Italy Travel Tours

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To have an escorted trip to Cinque Terre, you have the choice of which mode of transportation you desire. There are either escorted tours by bus with large groups of people, or in your own or rented car.

The bus tours are more economical in price, but the tours by car give you more freedom of the places you visit, along with the time spent at each one.

One of the reasons the Cinque Terre villages and the surrounding National Park are such a wonderful vacation destination is their unspoiled beauty. This has been made possible, in part, by being included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Parts of this area are places like no other in the world. This region has 5 villages that appear to be suspended between the earth and sea. They are a wondrous site clinging to the cliffs while being surrounded by green, rolling hills.

Some of the escorted tours include visits to the nearby Lakes of Italy that include Como and Orta, which as a tiny island of San Giulio. The five villages of this region are Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore, all surrounded with rocks to climb or the ocean to swim in.

Up the rugged coast is the Italian Riviera. This is where most tourists go to. The reason Cinque Terre is not a popular destination is because the ruggedness of the terrain makes it challenging for the driver, so it is generally bypassed on the typical tours of Italy.

The average cost of an escorted trip to Cinque Terre is close to $4000. This can be reduced by $200 if your vacation is in September or October, and $500 less if taken in June.

With off-the-beaten-path Italian vacations, they can take you to places most not only have not gone to but never heard of. These are once-in-a-lifetime experiences that few people get to enjoy. These experiences are not like off the beaten paths in America where most would be thinking of exploring some rarely-gone-to wilderness area.

These types of vacations do not mean you have to avoid the star attractions like Rome, Venice, and Milan, but spending too much time there will take away for more unique experiences that is your aim.

But there are places in the tourist areas that are not well known or seen, like the La Donna Partigiana. This is the hidden statue of Venice. This statue is at the Riva Dei Sette Martiri at the water’s edge of the Castello area. During high tide, the statue is literally hidden under water. Low tide is the only time this statue, dedicated to the women that served and died in WWII, can be seen.

Just north of Rieto and south of Terni is the picturesque village of Piediluco. This island is set beside a lake by the same name. The trees in autumn are a site that will not be soon forgotten. The church at one end of town has high quality art work inside, and the village has numerous B&Bs for tourists to stay in while enjoying this peaceful little village.

On the upper west side of Italy is the Marche region. This is a place that has fantastic beaches that most tourists have never seen or heard of before. By staying off the beaten path, Italian vacations that are spent there are of authentic Italy that is not experienced by most visitors to this historic land.

The tours guided trips of Rome from Arezzo Italy can happen by car, train or bus.  It is 112 miles between the two cities, so plan to travel about two hours on the ground from your hotel in Arezzo to Rome.

In one of the most exciting and historic cities in the world, your English-speaking tour guide can open your eyes to the ancient way of life.  Begin at Capitol Square, Michelangelo’s brainchild, where you will see vistas of the city suitable for a postcard.  You’ll watch over the Roman Forum, the premiere archaeological site and the world-center for politics, religion and commerce at the time of Christ.

The Piazza Venezia is abundant with statues and ancient buildings, including the Arch of Titus.  You’ll marvel at the Pyramid of Caius Cestius which was heavily influenced by the Egyptians, and the Circus Maximus, home to the chariot races.

Visitors of all religions enjoy a trip to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, the construction of which dates back to Constantine.

This itinerary will require about four hours of time in order to allow you to absorb all that you will see. One consideration to remember when you plan your wardrobe for the day is to wear clothing deemed appropriate for a tour of the Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica.  Staff outside St. Peter’s has the authority to disallow anyone without the proper dress code from entering the building.

The dress code for the Basilica is: no skirts above the knee, no bare shoulders including sleeveless blouses or tank tops and no shorts.  Slacks for women and jeans for men and women may be worn.

With some common sense and extra vigilance with your wardrobe planning, tours guided trips of Rome from Arezzo Italy can be a marvelous history lesson.

Many Northern Italian small guided tours can cover a lot of ground simply by their nature of being limited in number.

One excursion that is popular with small groups is discovering the artisans of Florence.  Your guide can organize visits with the best that Tuscany has to offer with work in gold, silver, wood and paper.  Most tour guides in Italy have extensive education in the fine arts and they are happy to share this source of national pride with the rest of the world who comes to visit.

Florence is an artistic city that was fueled by craftspeople.  The narrow streets of the Santa Croce neighborhood are a living testament to the value placed by inhabitants to create items of beauty and function.

Among the skills you can see are artists creating marbled papers, the kind most often seen in leather-bound books.  This craft has been practiced in Florence since the year 1000.

Along the way you’ll see the ancient art of bookbinding as it was done in Galileo’s day.  Metal smiths heat, hammer and bend iron into decorative motifs used in fences, gates and stair rails.   Wood carvers chip away an ordinary piece of wood into something extraordinary, and the textile industry which offers hand woven and stenciled fabrics for designers is also on display.

