Take a bicycle tour of the city of Florence through Tuscany by Vespa, where you'll ride well-maintained vintage bikes. Guides will take you on a two-hour tour of the city to many of the historic sites such as the Palazzo Pitti, the Ponte Vecchio and the artisan district. Your guide will give you historical information about each stop as well as interesting trivia, such as how Florence came to be famous as the cradle of the Renaissance.
When your bicycle tour is complete, participate in a Florence wine and cheese tasting in a local wine bar. While there, you'll taste four different varieties of wine, such as Tiezzi Brunello di Montalcino or the Vernaccia di San Gimignano, paired with cheeses, such as Pecorino and Brie, fruits, such as figs, and Acacia honey.
Take a day in Florence to visit the most famous sites. A day trip might include visits to the city's ancient cathedrals: the Duomo, Orsanmichele and Badia Fiorentina. All of these cathedrals are several centuries old, and the Badia Fiorentina dates back to A.D. 978.
Visit the Bargello, which houses one of the largest collections of Renaissance sculptures in Italy. Not far from here is the Piazza della Signoria, the civic center of Florence. In the Piazza, you can see the Loggia dei Lanzi, a semi-open-air building with arches, which stands next to the Uffizi Gallery. If you choose to visit the Uffizi, it can take a full day to see everything.
Take a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour of Italy's most famous city. Purchase a 24-hour ticket and hop on the bus at intervals throughout the day to visit sites on your own time. Hop off near the Colosseum, and when you're done, keep going up to Palatine Hill and beyond, ending at the Forum. Later, throw coins in the Trevi Fountain while making a wish, and then view the statue of the Emperor Augustus Caesar. Don't forget to see the Chiesa Nuova, one of Rome's most ancient churches.
Do as the Romans do and have coffee at the Caffe San'Eustachio in the Piazza. Afterward, visit the nearby Pantheon and then Piazza Navona. When you're done, get in a little shopping at the Piazza di Spagna. After working up your appetite, visit the Trastevere neighborhood, where you can find traditional Roman eateries such as the Ristorante Sabatini. The establishment prepares its food in an open kitchen in full view of its customers.
The Sistine Chapel, housed in the Vatican Museums, is so popular, according to British tourism expert Frank Barrett, that you must arrive by 7:00 in the morning to see it; otherwise, you will spend hours in line for admission. Both the Vatican and Sistine Chapel were built over the course of 600 years, with over 7-1/2 miles of hallways filled with artwork. Your visit to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel ends at St. Peter's Cathedral. It is the largest Catholic church in the world, where the Pope holds mass.
