The Pellegrinos' dream trip started in the heart of Renaissance Italy - Florence.

They got a running start - after checking in to their deluxe hotel, Lauren, Franco & Pat spent an afternoon with one of Select Italy's most experienced guides, Paola. Together they explored the Duomo, the Campanile di Giotto and the Baptistry - the fundamental introduction to Medieval Florence.

Franco is an artist, so on his second day in Florence, he connected with Renaissance art with a quick lesson on the basics of fresco-painting in an unforgettable setting - the Palazzo Vecchio.

Then the whole family enjoyed a private tour of the secret passageways and opulent rooms of the Palazzo Vecchio, guided by none other than Giorgio Vasari himself. Finally, the Pellegrino family went behind the scenes, on an exclusive tour of the Vasari Corridor, the private passageway that connects the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi Museum to the Pitti Palace, passing over the top of the Ponte Vecchio.

On their third day, the Pellegrino family got up close and personal with one of Italy's great art masterpieces, Michelangelo's David.

First, they went to Carrara to see the quarries where Michelangelo chose the statuary marble for his masterpieces. After a visit to a sculpture studio and a chance to try out their marble-cutting skills, the Pellegrinos returned to Florence for an after-hours private visit to the Accademia Gallery, where the David is on display.

On day four, Franco, Pat & Lauren got a nice surprise - a Ferrari test-drive on the Chiantigiana, the road that leads from Florence to Chianti.

After zooming through this gorgeous countryside, they arrived at the Badia a Coltibuono, a former monastery turned B&B and cooking school. There, Chef Guido gave them a private hands-on cooking lesson and treated them to a tour of the grounds.

The next magical stop on this dream-trip was Venice - the city of canals and romance.

Here, the Pellegrino family were treated to a private water taxi transfer from Piazzale Roma to their hotel - the Grand Hotel Dei Dogi, in the quiet neighborhood of Cannaregio.

There's no more magical way to see the canals of Venice than with a gondola-ride.

Lauren, Franco & Pat glided across quiet canals below elegant palazzi with our most experienced Venice guide, Sara. Then, they disembarked onto the most amazing piazza in Italy - San Marco - where Sara gave them a taste of the history of La Serenissima. Afterwards, Pat, an avid photographer got a chance to hone her skills with a hands-on coaching session with photojournalist and author Norbert Heyl.

The Pellegrinos paid a visit to the Seguso glass workshop and saw how these Venetian artisans shape molten glass into exquisite and colorful works of art. Franco and Lauren even got a chance to try their own glass-blowing skills.

Then, that evening, in the sumptuous setting of the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista, the whole family marveled at the music and dance of Musica in Maschera, featuring traditional Venetian carnival costumes and the most popular arias of the Italian opera.

On their last day in Italy, the Pellegrino family dropped in on the charming city of Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet.

Although the opera season had moved indoor for the winter, they still took an unforgettable tour of the Verona's stunning Roman Arena.