All of our arrangements have been specially designed to incorporate a reason to travel and, for ease of choice, these have been categorised under the titles shown below.
While every region of Italy has its own history, heritage, and highlights, some are more famous, more lauded, more visited than others. This tour explores the landmarks of lesser-known Umbria. The only Italian region with neither a coastline nor an international border, its character is undiluted, and many of its towns seem barely altered since the Middle Ages. Travelling on day trips by private taxis, the tour is based in Assisi. Some see its grand basilicas as places of pilgrimage, others as fabulous art museums. Either way, Assisi’s fortunes are inextricably linked to its most revered residents, St Francis, founder of the Order of Friars, and St Clare, whose tomb is in the 13th-century church. From here we visit Spello, with little lanes and all the atmosphere of an ancient village; Orvieto, displaying 3,000 years of history, and described as Italy’s most beautiful city; and Todi, tucked within three encircling city walls, Etruscan, Roman and medieval. The walled city of Urbino has gorgeous valley views, and very few visitors; Perugia mixes a modern vibe with a medieval setting, cobbled lanes of colourful houses, and churches adorned with the art of Raphael and Perugino; and in Spoleto, Romanesque chapels mingle with Roman remains.
An aperitif at the home of your tour host, also a private art collector; enjoy an Umbrian dinner with traditional dishes and local wines; a buffet supper, an Umbrian wine tasting with a local expert at the home of your tour host.
Some visits are on foot with some uneven surfaces and inclines.
per person in a twin/double room
Hotel Dei Priori
Ryanair from Stansted
Sorry - there are currently no available departure dates available for this tour.
Air travel and taxes, transfers, entrance fees, 7 nights’ accommodation, breakfast daily, 2 lunches and 1 dinner, itinerary as described, services of a guide and local representatives. If our specially negotiated airfares are unavailable at the time of booking, a supplement may apply.
Travel insurance, tipping, any government or local tourist taxes or compulsory charges introduced after publication.
Notes:
An accommodation tax is payable locally, approximately €3 per person per night.
Secret Sicily
A very varied journey through Sicily’s less-visited sites, this tour reveals the hidden gems of cultural heritage and contrasting landscapes, from Aeolian Islands to ostentatious Baroque towns, and from fishing villages to the fictional world of Inspector Montalbano
Treasures & Secrets of Sicily
A heady blend of ancient sites, stunning scenery, charming towns and glorious churches, this is our ‘grand tour’ of Sicily, its highlights varying from Aeolian Isles to UNESCO sites, Mount Etna to Marsala wine, and the Scicli film locations of Inspector Montalbano
Grand Hotel on Lake Como
Follow in the footsteps of Flaubert and Tennyson, Julius Caesar and Queen Victoria, to enjoy the timeless elegance of Lake Como, where flower-filled gardens and pastel-painted villages punctuate the shore, set against the stunning backdrop of the Southern Alps
Venice from the Water
There is nowhere else on earth like Venice. The busy city’s streets of water and the tiny islands of its lagoon combine in a unique UNESCO enclave. The tour is a similarly fitting combination, quietly based on an elegant boat, with all the sights at the foot of the gangplank
