Our 18 day trip to Italy was filled with great food, art and architecture!

Italy | Apr 14 - Apr 28, 2026

Our recent trip to Italy was absolutely amazing! Began in Rome- started with Pantheon, Colloseum, and Forum, Trevi fountain. Our day at the Vatican was so interesting. Our guide studied archeology and art history so loads of information! One very interesting addition was the Villa Borghese with its beautiful gardens and land in addition to hundreds of sculptures- numerous Bernini, masterpiece paintings- Rafael , Rubens, etc. Definitely include it in your itinerary.
Next Florence. Amazing artwork, food, and 2 Da Vinci museums with interactive models of inventions. Our guide for the Uffizi gallery , the Acadamia and Duomo had a masters in art history. We learned so much more with her than if we had done a self guided tour. Do not miss ordering Florentine steak!
Venice was next- greeted at the train and taken to our water taxi to the Hotel Moresco which was classic and charming. The staff was so attentive and quickly taught us how to to get around using water buses which made the trip so easy. Spent a lot of time in San Marco area with the highlight of attending a concert with a string orchestra performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at the Chiesa della Pietà. Took the water bus to the island of Burano (known for silk) and Murano ( known for Venetian glass).
Another fast train to Milan. They are so comfortable and easy to use. First class tickets are very reasonable. It was designed week in Milan so it was very, very crowded. Very walkable city. Wanted my husband to see The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci-a 15th-century mural painted on the dining hall wall of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie. Sforza Castle and the Duomo were also full of art work and amazing architecture.
Our final stop was the most breathtaking landscape of Lake Cómo. A boat tour is a must to see all the amazing villas and small,charming towns. We stayed in Varenna which was so nice. 2 beautiful Villas with amazing gardens you can tour. Our most fun was taking a cooking class in a home in Varenna. A charming couple taught us to make fresh pasta- tagliatelle and tortellini filled with spinach and ricotta, an appetizer and Tiramisu! Such a wonderful evening seeing how they raise so much of their food even when they have full time work outside of the home. They practiced their English and we got to practice our Italian!
A train ride back to Rome and an amazing afternoon and evening at the QC Grand Hotel Roma. A full Roman Bath with saunas, steam rooms, and thermal baths. Unfortunately close to the airport which made it easy to leave even though we did not want to go.
In all we had 18 amazing days with the best guides and hotels. Kimkim makes it all work so smoothly! My husband walks with a cane and we can still travel easily thanks to all of their planning.