To Inspire our readers…
…to travel more during our post-pandemic era, we continue to publish excerpt from emails to our readers requesting personalized tours or any other travel information.
Date of traveling: September 2022
Travel Days: 10-12
How many of you? Group of 4
Personal Interests: Local guides & sightseeing, Wine and cuisine, Coastal villages
Areas of Italy you would love to visit: Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast
Preferred method of transportation: High-Speed train, Ferries
Budget per person not including flights: $3,000 – $5,000
I am very delighted you chose Italy to travel next September with your group. Finally, things are reopening and we expect a surge in travel demand.
September is a great month to travel to Italy. Warm weather, wine production time (!), but it is also one of the busiest months and most requested by many of our clients.
Our specialty is custom-built itineraries and personalized tours, tailored to your travel style and wish-list, therefore, based on what you described, I have taken the time to put together the following suggestions. Please know that, should you choose us, you will have the support of myself and my team throughout the process, from the design phase to the local support once you are in Italy.
If you have 10-12 days in total, I suggest to start from the north and work your way to the south. Many flights land at the international airport of Venice, which is also a great way to start your experience with the transfer from the airport to your hotel by water for a unique “mini-cruise” on a speed boat on the calm water of the Laguna. What a way to start!
Spend a couple of days in Venice, where we can arrange our local guide to show you around local culture and/or the main touristic highlights. Then take the high-speed train to Milan, then the local train to Cinque Terre, the splendid villages on the sea cliff. We can arrange half day or a full day with our local private guide and tailor the pace of the excursion to your needs. You can be as adventurous or as slow as you wish!
Continue to travel south with a convenient train from La Spezia, the capital of the region of Liguria, known for the Genovese Pesto, extra-virgin olive oil (one of my favorites, together with the Sicilian one) and fresh Mediterranean anchovies (even if you don’t like fish, this is a specialty to try as appetizer paired with the local vermentino wine. Trust me on this one!)
On your way south, should you wish to add a couple of days, there is the region of Umbria, often outside the main touristic paths and one of my favorite gems in terms of gastronomy and wine.
Continuing south, I suggest to visit the Amalfi coast first then end with Rome from where flights to US depart.
Rome is my city, so I can talk forever about this… to keep this introduction email short, I can tell you that we have many excursions in Rome. Once you decide to go with us, we will send you a list of excursions for you to choose based on your interests. Excursions can be private or with a group. We usually include one private half day excursion in the package, leaving a lot of time for you to discover on your own, under my guidance. In the final itinerary, in fact, there will be included some information about Rome and things to do that I love sharing with my clients.
Hotels: All our partner hotels are hand-picked by me and my local team. They are located in historical city centers or in the heart of picturesque villages or countryside areas based on your particular itinerary to provide the best efficiency and seamless flow (transfer times, meeting with our local guides, amenities to visit in the surroundings on your leisure time …). Our hotel selection process for personalized tours assesses location as well as safety and strict cleaning standards.
In terms of costs, we can definitely work within your budget. In our packages we include all the planning and consultation, hotels, breakfasts, trains, transfers from/to airport/train stations, one excursion at each location, as well as local staff support for emergencies. All topped up with my personal recommendations about local food and wine plus my favorite local trattorie and restaurants to visit at each location. We do not include in our packages: Airfare, gratuities and hotel local taxes (3 to 7 euros per night, depending on the city and hotel), travel insurance.
Keep in mind that this is just an idea and a starting point. Please know that we can discuss every detail in order to meet your travel needs. This is what personalized tours is all about after all!
— Antonio
Inspired already?
We’ll use our expertise and know-how to create your Italy trip of your dreams with a custom itinerary that’s completely tailored to you – let’s get started!