Meet your guide in central Milan and then travel northeast in the direction of the Dolomites  Italy’s famously beautiful mountain range that’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After a journey of roughly 2.5 hours by coach, you’ll arrive in Bolzano, the capital of Italy’s South Tyrol province.

After a walk through town to stretch your legs, take the Renon cable car from the center of town to Soprabolzano  a small hamlet half-way up Renon Plateau. Traveling to an altitude of 4,006 feet (1,221m), the cable car lends sublime panoramic views, and as Bolzano slips from your view, the rolling hills and mountains take center stage.

In Soprabolzano, walk across to the Ritten Railway (known locally as the Rittner Bahn) to hop aboard a 100-year-old electric train for a scenic ride to Collalbo -- a chocolate-box village perched high on Renon Plateau. On arrival, enjoy time at leisure for lunch (own expense) or to simply stroll around and explore. The countryside that surrounds the village is unspoiled mountain scenery at its very best, and there are countless walking trails just waiting to be explored. The area is noted for its intriguing earth pyramids (jagged rock formations that jut out of the ground) and your guide will happily point you in the right direction should you want to see these up close.

At the pre-arranged time, meet your guide for your bus transfer back to Bolzano. Often described as 'culturally confused,' Bolzano became Italian only recently (during World War I), and its bustling beer gardens and Rationalistic architecture attest to its German roots. Take a walking tour around its town center, soaking up its Tyrolean ambiance, while hearing about its history and culture from your guide. Stop for photos in Piazza Walther and colorful Piazza delle Erbe, and then hop back on board your coach for the journey back to Milan.