Footsteps of the 442nd visiting Italy, France and Germany.
Join us as we travel to the heart of Europe to see some of the sites where brave Nisei soldiers fought in World War II. Along the way, you’ll experience some of the most spectacular cities and scenery in Europe. Join us on
a wonderful journey.

Day one - Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 - overnight flight to Rome On a typical tour, a Yamato staff person will meet you at LAX and introduce you to your travel companions (other people who have chosen this tour) - then you will board an overnight flight to Rome.

Day two - Thursday, April 11th - Rome This morning you will arrive in Rome. You’ll meet Philippe, your travel escort, at the airport. He will bring you and your group to your comfortable hotel in the heart of the bustling Italian capital. You’ll have time to freshen up and rest from your flight. You can enjoy a light snack (we generally provide you with fresh fruit upon check-in). Some clients choose to “put their feet up” and rest from their travels. If you don’t feel like resting, Philippe will be more than happy to provide you with his cure for jetlag: a relaxed, well-paced walk to explore a bit of Rome. This evening we’ll regroup and you’ll enjoy a nice welcome dinner in the heart of the city. (D)

Day three -Friday, April 12th - Rome An amazing day of sightseeing today begins with a tour of the Vatican Museum including a visit to the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Afterwards, you’ll enjoy a tour of where
you will see all of the highlights of Rome. You’ll view the Roman Forum; the site where Julius Caesar was assassinated; the Colosseum and many other legendary monuments and sites. (B, D)

Day four - Saturday, April 13th - travel to Monte Cassino This morning you’ll be able to enjoy Rome at your leisure. Just before noon, Philippe will meet with you to give you a brief historical overview of the story of the arrival of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team in Italy. You’ll learn about the Nisei soldier’s first battle experiences of the war in the autumn of 1943 as they fought their way up the boot of Italy to liberate Rome.
By noon, we’ll check out of our hotel and travel to nearby Cassino in the Italian region of Lazio. We will follow
in the footsteps of the “Go for Broke” Regimental Combat Team, visiting the fascinating war sites and the amazing Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino. The Abbey which dates from the 6th century, was a key site in
the story of the American and Allied liberation of Italy. After visiting the area we will proceed to a small villa
in the countryside (our home for the next two nights) where a nice dinner awaits. (B, D)

Day five – Sunday, April 14th – Visit Salerno Today after a nice breakfast at our charming countryside villa,
we travel southward to the region of Naples to see some important wartime sites, including Salerno where the 100th Infantry Battalion landed in Europe in September of 1943. This is the chronological beginning of the Nisei path in Europe. Our local military history expert will explain many interesting points of interest along the way. A visit to the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial is planned for the afternoon. We’ll return to our little villa for a very nice dinner this evening. (B, D)

Day six – Monday, April 15th – travel to Pisa and onto Florence Rise and Shine! Today is a busy day of travel
as we head northward to the legendary city of Pisa. You’ll see plenty of interesting sights along the way - we’ll stop for a picnic lunch en route. This afternoon you will arrive in Pisa where you will visit the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) with a local guide. You’ll see the famous Leaning Tower and the Baptistry. We’ll tour the interior of the Duomo, Pisa’s stunning medieval cathedral and we’ll also see the Campo Santo, which is a monumental cemetery dating from the middle ages. In Pisa you will discover the heavy toll which Allied bombing took on some of Italy’s (and humanity’s) irreplaceable cultural treasures, you’ll begin to truly understand the significance of the Nisei soldier’s contribution to the liberation of Europe. During the course of this 11-day tour you’ll learn with your own eyes and you will develop a true appreciation for the culture and history of Europe. Pisa is a good starting point.   By the time we reach the overwhelmingly historic city of Florence this afternoon, you’ll have followed in some of  the footsteps of the 442nd’s campaign in the summer and early fall of 1944 along the famous Arno River. (B, L, D)

