Simply the Best
A
Journey Through Italy
10 Day Tour
Experience
Italy like never before with this comprehensive itinerary. Discover the
local markets in Rome and Venice; dine in a private Roman palazzo;
exclusively visit Palazzo Corsini in Florence; attend a specialty wine,
olive oil and cheese tasting at a Florentine enoteca (wine
shop); learn to make tortellini in Bologna; and sample a glass of wine
and traditional snacks at a Venetian bacari (wine bar).
The
A&K
Advantage
Design
Your DaySM
with a selection of activities and sightseeing options available in
designated
cities
Accommodations
at the most prestigious hotels in each area visited
First-class
travel
on the fast Eurostar train from Bologna to Milan, the most comfortable
way to travel between the two cities
Freedom
of choice
to dine at one of A&K’s recommended restaurants in select cities
Personal
headphones
provided to ensure perfect communication with your guide in crowded
areas
A&K’s
Travelling
Bell Boy® service, so you never have to have your bags out early or
wait for your luggage to be delivered to your room
Not
included:
travel insurance; any airfares; airport departure taxes; excess baggage
fees; cost of obtaining passports or visas; gratuities to your guide;
personal
expenses such as meals, beverages or sightseeing not included in the
itinerary;
communication charges; laundry.
(B)
Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner
ITINERARY
DAYS
1-2: USA
or Canada/Rome, Italy Board an overnight
flight to Rome, famous throughout history as a center of prestige,
power and intrigue that legend says was built on seven hills. You are
at leisure until you gather tonight for welcome drinks and dinner.
Hotel de Russie D
DAY
3: Rome and Vatican City
Discover the
evocative remains of the Imperial City, starting with the Palatine
Hill, where your specialist guide brings to life the legend of the
city's beginning in the eighth century BC under Romulus and Remus. Pass
by the imposing Arch of Constantine to visit the mighty Colosseum that
once seated 50,000 spectators who came to watch gladiatorial contests
and mock naval battles. After an al fresco lunch, head to Vatican City. Admire the
stunning collection of antiquities, paintings and objets d'art in the vast museum, gaze at the Sistine
Chapel's famous ceiling painted by Michelangelo and marvel at the great
St. Peter's Basilica.
Hotel de Russie B L
DAY
4: Rome
Get a sense of
Rome's local character when you walk through one of the most attractive
and atmospheric districts of the city. Start in the Campo de Fiori,
filled with delightful food markets, and continue through a labyrinth
of small lanes to the Piazza Navona, site of a former athletics stadium
and today dominated by the Baroque Fountain of the Four Rivers.
Continue to the famous Pantheon, a first-century temple, and later
throw a coin over your shoulder into the iconic Trevi Fountain.
Conclude your visit at the foot of the famous Spanish Steps on the
Piazza di Spagna. Dine tonight in an opulent 17th-century private
palace.
Hotel
de Russie B D
DAY
5: Rome/Florence
Board a fast
intercity train to Florence, a paradise for art lovers, and after
lunch, join your local guide for a walking tour to see the monument
A&K has adopted as part of the Save the Monuments project. Visit
the great Duomo, whose revolutionary dome by Brunelleschi inspired
Michelangelo. Continue to the Uffizi Gallery, housing masterpieces that
include Carravagio's Medusa, Botticelli's Birth of Venus, Leonardo
da Vinci's Annunciation and Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch. Later, walk across the famous Ponte
Vecchio.
Hotel Savoy B L D
DAY
6: Florence
From Piazzale
Michelangelo, take in the panoramic view across the city and then visit
the exquisite 11th-century church of San Miniato al Monte. Admire
Michelangelo's David in the Galleria dell'Accademia. Pause
to sample wine, olive oil and cheese in an enoteca (wine shop) and, after a light lunch,
stroll through the Oltrarno on the south side of the River Arno, where
medieval streets are lined with artisan workshops. Continue to Palazzo
Corsini for a private visit of their large collection of Italian art.
