Sue Wheeler
It’s a sizzling June day in Rome and I’m pacing the lobby of Hotel Palazzo Montemartini, waiting for my best friend Tracey to arrive from London. We’ve known each other since we were two – sisters, really – and while we see each other every year, we haven’t had 12 days “just us” since I made a career move to Sydney in 2000. So what could be better than the luxury of time in one of the world’s most beautiful countries? No husbands, no kids and the rare treat of not having to organise a thing.
We join our travel concierge, Lynne, and a small group of 21 on Luxury Gold’s Ultimate Italy, an escorted coach journey taking in Italy’s postcard destinations: Rome, Pompeii, Capri, Umbria, Florence, Pisa, the Cinque Terre, Verona and Venice. In 12 days, it’s a lot of ground to cover, yet it never feels rushed.
al Mare (pictured).Preappy / Stocksy United
The first morning gives us a clue why. It’s 7.30 and we’re one of a few groups already on a tour of the Vatican Museums. It’s not lost on us that seeing Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel ceiling before the crowds is a privileged moment. VIP experiences like this are a signature of the company, along with using local experts wherever we go and front-of-line priority, which lets us skip the Colosseum queue.
The next day we head for the Bay of Naples and Capri, with a side visit to Pompeii. We’re both coach holiday virgins, but any preconceptions melt away as we sink into soft, spacious seats and enjoy the Umbrella pines and Roman ruins gliding past the panoramic window. With all the logistics, including our bags, magically handled, we have hours along the way to catch up, or to listen to Lynne, an Italophile and natural storyteller who has a knack for uniting a group of strangers.
We arrive at Capri by hydrofoil, where a fleet of open-top Mini Coopers whisk us up, movie-style, the famous Mamma Mia Road to the glamorous Capri Palace Hotel. Its tiled interiors and spectacular views leave us all a little starstruck. The next morning, we have a boat trip to see the Grotta Bianca sea cave and lunch at Michelin star restaurant Le Monzu. Tracey and I spend the afternoon browsing cute perfumeries and boutiques, tasting local limoncello and having a dip in the pool before dinner. If I had the money, and a Hermes headscarf, I could happily stay forever.
We arrive in Venice by motorboat. The hotel is so close to the water, we can step straight into the lobby and watch gondolas from our bedroom window.
On our way to Perugia we explore Assisi, one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the world and home to the Basilica of St. Francis and its Giotto frescoes. From Perugia, we head to Florence via the 14th-century hill town San Gimignano, followed by lunch in the Tuscan countryside at a former home of Machiavelli. I hadn’t been to Florence since I was a student, so returning to one of my favourite cities (and seeing Michelangelo’s David) was a real highlight. From Florence, we take a day trip to Pisa (with the obligatory photo of the Leaning Tower) then travelled to a Tuscan estate for a cooking class: so much flour and so much fun.
Heading northwest towards the Cinque Terre, we visit the fishing villages of Manarola and Monterosso al Mare and eat fresh anchovies below iconic, pastel-coloured terraces. The following day, we break the long journey to Venice with a short stop in Verona.
For the grand finale, we arrive in Venice by motorboat. The hotel is so close to the water, we can step straight into the lobby and watch gondolas from our bedroom window. That night, the group meets for the trip’s most exclusive treat: a private tour of the Doge’s Palace. We’re as amazed as the other tourists as its gigantic doors close behind us and afterwards, still a little dumbstruck, we head to the hotel’s rooftop bar to let it all sink in.
Our last day is brimming with Venetian highlights: a boat ride to the islands of Burano and Giudecca (to watch glassblowing) and a gondola ride with our own opera singer. And, of course, a group farewell dinner.
Before leaving the next morning, Tracey and I have breakfast overlooking the majestic buildings on the banks of the lagoon, our hearts and bucket lists full. We ask someone to take our photo, and it’s one of our loveliest ever. As Tracey’s boat arrives to take her to the airport we hug and say arrivederci. “See you again” feels so much better than saying “goodbye”.
The writer was a guest of Luxury Gold.
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