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Now Journey essential journey

Italy's Great Cities

Everything that makes Italy unforgettable — thoughtfully distilled into ten remarkable days.

  • 8 to 12 guests
  • Max 16
  • Tour Captain hosted
  • Boutique hotels
  • 50+ five-star reviews
Start Planning My Journey View Dates & Prices

Choose your Journey

Three editions. One design philosophy.

Italy's Great Cities is offered in three thoughtfully crafted editions. Each follows the same Now Journey philosophy—small groups, elegant pacing, and thoughtful care from beginning to end. Simply choose the Journey that best fits your time and travel style.

Heart of Italy

Essential Journey

10 Days

Venice → Rome

Ideal for travelers with less time.

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Most Popular

Signature Journey

12 Days

Venice → Amalfi Coast

Our flagship and most popular Journey.
complete north to south

Grand Journey

14 Days

Lake Como → Amalfi Coast

Our most immersive Italian experience.
10 DaysFocused pace
Venice to RomeCultural route
8-12 GuestsMax 16
4-5 Star HotelsDeluxe collection
Tour CaptainHosted throughout
From $7,379Per person

Italy was never meant to be rushed

The Italy tour people hope exists.

The Essential Journey was created for travelers who want Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome in one beautifully focused cultural arc - not hurried, not overfilled, and never made to feel like a compromise.

This is the essential Now Journey Italy experience: hosted with care, shaped around landmark cities and meaningful pauses, and designed so ten days feel complete rather than crowded.

"Every day, every place, every meal, every experience was amazing." Edward K., Now Journey guest

Why travelers choose Now Journey

Hosted, not herded.

A smaller group changes the entire texture of Italy: easier movement, better meals, better hotels, more personal attention, and far fewer moments spent waiting for a crowd.

Compare Mainstream bus tours...

  • • 24 to 50 guests moving as one large group
  • • Fixed touristic and hotel restaurant rotations and rushed meals
  • • Generic hotels or edge-of-city locations
  • • Large coach buses and slower logistics
  • • More optional add-ons and upsell moments

With us: Now Journey True Small Group Tours

  • • 8 to 12 guests, with a maximum of 16
  • • Dedicated Tour Captain hosted throughout
  • • Boutique, heart-of-the-city hotel collections
  • • More included experiences, premiuum beverages and local dining
  • • Thoughtful pacing, fewer hassles, no big buses, no upselling

The journey by chapters

Four Italian Chapters. One focused Story.

Instead of a day-by-day wall of logistics, think of this Journey as a sequence of beautifully paced Chapters — each with its own rhythm, mood, and sense of place. And when you’re ready for the complete day-by-day details, simply open the Journey Guide & Itinerary.

Venice canal

Chapter 1

Venice

Begin on San Marco Island with a private water-taxi arrival, an opening walk with your Tour Captain, hidden corners, glittering mosaics, Doge's Palace, and a gondola experience before sunset.

Days 1-22 nightsSan Marco
  • Private water taxi arrival
  • Discovery Walk through Venice
  • St. Mark's Basilica and Doge's Palace
  • Included gondola experience
  • Hotel Saturnia, Monaco & Grand Canal, Hotel do Pozzi or similar
See day-by-day details

Day 1 welcomes you to Venice with arrival support, your hotel on or near San Marco, and a warm opening evening. Day 2 explores the secrets and treasures of Venice with a local guide, followed by time to enjoy the city at your own pace.

See the complete chapter
Florence travelers

Chapter 2

Florence

Venice fades into the Renaissance as you arrive in Florence by high-speed train, walk into the heart of the city, and settle into evenings of Tuscan flavor and architectural drama.

Days 3-42 nightsRenaissance city
  • High-speed rail to Florence
  • Duomo, Baptistery, Ponte Vecchio and historic center
  • Florence Secrets & Treasures guided walk
  • Warm Tuscan welcome dinner
  • Grand Hotel Cavour, Bernini Palace, Hotel Renaissance or similar
See day-by-day details

Day 3 brings the transition to Florence and an introductory Discovery Walk. Day 4 goes deeper into the historic center with time afterward to wander, linger, shop, or simply savor the city.