Hotel
Savoy B L
DAY
7: Florence/Bologna/Venice
Drive to
Bologna to
see the 14th-century basilica and the beautiful church complex of Santo
Stefano. Admire the city's own medieval "leaning towers." Discover why
the city is known as "Bologna the Fat" with a lunch of local
specialties and a private demonstration of tortellini making. Later,
continue to Venice.
Bauer Il Palazzo
B L D
DAY
8: Venice Embark on a walking
tour to St. Mark's Square, home to the 11th-century St. Mark's
Basilica. See the four bronze horses on the exterior and admire the
interior filled with dazzling, luminous mosaics and marble floors.
Continue to the Doge's Palace, symbol of Venetian power and glory as
well as being the residence of the Doges until the 18th century. Design
Your Day this afternoon from a selection of options listed below. This
evening, attend a farewell dinner.
Design
Your Day - Venice: Choose an excursion to the Lagoon Islands, including
Murano, famous for its glass, and Burano, known for its lace.
Alternatively, join your local guide for an afternoon walking tour to
visit the famous Peggy Guggenheim Collection of modern art.
Bauer Il Palazzo
B D
DAY
9: Venice
Glimpse local
life
with a visit to the market district. Then try Venetian cuisine at a bacari, a small wine bar that serves un'ombra (a small glass of wine) with cicheti (traditional snacks). Admire Madonna
and Child by Bellini and Titian's Assumption of the Virgin at the
Gothic Frari church. This evening, enjoy a gondola ride as you are
serenaded by musicians before attending a farewell cocktail party.
Bauer Il Palazzo B
DAY
10: Venice/USA
or Canada
Board your homebound
flight. B
2010
PRICE
PER PERSON (land arrangements) 10
Days | Departs
Monday, returns Thursday | Limited to 24 passengers
2010
PRICE PER PERSON
Aug
May - Jul; Sep
Double
occupancy
$9,995
$10,790
Single
supplement
$3,130
$3,820
A&K's
signature Travelling Bell Boy Service is offered throughout the program.
*
Holiday surcharge
may apply. Call for details.
Departure
dates, prices and availability may change at any time.
Prices
and
departures may vary from what is displayed on this web site. Please
call
us at 877-510-4653 to confirm the latest pricing and departure
information.
ABERCROMBIE
AND KENT Splendors
of Italy
10 Day Tour
From $9,995USD
Simply
the Best!
Prices are
per person, based on double occupancy.
Offer
subject
to availability and change without notice.
Certain
restrictions may apply. Airfares if included are based on departure
from
New York. For
year 2011, departures are subject to itinerary and price modifications.
OR
CALL US AT 1-877-510-4653
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valuable information that you may need before making a reservation. We
are a full service travel company and we have always catered to the
individual
traveler and his/her specific needs. We want to get to know you as a
valued
friend in travel. We are always available with our email service but
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may feel free to call upon us if you have an immediate request at
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ABERCROMBIE
AND KENT It’s Simply
The Best
Way To Travel
Some people
collect travel destinations the way others collect Biedermeier
furniture
or presidents’ autographs.
What’s come
onto the market this year? Bhutan? Libya? Mongolia? Why not fly over
this
summer and add it to the collection?
Others travel
for an entirely different set of reasons. Reasons which have less to do
with collecting countries (who needs another trophy on the shelf?) than
with gathering experience.
If you’re a
member of the latter group, you know that, at its best, a journey down
the Sepik River or up Mount Kilimanjaro, across Provence or along the
Antarctic
Peninsula, can change you deeply in ways both tangible and intangible,
acknowledged and unavowed.
However, when
changing the way you look at the world is one of your travel objectives
— when authentic experience matters more to you than casual acquisition
— the travel company you choose has a tall order to fill.
That’s where
Abercrombie & Kent comes in.
Since 1962,
A&K has been doing one thing exceptionally well. We specialize in
matching
unique people with unique places, and in providing the expertise and
(unobtrusive)
support that allows them to experience those places fully, at first
hand
and in their own personal style.
It’s simply
the best way to travel. And it requires a unique combination of local
knowledge
and global organization that only Abercrombie & Kent is equipped to
provide.
