Italy Behind
Closed Doors

Your journey begins the moment you step off the water taxi and glide up the Grand Canal toward Palazzo Giovanelli, a boutique 16th-century palazzo whose frescoed salons and private garden feel more like a noble residence than a hotel. Settle into your room, then gather as the sun sets over the water for a welcome dinner among fellow travellers — the first taste of the intimate, unhurried pace that defines this journey.

A local guide leads you away from the crowds and into Venice’s quieter fabric: hidden campi, artisan workshops, and stories only a native Venetian would know. In the golden hour of late afternoon, board a private gondola for a glide along the city’s quietest canals, far from the bustle of the Grand Canal. The day closes with dinner at a beloved family-run trattoria, the kind of address most visitors never find.

Leave Venice in style: a private motorboat carries you and your luggage across the lagoon to the station, where an Executive-class high-speed train whisks you to Florence in under two hours. On arrival, check into Hotel Bernini Palace, steps from Piazza della Signoria, before a panoramic guided walk through the city’s Renaissance heart — the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, the honey-coloured streets of the historic centre. Dinner at the hotel rounds out the day.

A full day given over to the Tuscan countryside. Wander the medieval hilltop village of Monteriggioni, its 13th-century walls and towers rising above the vineyards like something from a fresco. Then trade the piazza for the woods: a hands-on truffle hunt with a local hunter and his dog, followed by a leisurely lunch at a private countryside estate, where the morning’s finds might well appear on your plate.

A morning unlike any other: a private viewing of Michelangelo’s preparatory sketches and working models, arranged exclusively for your group and opened outside normal visiting hours — a rare, close encounter with the artist’s own hand. The rest of the day is yours, free to explore Florence’s markets, boutiques and viewpoints at your own pace.

Another effortless transfer: an Executive-class high-speed train carries you south to Rome in under two hours. Check into Palazzo Ripetta, a refined address overlooking the Tiber and just steps from Piazza del Popolo. As evening falls, dinner at a celebrated Roman trattoria introduces you to the city’s unmistakable, robust cucina romana.

See Rome the way Romans see it: from behind the wheel of a vintage Fiat 500, weaving through the city’s iconic piazzas and cobbled streets on a private, playful tour that takes in the landmarks — and the atmosphere — that make the Eternal City unlike anywhere else on earth.

A guided half-day exploration with skip-the-line entrance to either the Colosseum or the Vatican Museums, your choice, led by an expert local guide who brings ancient and Renaissance Rome vividly to life. In the evening, gather one last time for a farewell dinner at Palazzo Ripetta — a fitting close to nine days that will have redefined how you think about travelling through Italy.

A final, unhurried Italian breakfast before your private departure transfer to the airport — time enough to reflect on three cities, countless private moments, and a version of Italy few travellers ever get to see.