Italy from North to South by train

DAY 1: MILAN

Flight or train to Milan on request.

Free arrival in Milan. Meet your driver at the train station or airport for transfer to your downtown hotel.

Afternoon free for personal discovery of Lombardy's capital. Start with Piazza Duomo and the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and admire the neo-classical style of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

End your first Italian day in the Navigli district, along the canals designed in part by Leonardo da Vinci, and enjoy an aperitivo in one of the many restaurants in the area.

Optional: opera evening at La Scala in Milan (on request)

Overnight at hotel in Milan

DAY 2: MILAN - BOLOGNA

Free morning in Milan. Visit the Pinacoteca di Brera to admire works by great artists, including Tintoretto's “Discovery of the Body of Saint Mark” and Raphael's “The Marriage of the Virgin”. Visit the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, one of the largest and most important technical-scientific museums in the world, named after the famous Italian scientific genius of the XV? century.

Fancy a change from historical to modern ambience? Take a trip to Piazza Gae Aulenti, one of Europe's most futuristic architectural ensembles, near Milan's main railway station.

In the afternoon, your Italian train journey begins: you board the Milan-Bologna train.

Check-in at the hotel and the afternoon is free for a stroll through the historic center: the Piazza Maggiore, the Alma Mater Studiorum building, Europe's oldest university, the Asinelli Tower. Find the hidden treasure: the site known as “Little Venice” (Piccola Venezia), the famous window overlooking the Moline Canal!

Taste spaghetti bolognese prepared to the authentic recipe in one of the town's restaurants.

Overnight at hotel in Bologna (B)

DAY 3: BOLOGNA - PARMA - BOLOGNA

Day dedicated to visiting Parma. Less than an hour by train takes you to the city renowned worldwide for its gourmet products, including Culatello di Zibello ham and the king of cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano.

Admire the wealth of religious buildings, some of which date back to the 12th and 13th centuries, such as the Baptistery, the Cathedral and the Episcopal Palace. Visit the Palatine Library and the National Gallery, part of the Palazzo della Pilotta architectural complex. Discover the majestic setting of the Teatro Regio.

Enjoy a coffee in one of the city's bars or sample local specialties in a restaurant on Piazza Garibaldi. Return to Bologna in the afternoon (various times possible).

Overnight at hotel in Bologna (B)

DAY 4: BOLOGNA - FLORENCE

After breakfast, walk to the station for your departure to Florence by day train.
Arrival in Florence. Free transfer to hotel (approx. 5-minute walk).

Free time to explore the capital of Tuscany, the Renaissance city of Florence. Cross one of the oldest bridges, Ponte Vecchio, which spans the River Arno. A magnificent vantage point from which to admire both sides of the city. The path takes you to Piazzale Michelangelo, on top of the hill of the same name, offering a splendid view of Florence.

Overnight at hotel in Florence (B)

DAY 5: FLORENCE

Day at leisure to continue discovering the cradle of the Renaissance and the ancient capital of Italy.

Sightseeing ideas:

• Contemplate the Hall of the Five Hundred, one of Italy's most precious, at Palazzo Veccio, Florence's city hall. Climb to the top of the palace tower for a panoramic view of Florence.
• Admire Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Springtime at the Uffizi Palace.
• Visit the Galleria dell'Accademia, home to the largest number of Michelangelo sculptures in the world.
• Discover the Palazzo Pitti, designed by the famous architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and its famous Palatine Gallery, with works by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Correggio and other European artists.
• After your visit, relax in the Boboli Garden, part of the Palazzo's grounds.

Overnight at hotel in Florence (B)

DAY 6: FLORENCE - PISA

Morning departure by regional train to discover Pisa, famous for its emblematic leaning tower.

Visit the must-see sights: the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Piazza dei Miracoli, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, a typical example of Pisan architecture, or the Baptistery of St. John, whose unique shape creates extraordinary acoustics.

Visit one of Pisa's best-known and smallest churches, the Santa Maria della Spina. Admire the facade of the impressive Palazzo dei Ancienti in Piazza dei Cavalieri. If you still have time, enjoy a visit to the Palazzo Bleue, home to numerous Pisan works of art dating from the 14th to the 20th centuries.

Return to Florence in the late afternoon.

Overnight at hotel in Florence (B)

DAY 7: FLORENCE - ROME

Free transfer on foot to the station. Departure for Rome on the Frecciarossa train (approx. 1h30). Arrive in Rome and walk to your hotel.