The travel
industry is filled with companies who own only their brochures and a
handful
of contracts with independent suppliers overseas. In contrast, A&K
has its own network of offices (48 and counting) across the globe,
staffed
full time by A&K professionals. We own and operate luxury camps and
lodges in remote destinations to ensure that our clients have access to
the best.
And we draw
on the knowledge, humor and creativity of an incredible team of staff
members
and local “friends of A&K,” to bring you face-to-face with an
Antarctic
iceberg the size of Chartres Cathedral, or make it possible for you to
walk around Chartres itself with an expert on its stained glass. To set
you down for a private picnic a deux in the middle of the African
savannah
or give you and the children your own tropical island for a day.
Experience
does count. Ours will make yours unforgettable.
A&K -
The First Name
in Luxury Travel
For more than forty
years, Abercrombie
& Kent (A&K) has been internationally recognized as
the first name in luxury travel. Born in 1962 as a safari company in
Nairobi,
Kenya, A&K's unparalleled travel and tour operations now extend
across
the far and exotic reaches of the globe. A&K takes its travelers on
extraordinary journeys-in extraordinary style-to more than one hundred
countries on all seven continents. The company's tours and safaris span
the globe from Africa to the Middle East, India and Nepal; from the
Orient
to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific; and from Europe to
Central
and South America and Antarctica. Forty-five destination management
companies
ensure the "insider access" that only a local staff can provide.
A&K’s
impressive and enticingly
varied list of luxury and adventure holidays combine active days with
comfortable,
luxuriant nights. Small group escorted
journeys
allow guests to confidently travel to places they might otherwise
hesitate
to go on their own, with a choice of itineraries at varying levels of
luxury. Family
holidays are tailored to the interests, attention spans and
abilities of all ages, with comfortable hotels and comforting meals,
and,
most importantly, a friendly guide who understands children. Tailor
made private travel offers independent travellers meticulous
attention to detail, safety and customer service. These
lifestyle-oriented
programs are one reason why A&K was honored at the World Travel
Awards
as “World’s Leading Luxury Specialist Tour Operator.”
Geoffrey Kent, who
along with Jorie
Butler Kent owns and operates A&K, was born-most fittingly-while
his
British parents were on safari in Zambia. Indeed, he spent much of his
childhood on the African continent. In 1962, Geofrey Kent, along with
his
parent's Colonel John and Valerie Kent, formed Abercrombie & Kent.
In the 1970s,
Geoffrey Kent, who
by then had long been the Managing Director of the company, entered
into
a partnership with Jorie Ford Butler of Oak Brook, Illinois, to run
A&K.
They continue to travel the world in search of adventures that will
surprise
and thrill their guests. Under their passionate and visionary
guidance-Geoffrey
Kent serves as Chairman and CEO, Jorie Butler Kent as Executive Vice
Chairman
- Abercrombie & Kent represents the uncompromising best at every
turn
in the road.
With a philosophy
that is governed
in equal parts by the Kents' unswerving commitment to conservation and
their mission to provide "memories of a lifetime," A&K goes to
seemingly
limitless lengths to design tours that offer privileged
access and special insight.
Further distinguishing A&K is the fact that the company owns luxury
safari lodges in pristine wilderness areas, including Chief's Camp and
Chobe Chilwero in Botswana; exclusive rights to camps with some of
Africa's
finest game-viewing; a fleet of comfortable, well-maintained ground
transport
vehicles; and the Sun Boats on the Nile. A&K also creates unique
travel
experiences built around the luxury trains of Venice
Simplon-Orient-Express
and the Royal Scotsman; the Road to Mandalay river cruiser and 29 canal
and river cruisers in Europe; and the legendary Sea Cloud, the world's
most beautiful sailing ship.
Abercrombie &
Kent's headquarters
are in Oak Brook, Illinois. Forty-seven offices worldwide, employing
more
than 1,700 travel professionals, offer unrivaled attention to detail,
safety
issues and service standards.
