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I.

Italy Alone

Lake Como · Venice · Florence

14 nights 3 bases March 28 – April 11, 2026 8.95

Best hotels on Earth — train-only moves

Every base sits at the top of the global hotel index — Passalacqua on Como, Aman Venice on the Grand Canal, Belmond Villa San Michele above Florence. Zero internal flights. The Easter strategy: keep Venice when the Italians leave for the islands, exit Florence post-Pasquetta.

The standout moment

The Venice Gondola

~19:00 boarding · 21:00 dinner at Da Ivo San Marco

Private gondola through the small rii at golden hour — not the Grand Canal, the side waterways where eight centuries of stone are an arm's length away. Ending at Da Ivo: tiny rio-side candlelit terrace if you score it, San Marco silent two blocks away.

Where you'll stay

Romantic dinners

  1. 01

    La Terrazza Tremezzo

    Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Como

    Lake terrace

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    19:30 · golden hour over Bellagio
  2. 02

    Materia (1★)

    Cernobbio, Como

    Modern dressy tasting

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    20:30 · minimalist candlelit room
  3. 03

    Cip's Club

    Belmond Cipriani, Venice

    Terrace icon

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    19:45 · basin lights up at dusk
  4. 04

    Da Ivo, San Marco

    Venice (tiny rio terrace)

    Risotto al nero

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    21:00 · candlelit
  5. 05

    Quadri Alajmo (1★)

    Piazza San Marco upstairs salon

    Alajmo signature

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    22:30 · view of San Marco at night
  6. 06

    La Loggia

    Villa San Michele, Florence

    Tuscan classics

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    19:45 · loggia · sunset over Duomo

Day by day

Day 1 Travel

Como · Arrival

Fly JFK → Milan Malpensa. NCC driver Malpensa → Tremezzo (1h15m). Check into Passalacqua. Late lunch in the garden. 19:30 La Terrazza Tremezzo for sunset over Bellagio.

Day 2 Highlight

Como · Bellagio

Mahogany boat with Bellagio Water Limousines, half-day. Stop in Bellagio for lunch at La Punta. Afternoon: Villa Carlotta gardens (camellia peak). 20:30 Materia 1-Michelin in Cernobbio.

Day 3 Cultural

Como · Villa Balbianello

Private interior visit at Villa del Balbianello (the Star Wars + Casino Royale villa). Lakeside lunch. Spa afternoon at Passalacqua. Casual dinner at L'Escale Trattoria in Tremezzo.

Day 4 Rest

Como · Slow day

Sleep in. Garden walk + reading on the loggia. Lunch at the hotel. Aperitivo at the lake-edge. Dinner in the orangerie.

Day 5 Travel

Como → Venice

Frecciarossa Executive Coach 1A (~3h30m) Como → Milano Centrale → Venezia. Private launch from the station to Aman Venice dock. Quiet evening at the hotel. 21:00 dinner at Da Ivo, San Marco.

Day 6 Highlight

Venice · Slow water day

Breakfast on the Grand Canal. Peggy Guggenheim Collection at opening, private curator tour (~€250pp). Lunch at Locanda Cipriani on Torcello (13:00, garden, first roses). Back via vaporetto. Cip's Club at 19:45 for sunset on the basin.

Day 7 THE PEAK

GONDOLA · Burano

Morning: Burano lacemaker workshop with a working merlettaia (~€180-250pp). Lunch at Trattoria al Gatto Nero. Afternoon nap at Aman. 19:00 PRIVATE GONDOLA at golden hour through the side rii (€180-220, 45 min). 21:00 dinner at Da Ivo, candlelit rio-terrace if you score it. The gondola at golden hour is what people remember Venice for.

Day 8 Cultural

Venice · Doge's day

Private out-of-hours Doge's Palace tour with art historian, 09:00 (~€1,800 for 2). Lunch at Caffè Florian (only for the room, not the prices). Afternoon at the Accademia. Private opera box at La Fenice in the evening (~€700/box).

Day 9 Cultural

EASTER · Cipriani brunch

Italians have left Venice for the islands and the mainland — the city is yours. 11:00 Easter brunch at the Belmond Cipriani garden (institutional, book months ahead). Slow walk through empty Castello. 22:30 Quadri Alajmo upstairs salon — view over San Marco at night.

Day 10 Travel

Venice → Florence

Late check-out. Frecciarossa Venice → Firenze (~2h05m), Executive 1A. Driver up to Fiesole. Check into Belmond Villa San Michele. 19:45 La Loggia for sunset over the Duomo.

Day 11 Highlight

Florence · Uffizi private

Out-of-hours Uffizi with art historian, 09:00, 2.5h (~€1,800). Lunch at All'Antico Vinaio sandwiches (skip the line via concierge). Afternoon at Boboli + Bardini Gardens — wisteria peak is right now. 19:45 Borgo San Jacopo 1-Michelin · Ponte Vecchio at golden hour.

Day 12 Highlight

Pasta + Tuscan farmhouse

Drive to a Tuscan farmhouse (Villa Bordoni in Chianti, but NO wine). Pasta + tiramisu class with a nonna (~€280pp, 4h). Lunch is what you cooked. Return to Fiesole in the late afternoon. Quiet dinner at the hotel.

Day 13 Cultural · Rest

Florence · Oltrarno

Wander Oltrarno workshops in the morning — leather, gilding, marbled paper. Lunch at Trattoria 4 Leoni. Spa afternoon at Villa San Michele. 19:00 Continentale rooftop aperitivo at the Ponte Vecchio. 20:30 Il Palagio 1-Michelin in the Four Seasons garden conservatory.

Day 14 Rest

Florence · slow farewell

Morning at Piazzale Michelangelo (the postcard view). Lunch at the hotel terrace. Pack. Final dinner: a quiet candlelit corner. Bed early.

Day 15 Travel

Departure

Driver Fiesole → FLR or PSA (depending on flight). Home.

Transportation · how + where to book

  1. Flight
    JFK / EWRMilan Malpensa (MXP)

    ITA Airways AZ611 · Delta DL166 · United UA176

    ~8h 30m direct$3,200–4,500 business
    Book direct ↗
    orGoogle FlightsKayak
  2. Private driver
    Milano Malpensa (MXP)Tremezzo (Passalacqua)

    NCC driver via Passalacqua concierge

    ~1h 15m€280–380
    orWelcome Pickups MilanItaly Limousines
  3. Train
    Como / Milano CentraleVenezia Santa Lucia

    Frecciarossa Executive (Coach 1A)

    ~3h 30m (incl. transfer at MIL)€180–260 Executive · €90–140 Business

    Executive Coach 1A is the quietest, lounge-included car. Book exactly the seat at Trenitalia direct.

    Book direct ↗
    orTrainlineItalo trains
  4. Boat
    Marco Polo / Santa LuciaAman Venice (Palazzo Papadopoli)

    Consorzio Motoscafi Venezia (private water taxi)

    ~25–40 min€130–200 one-way
    Book direct ↗
    orVeneziana MotoscafiAlilaguna
  5. Train
    Venezia Santa LuciaFirenze Santa Maria Novella

    Frecciarossa Executive (Coach 1A)

    ~2h 05m€100–160 Executive
    Book direct ↗
    orTrainline
  6. Private driver
    Firenze SMNFiesole (Villa San Michele)

    Villa San Michele car service

    ~25 min€80–120
    orBelmond Villa San Michele transfers