Italy tours

Often on the same itinerary. Alongside Rome, Pompeii and Florence there is the hinterland of Vesuvius where senators built their villas, Aquileia at the head of the Adriatic, Roman Istria, Puglia and Basilicata, and the Alpine valleys of the north. Several tours are built specifically around going past the regular circuit.

No. Archaeology and Roman history run through much of the range, but there are also tours built around Renaissance art, the villa gardens of the lakes and the Riviera, Byzantine mosaics and the cities of the Veneto and the Po.

Spring and autumn suit most itineraries, with comfortable temperatures and quieter sites. Southern Italy and the islands are pleasant well outside high summer, and several tours travel deliberately in the shoulder seasons to reach the major sites without the crowds.

Classical sites are large, open and unshaded, with uneven paving, steps and long distances between structures, and Italian hill towns add slopes and cobbles. Each itinerary carries an activity level of easy, moderate or active so you know what to expect before you book.

Yes. Sicily holds Greek temples, Roman villas and Norman cathedrals within a single island, and Sardinia has the nuraghi and the archaeology of the people who built them. Both are covered by tours in their own right.

Yes. Every tour is fully escorted from the point you join it by a Tour Manager who travels with the group throughout and brings their own specialism to the subject, whether that's archaeology, history, art or horticulture. 

Yes, and many guests do. Shared interest does most of the work, and conversation tends to start with whatever you have just seen.