By this time you will want to have lunch and your tour guide has several options for your small group.  Hidden trattorias line the cobblestone streets and beckon you with Tuscan specialties and wine.

Now you are not very far from one of the world’s most famous bridges, the Ponte Vecchio, or “old bridge”.  It’s difficult to believe anything in America with the world “old” in it would be a tourist attraction, but this is northern Italy!

Ask your guide about the many Northern Italian Small guided tours available.

Many easy Italy tours exist to give you lifelong memories of this beautiful country.  An experienced tour guide will help you not only with the language, but a guide knows the particulars of a region including  hours of operation, best routes to avoid traffic and the best food which is sometimes away from the large group tours.

One enjoyable option is an olive oil tour.  Your guide might suggest I Mandorli, a family owned 18th century mill in Umbria that is unusual for its four wooden presses. The oil mill is a unique experience for tourists wishing for a trip back in time to the ancient art of pressing olive oil.

You’ll see a donkey moving the millstone and the farm hands working the presses.  You’ll even be able to taste the oil as a sample before you depart

No tour to Italy would be complete without a visit to the Chianti wine region and this famous wine road is easy to enjoy.  If you are staying in Florence, your guide can pick you up outside your hotel and begin the scenic trip to the wineries, about one hour away.

Market square in Greve is a good stop for coffee and from there your guide can take you to the Villa S. Andrea vineyard and wine tasting.  Don’t sip too much because lunch at the Cantinette di Rignana will include some wine too!

You’ll stroll the vineyards at Antinori, or if you’ve had enough of the wine industry, your guide will assist you for a tour of the Castello of Montefioralle.

Most tours to Chianti take a full day and you’ll be delivered back to your hotel in good spirits and a sun tan.   Consider these two options in Umbria and Chianti when planning an easy Italy tour.

Check with our sponsor Federica Merli at TuscanyWithMe.it to help plan your tour of Italy.

There are northern Italy tours to suit every taste and budget.  Northern Italy is best known as Tuscany, that enchanting part of the world that has spawned books and films and drawn visitors from across the globe.

To the north Tuscany is fringed with mountains; the Pratomagno range and the Apuan Alps.   Between the Alps and the coast lie the lower Chianti hills, an area famous for its wines, its soil rich in minerals for growing, and its gentle climate.

The coast features the sandy shores of Versilia to the north and the rocky cliffs near Livorna at the mid-point.  And just off shore are the islands that form the Tuscan Archipelago.  The most popular among them are Capraia, Giglio, Elba, Pianosa, Montecristo and Giannutri.  All of these are well equipped for visitors looking for sun, beaches, charm and excellent cuisine.

With its Mediterranean climate, look for hot summer months and warm winters, except  in the mountains where snowfall allows for winter sports.  Generally, Tuscany has favorable weather no matter when you go.  The month of July is the hottest and it can feel quite tropical throughout the region.

Tuscany is the birthplace of Italian art, dating back to the Iron Age, but the Etruscan civilization is credited with spawning the best ancient art.  Items of terracotta and pottery in the form of vases and urns are considered masterpieces of the time.

Visitors to Tuscany are treated to an abundance of art from the Middle Ages which occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire.  The walls of Monteriggioni and the Castle at Prato are some of the surviving architecture on display from this period.

Siena and Florence reveal the Italian Gothic influence and in Florence the zenith of Renaissance design delights tourists and students alike.  Contact TuscanyWithMe.it to organize a trip within northern Italy tours and see history on display.

Click this link to read our other post about Northern Italy Tours

There are many travel tours in Italy. The reasons are obvious since there is so much rich history there along with things and places to see that exist nowhere else in the world. When thinking of Italy most tourist think of visiting Rome, Venice and Florence, but there is so much more.

One place that is not very well known but is unforgettable is the Cinque Terre National Park. This park is part of the coast line that is just east of the port of Genoa. Located in the north western part of the country near France and Monaco, the climate is mild and the sea breeze peaceful. This is also where the sheer cliffs of the Appenine Mountains drop off to the sea for a fantastic view.

South of this national park is the region of Tuscany. This is the area of Italy this is filling with rolling hills where many Italians, generations ago started their vineyards. The most famous of these wineries are in the Chianti Hills. For a sense of history there is the medieval town of San Gimignano which has distinctive towers along with other buildings that take you back in time.

This is what dots the landscape between the mountains and the valleys where rivers are too numerous to count.

The Romans brought olive trees from the Middle East over 2000 years ago which is now the source of liquid gold or the Tuscan Olive Oil.

When taking travel tours in Italy make sure you experience one of the many Roman roads that are still in good shape and are used to help give you the real Italian adventure.

