Girl Guides: Switzerland and Italy

Experience the first World Center, opened in 1932, offering year-round activities, special events, and conferences for Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, and leaders from around the world.

Explore Lucerne with your Tour Director, set against the Alps and green pastures. Walk the Old Town’s cobblestones to Chapel Bridge, a 14th-century wooden bridge decorated with murals, and see the Lion Monument, a sandstone tribute to Swiss Guards lost in 1792. Visit the ornate Jesuit Church and take in the charm of Weinmarkt and Kornmarkt Squares.

Scale snow-capped Mount Pilatus for sweeping views of Lucerne and the Alps. From May to mid-November, cruise Lake Alpnach before riding the world’s steepest cog railway; the rest of the year, ascend by cable car. At the summit, capture frame-worthy photos, and on clear days, enjoy vistas stretching up to 200 miles.

Explore Verona’s historic centre, where Roman, medieval, and Renaissance influences meet. Piazza delle Erbe, once the Roman forum, remains a lively gathering place with frescoed buildings and markets. The Verona Arena, a 1st-century BC amphitheatre, still hosts performances today, while the Castelvecchio Bridge spans the Adige River with scenic city views.

Built on more than 100 islands in a lagoon off the Adriatic, Venice is a city like no other. With your local guide, explore its canals, bridges, and winding streets. Step into St. Mark’s Square and visit the grand Basilica, resting place of the apostle St. Mark. Tour the Doge’s Palace, cross the Bridge of Sighs to the old prison cells, and see Tintoretto’s Paradise, the world’s largest oil painting.

See why Venetian glass is famed worldwide as you watch artisans shape molten glass into delicate works of art. Learn about the craft’s rich history, traditional techniques, and how this centuries-old tradition made Venice a global centre of glassmaking.

The ultimate indulgence, a gondola ride lets you see Venice as it was meant to be seen. Each boat is crafted from 260 pieces of eight woods, with a flat bottom to glide through shallow canals and a tilted shape that allows rowing from one side. The curved iron prow, or ferro, balances the gondolier’s weight.

Discover Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. Admire the Duomo with Brunelleschi’s dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, and the Baptistery’s famed Gates of Paradise that inspired generations of artists. Visit Palazzo Vecchio on Piazza della Signoria, once the seat of Florentine power, and step inside Dante’s House to learn about the poet’s legacy. At Santa Croce, see the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli. Conclude your day by crossing the Ponte Vecchio and visiting a leather workshop to see one of Florence’s most famous crafts.

With guidance from an expert instructor, learn the techniques of the Renaissance masters and create your own unique artwork on fresh plaster to take home.

Stop in Pisa to see the famous Leaning Tower, which began tilting when builders discovered the ground beneath was too soft. Attempts to straighten it only made the lean more pronounced. The tower is part of the Campo dei Miracoli, where the baptistery, duomo, and tower together exemplify Pisan Romanesque style, clad in intricately carved black-and-white marble that gleams in the sun.

Step inside the Colosseum with a licensed guide, once the stage for gladiators, naval battles, and wild beast hunts, and explore the underground chambers where animals were kept. Continue to the Forum Romanum, the hub of Roman politics, religion, and commerce. Conclude at Piazza Venezia, framed by its grand palaces and the striking Victor Emmanuel Monument.

Meet a professional pizza chef and learn the art of dough preparation, from rolling pin to hand stretching. Discover classic garnishes like tomato, basil, oregano, and mozzarella, then create your own masterpiece with toppings from the buffet and choose your cooking style on plate or stone. Mangia!

Visit St. Peter’s Basilica, with its vast colonnades that seem to embrace the world. Inside, admire Michelangelo’s soaring dome, rising 452 feet above the ground, and his renowned Pietà. Then step into the Sistine Chapel, where the artist reluctantly painted frescoes that today stand among the world’s greatest masterpieces.

Discover Rome’s iconic landmarks on a guided walk. At the Spanish Steps, see the “sinking ship” fountain, designed that way because of low water pressure that forced the artist to sink it below street level. Marvel at the Trevi Fountain’s Baroque grandeur, the Pantheon’s soaring dome, and Piazza Navona, where Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers anchors the bustling square.