France & Italy
Summer Mosaic
The Tour, The Renaissance, The Eternal City · 11 Days · Côte d'Azur · Florence · Rome
Mosaico Travels
Curated Luxury · Exceptional Destinations
From the roar of the peloton
to the hush of the Sistine.
This is a journey built on three of the great rituals of European summer: a stage of the Tour de France in the Alps above Nice, a long lunch in the Chianti hills above Florence, and a morning inside the Vatican before the city wakes.
Eleven days. Three remarkable cities. Three hotels chosen for character over scale. A pace that breathes — never breathless, never idle. The Côte d'Azur for the glamour and the sport. Florence for the Renaissance and the wine. Rome for the ruins and the sacred. A summer mosaic, as it should be told.
- A private fixer-arranged Alpine stage day at the Tour de France
- Hôtel La Pérouse on Castle Hill above Vieux Nice — sea-view rooms, heated pool
- Hotel Lungarno on the Arno, steps from Ponte Vecchio — Ferragamo family-owned
- Hotel d'Inghilterra in Rome, by the Spanish Steps — Hemingway's old haunt
- Private guided morning at the Uffizi & Accademia in Florence
- Standard early-access Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel tour
- A Chianti Classico afternoon — one estate, one long lunch
Three chapters,
one quiet thread.
The Mediterranean light is the constant. The cypresses and the limestone change form between countries — pines along the Promenade des Anglais, olive groves rolling south from Florence, umbrella pines over the Appian Way — but the light, the rhythm of long lunches and late dinners, the unhurried beauty of summer: that thread runs through all eleven days.
Your Detailed Mosaic
Eleven days threading the Côte d'Azur, Tuscany and Rome — with one Alpine stage day at the Tour de France as the headline moment of the first chapter.
Nice, Côte d'Azur
Arrive Nice · Hôtel La Pérouse · Welcome Dinner in Vieux Nice
Fly into Nice Côte d'Azur and your Mosaico private transfer climbs Castle Hill to Hôtel La Pérouse — a hidden 4-star perched above the Promenade des Anglais with sea-view rooms looking straight across the Baie des Anges. Settle in, take a swim in the heated outdoor pool tucked into the cliff face, and gather at sunset for a Welcome Dinner in Vieux Nice: socca, petits farcis, daube niçoise, and a bottle of chilled rosé from Bandol just up the coast.
Èze, Cap Ferrat & the Corniches
The Moyenne Corniche · Èze Village · Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
A leisurely morning in Vieux Nice and the Cours Saleya flower market, then a private drive east along the Moyenne Corniche — the same road Grace Kelly drove in To Catch a Thief. First stop: the medieval village of Èze, clinging to its rock 1,400 feet above the sea, with its exotic garden and panoramic views back toward Cap Ferrat. Continue down to Cap Ferrat for lunch at the port and an afternoon at Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild — nine themed gardens around a rose-pink Belle Époque palace. Back to Nice for dinner at leisure.
Alpine Stage · Tour de France
Stage Day — A Summit Finish in the Alps
The headline day of the journey. Before dawn, your Mosaico private transfer climbs north into the Alps to a reserved spectator position on a summit-finish stage of the Tour de France. A Mosaico fixer holds your roadside spot from the night before — well clear of the chaos lower on the mountain — and arrives with champagne on ice, a charcuterie picnic of Beaufort, saucisson, baguette and stone fruit, and a folding bistro setup that turns a roadside curve into the best seat in cycling.
The publicity caravan comes first, a rolling carnival of horns and confetti. Then the breakaway, then a helicopter chatter that signals the peloton, then the riders themselves — close enough to hear the chains and the breathing. Back to Nice late afternoon, dinner in the Old Town.
Monaco & the Riviera
Monaco · Riviera Leisure · Farewell-to-France Dinner
A lighter day after the mountain. A morning excursion to Monaco — Casino Square, the Palace, the changing of the Grimaldi guard, and lunch at the port watching the superyachts come in. Afternoon back at La Pérouse for the pool, a Mediterranean swim, and the long siesta that summer in this part of the world was designed for. A Farewell-to-France dinner on a terrace overlooking the Baie des Anges.
