Duration: 2.5 hours walking tour and (includes 30-minute gondola ride) - tour begins at 11:30 am

Type of Service: Walking Tour of Venice with Gondola Ride 

Follow your expert, English-speaking guide through the quieter streets and piazzas of Venice. As you walk, your guide will captivate you with histories of Ca’ Dario, the cursed (and possibly haunted) house whose owners have continuously met untimely and often suspicious deaths. You’ll learn why music schools around the world are called ‘conservatories’ at Fondamenta degli Incurabili, the hospital where monks took orphans from the streets and trained them as nurses and world-famous musicians.

Along with local legends, you’ll hear tales of familiar characters. You’ll see Harry’s Bar across the canal, where Ernest Hemingway once kicked back after a long day of writing. You’ll see the home of Peggy Guggenheim, the heiress who lost her father to the Titanic but gained the means to build one of the world’s most interesting art collections. (Back in her day Peggy used to scandalize the locals by sunbathing naked on her roof and parading around town with a pack of tiny dogs on leashes.) Remember the play, Othello? You’ll see the house where Desdemona supposedly lived before her tale was transcribed by an Italian author and stolen by a man called William Shakespeare.

Your tour ends on the sweetest note with a gondola ride along the quieter back canals of Venice. Relax as a gondolier, in his ubiquitous striped shirt, rows along waterways built for these very vessels. With a maximum of five people per shared gondola, your tour will be intimate and, with no commentary on this section of the tour, quiet and romantic too.

Things to Know:

• Discover the famous landmarks and hidden gems of Venice, first by land, and then by the sea!
• Step away from the crowds and get off the beaten track with this original tour that explores Venice’s less seen, more romantic face on the other side of the Grand Canal
• Accompanied by an English- speaking local guide, enjoy a leisurely walking tour around the city’s charming bridges, streets and hidden squares.
• Admire unique architecture and Renaissance masterpieces while your guide shares fascinating tales from the history of this former maritime superpower. 
• Small group tour for best experience - group size 24 or less
• Headsets so you can always hear your guide on the walking tour
• Relax on our pre-booked and pre-arranged 30-minute gondola ride with a local gondoliere and just 5 other people.
• Toured Offered only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
• Tour begins at 11:30 am
• Meeting point - Accademia di Belli Arti (more details are given upon booking)
• Wear comfortable walking or tennis shoes

Duration: Two Hours (7:30am - 9:30am)

Type of Service: Early Morning Walking Tour of Venice

Venice draws millions of tourists every year to experience the beauty of this city.  On this early morning walking tour, you will visit some of the city's most popular and famous sites with no crowds.  Your first stop is Piazza San Marcos known as St. Mark’s Square, that is filled with centuries of history and is the symbolic heart of Venice, framed by St. Mark’s Basilica, and Doge’s Palace.  You will venture on to the Rialto district where you will stop for coffee and learn more about the local life of Venetians. You will see shop owners getting prepared for the day.

Your expert guide will lead you through the labyrinth streets as you continue on toward the Dorsoduro corners.  Dorsoduro has some of the most picturesque canals, piazza’s, finest art museums, churches, quaint shops and home to Venice’s university.  Throughout the tour, your guide will give you many useful tips about the best places to eat and shop.  Explore this floating city before the crowds wake up and catch the early morning life of the locals.  The tour will conclude back at the Rialto Market as you experience the colorful shops in the market.  An essential tour for the understanding of Venice and a perfect introduction for first-time visitors!

Things to Know:

• Private Tour with a fabulous local, English speaking guide
• Two-hour walking tour - the tour begins at 7:30 am from your hotel and will end at the Rialto Bridge 
• The best time to walk around, to embrace the beauty of the city of Venice is certainly morning. Only a few locals getting to their works, bakeries and coffee shops opening for the day and inviting to come with the scent of freshly baked pastries and coffee.
• Experience the City at it's best with no crowds
• Get views of Venice's most important landmarks during this 2-hour morning walking tour
• This walking tour includes exterior views of landmarks only, you will not enter any buildings.
• Enjoy a cup of coffee at the famous Rialto Market
• Tour is offered daily; March - November with a minimum of 2 and maximum of 8 people
• Wear comfortable walking or tennis shoes
• Perfect introduction for first-time visitors to Venice, fun, casual and relaxed walking pace

Duration: Two hours and Thirty minutes 

Type of Service: Cicchetti and Wine - Venice's Appetizer and Wine Walking Tour

Taste your way through the back street's bars of Venice with this delicious appetizer and wine tour. Your guide will take you to 3 different enotecas to discover where local Venetians go to drink, eat and mingle. You will visit a nearby bar that occupies the former site of a charcoal store and then stroll over to the Cannaregio neighborhood and visit a 18th-century watering hole on the bustling street of Strada Nuova. The tour will then cross the Grand Canal on a traghetto passenger ferry and stop at the historic, open-air Rialto Market, where many Venetians shop for daily fresh produce and seafood. You will visit one more local bar in central Venice.  Each tavern has its unique atmosphere and specialty appetizers  (Cicchetti) dishes. Your tour will end at the iconic Rialto Bridge.

