My Dream Vacation ITALY by Clarissa McMillan

Why Italy? I have always been swept away by the beauty and culture of Italy and have wanted to visit since I was a little girl. I want to see all the art museums, admire all of the gothic and medieval style architecture and experience the renaissance atmosphere of Italy first hand.

ITALY Latitude: 43° 49' 59“ Longitude: 11° 19' 59"

Information About Italy Climate: Highly diverse. Inland areas tend to have a continental climate, whereas, along the coast, the climate is the stereotypical Mediterranean climate – “Land of the Sun” Terrain: Mostly rugged and mountainous, with some plains and coastal lowlands; many waterways and rivers; very green • Currency: The Euro 1€ = $1.33 US dollars

Information About Italy Food: - Traditional Italian cuisine consists of potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, maize, cheese and wine, coffee and espresso are also now an important part of cultural Italian cuisine Points of Interest &Historical sites: Many famous art museums, galleries and collections, churches, palaces, and historical locations such as, the coliseum, Rome Forum, leaning tower of Pisa, and the Grand Canal. And much, much more…

Italy, Here I Come!!! Leave from Philadelphia International Airport on Friday May, 8th at 6:40pm. ≈ Arrive in Florence, Italy at 12:10pm on Saturday May 9th via the Florence Vespucci Airport • Leave Florence, Italy on Saturday May 16th at 7:20am ≈Arrive back home at 3:15pm the same day, Saturday May 16th

Itinerary: Day 1 Saturday May 9th 1:00pm – Hotel car picks me up from airport 1:20pm – Arrive at Bernini Palace Hotel, check in and get settled. 4:00pm – Enjoy an early dinner at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant 5:30pm – Walk across the street to explore the Badia Church and the Palazzo Gondi - where da Vinci created the Mona Lisa 6:30pm – Enjoy a walk along the Arno River and the Boboli Garden 8:00pm – Return to hotel room, get in hot tub, then go to bed. dfg

Itinerary: Day 2 8:00am – Breakfast at the hotel 9:00am – Arrive via rental bike at the Palazzo del Bargello – “Palace of People” 11:00am – Arrive via bike at the PalazzoVecchio – “Old Palace” - Enjoy Gothic architecture, visit the gallery of statues, Piazza della Signoria and Michelangelo’s “David” 1:00pm – Eat at the “Bonca Toscana” 2:30pm – Arrive at the Grotta Giusti Natural Spa Resort and spend the next 4 hours relaxing in heaven 7:00pm – Arrive at hotel via TAXI, eat a late dinner – room service- and go to bed!

Itinerary: Day 3 8:00am – Breakfast at hotel 9:00am – Arrive via taxi at the Uffizi Gallery - visit many of the 48 rooms within the Uffizi Museum of Art - visit the Collection of Prints and Drawings in the Uffizi Palace 1:00pm – Stop for lunch within the Uffizi Palace 2:00pm – Collection of Prints and Drawings 3:00pm – The Vasari Corridor – famous collection of artists’ self portraits - Pitti Palace - Costume Gallery - Museum of Modern Art - Boboli Gardens walk-through 6:30pm – Take taxi to city centre – Piazza della Republica - Enjoy dinner and nightlife at “Universale” 10:00pm – Return back at hotel for a shower and sleep

Itinerary: Day 4 8:00am – Breakfast at hotel 9:oo0am – Arrive at Mercado della Cascine – huge market place in Tuscany - Grab lunch while I’m there 12:30pm – Arrive in Pisa, Italy - Visit the : Leaning Tower of Pisa – Sante Maria Fiore or the Duomo - Bascilla di San Lorenzo – Palace of Michelangelo - Will get chance to walk around and sightsee many palaces, churches, galleries, museums, castles, courtyards and a lot of beautiful architecture and scenery as well as hundreds of local shops 5:30pm – Stop for dinner at “Restaurante Del Pisa” 6:30pm – continue sight-seeing southward towards the Arno River - Take a gondola ride down the Arno river eastward towards my hotel, passing under the Uffizi Corridor and the PonteVecchio - bridge famous for its amazing Gothic architecture 9:00pm – Return to the hotel, take shower and go to bed

Itinerary: Day 5 9:00am – Breakfast at a local café 10:00am – Arrive at Florence’s shopping district - Via Tornabuoni, Piazza Strozzi, and Santa Maria Novella - Armani, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, Bologna, Marco Candido 1:30 pm –Walk to the Fregene Beach and spend afternoon on the beach in the sun 5:00pm - Arrive back at the hotel and have dinner before checking out 6:45pm – Get on a train to Rome, Italy! 10:00pm – Hotel car picks me up from train station and brings me to the Bernini Palace Rome

Itinerary: Day 6 8:00am – Breakfast at hotel 9:15am – Begin my tour of Rome’s historic center - Coliseum - Amphitheatre - a masterpiece of Roman architecture. - Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Baths of Caracalla, Trajan's Market and the Catacombs of Rome. - St. Peter's Church, The Sistine Chapel, Santa Maria Maggiore church, The Vatican City and all its museums, The Capitoline Museum, Galleria Borghese and the Spanish Steps 4:15pm – Have dinner right outside Vatican City 6:00pm – Catch the bus to the Porta Partese flea market 9:30pm – Return to hotel via taxi and go to bed.

Itinerary: Day 7 5:30am – Rise and shine! Got to check out and be at the airport by 6:30am! 7:20am – My plane leaves Italy and is headed for home 3:15pm – I finally arrive back home to the United States and then begin my 90 minute drive home. I officially really, really miss Italy. I want to go back.

Dream Vacation Spreadsheet

Credits Pictures: Websites Used: www.expedia.com www.baglionihotels.com www.google.com www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/ www.uffizi.com www.infoplease.com/atlas/latitude-longitude.html Pictures: www.upload.wikimedia.org www.freefoto.com www.about.com www.picturesofplaces.com www.media-2.web.britannica.com www.greathotelsitaly.com www.romeitalytours.com