See the complete chapter
Cortona in Tuscany

Chapter 3

Tuscany

The pace softens in Tuscany: San Gimignano, vineyard roads, a family-run estate, wine tasting, a farm-to-table lunch, and two nights in Cortona.

Days 5-62 nightsCortona
  • San Gimignano and Vernaccia wine country
  • Curated wine tasting and Tuscan lunch
  • Cortona Discovery Walk
  • Apericena in Cortona
  • Villa Marsili, Hotel San Michele, Monastero di Cortona, Hotel San Luca or similar
See day-by-day details

Day 5 moves through Tuscany's hill towns and wine country before arriving in Cortona. Day 6 is a slower Tuscan day with room for wandering, cooking, wine, countryside views, or simply doing less.

See the complete chapter
Pantheon in Rome

Chapter 4

Rome

Rome becomes the finale: the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori, Vatican City, Imperial Rome, and a farewell evening that lets the whole Journey settle in.

Days 7-103 nightsGrand finale
  • Discovery Walk through the heart of Rome
  • Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's
  • Roman Forum and Imperial Rome
  • Farewell to Rome dinner
  • Palazzo Navona, Pantheon Iconic, L'Orologio, Hotel Navona or similar
See day-by-day details

Day 7 enters Rome with a walk through the historic center. Day 8 explores Vatican City with privileged access. Day 9 reveals Imperial Rome and closes with a special farewell evening. Day 10 is departure day from Rome.

See the complete chapter
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Explore at your pace

Want to See Every Detail?

You've just experienced the story of this Journey. Now choose how you'd like to explore the details — from continuing through the highlights on this page to opening the complete Journey Guide & Itinerary or downloading a printable PDF to review at your own pace.

01

Continue Exploring

Stay on this page for the hotels, experiences, dates, pricing, and planning details.

Keep Reading
02

Complete Journey Guide & Itinerary

Open the full interactive guide with day-by-day details, included experiences, dining, practical notes, and how the Journey unfolds.

Open Journey Guide & Itinerary
03

Printable PDF

Download a beautifully formatted guide to read offline, print, or share with your travel companion.

Download PDF

What's included

The details are handled. The discoveries still feel yours.

Boutique hotels, expert guides, Tour Captain hosting, breakfasts, select dining, skip-the-line sightseeing, memorable experiences, and thoughtful transitions are woven into the journey.

Tour Captain hosting

A warm, capable presence throughout the journey.

Local experts

Guides who bring Venice, Florence and Rome to life.

Curated dining

Select dinners and food moments that feel genuinely Italian.

Seamless movement

Thoughtful transfers, rail, vans, water taxis and logistics.

Now Journey Hotels Collections

Stay Where the Journey Lives

At Now Journey, we believe where you stay should be every bit as memorable as where you go. Our Hotels Collections are curated for location, atmosphere, service and the authentic sense of place each property brings to the Journey.

Deluxe Hotels Collection

Carefully selected 4- and 5-Star hotels, with entry-level room categories at 5-Star properties and one category above entry-level at 4-Star properties whenever available. Upgraded room categories may be available upon request.

Classic Hotels Collection

Quality 3-Star+ properties with private bathrooms, air conditioning and continental breakfast, also selected for excellent locations in the hearts of the destinations we visit. Amenities are simpler than our Deluxe Collection, but the experience remains unmistakably Now Journey.

Curated for character. Chosen for location. Selected for comfort.

Explore Our Hotel Collections in the Journey Guide & Itinerary
Hotel Saturnia Venice

Venice

Historic palace-style stays near San Marco, including our Deluxe Saturnia & International, Monaco & Grand Canal, or our Classic Hotel do Pozzi or similar.

Florence hotel

Florence

Elegant city hotels such as our Deluxe Grand Hotel Cavour, Bernini Palace, L'Orologio, or our Classic Hotel Renaissance or similar.

