Nine days in Rome and Florence. Accompanied by expert local guides throughout the tour––you will also enjoy briefings and slide presentations by Mary Ann Sures and the company of Gary Hull, Robert Mayhew, David Harriman, and Objectivists from around the world.

Explore Ancient Rome, visit the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, savor the view the form Palatine Hill, visit the Circus Maximus, the Baths of Caracalla, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon. Experience the excitement, the history that is Rome.

Discover the treasures in the Vatican, and best of all enjoy a rare private visit to the Sistine Chapel. Millions of people visit the chapel, crowding in to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in groups of 250 or more, not allowed to speak while in the chapel. You won't have to fight the crowd. We have arranged for our group to have an hour alone in the Sistine Chapel, after the Vatican Museum has closed. Michelangelo's ceiling for you to view, study, and discuss. The Last Judgment, the frescoes on the side walls...immerse yourself in the glorious art of the Renaissance.

The Borghese Gallery, home to the Bernini sculptures: Apollo and Daphne, David, Pluto and Persephone, and Canova's Pauline Borghese. Again we have arranged for a private tour through the gallery, another rare treat.

Piazza San Pietro, or St. Peter's Square, partially enclosed with a majestic colonnade designed by Bernini, and the enormous St. Peter's Basilica, housing some of the world's most treasured art is just steps away from the Hotel Columbus where the majority of our group will be staying while in Rome.

On to Florence, home to Michelangelo's David housed in the Galeria dell'Accademia, with his St. Matthew and Slaves. We will visit the Bargello with Michelangelo's Bacchus and Donatello's St. George and bronze David among other great works. And, of course––the Uffizi––Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus; and works by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, Giotto, and Leonardo. The Museo dell'opera del Duomo which houses items removed for protection from the exteriors of the Duomo, Campaniele and Baptistry, notably the Ghiberti panels from the Baptistry doors. We will visit the Church of San Lorenzo and the Medici mausoleum and the Laurentian Library with architecture based on Michelangelo's designs. 

Gourmet dining in fine restaurants, cocktails on a rooftop terrace as the stars come out, a candlelight Medicean dining experience with a menu created just for us––these are just some of the experiences awaiting you. The sights, the tastes, the art––a truly unforgettable journey!