Custom Concert Tour Sample Destinations

New York City
Croatia
Spain
United Kingdom Germany/Austria
Italy
Czech Republic

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"...I want to thank you and your staff for a truly wonderful tour. Your company did an outstanding job putting together this custom tour package for us."

Lindy Rust, Choir Director
Crescent City, CA

DAY 1: USA - ROME, ITALY

Flight from Cleveland to Rome, Italy. Dinner, breakfast and snacks are served on the flight.

DAY 2: ROME

Arrival in Rome. After proceeding through Passport Control and Customs, you will be met by your Music Contact International tour escort. Together, transfer by motor coach from the airport to the hotel to deposit baggage. Join your Music Contact International tour escort for an Orientation Walk of the hotel neighborhood before enjoying a tasty Italian Welcome Lunch in the hotel or neighborhood restaurant. Following lunch, check into the hotel and relax for the remainder of the afternoon. In the evening, dinner will be arranged for your choir in a charming Rome eatery.

DAY 3: ROME

After breakfast at the hotel, meet your local guide and begin your exploration of Rome with a panoramic city tour. One of the most ancient sites in Europe, Rome was founded over 2,700 years ago. Since then it has been continually inhabited, first as the headquarters of the Roman Empire and then of the Catholic Church. Rome has made an immense impact on the world. The city of Rome is a blend of ancient and Christian monuments tracing history and time leading up to present day. Rome's architectural influences are evidence of its age. Throughout the city are Classical, Renaissance and Baroque structures, which dominate the skyline. The combination of Roman antiquities, Christian monuments, and a contemporary Italian metropolitan city make Rome continuously fascinating and enticing. Your tour will orient you to the wonders of Ancient Rome. View Capitoline Hill, citadel of ancient Rome, which was given a face-lift in 1536 by Michelangelo, who redesigned the piazza, renovated the facades of the palaces, and built a new staircasethe Cordonata. From the Tarpeian Rock, from which traitors in ancient Rome were believed to have been thrown to their deaths, get your first glimpse of the entire Roman Forum, which lies below. Visit the Roman Forum, which was formerly the religious, political, and commercial center of Rome and includes such sites as the House of the Vestal Virgins and the Basilica of Constantine. The site, left in ruins following the decline of the empire and the rise of Christianity, reveals much of ancient Rome through incredibly massive remains and recent excavations. See the massive Colosseum, Rome's greatest amphitheater, which offers a breathtaking example of classical architecture, using columns in the Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles. Just past the Colosseum is the triumphal Arch of Constantine, which celebrates Constantine's victory over Maxentius in 315 AD.

You may wish to spend lunchtime at the Spanish Steps or the Trevi Fountain. The Spanish Steps were built in the 17th century to link the church with Piazza di Spagna by building a magnificent new flight of steps. The steps are now a popular place to sit and write postcards, or to take photos. The Trevi Fountain is Rome's largest, built in 1762. The afternoon is free to explore the area on your own or with your tour escort, who can recommend cafes and pizzerias for lunch and areas for shopping and sightseeing. Your escort will also help you get oriented to the city so you feel at ease using public transportation. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening.

DAY 4: ROME • CONCERT

After breakfast at the hotel, embark on a tour of Vatican City. See the masterpieces of the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel, with its breathtaking frescos by Michelangelo, and the Raphael Rooms, which works established Raphael's reputation in Rome. See St. Peter's Square, the largest part of Vatican City, the world's smallest state and the only European State to be ruled by an absolute monarch (the Pope). Set up in 1929 to include 109 acres, about 500 people live here, and as well as accommodations for staff and ecclesiastics, the city has its own post office, banks, currency, judicial system, radio stations, shops, and a daily newspaper. Discover the beauty of St. Peter's Basilica, Catholicism's most sacred shrine, where your choir will be singing later in the day. View the "Pieta" by Michelangelo and the breathtaking interior work by Bernini. Following the tour, there will be free time for lunch before getting ready for your St. Peter's performance.

In the late afternoon, regroup in St. Peter's Square to prepare and rehearse for your evening performance. Your choir will perform in St. Peter's Basilica for the evening Mass (concert self-arranged by Heritage Chorale). After mass, a special "Dining with the Tenors" meal will be arranged for your choir. The meal is a festive way to end a glorious day and is the perfect way to close your visit to Rome!

DAY 5: ROME - FLORENCE

After breakfast at the hotel, check out of the Rome hotel and depart for Florence. A stop for lunch will be made along the way. Upon arrival in Florence, check in to the hotel and settle in. Later in the afternoon, join your tour escort for an Orientation Walk in colorful Florence. The city of Florence sprang to life as a Roman colony in 59 B.C. Captured by the Lombards in the 6th century, the city later emerged from the Dark Ages as an independent city state. By the 13th century the city was flourishing through its wool and textile trade and a powerful banking sector, which turned the city into one of Italy's leading powers. At first Florence was ruled by the guilds and later by the Florentine Republic, but in time, power passed to the leading noble families, of which the most influential were the Medici, a hugely wealthy banking dynasty. Florence and later Tuscany, remained under the family's control for three centuries. During this time, Florence became the intellectual and cultural heart of Europe. By 1737 the Medici family had died out, leaving the city under Austrian (and briefly Napoleonic) control until Italian Unification in 1860. From 1865-1871 Florence was the capital of the new Kingdom of Italy. As you walk through the narrow streets of Florence, you will be immersed in the spectacular history and culture of one of Italy's most fascinating cities. In the evening, enjoy dinner on your own in Florence—your tour escort will be happy to accompany you.

