2. TSA Tours and Delta Dawn Travels welcome you to the Italy trip of a lifetime. Saturday, March 10 - Sunday, March 18, 2012

3. Buon Giorno! Greetings from Delta Dawn! (a ka Sherry Boone and Connie Riley). We are so excited to be continuing our travels with Travel Systems Abroad (TSA) by carrying on the tradition for the fourteenth year! In March of 2012, back by popular demand, we are going to Italy on the “Best of Italy” tour, with stays in Venice, Florence and Rome. Highlights of the trip include a stop in beautiful Montecarlo, Italy where you will enjoy a fabulous traditional Tuscan lunch at a winery just like in the movies, and escorted tours in Venice, Florence and Rome.Delta Dawn

4.  Round trip airfare from Dallas/Atlanta/Rome/Venice and returning from Rome/Atlanta/Dallas.  7 nights’ accommodations in 3 star hotels centrally located. Private bath in each room.  Breakfast every day.  One dinner in each of the three cities.  Traditional Tuscan farmhouse lunch.  Private luxury motor coach for all land transportation.  Full time professional English-speaking guide during all touring portions.  Entrance fees to all scheduled museums, attractions, and churches.  Travel, accident, and baggage insurance (usually an extra cost).  A TSA backpack/flight bag and luggage tags.  ALL tips are included.  Liability insurance for all participants.

5.  Board your Delta Flight 1954 Saturday morning at DFW for Atlanta.  Transfer to Delta Flight 240 for your 9 hour 30 minute transatlantic flight to Rome.  10:00 A.M. Sunday, March 11, Transfer to Alitalia Flight 1465 for Rome to Venice, Italy where our tour begins !

6. Departing: Saturday, March 10, 2012  Delta 1954 10MAR DFW/Atlanta 700A 1013A  Delta 240 10MAR Atlanta/Rome 305P 635A#1  Alitalia 1465 11MAR Rome/Venice 1000A 1105A Returning: Sunday, March 18, 2012  Delta 241 18MAR Rome/Atlanta 825A 240P  Delta 910 18MAR Atlanta/DFW 525P 654P  Plan on arriving at DFW 2 hours before flight!  That means 5:00 A.M. !!!!

9. Getting ready….  Make a list of things to bring, for example small umbrella, watch, travel flashlight, camera, wristwatch, converter/adapter.  Bring enough clothes…underwear and socks…enough for every day! One pair of underwear per day.  Plan your “wardrobe” around two colors so you can mix and match your clothes.  Two pairs of shoes…comfortable ones!  Pack light…some hotels have no elevator!

10.  Can you get by on one pair of jeans????? If not, take no more than two, and one pair of sweats or slacks.  Plan a comfortable outfit for the flight with shoes that you can “loosen” because your feet will swell.  Take no extra jewelry and especially, NO expensive jewelry.  You will not need a hairdryer. The hotels have them in the rooms. They are not high powered.

12.  Pack oldclothes/underwear/mismatched socks and and old shoes to discard after wearing.  Brings washcloths. European hotels do not supply these. I bring one per day, plus a couple of extra ones.  Plastic bags are your friends!!! Use them for toiletries, laundry, shoes, etc.  Use giant zip lock bags for packing.

14.  Venice.  Welcome to Italy! Meet your guide at the airport and transfer to your hotel via vaporetto in the City of Water. Begin your stay with a guided tour of Venice, starting at the enchanted Piazza San Marco. The square has been the scene of some of the city’s most important religious and political activities, in addition to being the center of Venetian social life for nearly a millennium. Continue on to discover the Doge’s Palace to see its lavishly furnished chambers featuring works by Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese and other masters. Cross the Bridge of Sighs, which offered prisoners their last glimpse of beautiful Venice on their way to confinement. Dine with your group tonight and plan tomorrow’s sightseeing adventure.

20.  Venice.  The day is yours. Your group is free to discover all the hidden treasures and major attractions of Venice.  Explore narrow cobblestone alleyways, cruise along the Grand Canal, watch glass makers on the island of Murano, tour the Jewish Quarter, shop at the Rialto market - the possibilities are endless!  Dinner on your own… Trattoria alla Madonna ?

21.  Depart Venice and travel to Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance.  Stop en route for lunch at a Tuscany winery in Montecarlo and savor the wine and cuisine of the region.  Continue on to Florence, where you may spend the balance of your day discovering the city that sparked a revolution in Western art and architecture.

24.  Florence.  Set off on your guided tour of Florence, to include the Baptistery and its famous bronze doors, known as the Gates of Paradise. Admire the Gothic Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral (the Duomo) and visit the Basilica di Santa Croce, final resting place of some of the most famous Italians, including Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo.  Cross the Ponte Vecchio, the city’s oldest bridge, and tour the Accademia’s collection of priceless Renaissance art, including the David.  Dinner on your own… Quattro Leoni? ZaZa ??

28.  Florence.  Spend the morning touring one of the most prestigious art museums in the world - the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi contains works by Cimabue, Dürer, Raphael and Titian, among many masters. The remarkable building itself reflects the glory of the of the golden age of Florence. The remaining hours of the day can be spent sightseeing with your group, perhaps visiting Pitti Palace and the nearby Boboli Gardens.

29.  Depart Florence to travel to Rome and enter the independent city-state of the Vatican for a tour of the Vatican Museums. This 500-year-old art collection is not limited to paintings and sculptures, but also boasts ancient sarcophagi, murals and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling. The tour will take you to St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica - the largest church in the world.  Dinner on your own …Fettucini at Alfredos ????

33.  Rome.  See the best of the Eternal City on your Imperial Rome Tour. Visit the Colosseum, scene of gladiatorial combats and early Christian martyrdom. Also see the Arch of Constantine, the Imperial Forums, Circus Maximus, Capitoline Hill and other highlights of the former empire. You are free to continue sightseeing with your group this evening. Be sure to toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure a return visit to Rome.  Arriverderci dinner with entertainment for the whole group!

34. Wow ! It’s hard to believe it will be over before we know it. We have an early wake up time Sunday morning. We will leave for the airport at 4:30 A.M. Yes, 4:30, to begin our journey home enriched by Italy and your encounter with living history. arrivederci