 7 – FLORENCE – Friday, May 26

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Uffizi Gallery – The Gallery entirely occupies the first and second floors of the large building constructed between 1560 and 1580 and designed by Giorgio Vasari. It is famous worldwide for its outstanding collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the Modern period).
Lunch Break
Galleria dell’Accademia – The Accademia Gallery collection includes priceless masterpieces and works of art in its various halls spread over two floors. Here you will find Michelangelo’s David and The Rape of the Sabine Women amongst other world-known art. 

Structured Free Time & Cultural Immersion

DAY 8 – SIENA/FLORENCE – Saturday, May 27

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Train to Siena (approx. 1.5 hrs)

Visit the Cathedral, the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Piccolomini Library, Baptistry of S.Giovanni and the Crypt – This is one of the finest cathedrals in the whole of Christendom containing art treasures by such masters as Nicola Pisano, Michelangelo, Donatello and Bernini. The Piccolomini Library is frescoed by Pinturicchio. In the Baptistry of San Giovanni you can admire the splendid Baptismal Font, one of the greatest monuments of Renaissance sculpture, and to explore the Crypt where you can admire a grandiose cycle of frescoes dating as far back as the 13th. The Museo dell’Opera contains some of the “must-see” treasures of Italian art, including Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Maestà. Wind up your visit by clambering up onto the panoramic terrace atop the Unfinished Façade of the New Cathedral, where you can enjoy the most mesmerising and unforgettable view of the city and the Tuscan countryside.

Historical & Cultural Walking Tour of Siena – Piazza del Campo, Fonte Gaia, The cathedral of Siena, Torre del Mangia, Piccolomini Altar (Michelangelo) & Piccolomini Library (Pinturicchio and Raphael)

Train to Florence (approx. 1.5 hrs)

DAY 9 – FLORENCE/ROME – Sunday, May 28

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Train Florence to Rome (approx. 2hrs)

Free Time

Afternoon and Evening around Trastevere – This has always been a home to the city’s rebels and nonconformists; in ancient Rome, freed slaves, sailors and soldiers settled here, separate from the city’s “polite society”. Although it’s now one of Rome’s most beautiful and beloved neighbourhoods, modern Trastevere hasn’t lost its wild streak. 

Farewell Dinner in Trastevere and Program Closing

DAY 10 – RETURN – Monday, May 29

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Airport Transfer

Depart Rome, Italy for Home