Nice Springtime Carnival & Menton Lemon Festival

We continue our journey over the border into Italy and onto our hotel on the Italian Rivera.

A leisurely start precedes this morning's journey coastal drive along the Riviera of Flowers to Alassio. Adorned with flowers and boasting a gorgeous beach, why not stroll this chic resort's 'carrugio' - a picturesque Ligurian promenade? We return via a visit to ancient Cervo, a beautifully preserved medieval village listed as one of Italy's most beautiful.

Enjoy a day at leisure in Diano Marina, 'the city of the orange trees', at your own pace. Alternatively, why not join our optional excursion? Our first stop is to visit Galimard, one of the world's oldest perfumeries. Our guided tour takes us into the enchanting world of perfume-making, where we learn how unique, exquisite fragrances come to life. From here, we continue to the tiny principality of Monaco. Less than a square mile in size, we visit the unofficial capital of Monte Carlo, home to the Royal Palace and Saint Nicholas Cathedral, where Prince Rainier married Grace Kelly in 1956. We continue via the roads of the Monaco Grand Prix to the Monte Carlo Casino, where you'll find fantastic shops and millionaire's yachts in its bustling marina.<br />

Known as the 'City of Flowers', we visit elegant Sanremo this morning, considered to be the Italian Riviera's most glittering resort with a picturesque harbour awash with stylish shops. We return to Diano Marina for an afternoon at leisure.

We make our way to the glamorous coastal city of Nice, the jewel of the French Riviera, for the vibrant Nice Spring Carnival. Escorted by a local guide, this annual event dates back to the thirteenth century and marks the end of winter and the start of spring. We have included reserved grandstand seats for the best view of the Flower Parade as flamboyant floats, colourful costumes and a cast of thousands featuring musicians and dancers join the procession, which winds its way through the ancient streets. Whilst in Nice, don't miss the opportunity to wander around the atmospheric old town with its pastel façades and ornate balconies and the famous Promenade des Anglais beside the shimmering Mediterranean Sea.

A local guide again escorts us on our final excursion as we again cross the French border to the idyllic harbour town of Menton; one of the most blissful resorts on the Côte d'Azur, home to idyllic lemon gardens and sandy beaches.Our visit here coincides with another annual event, the unique Menton Lemon Festival, for which tonnes of lemons are used to create elaborate floats, imaginative sculptures and fantastic works of art. We again include grandstand tickets for the zesty-scented parade of colourful fruit-decorated floats along the Promenade de Soleil, with marching bands and drum majorettes creating a carnival atmosphere.

We bid 'arrivederci' to Italy and return home with an overnight stop along the way.