UPCOMING TOURS

We're happy to announce that in 2012 we're offering more options for tours to your favorite places. To kick off our announcement, we're offering early booking discounts to save you money. Other reasons to book early:

• We can shop around for best airfare pricing and schedules.
• Booking early gives us first pick of accommodations and activities from our Italian partners. That translates to best deals and schedules.  
• Your vacation planning is done. You can sit back and relax. Anticipating and preparing for a trip to Italy can be exciting -- and dreaming about your experience in the Tuscan countryside or at the sea will get you through the dark, cold days of winter!
• You can get a head start on those Italian language tapes and build your vocabulary. You'll be saying "Io parlo Italiano" in no time!

For sign up deadlines, see tour details in individual itinerary documents below.

MEDIEVAL UMBRIA & CALENDIMAGGIO • APRIL 27-MAY 7, 2012

Explore the culture, cuisine and wine of the medieval region of Umbria, often referred to as the "Green Heart of Italy" during this 11-day tour. Download PDF for details and to register.

Sign up by January 15, 2012 (or December 15, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price: $3,560 per person. Limit 20 persons. 

TUSCANY, ROME & THE CINQUE TERRE • June 26-July 7, 2012

This tour combines a big city adventure with excursions through Italy's Tuscany region and along the Ligurian coast. Download PDF for details and to register.

Sign up by February 1, 2012 (or January 1, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price: $3,850 per person. Limit 20 persons.

NORTHERN ITALY & THE ITALIAN LAKES •July 23-August 4, 2012

You don't want to miss this tour that wraps several excursions' worth of adventure into one as we explore the culture, cuisine and wines of two impressive regions: Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. Download PDF for details and to register.

Sign up by February 1, 2012 (or January 1, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price $3,725 per person. Limit 20 persons.

PIEDMONT & THE ITALIAN RIVERIA • September 27-October 9, 2012

This tour will begin in Northwest Italy and includes visits to Turin, home to the 2006 Olympics, and to several hilltop towns known for producing wines that rank among the world's finest. And for those of you who fantasize about Italian food, this trip is truly a dream come true. Home to the Slow Food movement, this region's culinary scene is thriving. The tour also includes several days along the Ligurian coast visiting small seaside villages that make up the Italian Riveria. Download PDF for details and to register.

Sign up by February 1, 2012 (or January 1, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price $3,850 per person. Limit 20 persons.

TUSCANY & THE CINQUE TERRE • October 8-20, 2012

This tour packages our favorite Tuscan places -- country villas, small charming hill towns, vineyards and art cities -- and includes a three-day exploration of the seaside villages of the Cinque Terre. Download PDF for details and to register.

Sign up by March 1, 2012 (or February 1, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price: $3,850 per person. Limit 20 persons.

THE SPLENDORS OF SICILY • Sept. 4-18, 2012 & Nov. 6-20, 2012

We'll explore the culture, cuisine and art of Sicily to learn how a variety of cultural influences have converged to shape the island's unique character. The tour will include visits to Palermo, the island's most important architectural villages and sites, and a stay at a beautiful seaside village. Then, we'll travel to the spectacular Amalfi Coast to experience some of the bluest views in the world and sample southern Italy's distinctive cuisine.

Download PDF for details and to register for September tour.

Download PDF for details and to register for November tour.

Sign up by April 1, 2012 (or March 1, 2011 and save $100 per person).
Price: $4,485 per person. Limit 20 persons.

 

PAST TOURS

NORTHERN ITALY: MILAN, VENICE, AND THE LAKES

This 15-day adventure took us beyond modern Milan and serenely ancient Venice. We explored charming small towns, and Italy’s spectacular northern lakes set against the Italian Alps. The Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna and Veneto regions offered varied cuisine and a distinctive array of wines. We sampled plenty of both during our journey. View photos from this tour »

TUSCANY AND CINQUE TERRE

This 14-day trip started in Florence, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. In the heart of the Chianti region, we met the charismatic butcher poet of Panzano and learned his grilling secrets. From cozy hotels we explored Cortona and the seaside Cinque Terre, and sampled a famed chocolatier’s creations. In between we ventured into villages and hill towns such as Greve, Levanto, Lucca, Monteriggioni, Portovenere and Prato, sampling wine, eating well and shopping in style. View photos from this tour »

SICILY & AMALFI COAST

This 16-day adventure focused on southern Italy’s extraordinary architecture, art and cuisine. Our uniquely authentic stay at a 14th century Sicilian countryside monastery featured a cooking class with mother-daughter cookbook authors. Memorable stops ranged from Palermo’s colorful produce and fish markets to coastal resort Taormina to a remote mountainside hotel to volcanic Mount Etna. We also cooked with a famed chef in Ravello and visited Capri and Pompeii as we settled in for a climactic stay at a seaside hotel in stunning Amalfi—and all too soon, a reluctant ciao to the authentic cuisine and incomparable beauty of Italy. View photos from this tour »