 Things to Know:

• 2.5-hour Venice food walking tour with a food-loving local English-speaking guide
• Visit three of the city’s best Cicchetti bars, famous for their Venetian tapas-style dishes
• Savor small plates of local specialties like marinated seafood with polenta
• Private walking tour
• Minimum of 2 with a maximum of 8 people
• Tastings and one beverage of choice at each location included tour cost
• Wear comfortable walking shoes

Select A Territory

The north is the Italy tourists are most familiar with. It's a land of fine wine--especially in Piemonte, Fruili and the Veneto regions. Residents exhibit a preference for Polenta over pasta and butter over olive oil. The land spills from Alpine foothills into lakes and fertile valleys. Summer temperatures make the north the idea place for a mid-year vacation; take in a performance in the Roman Arena of Verona, a cooking class in Venice, or learn how they make Prosecco, the world's most popular sparkling wine.

So you’ve decided you are GOING TO ITALY! How Exciting! Many people dream of visiting Italy and experiencing la bella vita, and while you certainly can’t avoid it anywhere in the country, there are some things to think about before you take off that will make your time that much more enjoyable.

First, Italy is a large, and very diverse country. Traveling across regions is almost like traveling across countries themselves. The Italian people are very attached to their City, Region, and Country, in that order, so be sure to talk to locals wherever you go to get to know the intricacies of the very different regions of Italy.

Planning your trip’s itinerary won’t be easy since there is SO much to see and do, but a little background on the country’s layout is helpful when decided what it is you want to get out of your time: are you looking for sports? history? art? food? beaches? mountains? fashion? design? Italy has it all, but some places have it better than others!

Italy can best be divided into three geographical areas: north, middle and south, although again across those areas culture, food and tradition varies greatly.

Northern Italy: Alta Italia

Northern Italy is made up of the Aosta Valley, Piedmont, Liguria, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and Trentino Alto-Adige. It boasts such famous cities as Milan, Venice, Turin, Genoa and Bologna. The weather is cooler than the rest of the country due to the northern location and proximity to the Apennines and Alps. This area is traditionally the more wealthy part of Italy, and houses most of the country’s industry. Cities like Milan and Venice can be slightly more expensive than some cities in the central or southern parts of Italy. However, public transportation and tourism services are much more developed and functional than in other parts of the country!

The major airport for the northern region is Milan’s Linate International Airport. There are many other airports in the region however, including Bologna, Venice and Genoa, so do some price comparisons before booking your ticket. The climate in this region varies considerably, both depending on time of year and location. Venice gets extremely hot in the summer, while Turin and the Lake District (Cuomo) stay much cooler and tend to be flocked by Italians trying to beat the heat during the summer months. The Italian Alps begin their ski season as early as November in some places.

Northern Italy has many attractions and offers activities for everyone. Those who enjoy sport and the outdoors may want to visit the lakes for water sports, or go hiking in the Italian Dolomites. Everyone should see Venice at least for a day while they still can! Milan is great for anyone interested in design or fashion, and also has a wide selection of galleries and museums for those interested in both Renaissance and contemporary art. One can also visit the Italian Riviera for some great beaches.

The cuisine of this region is also quite variable, but generally tends to be no the heavier side of some of the traditional Italian specialties we normally think of. This is where Italians eat risotto with saffron, polenta, LOTS of parmigiano reggiano (from the Emilia Romagna province – an area that all foodies must visit), heavy meat dishes and stews, etc. Closer north near the Austrian border we see a lot of Austrian or Slovenian influence in the cuisine, as well as the wines. Prosecco is from the Veneto, and Gewürztraminer is from Trentino Alto-Adige. Think lots of nice white wines, and a LOT of grappa!

Central Italy: Tuscany and Rome

Central Italy is made up of the regions Lazio, Marche, Tuscany and Umbria. Geographically it also contains Abruzzo and Molise, but they are traditional grouped with Southern Italy due to cultural similiarities. This is where the rolling hills of Unbria and Tuscany call to mind Napa Valley. This is wine country. Central Italy is home to cities like Florence, Siena, Perugia, and of course Roma. Still quite wealthy, but more varied wealth across regions, central Italy is also extremely easy to explore via bus or train, so you can visit some little hill towns in the Val D’Orcia, or take a train and ride up and down the coast. This section of Italy is full of tiny medieval towns, and if you do your research ahead of time, you could get to participate in one of their on-going traditional medieval festivals!

