TRIP DETAILS   3 days   Dates: May 28-30, 2010 Arrival: Rome, Italy by 5:00 pm by Friday, May 28, 2010   Airport Code: FCO   Departure:   Price: $685 per person double occupancy.   Single: $280, single supplement, optional   Extras: $180 per room inclusive of taxes at the four-star Hotel Eliseo.   Fitness Level: easy   Accommodations: Hotel Torino Meals: 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners   Includes: 2 nights at the four-star Hotel Eliseo in central Rome welcome reception walking city tour OutWest trip leader 1st class train tickets from Rome to Tuscany transfers from hotels to train stations Not included: Airfare, guide gratuities, lunches, items of a personal nature like phone calls.   Italy: Rome Pre-tour in the Italian Capital May 28-30, 2010 "Rome, a lifetime is not enough", goes the popular saying and it’s true. Rome is a beautiful, chaotic, fascinating, and romantic city full of history, art, and architecture. Walking the streets of Rome is a journey from the Roman Empire, to the Renaissance, to modern Europe. The OutWest pre-tour in Rome offers walking tours to the major sites, a four-star hotel in the city center, all breakfasts and dinners, and a 1st class rail ticket to Tuscany, and the start of the bike tour.   Highlights: throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain seeing the Coloseum shopping for the stylish Italian shoes... or shirt... or jacket or... dancing into the morning hours at a gay nightclub   Not Yet Assigned We have not yet assigned a guide for ths trip. Rest assured that your guide will be competent, fun and friendly.

FULL ITINERARY:

Generally, flights from North America are overnight, departing the US the evening before and arriving in Rome in the morning. Depending on your arrival time, you should have some time to get settled in the hotel and do some walking around the city. The welcome reception and dinner is that evening.
Accommodations: Hotel Torino

DAY TWO.  WALKING TOUR OF ROME.  This is a day of sightseeing with a local tour guide. As we wander the street, you’ll run across famous sites like the Spanish steps, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and St. Peter’s Basilica. At the Trevi Fountain you’ll want to throw a coin to insure you’ll return to Rome. The Colosseum, dating back to ancient Roman 72 AD, may be a highlight. We’ll enjoy a true Italian meal that evening with some optional gay nightlife.
Accommodations: Hotel Torino

DAY THREE.  CONTINUE TO TUSCANY.  The morning is free for sightseeing on your own. You may want to visit the Vatican or return to some of the sites from the previous day. In the early afternoon, we’ll transfer to the Rome train station for our rail trip to Tuscany. When we arrive in Chiusi, we’ll transfer to Montepulciano, where we’ll join up with the rest of the group.