A TALE OF THREE CITIES

Day 1 Arrive in Venice

Venice is a city of flawless delights. Head straight for the Grand Canal, where your hotel for the next two nights - Sina Centurion Palace sits looking towards St Mark's Square.

Overnight: Centurion Palace

Day 2 Venice

Rise early to witness the action at the Rialto Market, where Venetians have relied on the vendors' fresh produce for centuries - and take part, since tasting any of the kaleidoscopic fruits and vegetables is an experience to embrace wholeheartedly. Walk in step with an art expert to discover the city's off-grid courtyards, vistas and churches including the 14th-century Chiesa della Madonna dell'Orto, packed with dramatic Tintoretto paintings along the walls and organ. For lunch, dine at seafood restaurants favoured by locals, and continue tracing the city's art through the centuries. The Galleria dell'Accademia houses pre-19th-century artworks by masters including Hieronymus Bosch, Titian and Paolo Veronese (and there's something utterly captivating about a single glance at Giovanni Bellini's Sacred Conservation); while the Peggy Guggenheim Collection celebrates modern European and American artists. In case museum fatigue threatens to strike, a cicchetti tour with a local food guide awaits with a well-earned Aperol Spritz. Or two.

Overnight: Centurion Palace

Day 3 Venice

Sailing between Venice’s 100 tiny islands to uncover their master craftsmen and centuries-old trades is one of the city’s greatest joys. With a guide who knows just where to dock, hop between the lagoons of Burano, where intricate lace has been created by needleworkers since the Renaissance. See how Murano’s glass blowers have honed their art (and marvel at the physicality of the process). Discover glittering 11th-century mosaics in Torcello’s cathedral – some of the oldest Venetian examples, making for a mystical visit to the otherwise eerily quiet island dotted with Byzantine churches. Taste the islands’ wines and accompany a fisherman to seek out the local crab. Spend lunch and the afternoon at leisure, spoilt for choice between fine dining and gelaterias; shopping, people watching, kayaking or just wandering the canals and romantic alleys. The beauty of Venice is in getting lost, and finding unexpected treasures along the way.

Overnight: Ca Sagredo

Day 4 Florence

Take the train from Venice and in just a couple of hours you will arrive in the Medicis' Renaissance playground of Florence. Settle in at the Hotel Savoy - a modern Italianate establishment that could not be more central if it tried. A Michelin-starred director of food who places an emphasis on Tuscan cuisine, suites with views of the Piazza della Repubblica, and impeccable service make it an ideal base for your sojourn in the city. In the afternoon, stretch your legs with gelato in hand from artisanal specialist Venchi, visit a buchette del vino - wine window - or two for a glass of Antinori or Frescobaldi.

Overnight: Hotel Brunelleschi

Day 5 Florence

Start your day in the company of Renaissance masters. Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli's Venus and Caravaggio's Medusa continue to inspire at the Uffizi, while the Pitti Palace demonstrates the true height of Medici standards. Look down on the city from atop the ever-impressive Gothic Duomo, and glance upwards at the Convento di San Marco for Fra Angelico's sensitively painted biblical frescoes. Lunch on street food in the bustling Mercato Centrale, before delving into a world of Florentine leather expertise. Tanneries flourished in 14th century Florence, building on Tuscan tradition to create shoes, saddles and later, all manner of matchless accessories. Perhaps watch artisans at work in the many tanneries south of the Arno or enrol at the family-run Scuola del Cuoio for a book or bag-making workshop - set in the Franciscan monks' former dormitory at the Santa Croce monastery.

Overnight: Hotel Brunelleschi

Day 6 Fashionable Florence

Today, fashion takes centre stage. Take a well-heeled walk to the Ferragamo Museum to explore the life and times of the eponymous shoe designer, or stroll the flagship Italian designers - Gucci, Prada, Valentino or Bottega Veneta. Lunch and the afternoon are left free to venture into the city. Riding one of Hotel Savoy's bicycles around the Boboli gardens behind the Pitti Palace - among magical grottoes, fountains, pavilions and perfectly landscaped pathways - is a simple pleasure not to be underestimated.

Overnight: Hotel Brunelleschi

Day 7 Rome

Travel by train to Rome, speeding through Tuscany in under two hours. The hotel at your final destination is The Inn at the Spanish Steps a boutique 18th-century townhouse with a wonderful rooftop terrace.

Overnight: Inn at the Spanish Steps

Day 8 Ancient Rome

Take your bearings this morning between Rome’s most formidable landmarks. The Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Colosseum and Roman Forum beckon as they have done for centuries – never failing in their antiquarian appeal. Across the River Tiber, Trastevere is the Romans’ Rome, packed with some of the city’s most creative restaurants for lunch and plenty of trattorias to choose from. Return to the historic centre for an afternoon of art between Baroque apartments, private palaces and galleries lined with eye-popping paintings.

Overnight: Inn at the Spanish Steps

Day 9 Vatican City

The Vatican museums are extraordinary both for the variety of their brimming papal collections of art and sculpture, and the Vatican City buildings – chapels, apartments, entire wings – in which they are housed. An out of hours visit is all the more atmospheric still, adding a privileged and reverent quality as your footsteps echo in the deserted corridors and centuries-old galleries. Meet the museums’ clavigero (key keeper) at 6am as they open door after door to switch on the lights for the day ahead, or after dusk, leading towards the Sistine Chapel. Here, devoid of crowds, Michelangelo’s magnum opus seems even more staggering. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, wandering through the city and wondering if anything else can quite compare.

Overnight: Inn at the Spanish Steps

Day 10 Transfer to the airport for your flight home