Rome and Florence both have international airports, as does Pisa. Flying into Bologna is also an easy way to get to Florence as they are connected via both fast and regional trains. The weather in the region is quite temperate, with clearly distinct seasons similar to the weather on the mid-Atlantic coast of the U.S. The winters are cold, and although snow is uncommon it is not unheard of. The summers get quite hot, going up to one hundred degrees, and the air tends to be humid, especially inland.

Florence and Rome are the dominating destinations in Central Italy, and rightfully so. Rome as the capital and Florence as the birthplace of the Renaissance are not to be missed if possible. I would argue each city really deserves its own trip to truly get the most out of what they have to offer. Rome is a massive metropolitan center, filled with tourists all year round. The Vatican is a major destination, its museums housing some of the most beautiful and famous Renaissance artwork, as well as the Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. The City of Rome of course has many ancient Roman ruins that would excite anyone remotely interested in human history: the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Catacombs, just to name a few. Florence on the other hand is the must-visit for anyone interested in Renaissance art or history, and is also a good base to explore some of the smaller towns in the region that will have you thinking of Under the Tuscan Sun. The Chianti region is full of tiny gems to visit and have an amazing meal at, as is the area between Siena and Rome. You’ll have to get to know the regional bus lines though!

Again, each region has its own traditional cuisine, but Central Italy has some of the healthiest, heartiest, what traditionally would have been peasant food but has now been elevated to an incredible level of International renown. Bistecca alla Fiorentina can only be truly enjoyed in Tuscany, just as Rome is the place to eat Saltimbocca or Osso Buco. Siena is famous for its sweets, traditionally eaten at Christmastime, and the Umbrian town of Norcia, in the Appennine foothills is where the best black truffles can be found, as well as some of the best pork products like prosciutto and salame. The hills are home to wild boar, which is cooked into many traditional stews or sauces. This is also wine country, so look out for Chianti, Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano. I could write a whole article about Tuscan cuisine, and I probably will, so check our blog frequently!

Southern Italy: Untouched

Southern Italy is where many Italian Americans origins are. It is the poorest part of the country, and encompasses the “foot” part of the boot of Italy, as well as the island of Sicily and some other Islands off the coast of Naples. It is made up of the regions of Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania, Calabria, Molise and Sicily. Due to traditional poverty and well-known corruption, transportation to many less-frequented yet extremely beautiful areas is difficult without a car of your own. The trains are regional and buses connecting cities are infrequent. We’ll talk more about renting cars in Italy later, but this may be the area to do so if you are up for the challenge!

The nearest major international airport is Rome, but there are two smaller airports on the east coast: Bari and Brindisi, both in Apulia. Naples has an international airport, and the island of Sicily may be reached via Palermo in the north or Catania in the south. The climate in the South is Mediterranean, so again variable across seasons but markedly warmer than the north or center of the country. The area is frequently overlooked as a tourist destination, so it is a nice respite from the throngs of Florence or Venice if you have the chance to visit. The beaches are spectacular, overlooking truly crystalline water. On clear days you can even see Africa from certain points along the coast.

While Sorrento, the Amalfi coast and the island of Capri are all beautiful places to visit, they are also the most famous tourist destinations in this area. If you are looking for beautiful vistas and country club style and treatment, these resort towns are a perfect place to pamper yourself or take a boat out. If you are more on the adventurous side, continue south and explore the towns of Calabria, famous for its spicy peppers and warm inhabitants. From Naples you can climb Mount Vesuvius and eat a traditional Neapolitan pizza. Matera, in the Basilicata region, is slated to be the European Capitol of Culture in 2019, and boasts what are thought to be among the first ever human settlements in Italy carved out of the rocks that make up its ancient city center. Those interested in architecture will enjoy the cities along the southern coast of Sicily, where due to volcanic and seismic damage, many buildings were rebuilt in a new Sicilian Baroque style.

Southern Italian cuisine is what most Americans think of as Italian cuisine: eggplant parmigiana, pizza, calzone, spaghetti, maccheroni, and the list goes on. The region is big on short, dry pasta, as opposed to the soft egg pastas of the northern, wealthier regions. Mozzarella is from this area, as is ricotta, made light and fresh. San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the volcanic soil under mount Vesuvius, and are used ubiquitously. Many of the dishes served in the south have Italian-American counterparts due to generations of Italians emigrating to the US from these regions due to extreme poverty. This part of Italy also of course produces much of its own wine, but the wine tends to be drunk young and domestically, rather than bring preserved and shipped. So come here if you are okay with some chilled red table wine or a beer with your pizza!

This has just been an EXTREMELY brief overview of what you might expect as you plan your trip to Italy. Every part of the country has its own secrets, cuisines, and traditions, but if you can’t move there, these generalized descriptions should help you tailor where you want to start and end your visit to the big boot. Once you determine your itinerary, be sure to check seasonal weather charts so you can pack accordingly to where you will be visiting. Read on for more about the items that you will need to bring with you to get the most out of your Italian vacation!