Umbria & Marche Art and Architecture Tours 2024/2025

“Ascoli Piceno is a lovely town in Italy. It has great piazzas, good food and wonderful wine. The town is friendly. The tour itself was amazing. We itinerary was spot on- enough free time, interesting towns, great food and wine. Dont just consider this tourit is a must. The tour guide is an Italian native of Ascoli schooled in the US and Canada. His English is fluent. His wife is a Canadian expat who also speaks Italian. So, you get local expertise and great service!”

“My wife an I had the good fortune to join four others for a tour of the Ascoli Piceno area of Italy in September 2018 led by Giovanni and Chantelle. If you are interested in avoiding the touristy of parts Italy, if your are interested in gaining a better insight into the culture and the cuisine of this part of Italy, if you want to visit one of the more picturesque parts of Italy and you want to experience the intimacy of a small group; this may be the tour for you. The accommodation was excellent as was the food experience. It was a well paced tour, a typical day would start shortly after nine, a drive through the rugged country side in the region, a visit a hill-top village, historical site, vineyard, etc. and then on to a wonderful lunch. This would be followed a visit to another site, returning to the hotel in late afternoon. One cannot enough good things about the tour leaders, they are very knowledgeable about the region and most accommodating to the needs of the tour participants. We would likely recommend this tour.”

“If youre tired of travelling with busloads of fellow tourists then a small boutique tour with this local travel specialist is the perfect solution. Chantelle and Giovanni have put together a wonderful introduction to the region they call home based around the beautiful town and province Ascoli Piceno. I was travelling solo for the first time, but they made it entirely comfortable and made me feel very welcome. They take groups of up to 8 (ours was 6) and because you base yourself in Ascoli there is no packing and unpacking every day. Each day is a mix of wineries, culture, cooking classes, long lunches, local sites and beautiful views. Theres plenty of time for yourself, and Chantelle and Giovanni take the time to show you anything that you have a particular interest in. If you want to do some extra shopping theyll happily show you their favourite places. This is relaxed touring with a personalised touch where you are meeting the winemakers or producers. This is where the tour operators live and work, so they have relationships with the people you meet that go beyond herding people in with the hope they will buy merchandise. Every experience feels very authentic. Ascoli itself was a great base for the tour. As a solo traveller it felt very safe. I was completely comfortable wandering around by myself in my free time.”