How long does it take to fall in love? In a country where history spills from world-class museums and tiny osterias serve up life-changing pasta recipes, eight days might just be enough (but if you have more time, why not extend your adventure?). On this trip, you’ll begin winding your way through the canals of Venice, hiking through the scenic Cinque Terre, soaking up beauty and history of Florence and finishing up in the piazzas of Rome. With plenty of free time for independent exploration and the freedom to discover Italy's history and culture at your own pace, there's no better way to see this popular pocket of Europe.
The enduring phrase ‘la dolce vita’ (the good life) truly captures the essence of Italy. On this trip, you’ll spend 14 days discovering the heart of all things Italian on a culturally rich adventure from the piazzas of Rome to the canals of Venice. Discover the Tuscan countryside on a leisurely cycle along Lucca’s Serchio River, peer into Pisa, take to the trails of the Cinque Terre for some stunning coastal views and walk the Portofino Peninsula with its glamourous residents. With time spent wine tasting in rural villages, cruising along Lake Como and relaxing along canals in Venice, you’ll soon understand why Italy remains in the hearts of all who visit.
The enduring phrase ‘la dolce vita’ (the good life) truly captures the essence of Italy. On this trip, you’ll spend eight days discovering the heart of all things Italian on a culturally rich adventure from the piazzas of Rome to the canals of Venice. Take in the crumbling ruins of Rome, board a scenic train ride to Bologna and discover the maze-like canals of Venice with your local leader. Visit the Leaning Tower in Pisa, learn how to make pasta by hand in Bologna and indulge in delicious local cuisine and a couple (or two) glasses of vino – ah Italia!
It was a great experience with many highlights throughout our tour. We particularly enjoyed the many immersive stops (i.e. wine tasting, weaving, truffle hunting, pasta making, etc.) in addition to our guided tours. Our tour guide, was very well versed, knowledgeable, and helpful and provided good insights and tips throughout our trip. I can't imagine someone else doing a better job than she did! The local experts were also on top of their games.
Explore tours are always well organised. Our tour leader was friendly, relaxed, accommodating to different needs, and flexible in trying to get us the best walking experience possible in view of unexpected weather conditions. In fact, the revised schedule proved to be a bonus.
This tour was so much fun. Learnt a lot, met a lot of new friends, and had a ton of fun. Would highly recommend this tour, and to travel through Europe in general.
It was a fast paced trip. It is a bit difficult staying only one night in a few places, just the logistics of packing up several nights and having everything ready for the next day is challenging.
But, that being said I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many things through out Italy.
That inconvenience was minor in comparison to the amount of ground we covered.
This was a busy itinerary which gave us the opportunity to visit several places that we have been dreaming of seeing. Our tour director was fabulous. He communicated the schedule for the day and we didn’t feel stressed, instead we enjoyed the many beautiful cities
Amazing variety of experiences, excellent tour guide and local specialists. I also loved that Trafalgar supports local artists and family run farms. A highlight for me was the Make Travel Matter experience with the weavers.
Coast to coast, city to city, the European Quest is el perfecto! Balancing everything we love about being in Europe. Stunning days spent on the coast of San Sebastian, cultured nights bar hopping in Prague, and enough time in Italy to leave you up to your eyebrows in pizza.
The itinerary was outstanding. Every destination we visited was full of charm and rich history, each offering something unique to discover. The food was terrific, and the people were warm and welcoming. I would gladly return to each of those places again.