Pretty Piazzas and Renaissance Art: Luxury Florence and Venice by Train

With your expert guide you will take a detailed look at the piazze della Signoria (where political power was exercised) and del Duomo (where religious power was in charge). History covered, you will move onto art, visiting the haunts of the Renaissance greats; including the convent of San Marco, decorated by Fra Angelico, and the site of many a grizzly execution.

The market traders showcase an extraordinary selection of cheeses, meats, olive oils, biscuits, the list goes on, all of which form part of Florentine and wider Tuscan cuisine. And of course there's the famous red wine produced just outside the gates of Florence: Chianti Classico. Your visit will end with a tasting; four charcuteries, four cheeses, focaccia (typical Tuscan bread) and all manner of products made from truffles (think: oil, cream, honey and butter). You will also get to choose between tasting a selection of pastas or three wines.

Lovers of antiques can poke around Florence's 150 antique shops - if you find something you like our concierge can arrange for it to be delivered to your door, so you don't spend any time worrying about the carefulness or otherwise of airport baggage handlers. We can also arrange privately guided tours around some of the best museums in the world, including the Uffizzi and the Pitti Palace.

Bags dropped off, we recommend getting out and exploring La Serenissima on the vaporetto, Venice's water-based public transport system. Travelcards for the duration of your stay will be waiting for you in your room, so head out and explore like a local. Your detailed destination Dossier is full of our favourite things to see and do in the city, but Venice is also one of our favourite places to get lost in the winding alleys and campi -piazzas in Venice are always called campi because they were once grazing spots for the city's livestock.

Even in the most visited and showiest cities in the world there are secret spots, and together you will hunt them out, at the same time unravelling the watery city's history, from its beginnings as a malaria ridden hide-out for refugees fleeing the marauding hordes of Germanic invaders after the collapse of the Roman empire to it's peak as the trading capital of the world, and its inhabitants, from Marco Polo and Casanova to Ernest Hemmingway. You will also visit the islands of the lagoon, including Murano - where the most beautiful glass in the world is made - and Burano - ditto, but with lace - and make a stop at Venice's beach, on the lido.

We will team you up with a photographer who is an expert in taking photos with whichever camera you use - we even have iPhone photography experts - and who knows Venice like the back of their hand. As well as the sites which cannot be missed (Saint Mark's Square, the Rialto bridge, etc.) you will visit some secret spots off the tourist-beaten path to make sure your trip is immortalised in the perfect Instagram-worthy shot.