Guest Quote: "The hospitality and warmth has been beyond words."
Janet & Jessica - United Kingdom (see full letter)

Guided Tours of Italy

The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
- G. K. Chesterton

We Organize Tours for Travelers,
Not Tourists

The above quote is at the core of what we are all about, and it is what makes us different than virtually every other tour company. Here is what it means:

See Italy Like an Italian

Seeing Rome, for example, isn't just about visiting the Trevi Fountain, The Colosseum, The Vatican, etc. It is about having the best Gelato in the city and having Spaghetti alla Carbonara in a tucked away Roman cafe'. Seeing the Amalfi coast isn't all about the Blue Grotto and Positano. It is also about discovering the best pizzeria in all of Italy and discovering why the unique giant lemons of this area make the most amazing Limoncello. And that area between Tuscany and Venice is not just a long stretch of freeway, but it is where one discovers some of Italy's most incredible contributions to the world, such as Parmesan cheese, Ferrari & Lamborghini, True Aged Balsamic Vinegar, and much more. When an Italian visits a city in Italy, they look for much more than the typical tourist sites. It is part of their culture, so in each place they visit, they seek out the nuances that make that place unique from their own area of Italy... and it is amazing to discover how unique each part of the country is.

We're Different. Very Different.

Traditional tours rush you between the major sights that you have heard of, and leave little room for the fabric of what makes Italian culture so special. We do things quite a bit differently. Imagine you were visiting a close friend in Rome. They would take you to see the major sights, of course. But they would also take you to their favorite restaurants, and many little-known treasures you have never heard of. You would see the city in a very different way than other tourists do, and as such, you would be a traveler, not a tourist.

This is the way we operate. We think of you as our guest, not our customer. When we plan our itineraries, we plan them as if a group of our closest family members are coming along. So we bring you to a city or region, our primary goal is to introduce you to the best and most unique sights, sounds, and tastes that area offers. We'll see things others don't see in a way other tours don't. We'll eat traditional meals from the region, and we'll have them where and when the locals do, not where the tour buses do. We turn left where the other tours turn right, but we still see the major sites along the way.

For more perspective on how different we are, read this article about going undercover with a major tour company

We Keep It Small

While the traditional tours are cramming 50+ people into a bus, we limit our groups to 28 people. It isn't just about more legroom. It is about personal service, a family feeling, and a much more authentic experience.

Here is why small is better:

Restaurants - When we are out for lunch or dinner, our choices of restaurants are much more limited if we have 50 people than they are with 28 people. With 50, we are more or less restricted to large tourist operations or hotels that serve mass-produced food. With 28 or fewer people, we can still go into most traditional restaurants

Guided Tours - With group sizes that are roughly half the size, our guided tours are more personal and intimate. Your guide can pay more attention to your questions, and we are not crowding everywhere we go.

Space to Breathe - When we are on the road, comfort matters. We use the same buses that the other tours use for 50+ people, but with 28 or fewer people you have lots of space to spread out and get comfortable.

Wineries, Mills & Factories - Our smaller group size gets us into lots of places the big groups cannot go to. So when we are visiting wineries in Tuscany, for example, we can visit small private estates where we are shown around by the owners themselves. The big groups are limited to the large and impersonal corporate wineries. We can visit castles, cheese factories, and much more than limit their group sizes.

The Family Feeling - It's just more fun when you get to know everyone. You form new friendships, create new bonds, and have an overall better experience. A smaller group tends to foster this, so it isn't just mroe fun for you, it is also more fun for us!

We Include Almost Everything

Look closely at our itineraries and you will see that we build in a tremendous amount compared to others. Every day we offer tours and other adventures that are completely included in our prices. The only time that we don't have something going on is when we are in a place that most of our guests request free time to explore on their own. In fact, when we build our itineraries we put as much as we possibly can in them, and often find ourselves revising them to make sure they are balanced with shopping time and relaxation time. In other words, while many other tour companies try to make a tour sound good while offering less.. only to nickle and dime you with 'optional excursions', we simply go all out. Our goal is to give you the most incredible vacation of your life, so we have to go above and beyond every time.

We even go far beyond in terms of food and accommodations, which are the two bigegst expenses when traveling Europe. We choose hotels based on our very high standards of comfort and location, and you will find that we include most meals. In fact, the only time we don't include meals is when we are in major cities where most of our guests want some time on their own. Furthermore, the meals we include are always amazing. We never opt for the "rush 'em in, rush 'em out" mass-produced tourist food the locals wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. We take you where the locals go, and we eat true regional specialties every time. You will be getting the real deal that the locals rave about, not the watered down version of Italian food that is created just for the masses of foreigners that don't know any better.

Any Questions? Write us and ask by clicking here, or call us at +1 (321) 426-8880.