A deep-rooted
concern for the natural
world infuses each and every A&K trip: Geoffrey Kent and Jorie
Butler
Kent believe passionately in "high-yield, low-impact" tourism-adventure
that respects the natural environment and benefits indigenous peoples.
They are the founders of Friends of Conservation and the Abercrombie
&
Kent Global Foundation, established to address global environmental and
conservation concerns. Among its achievements have been significant
contributions
to the preservation of Kenya's famed Masai Mara Game Reserve, as well
as
to anti-poaching and environmental education projects on all seven
continents.
Abercrombie and Kent is a
NON-FEE/no discount buy
We
will not charge a fee for any/all tour planning for Abercrombie and
Kent.
Our services are absolutely free when servicing this quality program.
Additionally, no travel agent or web-based travel concern is allowed
to discount when representing Abercrombie and Kent and any of its
affiliated touring companies. Rest
assured, you will receive the quality that you expect and the unique
value of a well-designed tour program from the beginning and planning
stage to the culmination of this exceptional journey.
Experience
the Abercrombie and Kent Difference with Gardner Travel! Simply
the Best!
Abercrombie
& Kent is proud to have received
the
following:
Recommend
Magazine
“Best Africa/Middle
East Tour Operator”
- December 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000 Men’s Journal
“10 Great Companies
to Work For”
- November 2004 Forbes
“Best of the Web” -
April 2004,
2003, 2002, 2001 Elite Traveler
“Wonders of the
World: Machu Picchu”,
Juan Lazo, Best Guide - January 2004 World Travel
Awards
“World’s
Leading Luxury Specialist
Tour Operator” - 2003
“World’s
Leading Villa Operator”
- 2003 Travel
+ Leisure Magazine
“Best Tour
Operator and Safari
Outfitter” - 2004 (#12), 2003 (#5), 2002 (#2), 2001 (#1), 2000 (#2),
1999
(#1), 1998 (#1), 1997 (#1), 1996 (#1)
“Top Guides in
Africa” – Joseph
Ndunguru, Gavin Ford - 2001 Conde Nast
Traveler
“Readers’ Choice
Awards: Top 15
African Safari Camps”
Olonana
and Chief’s
Camp - 2004
Chief’s
Camp - 2003
Chobe
Chilwero -2002
“The World’s Best
Places to Stay,”
Gold List
Chief’s
Camp - January
2004
Chobe
Chilwero - 2003
“The Greatest Travel
Pros on Earth”
“A&K has access
to places and
people that other operators in China don’t – including some of the top
English speaking guides. Hatherly is a cultural encyclopedia, Chen a
whiz
with logistics.” - 2003
"Reader’s Choice:
Top 20 Small-Ship
Cruise Lines" - 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997
Gavin Ford, “15 Best
Safari Guides”
- 2002
Ecotourism Award –
Special Mention
- 1996 Conde Nast
Traveller (UK)
"World's Best Tour
Operator” - 2004
(#3), 2003 (#5), 2001 (#2), 2000 (#1), 1999 (#1) Andrew
Harper’s Hideaway Report
“Favorite Hideway
Resorts of the
Past 25 Years”, Chief’s Camp - 2004
“Favorite Worldwide
Travel Adventures”,
Olonana, Chief’s Camp - 2004
“Previewing Heaven:
15 Worldwide
Hotels with Drop-Dead Views”, Chief’s Camp - 2003
“Top 20 Hideaway
Gems,” World’s
Best Hotels, Resorts & Hideaways, Chief’s Camp - 2002
Travel
Agent Magazine
“Leaders in Luxury,”
Geoffrey Kent
- 2002 World Travel
& Tourism Council
Green Award for
Corporate Social
Leadership in Travel & Tourism - 2002 Town &
Country
Gavin Ford, “Top
Guides in Africa”
- 2001 Queen’s
Award for Enterprise
(A&K Europe) -
2001, 2000 Chevron
Conservation Award
Jorie Butler Kent -
1999 ASTA/Smithsonian
Environmental Award
- 1992
ABERCROMBIE
AND KENT is a member of
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