Italy

The regions we love in Italy

Italy needs no introduction. Beyond the iconic Colosseum, the Uffizi and the Amalfi coast lies a country still largely unexplored by most visitors. Our small group tours take you off the well-worn route and into the regions we know and love best: the hill towns of Umbria, the quieter corners of Rome, the golden heel of Puglia, the cave city of Matera, and the wild, unspoilt landscapes of Calabria and Campania. Each region has its own history, landscape, cuisine and character, and each rewards travellers willing to look a little further than the guidebook.

Umbria, the green heart of Italy

Umbria is Tuscany’s quieter neighbour, a land of saints, artists and extraordinary food that remains relatively undiscovered. Assisi, Spoleto, Gubbio and Orvieto rise from idyllic hills and leafy woods, their piazzas and frescoed churches, including work by Giotto and Piero della Francesca, telling centuries of history. Nearby, the Romans engineered the Marmore waterfall, one of Europe’s tallest, to drain the old marshland that is now the placid Lake Piediluco, and local kitchens still turn out an abundance of truffles, mushrooms and chestnuts. It is a region built for slow travel and long lunches, and one where our small groups can properly linger rather than rush through.

Undiscovered Rome

For guests who have already seen the Vatican and the Forum, we offer a different Rome. Our tours explore the ancient Appian Way, the Etruscan tombs of Cerveteri, and the majestic gardens of the imperial villas at Tivoli, alongside a Rome hidden beneath the modern city: the underground chambers of the Domus Aurea and the layered basilica of San Clemente. It is a quieter, more contemplative side of the capital, uncovered with expert guides rather than rushed past with the crowds, and it rewards those who thought they already knew the city well.

Puglia and the cave city of Matera

Puglia has been fought over and settled by Greeks, Romans, Normans and Spaniards, and it shows: whitewashed hill towns, Norman cathedrals and the extraordinary conical trulli of Alberobello sit alongside the resplendent Baroque exuberance of Lecce, nicknamed the Florence of the South. Just across the regional border in Basilicata lies Matera, whose honeyed cave dwellings, the Sassi, have been inhabited since Palaeolithic times and remain one of Italy’s most extraordinary sights. Together, these neighbouring regions make for one of our richest and most varied itineraries, rich in ancient history, wonderful food and dramatic landscapes.

Calabria and the temples of Paestum

Calabria, the toe of Italy’s boot, was once part of Magna Graecia, and its Greek heritage still surfaces everywhere, most strikingly in the astonishing Riace Bronzes, now in Reggio Calabria’s archaeological museum. Beyond the cobalt coastline of Tropea and the evergreen peaks of the Sila and Pollino mountains, our tours also venture north into Campania to visit Paestum, where three of the best-preserved Greek temples anywhere in the world stand quietly in open fields. It is a region of unspoilt landscapes, ancient history and outstanding food, still largely overlooked by other tour operators.

The best small group tours of Italy

Travelling alone, you can only scratch the surface. Travelling with us, on one of our expert-led small group tours, gives you the chance to properly get under the skin of the places we visit: their history, their people and their food, guided by the thoughtful knowledge and anecdotes only local experts can offer. Small enough to feel personal, expert enough to go far beyond the obvious: that is how we like our guests to experience an unforgettable Italy.

• For the latest official travel advice and up-to-date information before travelling to Italy, please visit the UK Government’s FCDO Travel Advice page.