Why Us?

Dining:
Unlike most tours, we provide you with most of the meals while you are on the tour. The itinerary for each tour will outline which meals are included, but in most cases, every breakfast and more than half the lunches and dinners are included. In addition you are not limited to a pre-selected “tour menu.” You can enjoy whatever you like from the full menu. Each meal includes your choice of food and one beverage, except alcohol. Do remember that in Italy water is not free with your meal. Even when we are not hosting the meals, our guides will have some wonderful local recommendations.

Accommodations:
All of your accommodations are included in the price of the tour. We stay almost exclusively in up-scale local, family run hotels, inns and B&Bs that are clean, comfortable and provide the appropriate amenities. On some of our tours we stay in large private condos for our group only. Because we have a small group size we stay in unique and exclusive places that can’t hold large numbers of people. This also gives us the opportunity to stay in the heart of the cities we visit. A few things to remember about Italian Accommodations are: 1) Some places will have no (or limited) air-conditioning, 2)There will be some street noise since we are located in the heart of the cities, 3) You will be in shared room accommodations, 4) Beds are tipcally harder, and 5) the hotel rating system is different than in the United States.

Activities:
Every tour is carefully planned to include the best attractions and activities, while leaving time for participants to explore more on their own. Many companies take you to “view” places on the tour. We take you inside and give you time to see it at your own pace. Some activities include special regional guides, which are included in the price of the tour. Since there is so much to do and see in Italy and we can’t take you to everything, it’s a good idea to plan your free time accordingly before you get there. We give suggestions for every tours free time, but it’s ultimately up to you how you want to spend it. Just remember to enjoy the moments and see what YOU want to see!

Our tour guides are hand-picked based on travel experience and specific skills and talents. Every guide trains for a minimum of one year with the company before guiding solo. It is a requirement that the guide be personable, charismatic and fun as well as detail and time oriented, familiar with the tours and dedicated to making your tour the best it can be.

Meet The Guides

Lead Guide:
Kerri Wood

Art Guide:
Kathy Wood

Adventure Guide:
Erik Bratz

Tour groups come in many sizes. They range from the masses (60-100 participants) that come off of cruise ships and bus tours, to the traditional small tours (20-40) that still need buses and larger hotels and restaurants. Imagine how long it takes just to get your whole group on or off a bus. Our group tours go with a maximum of 10 people on every tour (12 including guides). This affords us the ability to blend in and travel more like a local. We are able to see unique areas and meet local business owners and other travelers. This size gives us the distinct advantage of really experiencing all Italy has to offer.

We want each participant to have the best experience possible. In order to do that, we make sure that everyone understands what each tour is and the expectations for it. These tours are meant to be educational, experiential and FUN!!

With that in mind, remember that an important part of traveling and having a true Italian experience is getting around the towns, activities and hotels. On this trip you will need to be able to handle the following things, with a smile.

1) Attend to your own luggage in all aspects of the trip. For example, lifting your suitcase onto trains, buses or boats, carrying it up stairs in hotels, and pulling it down streets, sometimes on uneven ground for several blocks at a time. (Hint: Pack light with a small suitcase)

2) Be able to be on your feet for hours at a time. This can mean walking through towns or museums, both moving and standing still. There will, of course, be breaks, but there is a lot of walking in Italy.

3) Sleeping accommodations will always be clean and comfortable with appropriate amenities. Some places will have no (or weak) air conditioning as well as street noise since we are centrally located in each town. Be prepared for shared room accommodations. Earplugs may prove to be helpful.

4) For each tour we will be giving a transportation and town orientation after which is it expected you will be able to navigate the city on your own.