Italian Cities By Rail: Cruise Extension

For those joining as a post-cruise extension, a private transfer carries you directly to the train station, where your Business Class seat aboard the Frecciarossa awaits. For those choosing a pre-cruise extension, your private transfer delivers you straight to the heart of Florence, where the first of many carefully considered experiences is already waiting.

Day 1: An Afternoon in the Cradle of the Renaissance

An afternoon in Florence is never simply a walk, it is a conversation with centuries. Begin in Piazza della Repubblica, where Roman foundations lie beneath the daily bustle, before losing yourself in medieval streets that open onto Piazza della Signoria, Florence's enduring seat of civic power. From here, the city's icons unfold in graceful succession: the Duomo soaring in coloured marble, the Ponte Vecchio glowing above the Arno, and finally the Galleria dell'Accademia, where Michelangelo's David commands the room with a presence that is, quite simply, impossible to forget.

Day 2: A Gentle Escape into the Tuscan Countryside

Sometimes the greatest luxury is simplicity. The city falls away as you arrive at a working farm where life moves at an entirely different pace. Spend unhurried time with the resident donkeys before stepping into an enchanting botanical garden, where a private picnic awaits amongst the blooms. Surrounded by flowering scents and the particular stillness of the Italian countryside, it is an afternoon designed not to dazzle, but to restore.

Day 3: An Introduction to Europe's Oldest University City

Bid farewell to Florence as you board your Business Class Frecciarossa high-speed train and glide through the magnificent Italian countryside towards Bologna. Once settled, your guided city walk becomes a slow and considered immersion. Pause at the Fontana del Nettuno, contemplate the lean of the medieval towers and stand before the immense Basilica di San Petronio. Shaped by a thousand years of scholarship, Bologna is a place where history is not preserved behind glass but lived in daily.

Day 4: A Market Morning and Private Cooking Class

There is no better introduction to a city than its neighbourhood market. Accompanied by a local chef, you will select seasonal ingredients before stepping into a private kitchen to learn the pasta traditions that have made Bologna legendary. Understanding not just technique but the stories behind each dish, you will sit down to a long and satisfying lunch made entirely by your own hands, a meal that tastes, above all else, of place.

Day 5: A Private Tour of the Fashion Capital

Once again, the Frecciarossa high-speed train transports you to another magnificent Italian city, where an exclusive afternoon with a personal fashion expert awaits. From the polished grandeur of the Quadrilatero della Moda to the artisanal spirit of Brera, your guide shapes the experience entirely around your curiosity. Along the way, rare access to historic ateliers reveals the bespoke craftsmanship that has long placed Italy at the very heart of the fashion world.