Nice → Florence
Transfer to Florence · Hotel Lungarno · Evening Passeggiata
A travel day, taken at a Mediterranean pace. Either a morning train along the Ligurian coast via Genoa and Milan to Florence, or a short charter flight Nice–Florence — your Mosaico concierge will recommend based on the day's schedule. Arrive late afternoon at Hotel Lungarno on the Arno, just steps from Ponte Vecchio, and check into a river-view room with the bridge framed in the window. Evening passeggiata across the Ponte Vecchio and aperitivo on a rooftop with the Duomo in golden light.
Florence — Renaissance Day
Uffizi & Accademia · The Duomo · Oltrarno Dinner
A private guided morning through the two great Renaissance collections: the Uffizi for Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Leonardo's Annunciation, Caravaggio's Medusa; then the Accademia for Michelangelo's David — better in person than any photograph has ever promised. Lunch in the San Lorenzo market quarter. Afternoon at the Duomo complex: Brunelleschi's dome (climbable, 463 steps, worth every one), the Baptistery, Giotto's campanile. Evening in the Oltrarno — Florence's quieter, more artisan side of the Arno — for dinner.
Chianti Classico
A Long Lunch in the Chianti Hills
A leisurely morning in Florence — perhaps the Boboli Gardens or Palazzo Pitti — before a private drive south into the Chianti Classico hills. A single estate visit, chosen for character: a short walk through the vines, a glass of Chianti Classico Riserva in the cellar, and a long Tuscan lunch on a terrace overlooking the rows — burrata, ribollita, a pasta course, grilled meats from the Val di Chiana, and pecorino with chestnut honey. Back to Florence by early evening. Dinner at leisure.
Florence → Rome
Frecciarossa to Rome · Hotel d'Inghilterra · Centro Storico at Dusk
A late-morning Frecciarossa from Florence Santa Maria Novella covers the 230 miles to Roma Termini in 90 minutes — Italy's high-speed rail at its civilised best, espresso at your seat. A short transfer to Hotel d'Inghilterra, your home for the next four nights: a 16th-century palazzo on Via Bocca di Leone, steps from the Spanish Steps and Via Condotti, with the kind of literary history (Mark Twain, Henry James, Hemingway) that you can feel in the wood-panelled bar. Late afternoon walk through Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain — Rome at golden hour, when the marble glows. Dinner in the centro storico.
Vatican City
Early-Access Vatican Museums · Sistine Chapel · St. Peter's Basilica
The Vatican before the crowds. Mosaico arranges standard early-access entry — the Museums open to your small group before the public hours begin, giving you the long Gallery of Maps, the Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel with breathing room rather than shoulder-to-shoulder. From the Sistine, you continue through to St. Peter's Basilica: Bernini's baldachin, Michelangelo's Pietà, and — for those who want it — Bramante's dome climbed for the view back across the colonnade. Done by lunchtime. Afternoon at leisure — Castel Sant'Angelo, a Trastevere wander, or the hotel pool. Dinner in Trastevere.
Ancient Rome
Colosseum & Forum · Palatine Hill · Farewell Dinner
The other Rome — older, ruined, magnificent. A private guided morning: skip-the-line entry to the Colosseum with arena-floor access (a privilege most visitors never see), then down through the Roman Forum and up onto Palatine Hill, where the Caesars built their palaces and the city's name itself was born. Lunch in Monti, the neighbourhood that has always been Rome's working heart. The afternoon belongs to you — perhaps the Villa Borghese gardens, or a quiet hour at the Pantheon. A Farewell Dinner at one of Rome's great atmospheric tables, somewhere like Pierluigi or Roscioli.
Rome — Departure
Leisurely Morning · Private Transfer to Fiumicino
A slow Roman morning — a final cappuccino at the bar of a favourite café, perhaps one more passeggiata through the Piazza di Spagna. Late check-out where the schedule allows. Your Mosaico private transfer to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino sees you to your flight home, the summer mosaic complete.