Day seven - Tuesday, April 16th - Exploring Florence Today after a hearty breakfast at our hotel we will set
out  to explore Florence, one of Europe’s most beautiful cities. We’ll take a walking tour with a local guide in the
heart of the historic district. You’ll learn that Florence is one of the greatest art centers that the world has ever seen (geniuses like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci worked here and left an indelible mark on society and culture). Our walking tour will include all of the important highlights and will end at the impressive Duomo, Florence’s most iconic landmark. You will be able to enjoy lunch on your own in the heart of the city. An afternoon tour to a museum (perhaps to see Michelangelo’s David) or leisure and shopping time are possible. (B)

Day eight - Wednesday, April 17th - travel through Switzerland to rural France A busy day of travel today as we shift from the story of the 442nd’s Italian military campaign, to the story of the liberation of France and the legendary tale of the Lost Battalion. To do so, we have a lot of territory to cross! You’ll have breakfast in Italy, lunch in Switzerland and dinner in France (just to give you an idea!). You’ll likely enjoy the scenery along the way as we’ll be crossing some of the prettiest areas in Europe. Tonight we will arrive in a charming French town where we will spend the next two nights. You’ll enjoy a relaxed dinner in typical French style. (B, D)

Day nine - Thursday, April 18th - The day of the Lost Battalion Today we will explore the French region of the Vosges around the historic towns of Bruyeres and Biffontaine where the 442nd fought valiantly against Hitler’s troops in October and November of 1944. You’ll learn all about the exploits of the Nisei in France as well as the famous Lost Battalion. It is remarkable to imagine how these young Japanese-American soldiers must have felt, thousands of miles away from home - battling at the very doorstep of the German Reich - facing a formidable German foe, in the cold of November! (B, D)

Day ten - Friday, April 19th - Travel into Germany’s Baden
WŸrttemberg region An exciting day as we leave the Vosges region of France for neighboring Germany. We’ll travel through the legendary Black Forest on our way to Gernany’s Romantic Road (the country’s first tourism route from the time of it’s recovery after the war). You’ll see several beautiful villages on the way. Our night will be spent in the charming town of Ulm whose stone church has the tallest gothic spire in Europe. This evening you’ll enjoy a nice walk in a fisherman’s village by the Danube River after dinner. (B, D)

Day eleven – Saturday, April 20th – Dachau and Munich
Today will likely be a day where you will experience some difficult emotions. We will visit the site of the Nazi concentration camp at Dachau near Munich. You’ll understand the incredible horror of the Holocaust and will surely be touched to know that the valor of the Nisei soldiers who fought along the route that we have traced through Europe ultimately led to the liberation of this camp in 1945. Afterwards we will shift gears completely and travel to nearby Munich which is a lovely, lively and exuberant city - Philippe will be on hand to put it all into perspective for you and to help change your mood. If it is possible, we will arrange for a visit of the BMW factory floor this afternoon. Afterwards we’ll enjoy a really nice German meal in a typical Bavarian restaurant together. (B, D)

Day twelve – Sunday, April 21st – Munich and the Alps Another fine day of sightseeing begins as we head southward into Bavaria’s rolling pre-Alpine country. Almost every view is a postcard as we travel through numerous little villages on our route to one of the most famous castles in all of Europe, Neuschwanstein Castle, built by a reputedly “mad” Bavarian king, Ludwig II. You will surely marvel at the beauty of the setting. Later in the day, depending on the weather, we will ascend the Zugspitze, Germany’s tallest peak (9721 ft) where you will enjoy amazing views of the German and Austrian Alps. At the top of the mountain, you can take a step or two into Austria as the peak sits exactly on the border of the two countries. Having come from all the way in southern Italy to the highest point in Germany is a perfect way to cap our tour to Europe. This afternoon we will return to Munich where a fine farewell dinner awaits. (B, D)

Day thirteen – Monday, April 22nd – Munich and the Alps This morning, after a hearty breakfast, Philippe will take you to Munichs’ Franz Josef Strauss Airport where you will board a return flight home. (B)

 

Rate includes:
- all your hotel accommodations
- all land and rail transportation in Europe - 11 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 10 dinners
- entrance fees to all of the activities in the itinerary / and much more! Call us for details!
- kindly note that these rates are “land-only” and do not include airfare.

