Italy is consistently ranked among the top destinations visited by American travelers, and it is by far the most popular country among travel advisors booking independent clients with custom tour operator and FIT* specialist Avanti Destinations.
The company just issued a new 100-page advisor print reference guide on Italy, which can be ordered at https://www.
Since its founding in 1981, Avanti has been selling custom FIT travel exclusively through advisors, not directly to consumers, in Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, North Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America. “Of the 58 countries we sell, Italy has always been our most popular destination, and it’s where we have our deepest product offering,” Cortez said in statement.
The new print reference guide on Italy for advisors includes descriptions of 15 customizable vacation packages, 240 hotels, villas, and resorts—more than 90 percent of which are rated four-star or higher, 355 tours and experiences—more than 90 percent of which are private. These products are available in nearly every region of the country. Cortez pointed out that Avanti’s complete product lineup in Italy is even more comprehensive, including 400 accommodations and more than 1,000 tours and experiences in nearly 60 cities and towns.
The 15 new packages in the reference guide were designed to be booked as described or can be customized for the number of days, particular hotel/villa properties, and adding or subtracting destinations and services such as sightseeing tours, experiences, and transfers. “All these packages are complete F.I.T. vacations with some of our favorite properties, activities, tours, and transfers to provide a starting point for clients who aren’t sure what they might like to do,” said Cortez. “But advisors can easily get a quote and book them as is.”
Prices are not listed in the printed reference guide, but a QR code next to each package description takes readers—via mobile phone, tablet or computer—to Avanti's InstaQuote (quote.avantidestinations.com). After entering some basic information—arrival date, number and type of rooms, hotel star rating—advisors receive an email proposal within 90 seconds that includes pricing for the itinerary as described in the reference guide (and on the InstaQuote app). This proposal can be shared with the client and then thoroughly customized to suit their preferences on Avanti’s advisor portal.
What's New?
“All of the packages in the reference guide are either new or recently revamped and all include private tours, experiences, and transportation within Italy so that advisors and their clients don’t need to worry about getting around,” said Cortez. “We’re continuously monitoring trends, refining and adding new products so that advisors always have something new to offer repeat travelers. In this past year we’ve focused on expanding the number and variety of tours, experiences, and hotels offered specifically in: the Dolomites—site of the 2026 Winter Olympics; Sicily; Lake Garda; Piedmont; Tuscany; and Umbria.
“We’ve seen strong increases in 2025-2026 bookings of secondary and tertiary destinations and longer stays in smaller cities and towns and less crowded regions. This gives clients a much more relaxed and authentic vacation. Sicily, Puglia, and Piedmont regions, in particular, are selling well, so we have included them in several of the new packages.”
Highlights of Some of the New Packages:
- Italian Food, Wine, and Coastline—15 days/14 nights in Rome, Siena, Florence, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Milan. This vacation with many food and wine experiences showcases popular cities, countryside, and dramatic coastline landscapes, as well as tours of Cinque Terre and Lake Como. The private food and wine experiences include cooking class and dinner in a local home; four-course dinner with wine pairing; walk and taste tour; wine-tasting; truffle dinner; apericena food walking tour (apericena is a combination of happy hour drinks with a selection of small dishes and snacks).
- Italian Secrets of the South—10 days/9 nights in Rome, Naples, and Ischia. Rather than stay in the more touristed towns of Sorrento and Capri, this vacation emphasizes authenticity. Among the private experiences included are dinner in a historic building on Tiber Island; food tour by golf cart with expert driving guide; tour of Castel Gandolfo and Pagnanelli; pizza and sfogliatella tasting; tour of Santa Chiara cloister and Veiled Christ sculpture; Pompeii, Amalfi and Positano tour; Ischia tour with lunch and wine tasting; and traditional gozzo boat tour of Ischia.
- Northern Italy’s Vistas and Vino—12 days/11 nights in Venice, Cortina d’Ampesso, Bolzano, Lake Garda highlights the dramatic Alpine scenery of the Dolomites and the wines of the Veneto. Private experiences include Venice walking tour; gondola ride with appetizers; Prosecco Hills tour with lunch and wine tasting; visits and tastings at vineyards; three-course traditional lunch with wine pairing at a working farm; Lake Braies hiking tour with cheese tasting; Bolzano walking tour; Alpe di Siusi hiking tour; tastings of lemon products at historic lemon groves at the small village of Limone di Garda.
In addition to product descriptions, the print reference guide has sections on family-friendly travel, food & wine experiences, and villas. Also included is helpful planning information, such as travel times between cities, maps of hotel locations within major cities, and “insider tips” on everything from cuisine to detours to interesting, less touristed sights for when clients explore on their own.
For information on booking unique experiences and custom-built, multi-destination vacations in Italy and around the world for FITs/independent travelers, call Avanti Destinations at 1-800-422-5053 to speak with a European Destination Specialist or log onto the travel advisor portal: https://book.
Related Stories
G Adventures Named Preferred Travel Partner by AAA Travel
Intrepid Travel Releases 2026 “Not Hot List”