The Tour de France,
from the right curve
Watching the Tour live on television is one thing. Watching it from a switchback on a summit-finish stage, three feet from the white line, while the publicity caravan throws confetti and the helicopters track the peloton up the mountain — that is something else entirely.
The challenge with mountain stages is the logistics: roads close hours ahead, parking vanishes, the best spots are taken by RVs that have been waiting for three days. Mosaico solves this with a dedicated stage-day fixer who holds your position from the night before, transports you up at dawn before the closures, and brings the picnic.
You bring a hat and a camera. We bring the champagne, the charcuterie, the position, and the timing.
Nice & the Côte d'Azur
Four nights anchored on Castle Hill above the Baie des Anges. A morning in Vieux Nice, an afternoon along the Corniches, a day in Monaco, and the headline Alpine stage. The Riviera at its most timeless.
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Hôtel La Pérouse
A hidden 4-star tucked into the cliff face of Castle Hill, directly above the Promenade des Anglais and Vieux Nice. From the upper rooms, you look straight out across the Baie des Anges; from the heated outdoor pool — cut into the rock — you look straight down. Sixty rooms, an orange-tree courtyard for breakfast, a small terrace bar that catches the last of the evening sun.
The location is the magic of it. You're on Castle Hill, so you're above the city — quiet, breezy, just enough remove. But the Cours Saleya flower market is a five-minute walk down the hill, and Vieux Nice begins at the bottom of the lift. Recently fully renovated; consistently among the Riviera's most loved small properties.
- Sea-view rooms over Baie des Anges
- Heated outdoor pool · cliff terrace
- Orange-tree breakfast courtyard
- Sauna & solarium
- Restaurant & rooftop lounge
- 5 min walk to Vieux Nice & Cours Saleya
Florence & the Chianti hills
Three nights on the Arno, with the Duomo's terracotta dome ten minutes' walk away. The greatest concentration of Renaissance art in the world, a private estate lunch in the Chianti Classico hills, and the slower pleasures of the Oltrarno across the river.
A long lunch
in the Chianti hills
The Tuscan afternoon is its own institution — a meal that begins around one and ends, somehow, near five, with the cypresses casting longer shadows than they did when you sat down. Mosaico arranges one estate visit in the Chianti Classico zone, chosen for character over scale: a working family quinta, a short vineyard walk, a glass of Riserva in the cellar before the food arrives.
Then lunch on the terrace: burrata, ribollita, a hand-rolled pasta course, grilled meats from the Val di Chiana, and pecorino with chestnut honey to close. Three or four estate wines through the meal. No rush — your driver waits patiently in the shade, and Florence is only an hour away.
The wine moment, taken seriously but not solemnly. Lunch first, geography second.
Hotel Lungarno
Sixty-five rooms on the Arno, 100 metres from the Ponte Vecchio, owned by the Ferragamo family — a sentence that sums up the address better than any description could. The river-facing rooms look directly at the bridge; the corner suites get the bridge and the Duomo above the rooftops. Interiors by Florentine architect Michele Bonan: navy and ivory, polished brass, a 400-piece modern art collection threaded through the public spaces (Picasso, Cocteau, Bueno).
Borgo San Jacopo, the hotel's restaurant on the riverfront, holds a Michelin star and is one of Florence's most coveted tables. The location — on the Oltrarno side, but a one-minute walk to the bridge — gives you both worlds: the quiet of the artisan side, the centre five minutes away on foot.
- Arno-front river-view rooms
- 100m to Ponte Vecchio
- Borgo San Jacopo · 1 Michelin Star
- Ferragamo family-owned
- 400-piece modern art collection
- Fitness centre & bicycle rental
Rome & the Vatican
Four nights by the Spanish Steps. Early-access Vatican mornings, arena-floor Colosseum access, Trevi at golden hour, dinner in Trastevere. The city that has been the centre of Western civilisation for, at this point, more than two and a half thousand years.
The Vatican,
before the city wakes
The Vatican Museums see more than six million visitors a year. Standard public hours mean shoulder-to-shoulder galleries and a Sistine Chapel you experience more by sound than by sight. The single best thing Mosaico arranges in Rome is the answer to this: early-access entry, the museum doors opened to your small group before public hours begin.