Cost of trip: $4,500.00
double occupancy rate $1150.00 single supplement

 
Italy, France and Germany Tour - with a 3-day, Normandy, and D-Day Beaches extension -
April 23rd to the 25th, add three more days to your European adventure: Normandy & D-Day Beaches extension

Day thirteen – Monday, April 22nd, 2013 – high speed rail to Northern  France This morning, we’ll board one of Europe’s famous high speed trains for Paris. Sit back, relax and watch the German countryside glide by your rail car’s large windows. European rail travel is wonderfully easy and comfortable, within 6 hours we will have traveled over 500 miles for an afternoon arrival in Paris. We’ll continue our route northward to the coast of France, arriving in the French resort town of Deauville on the English Channel by early evening. (B, D)

Day fourteen – Tuesday, April 23rd – Day landing beaches This morning we’ll travel nearby to the famed D-Day landing beaches of Normandy. A military expert will join us to provide information on the invasion landings. There are poignant reminders of the Second World War as you drive along some of the beaches of the D-Day landings. We’ll stop at Omaha Beach to visit the American Military Cemetery of St. Laurent. Afterwards, we’ll follow the route of the Rangers depicted in Saving Private Ryan and visit the bunkers and the Rangers’ Memorial at Pointe du Hoc. Later today we’ll continue our route to the charming town of Saint Malo in the French region of Brittany. A nice dinner in a typical bistro awaits. (B, L, D)

Day fifteen – Wednesday, April 24th – St. Malo and Mont St.  Michel This morning you’ll have an opportunity to gain an insight into the distinctive Breton lifestyle as we visit to the fortified port of St. Malo where you will enjoy some leisure time. Afterwards, we’ll travel along the coast to Mont St. Michel for a walking tour of the remarkable hill-top abbey surrounded by sea. A simple oratory was built here in the 8th century, but was subsequently expanded and enhanced over the years. The abbey’s increasing fame attracted pilgrims and, by medieval times, a ‘ville basse’ had developed, with shops and guest houses. Later today we’ll travel to the Paris region where we will overnight at a comfortable hotel near the airport. (B, D)

Day sixteen – Thursday, April 25th –  return flights home This morning, after a hearty breakfast, Philippe will take you to Charles de Gaulle Airport where you will board a return flight home. (B)

One, two or three day extensions in with Philippe in Paris are possible. Contact us for details.
This itinerary is subject to change.
 
Normandy & D-Day Beaches extension - April 22nd to the 25th, 2013
Rate includes:
- all your hotel accommodations
- 3 breakfasts, 3 dinners
- all land transportation including high speed rail service from Munich to Deauville

 - entrance fees to all of the activities in the itinerary / and much more! Call us for details!
- kindly note that these rates are “land only” and do not include airfare.

 

go for broke!
unofficial slogan of the Nisei soldiers of the 442nd in Europe

 

This special tour was designed to give you an opportunity to visit some very important sites in the history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. However, the tour is not uniquely about the war. It is also a tour that will highlight some of the prettiest scenery in Europe along with some of it’s most fascinating cities and monuments. You’ll experience the best of Europe. Excellent food, comfortable hotels and you’ll create plenty of memories along the way! There are no large monuments to the 442nd in Europe - the ruins have been rebuilt and scars of war have healed. But by seeing the places these brave men fought and by seeing what Europe has become, we feel that you will experience something far greater than any monument: the freedom of the people of Europe and their gratitude towards Americans such as the Nisei.

Cost $1400
Single occupancy supplement:$350

 
Yamato Travel Bureau ®
250 East First Street, Suite 1112 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: (213) 680-0333
Email: groups@yamatotravel.com Website: www.yamatotravel.com
(CST # 1019309-10)