Grand Tour of Italy Preview

With those four words...GRAND TOUR of ITALY...you can anticipate with Astrid and me what's now before us, starting this Sunday.

The actual tour is 19 days, from April 1-19, on an OAD luxury bus/coach.  It's a first for us, in that there are no planes, trains or automobiles.  [Oops, sorry, there is one train to Florence on day 5.]

On Sunday we will drive to Zeddam, 110 km east of us, to spend a large portion of the day (visiting the Huis Bergh Castle nearby, one of the largest castles in the Netherlands) and then the night at the OAD hotel, from which we all will gather the next day for the beginning of our grand tour.  Right now there are 29 of us (with a limit of 34).

In case you want to follow us along the way, here's the itinerary (hotels with breakfast and dinner are included all along the way):

Monday, 1 April:
Gather for koffie at 8:30 a.m. in Zeddam, get acquainted, and then drive to south Germany for dinner and our overnight hotel in Mulhouse, France, just over the German border (ca. 605 km/376 miles).

Tuesday, 2 April:
From south Germany to Turin, where we'll spend the night in Cambiano (ca. 570 km/355 miles).

The blue line is our first day, after which we drive to Turin on Day 2.

Once in Turin, here's the map of Italy with our itinerary.
The black dots are where our hotels are; the white dots are the extra places we visit.

Wednesday, 3 April:
TURIN:  Main attractions, including the Royal Palace and the Duomo.  Afternoon free.
Spend the night in Reggio Emilia (ca. 215 km/135 miles).

Thursday, 4 April:
PISA and LUCCA:  The leaning tower of Pisa first, followed by medieval Lucca with Romanesque churches, city walls, and Piazza dell'Anfiteatro (half an hour from Pisa).
Spend 2 nights in Montecatini Terme (ca. 290 km/180 miles).

Friday, 5 April:
FLORENCE:  Take train from Montecatini Terme to Florence to see the main attractions, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the San Miniato al Monte, and the Ponte Vecchio.  Explore city on own afterwards.
Spend the night in Montecatini Terme (ca. 100 km/62 miles).

Saturday, 6 April:
SAN GIMIGNANO and SIENA:  In the morning, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in Tuscany, San Gimignano, followed by the city of Siena in the afternoon.
Spend the night in Chianciano Terme (ca. 430 km/267 miles).

Sunday, 7 April:
CLASSIC ROME:  In the afternoon we see highlights of Rome, including the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
Spend 2 nights in Mentana (ca. 210 km/130 miles).

Monday, 8 April:
CHRISTIAN ROME/VATICAN CITY:  Includes St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.  The Vatican Museum is optional.  Afternoon is free.
Spend the night in Mentano (ca. 70 km/44 miles).

Tuesday, 9 April:
MONTECASSINO:  Benedictine Monastery, perched on a hill.
Spend 3 nights in Mondragone, near Naples (ca. 285 km/177 miles).

Wednesday, 10 April:
POMPEII: Visit the excavations, located under the smoke of Mt. Vesuvius.
Spend the night in Mondragone (ca. 20 km/12 miles).

Thursday, 11 April:
ALMALFI COAST:  Free day with the option to make an excursion along the Almalfi Coast, which we will definitely plan to do.
Spend the night in Monragone (ca 250 km/155 miles).

Friday, 12 April:
BARI:  Drive along the Adriatic coast to the port town of Bari.  Visit the old city in the afternoon, including the Castello Normanno-Svevo, the Fortress of Sant'Atonio Abate as well as the cathedrals of St. Nicholas and San Sabino.
Spend 2 nights in Bisceglie/Bari (ca. 285 km/177 miles).

Saturday, 13 April:
ALBEROBELLO:  Best known for its Trulli--little white houses with cone-shaped roofs.  Explore city in the morning.  Afternoon free.
Spend the night in Bisceglie/Bari (ca. 110 km/69 miles).

Sunday, 14 April:
RIMINI:  After driving north along the eastern coast, we arrive in the afternoon.
Spend the night in Cattolica (ca. 565 km/351 miles).

Monday, 15 April:
VERONA:  While others visit the main sites, Astrid and I (who were there in 2017) will visit something we missed on our own.
Spend 3 nights in Bovolone (ca. 300 km/187 miles).

Tuesday, 16 April:
VERONA:  Free day.  Another free day to explore on our own.
Spend the night in Bovolone.

Wednesday, 17 April:
VERONA (and optional Venice, which we do NOT plan to do):  Another free day to explore on our own.
Spend the night in Bovolone.

Thursday, 18 April:
Drive to South Germany after breakfast.
Spend the night in Aalen-Treppach (ca. 480 km/300 miles).

Good Friday, 19 April:
Zeddam:  Drive from South Germany to Zeddamfor the farewell dinner that evening.
(ca. 580 km/360 miles).


The trip via OAD's luxury bus/coach includes WiFi on board, a kitchen with drinks to buy throughout the trip (at cost), and a bathroom.  All seat-backs include airplane-style monitors with movies and the ability to see what the bus driver sees as he drives.

One more thing:  In my past life I have had the privilege of visiting Rome twice, Pisa and Pompeii once, but, for Astrid, all of this will be brand new.  We will LOVE seeing it all together, just like we did Verona and Venice in 2017.

As I said, this is a first for us, via luxury coach.  We are actually looking forward to it, realizing that everything will be done for us.  Does that mean we're getting older...or smarter??!!