DAY 6: FLORENCE • FRIENDSHIP CONCERT

After breakfast at the hotel, meet a local English-speaking guide for a city tour of Florence. Florence, a treasure chest of art and architecture is a city in which past Italian, artistic and intellectual genius flourished. Masters such as Michelangelo and Dante decorated the city and there is no doubt that Florence will cultivate future masterpieces. See Santa Maria del Fiore - the Duomo, or cathedral of Florence. This structure dominates the city with its enormous dome, which was built to dwarf even the great buildings of ancient Greece and Rome. The Baptistry, located next to the Duomo, contains colorful 13th century mosaics and is the place where Dante was baptized. Also at the Bapistry admire Lorenzo Ghiberti's glowing doors, often termed the "Gates of Paradise" because of its 10 panels, displaying scriptural subjects in gold. See the Palazzo Vecchio or "Old Palace". Completed in 1322, its huge bell was meant to warn citizens of fire, flood or enemy attack. Stop at Piazzale Michelangelo, which offers a magnificent view of the old town center, and the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge, which was built in 1345 and is the oldest bridge in Florence.

Following the tour, there will be free time for lunch and shopping. You may wish to take an optional tour of the Galleria dell'Accademia. Founded in 1563, the Accademia was the first school in Europe to start teaching the techniques of drawing, painting and sculpting and by 1784, the gallery was formed with the sole purpose of providing students of the academy with material to study and to copy. Since 1873, many of Michelangelo's most important works have been housed in the Accademia, including perhaps his most famous piece, David (1504).

In the evening, visit a Florentine church where your choir has been invited to participate in a Friendship Concert with the Italian church choir (pending confirmation). After the concert enjoy mingling with the host choir before returning to Florence city center for independent dinner.

DAY 7: FLORENCE - VENICE • CONCERT

After breakfast at the hotel, check out of the Florence hotel continue on your journey through Italy to Venice. A stop for lunch will be made along the way. Upon arrival check in to your hotel in Venice/Mestre and later, join your tour escort and local Venice guide for an excursion by ferry to Venice Island where your choir will sing in Basilica San Marco (pending confirmation). Venice is considered by many to be the most beautiful city in the world. The city is situated on an archipelago on the water. Canals crisscross the city streets, acting as channels of transportation and giving the city its unique atmosphere. Venice also has a tremendous harbor where ships from around the world can be seen at berth. The city is made up of 118 islands, over 450 bridges and more than 180 canals. The city of Venice is built on a patchwork of more than 100 low-lying islands. To overcome this obstacle, early Venetian builders created unique building techniques erecting structures with impermeable stone supported by larchwood rafts and timber piles. This technique proved to be effective, as most existing Venetian structures are at least 400 years old. Your guide will show you the highlights of Venice and orient you to Basilica San Marco, where your choir will sing during evening mass (pending confirmation). Basilica San Marco is the third church to stand on this site. Built on a Greek cross plan and crowned with five huge domes, it is now used as the private chapel for State ceremonies. Leisure in the evening, dinner can be arranged for the choir on the island before returning to the hotel.

DAY 8: VENICE

Following breakfast at the hotel, spend the morning in Venice. See the famous glass blower's shops and the Canal Grande dotted with the Gondoliers that glide along the water. Pass by the Doge's Palace (the Palazzo Ducale), a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, including the ornate hall of the great council and its prison, from which Casanova made his spectacular escape in 1755. The palace began in the 9th century as the seat of government and the Palace of Justice. The interior is decorated with historical paintings and ornate rooms displaying the wealth and power of the Venetian Republic. See the famous Bridge of Sighs, as offenders did many decades ago on their way to the State interrogators. There is also the option to take an enchanting Gondola ride down the Grand Canal to the Santa Maria della Salute, built to commemorate the end of the 1630 plague. This great Baroque church, which is supported by over a million timber piles, is one of the city's landmarks. Perhaps climb to the top of the Campanile from which vantage point one could enjoy sublime views of the city, lagoon and, visibility permitting, the Alps. It was from this viewpoint that Galileo demonstrated his telescope to Doge Leonardo Dona in 1609.

In the afternoon, check out of the hotel and depart for Varese where your choir has been invited to perform a concert. Check into the Varese hotel and refresh. Later, join your choir for a farewell dinner in a nearby restaurant before meeting your Italian friends for a 9pm concert.

DAY 9: MILAN - USA

After breakfast at the hotel, check out and depart for the airport in Milan and your return flight home.

This tour was designed as a concert tour for a church choir and ran in 2006. Please let us know if you would like us to research current prices for this tour or would like to discuss an alternative itinerary.