Discover Your Italy, a boutique travel outfitter, will begin offering a new line of small group tours in 2021, named “Our Italy.” The inaugural set of tours will begin embarking next spring.
With a group size of no more than 20 guests, the seven new “Our Italy” tours offer the same insider access and handcrafted experiences that guests have come to expect from Discover Your Italy. A new collaboration with Autentico Hotels, a collection of 16 family-owned and operated boutique hotels scattered across the country, adds another layer of intimacy and immersion into the Italian culture.
Matteo Della Grazia, co-owner, Discover Your Italy, says that due to COVID-19, the outfitter saw the need to keep group sizes small and to book boutique hotels, limiting guest exposure to other travelers.
The new tours include:
- Northeastern Italy: Adriatic Sea, Culture & Food (April 19-28, 2021; September 6-15, 2021): Discover the hidden gems and robust history of northeastern Italy from world-famous Venice to Trieste and the many off-the-beaten-path experiences in-between, including one of the region’s finest Prosecco producers. Moving insights about World War II are revealed during the exploration of the region’s hilltop wineries, traditional crafts, remarkable heritage, nature trails and a visit to neighboring Slovenia.
- Italy’s Best Kept Secrets: Marche & Abruzzo (May 3-13, 2021; September 30 – October 10, 2021): Tucked away in the Apennine Mountains is central Italy’s unsung countryside. The secluded Marche and Abruzzo regions are dotted with vineyards and rolling hills, castles fused onto rocky spurs and trabucchi (traditional fishing huts) intertwining wood and water. During these 11 days, guests will marvel at centuries-old Renaissance architecture, stroll through ancient piazzas, learn traditional cooking techniques in medieval mountain towns and tour the pristine wilderness hidden within the Apennine Mountains.
- The Highlights of Italy’s Lake District (May 15-26, 2021; August 21 – September 1, 2021): During this 12-day tour, guests will get an insider’s look at the lakeside towns, palatial villas and stately gardens and experience the chic ambience that draws celebrities from across the globe. They will tour the Lake Garda, Lake Como, the region’s hidden gem, Lake Orta, and sail the Borromean islands of Lake Maggiore.
- Sardinia Off the Beaten Path (June 7 – 16, 2021; September 20-29, 2021): During this 10-day tour, guests dive deep into Sardinia’s ancient history, traditional crafts and Mediterranean coastline, from discovering hidden coves and secluded beaches across the island to mingling with skilled goldsmiths and potters, to tasting local treats like seadas and malloreddus, sample cannonau wine and mirto spirits.
- Northwestern Italy & The Passion Play (June 21-June 30, 2021): Explore Italy’s northwest and learn why Turin was once the capital of Italy, sip wines in UNESCO-listed cellars, admire mighty castles, palaces and sanctuaries and take in the views from Mont Blanc. Traveling through Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, savor food, wine, landscapes and stories. A special highlight of this journey is the Passion Play of Sordevelo; the open-air reenactment of the Passion of Christ by 400 actors is staged in this small village every five years, which was meant to be in 2020 but was rescheduled for 2021.
- The Gems of Northern Italy With Autentico Hotels (September 7-16, 20210: From the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites and the Mediterranean charm of the Cinque Terre to the shores of Lake Garda, guests will delight in the diversity that is northern Italy. During this 10-day, guests will sip the wines of Valpolicella, savor the ham and parmigiano of Parma, delight in the romance of Venice and Verona, marvel at the architectural splendor of Pisa and be captivated by the fashionable city of Milan.
- Quintessential Tour of Italy With Autentico Hotels (October 9-21, 2021): This tour showcases those “supremely” Italian experiences that illustrates the country’s splendor: Feel the buzz in Milan, drink wine and enjoy a cooking class in Tuscany, travel back to the Renaissance in Florence, tour Rome, the "Eternal City," and relax on the Amalfi Coast.
All of Discover Your Italy’s “Our Italy” tours include accommodations in four- and five-star hotels that are either historic mansions, elegant villas or trendy resorts. They also include full breakfasts, private transfers by deluxe, fully sanitized vans with an English-speaking driver, private English-speaking guides, entrance fees to attractions, professional assistance for the duration of the tour and welcome packs that include a prepaid local SIM card.
To provide guests with even further assurances for their health and safety, Discover Your Italy will implement the newly designed TourCare Guidelines as jointly established by USTOA (United States Tour Operators Association), ETOA (European Tourism Operators Association) and CATO (Canadian Association of Tour Operators) during both their private and group tours.
Visit www.discoveryouritaly.com.
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