VENICE AND CORTINA

1st day

Arrival in Venice and hotel accommodation. Free afternoon to spend in the city center for a walk among the many shops of the city. Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

2nd day

Departure from the hotel by private boat to the island of Murano. While navigating the wonders of the lagoon, the guide on board will explain the program of the day.

Arrival Murano, the island of glass.

There will be a visit to a furnace and demonstration of the creation of a glass object according to the techniques used for over eight centuries.

Departure for Torcello, the oldest island in the Venice Lagoon.

In this oasis of peace you can breathe a pleasant and authentic atmosphere. Torcello, in its heyday, was even more populated than Venice. A visit to the Throne of Attila and the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta and its Byzantine mosaics among the best known and appreciated in Veneto.Lunch in a restaurant.

The menu includes the best dishes of local gastronomy.

Departure for Burano, one of the most fascinating places in the lagoon, famous for its lace and its colourful houses. According to legend, it was the fishermen of the island who painted the facades of their houses with bright colors, to be able to recognize them on days of dense fog.

In the lace shops it is possible to see their manufacture up close. Return to the hotel along the San Francesco del deserto island, known for the convent of the Franciscan Friars, and the island of San Erasmo, "the vegetable garden of Venice".

3rd day

Departure from the hotel to visit the city starting from Piazza San Marco, the Doge's Palace and the Golden Basilica.

Walk through the Castello district, all the elegance of Venice in the "calli" and "campielli".

"Le Mercerie," the famous shopping street, leads to the Orseolo Basin, a resting place for gondolas and gondoliers.

Departure, by gondola, for the excursion along the minor canals of Venice: the Rio dei Barcaroli, where Mozart's house is located and the Rio dell 'Ovo.

Onto the Grand Canal, the Rialto Bridge and, on the left, important buildings such as Ca 'Farsetti, site of the town hall and Palazzo Grimani, the largest building overlooking the Grand Canal, current site of the Court of Appeal.

Along Rio San Luca, Palazzo Manin, residence of the last doge of Venice Ludovico Manin, now site of the Bank of Italy.

In a gondola you can savor the true atmosphere of Venice: the sound of the oars in the water, the passage under the bridges and the voices of the Venetians.

It is possible, after dinner, to take a tour of the Grand Canal aboard a private taxi. 3800 meters of enchantment on the water.

The main waterway that divides Venice in half by drawing an inverted S. The sunset colours the buildings overlooking the canal.

The guide on board describes its style, era and history, individually.

4th day

Departure, by private transport, from Piazzale Roma to Cortina d'Ampezzo, site of the next Winter Olympics.

With its mountains protected by UNESCO and the Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites, Cortina is the ideal place to discover a unique world made of vertical walls, spiers and pinnacles, green valleys, high altitude pastures, woods, streams, lakes, canyons and waterfalls.

A visit to the Misurina lake (1756mt) and to the three peaks of Lavaredo (2360mt). In the afternoon walk in the center of Cortina among the numerous shops. Accommodation and dinner at the hotel.

5th day

A local guide accompanies the group to discover the unforgettable landscapes of the Dolomites. Lunch in a mountain hut and return to the hotel in the late afternoon.

6 day

Breakfast at the hotel and transfer at the request of customers.