Descend the Trinità dei Monti staircase and wind your way through the cobbled streets of the historic center of the city of seven hills. Discover the architectural treasures: the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Capitol, the Roman Forum...

Overnight at hotel in Rome (B)

DAY 8: ROME

Free day in Rome, which you can devote to visiting the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, the Vatican.
Start your tour at the magnificent St. Peter's Basilica, then continue on to the Vatican Museums, a complex of 12 museums with five galleries and 1,400 rooms, including the famous Sistine Chapel.

Weather permitting, return to central Rome on foot through the colorful Trastevere district, with its typical Italian trattorias, craft stores and medieval buildings.

Overnight at hotel in Rome (B)

DAY 9: ROME - NAPLES

Early departure for Naples. The journey takes just 2.5 hours and you'll find yourself in the atmosphere of the South.

Drop off your luggage at the hotel reception and set off to discover this city steeped in history.
Each district is brimming with impressive monuments such as the Chateau Neuf, the S. Charles Theater, Piazza del Plebiscito, Palazzo Reale, Castello dell'Ovo and the Posillipo belvedere.

Stroll through the lively districts of the historic center, including Spaccanapoli, the city's main thoroughfare. Brimming with life, its narrow, straight streets are the lively center of the Parthenopean city. Along the way, you'll discover Baroque buildings such as the Church of Gesù Nuovo, as well as remarkable Gothic edifices like the Basilica of Santa Clara.

Overnight at hotel in Naples (B)

DAY 10: POMPEI (OVERNIGHT TRAIN NAPLES - PALERMO)

After breakfast, check out and leave your luggage at the hotel reception desk.

Free day to visit the Pompei excavations.

In the morning you'll set off for Pompeii (train tickets can be purchased at Naples station), a vast archaeological site once buried in ash by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius.

The journey takes just 30 minutes, and here you are, strolling through the Archaeological Park and discovering the history of the greatest testimony to Roman antiquity. You can also visit the Forum, the Amphitheatre, the Villa of the Mysteries, or the House of the Faun, one of the most luxurious aristocratic houses in the Roman Republic.

Return to Naples in the afternoon. Free time before your next train.
Make yourself comfortable in your 4 berth compartment for an overnight journey.
Once in Villa San Giovanni, the train boards the ferry for a short crossing to the island of Sicily.

Overnight on board the train (B)

DAY 11: PALERMO

Breakfast on board the train before arriving in Palermo.free day to explore the city: Piazza Indipendenta, the Palazzo dei Normanni which today houses the Sicilian Parliament, the Palatine Chapel, the Church of St. John the Hermit, Piazza Pretoria with one of Sicily's most beautiful fountains, the façades of the buildings in Piazza dei Quattro Canti, or Piazza Bellini with its old churches adorned with palm trees.

Lunch idea: the Mercato del Capo market, where you can sample local specialities including the famous Palermo panelle (chickpea pancakes).

Overnight at hotel in Palermo (B)

DAY 12: PALERMO-RETURN TO FRANCE

Your driver picks you up from your hotel.
Transfer to Palermo airport. (B)

Additional night, return flight or train from Palermo on request.

(By plane: Palermo > Paris = 2h40)

TRAINS - ITALY BY TRAIN

This tour takes you on several types of Italian train, in particular the Milan-Palermo night train (see our selection of unusual trains in Europe).

• Italian regular train
  Milan > Bologna (1h06)
  Bologna > Parma (49min)
  Parma > Bologna (48min)

• Frecciarossa train
  Bologna > Florence (37min)

• Regular Italian train 
  Florence > Pisa (1h11)
  Pisa > Florence (1h03)

• Frecciarossa train
  Florence > Rome (1h35)
  Rome > Naples (1h08)

• Italian scheduled train 
  Naples > Pompei (37min)
  Pompei > Naples (41min)

• Intercity notte night train
  Naples > Palermo (10h18)

PRICE INCLUDES

• Train tickets according to program:
  - 2nd class on regular train for day trains;
  - 4-bed compartment (cuccetta comfort quadruple) for the night train Rome - Palermo.

• Accommodation in 3* hotels according to program (breakfast included).
• Assistance from Discovery Trains teams at all times during the trip
• Hotel-airport transfer in Palermo
• Electronic version of travel guide

PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

• International transfers (on request)
• Tours with English-speaking guide
• 1st class train supplement (for possible sections)
• Naples-Pompei-Naples train tickets (can only be purchased on site)
• Tourist tax in hotels
• Meals and drinks not mentioned
• Personal expenses
• Insurance
• Printed travel guide sent by post (+ €12)