The Gallery of Maps without the queue. The Raphael Rooms with breathing room. The Sistine Chapel quiet enough that you can actually look up — the way the room was built to be looked at — and stay as long as you like. From the chapel, your guide takes you through to St. Peter's Basilica for the Pietà, Bernini's baldachin, and (if you wish) the climb up Bramante's dome for the view back across the colonnade.
The afternoon is yours — Castel Sant'Angelo, a Trastevere wander, or the simple Roman pleasure of doing nothing at all.
Hotel d'Inghilterra
A 16th-century palazzo originally built as guest quarters for the Torlonia princes, converted into a hotel in 1845, and quietly running ever since as one of Rome's most literary addresses. Mark Twain stayed here. Henry James. Elizabeth Taylor. Gregory Peck. Hemingway. The wood-panelled Café Romano bar has the kind of patina you cannot fake and cannot buy.
The location is the second reason to choose it: Via Bocca di Leone, a quiet side street one minute from Via Condotti and the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain is a five-minute walk. The Pantheon, seven. Recently and completely renovated with deep respect for the building's history. Awarded a Four-Star rating by Forbes Travel Guide 2026.
- 16th-century palazzo · history since 1845
- Spanish Steps & Via Condotti · 2 min walk
- Café Romano · panoramic terrace
- Forbes Four-Star Award 2026
- Trevi Fountain · 5 min walk
- Pantheon · 7 min walk
Everything Taken Care Of
Three Signature Hotels — 10 Nights
Four nights at Hôtel La Pérouse (sea-view room), three nights at Hotel Lungarno (Arno river-view), four nights at Hotel d'Inghilterra (deluxe room). All 4-star, daily breakfast included.
Tour de France Stage Day
Private fixer-arranged Alpine summit-finish stage. Pre-positioned roadside spot, dawn transfer, champagne and charcuterie picnic, return to Nice. The headline day of the trip.
Private Guides & Skip-the-Line Access
Florence: private morning at Uffizi & Accademia. Rome: early-access Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, private Colosseum tour with arena-floor access, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill.
Chianti Classico Afternoon
Private estate visit in the Chianti Classico zone: vineyard walk, cellar visit, and a long Tuscan lunch with three to four estate wines on a terrace overlooking the vines.
All Transfers & Inter-City Travel
Private airport transfers (NCE arrival, FCO departure), Corniche & Monaco day-trip transfers, Nice–Florence transit, Frecciarossa first-class Florence–Rome, all city transfers.
Welcome, Signature & Farewell Dinners
Welcome Dinner in Vieux Nice, Farewell-to-France Dinner overlooking Baie des Anges, signature dinner in Florence's Oltrarno, and Farewell Dinner at a Roman institution.
Package Pricing
Per person starting from rates. Includes ten nights across three signature 4-star hotels, the Tour de France stage day, all private guides and skip-the-line access, the Chianti afternoon, all transfers and inter-city travel, and four signature meals.
Starting From
per person · USD · double occupancy
4 nights La Pérouse · 3 nights Lungarno · 4 nights d'Inghilterra · Tour de France stage day with fixer · Private Uffizi · Accademia · Vatican · Colosseum tours · Chianti Classico estate lunch · All transfers · Frecciarossa · Welcome & Farewell Dinners
Starting From
per person · USD · double occupancy
Same hotels, same cities, same Italy programme · Stage-day option without the private fixer arrangement (television viewing, late lunch, Nice at leisure) · All other inclusions identical · A quieter Day Three for the partner who'd rather sleep in
"To travel from the Riviera to Florence to Rome in one summer is not three trips. It is one — the long, southern, sun-warmed arc that European travel has always been about. You arrive home tanned, well-fed, and quietly different."— A Mosaico Traveller, summer journey 2025
Your France & Italy
Mosaic Awaits
We warmly invite you to reach out — and would genuinely love to schedule time to walk you through every detail, from the Tour de France stage logistics to the Chianti estate to the Vatican tour timing. The Mosaico team is here, and we welcome the conversation.