Italian culture: how is it defined by the traveller? Olive groves ? The rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside? Or being part of one of our small group tours of Italy, where you can linger and explore the place, be it the Italian lake region, and then onto central Italy and a Tuscany tour, or with small group tours Southern Italy and small group tours Rome. The pace of the program and the places visited are some of the key benefits of our Italian small group tours, as is having an itinerary with some flexibility. Whether you are looking for small group arts tours Italy, or historic and cultural tours, scenic and culinary explorations, or a combination of each, our number of flexible Italian tours can meet your demands. For participants on Odyssey’s Italian small group tours it is this flexibility in thinking and approach as a tour company that makes for a truly memorable Italian tour with like minded people.
Our small group tours cover a wide range of destinations that will spoil you for choice. An always popular main attraction is Florence, the city of important artists and thinkers such as poet Dante Alighieri and political philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli and home of the powerful Medici family, which gave birth to the Renaissance with both men and women of influence and left behind a legacy that shaped the Italy we know today. On small group tours Venice also sticks out as a memorable highlight. The city-state emerged on a lagoon from the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine empires in the 9th century and grew to become the greatest seaport in late medieval Europe and an important centre of commerce linking the continent to the East, whilst Genoa to the west championed Banking and the completion against Venice. And of course, on your small group tours Rome always features as a particular highlight – who can resist the beauty of the Eternal City? All these are places that you can expect to be highlights of small group escorted tours Italy whether travelling as a couple or solo traveller on a group tour with Odyssey.
Italy truly has something for all on an escorted small group tour with a well planned itinerary. On small group arts tours Italy you can immerse yourself in the splendour that is the art of Italy. Much of the music, painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, philosophy, law, and politics which we in the West enjoy today derives from Italy and is absolutely foundational to Western culture. Experience some of the most important sights and sounds of Italy for lovers of art, opera, history and literature.
Your Italy tour is also steeped in history and a UNESCO world heritage site (s); indeed you can discover a whole other ancient world with a group tour. Your tour director and tour guide will readily share the history from the ghostly ruins of Pompeii on a walking tour all the way to the wonders of the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, iconic landmarks abound. Visit on a group tour with like minded senior travellers the world’s smallest country, Vatican City, the city-state surrounded by Rome and admire the opulent Sistine Chapel and some of the world’s finest Renaissance art in the Vatican museum. Extend the itinerary for small group tours Venice to ensure you marvel at the majesty of the Gothic Doge’s Palace in the centre of the road-less city of more than 100 small islands, another UNESCO World heritage site. Pause in Verona to visit Juliet’s balcony.
Admire the dramatic shorelines of Lake Como and/or Lake Maggiore nestled in the foothills of the Italian Alps of Northern Italy. Head to Florence and the Chianti region to glory in the wonder that is Tuscan wine. Set against the rugged Apennine Mountains, Tuscany’s beautiful scenery is just as charming as the food and wine tasting on offer. Or on small group tours Southern Italy, experience the stunning landscapes of the dazzling Amalfi coast, where pastel villages tumble into azure blue seas. Off the ‘toe’ of Italy’s boot, you will find Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island. Home to the formidable Mount Etna and Agrigento’s Concordia temple, Sicily is a treasure trove of natural and architectural wonders. Take an excursion to discover one of Italy ’s hidden gems off the coast of Sicily in the Aeolian Islands, a volcanic archipelago with sparklingly clear seas and stunning landscapes.
On small group escorted tours Italy offers so much exploring on the cards, you are bound to work up an appetite. Luckily, there is no shortage of food to try when it comes to Italian cuisine. Italy ’s food culture is fiercely local, with each region having its own mouth-watering specialty for you to try as you tour the beautiful Italian landscape.