Hotel San Michele Tuscany

Cortona

Rustic Tuscan manor houses, villas and hill-town properties including our Deluxe Villa Marsili, or our Classic Hotel San Luca or similar.

Rome hotel

Rome

Perfectly placed hotels near the Pantheon, including our Deluxe Palazzo Navona, Pantheon Iconic, La Minerva, or our Classic Hotel Navona or similar.

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Dates & prices

Choose your season.

Prices are per person based on double occupancy. The Essential Journey is the focused Venice-to-Rome edition of Italy's Great Cities, with current pricing from $7,379 per person. Solo supplement: $2,990.

Best dates to consider first

If you are comparing options, start here. These departures reflect the current Essential Journey pricing from the live 10-day page, including selected promotional departures when available.

All 2026 departures 10-day Venice to Rome

July & August

Warm days, lively piazzas and long Italian evenings.

Harvest Season

September brings Tuscany's harvest mood, softer light and high-season demand.

October

Autumn atmosphere, softer crowds and warm days that often linger.

All 2027 departures 10-day Venice to Rome

Spring

One of the best times to be in Italy: moderate temperatures, fewer crowds and spring atmosphere.

May

Near-perfect weather, flowers, sunshine and la dolce vita.

June

A classic Italy window with warm days and high-demand departures.

July & August

Fresh, hot Italian summer days and long golden evenings.

Harvest Season

September brings Tuscany's harvest, late-summer warmth and some of the year's most requested weeks.

October

Autumn atmosphere, softer crowds and warm days that often linger into the month.

Not sure which departure is best?

Tell us your preferred season, travel style and hotel collection. We will help you compare Essential Journey dates without pressure.

Ask for guidanceCompare live 10-day page
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Guest reviews

The proof is in the way guests talk about it.

Now Journey guests consistently mention the same things: thoughtful planning, seamless logistics, special surprises, beautiful hotels, and the feeling of being genuinely cared for.

"I can't say enough about our recent trip to Italy. It was perfection from beginning to end."
Tammy A., Now Journey guest

"We all were made to feel special, almost like royalty, with skip-the-line access, personal service by fabulous chefs, and seamless check-ins at our gorgeous hotels."

Now Journey guest

"Every day, every place, every meal, every experience was amazing."

Edward K.

"Our hotel accommodations were all perfect. Now Journey did an exceptional job planning and we even got surprises along the way."

Tammy A.
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Frequently asked questions

A few things travelers ask first.

The essence of the Essential Journey: premium small-group travel through Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome, with personal support, carefully chosen hotels, and the freedom to feel each destination rather than chase every possible stop.

How many people are on the tour?

Small groups typically range from 8 to 12 guests, with a maximum of 16. It's large enough to enjoy the camaraderie of shared travel, yet small enough to remain personal, flexible, and remarkably effortless.

Is the tour fast-paced?

No. Thoughtful pacing is one of the hallmarks of a Now Journey. We leave room to linger, discover, and enjoy each destination without feeling hurried.

Are meals included?

Enjoy daily hot breakfasts and select dinners with unlimited premium beverages. Tour Captain invites you on optional dinner nights as well.

Is this a bus tour?

No. Groups typically travel in premium vans or luxury micro-coaches depending on group size, and we utilize the Italian Trains on some segments.

Is this good for first-time Italy travelers?

Yes. It is especially strong for first-time visitors who want Italy's essential cultural arc with polish, warmth and ease.

How much walking is typical?

Expect moderate walking in historic centers with cobblestones and stairs. Guests should be comfortable walking at a relaxed pace.

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Begin your Italian story

Ready to Begin Your Journey?

You've now seen the hotels, the experiences, the pacing, and exactly how the Journey unfolds.

If this feels like the kind of Italy you've been hoping to experience, we'd love to help you decide if it's the right fit.

Request Your Personalized Journey Proposal Chat: Ask Us Anything

No obligation. No pressure. Just a thoughtful conversation about your Italy.