When it comes to a wine tour, Italy has some of the most popular reasons to explore this beautiful country.  According to statistics from the Biteg Wine and Food Tourism Forum, wine tourism in Italy is a 2.5 billion euro per year business and it represents only 20% of the potential.

Like the localized wine tours in America; in Napa Valley, the Finger Lakes of New York and other regions, Italy has established “wine roads” which offer scheduled stops in wineries and vineyards.

So-called Open Cellars bring more than one million tourists to the vineyards in May to learn about grape varieties and wine-making methods.  Many of the wineries have been in business for more than 100 years and offer techniques honed by generations of grape growers.

Tuscany is the birthplace of this annual event that has spread throughout the country.  Offerings have expanded too, giving participants an opportunity to witness farm life in the olive groves and other venues.  Many hosts prepare a dish featuring local specialties to the tourists who stop by.

Food and wine is the second biggest reason why tourists choose Italy as their destination.  Censis, a social trend research organization, states that every euro invested in a vineyard produces 5 euros in tourism for the local economy.

Tourists desiring a wine experience on their trip have other festivals they can attend throughout the growing season.  The Goblet of Stars, or Calici di Stelle, involves a community toast on the night of August 10th.  The night honors the Night of the Shooting Stars during the Feast of Saint Lawrence.

If you prefer the glorious weather of autumn, the Welcome Harvest, Benvenuta Vendemmia  opens vineyards to tourists to observe the busy wine production process which begins with crushing the grapes after harvest.

For every palette and season, there is a region and vineyard ready to entertain you with a wine tour italy.

Some say the best private tours Italy are those that occur in Tuscany.  Situated between the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines and the Tyrrhenian sea, the Tuscan capital is world-beloved Florence.

Other smaller capitals of the provinces include Arezzo, Grosseto, Livorno, Lucca, Massa Carrara, Pisa, Pistoia, Prato and Siena.  All of them a rich with history, art, architecture and culture, and all are worthy of a visit with a well-informed and confident tour guide.

Tuscany has a variety of topographical features.  Much of Tuscany is hilly and mountainous, but the area near the sea is flat in stretches.   Whether you want to relax at the scenic beaches or enjoy the local flavor of wine and cuisine, there is something for everyone in Tuscany.

The first time visitor often goes straight to Florence.  And who can blame them?  You can use any mode of transportation to get around.

Why not consider a visit to the Abbey of San Miniato al Monte?  From the Piazzale Michelangelo, you proceed on foot to the abbey for a step back in time to a devout and religious experience.

The Academia Gallery is a second must-see stop on your tour.  Ordered by the Grand-duke Pietro Leopoldo, the museum houses a collection of magnificent tapestries revealing the story of creation, as well as plaster busts by Lorenzo Bartolini and Luigi Pampaloni.

Most everyone has heard of Michelangelo and even Donatello, though American youngsters may think the latter is a Mutant Ninja Turtle.  In truth, the real Donatello was a sculptor and his works are displayed at the Bargello National Museum on Via del Proconsolo, 4.  When you book a trip with a private tour guide, you don’t need to worry about how to find these places.  Your knowledgeable guide will bring you right to the door.

With private tours Italy, all you need is a camera, a credit card, and an open mind to all the experiences that await you.

There are many Short Escorted Tours Tuscany available for your vacation.  Why not begin with a trip to the divine waters of the Val Di Chiana?

Mount Amiata produces a spectacle that prompted ancient Etruscans to think they had divine provenance.  The Mount is an ancient and extinct volcano.  It produces water that freezes from the lofty woods near its peak to hot lava that boils beneath the soil on other slopes.

Though modern science has an explanation for the thermal spas that bubble up from the land, the early peoples erected temples to these springs.  In later years, poets like Horace and intellectuals like Chagall, Fellini and Pirandello visited the spas for renewal.  This two thousand year old tradition continues and beckons the global traveler to step in and partake in this ancient practice.

Another short itinerary includes the “wine roads” which feature wineries and vineyards.   There are a total of 14 wine roads and all of them feature history, culture and environmental science that will keep you interested in this intriguing part of Italy.

Ask your guide to plan this itinerary for you because you can otherwise spend long distances traversing the countryside in search of the next “wine road”.  Your tour guide will also know which of the wineries have tours on horseback, a truly unique and Old World experience you will remember for a lifetime.

Yet another short trip to consider is a hike along the Etruscan Coast.  You begin your 45 minute walk in Populania at the Piazzale del Reciso.  A well-worn path takes you past olive trees and oaks, past ruins of the Hellenistic Age and ending at the cliffs overlooking the ocean where you can enjoy a bagged lunch before walking back up the hill.

These are just a few suggestions for Short Escorted Tours Tuscany that your guide can organize.