DAY 01 ISTANBUL – VENICE: ENTERING LA SERENISSIMA BY SEA – ST. MARK’S – RIALTO
Meeting at Istanbul Airport International Departures Terminal at the time specified by our tour leader. Following baggage drop, passport control, and check-in procedures, departure for Venice on Turkish Airlines flight TK1867 at 06:50. Arrival at Venice Marco Polo Airport at 08:20 local time. We transfer by private coach to Tronchetto, and from here, we enter Venice from the sea via our private boat, just as Grand Tour travelers once did. As we cruise along the Giudecca Canal, the lagoon itself reveals why the city did not require defensive walls for centuries. Upon reaching St. Mark’s Square, we visit the interior of St. Mark’s Basilica (entrance ticket included in the package). Built to house the relics of Saint Mark brought from Alexandria in 828, this Byzantine-cross edifice allows us to interpret the Republic's faith, diplomacy, and trade network under one roof, with over 8,000 m² of gold-ground mosaics and the story of the bronze horses brought from Constantinople in 1204 (the ones on the facade are replicas). In front of the Doge’s Palace facade and the Bridge of Sighs, we discuss the 19th-century romantic Venice imagery inspired by Lord Byron’s verses. Following the historical Mercerie axis connecting the political hub of San Marco to the commercial heart of Rialto, we arrive at the stone Rialto Bridge, completed in 1591. Around Rialto, the key to understanding Venice sometimes lies not in palaces, but across a bacaro counter; chatting on our feet like Venetians, we savor a tasting of an ombra alongside two cicchetti, enjoying a Spritz or another refreshing sip for those preferring non-alcoholic options. Being here, we fully honor this delightful tradition. Following free time for lunch and personal exploration, we gather and transfer to our hotel. Overnight in the Venice / Mestre / Treviso area.
DAY 02 DOLOMITES: THE VALLEY OF TITIAN OR THE PEAKS OF TRE CIME
April • May • October — Cultural Route
Following breakfast, we follow the Piave Valley and head towards the Cadore region. Our first stop is Pieve di Cadore, where Tiziano Vecellio (Titian), the greatest master of Venetian Renaissance painting, was born around 1490. We visit the Casa Natale di Tiziano, the painter's birthplace. We continue through the Church of Santa Maria Nascente, which houses a Madonna painting attributed to Titian, the square graced by the master's statue, and the historic town route. Art historians still seek the silhouette of Cadore today in the blue mountain backdrops of Titian’s paintings; witnessing this on site is the true privilege of this stop. Afterwards, we enjoy our typical lunch showcasing Cadore cuisine. In the afternoon, we proceed to Cortina d’Ampezzo. While walking along Corso Italia in this town that hosted the 1956 and 2026 Winter Olympic Games, we explore the Ladin culture, the Habsburg rule that lasted until 1918, and the legacy of British alpinists and travelers who introduced the Dolomites to Europe in the 19th century. Following a local strudel and coffee tasting, we allow brief free time at Lake Misurina, situated at an altitude of 1,754 meters, and return to our hotel at the end of the tour. Overnight in the Venice / Mestre / Treviso area.
Casa Natale di Tiziano is not open at all times. Visits are conducted on dates when it is open.
DAY 03 FROM GARDA TO VERONA: FROM CATULLUS TO SHAKESPEARE – SIRMIONE – VERONA
Following breakfast, we depart for Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. Our first stop is Sirmione, set on a narrow peninsula extending into the water from the southern shore of the lake. We enter the town across the bridge of Rocca Scaligera, built in the 13th century by the Della Scala (Scaliger) family and considered one of Europe's best-preserved lakeside fortresses with its own fortified dock. Addressed by the Roman poet Catullus as “the jewel of peninsulas and islands,” Sirmione houses the ruins of the largest Roman villa in Northern Italy at the tip of the peninsula. Victorian poet Alfred Tennyson also visited here in 1880 following in Catullus’s footsteps and dedicated a poem to Sirmione. After our guided walking tour and free time for lunch by the lake, we depart for Verona. Starting from Piazza Bra and the Arena dating from the 1st century AD, our walk passes through Porta Borsari, one of the gates of the Roman city, and reaches Piazza delle Erbe, founded on the site of the ancient forum. In Piazza dei Signori, we observe the era of Cangrande della Scala, who hosted the exiled Dante, and the Arche Scaligere, the Gothic funerary monuments of the Scaliger dynasty, tracing the political history leading up to the city's transition to Venetian rule in 1405. Juliet’s House serves as a brief reference to how fiction became a place of collective memory in a city Shakespeare is believed never to have visited; the famous balcony was added in the 20th century. We conclude our walk with an aperitivo experience, the late afternoon ritual of the Veneto, for guests who wish to participate. Return to our hotel at the end of the tour. Overnight in the Venice / Mestre / Treviso area.
DAY 04 TREVISO: THE EVERYDAY ELEGANCE OF VENETO – NOVENTA OUTLET – ISTANBUL
Following breakfast, we complete our hotel check-out procedures and depart for Treviso. Woven with branches of the Sile River and canals, this city represents the understated, everyday elegance of the Veneto in contrast to the grandeur of Venice. Incorporated into the mainland territories of the Republic of Venice starting in 1339, Treviso also showcases the Republic's defensive architecture with city walls restored at the beginning of the 16th century. Beginning our walk at Piazza dei Signori, where the medieval municipal palace Palazzo dei Trecento rises, we stroll along the Buranelli canal, named after merchants from Burano, and arrive at Pescheria, the historic fish market established on an islet in the middle of the Cagnan canal. We discover tiramisu, celebrated as Treviso’s gift to world gastronomy, right in the city where it was born, with our exclusive included tasting. We then depart for Noventa di Piave Designer Outlet and provide approximately 3 hours of free shopping time. Transfer to Venice Marco Polo Airport at the designated time. Following baggage drop and passport control, departure for Istanbul on Turkish Airlines flight TK1870 at 20:00. Arrival in Istanbul at 23:35 local time and the conclusion of our tour.
