Most Insight tours range from eight to 16 days, depending on the number of places you see and the distances in between each. The group is also likely to stay for a night or two in a local hotel, thus dictating the pace of the tour, from easy to average.
The cities of Rome, Florence and Venice are major highlights of a tour of Italy because of the rich repositories of fine Italian culture found there. With attractions that are most recognizable from travel books and postcards, tours to these cities will take the visitor up close with Venice's waterways, the Duomo in Florence and Michelangelo's fresco paintings at Rome's Sistine Chapel.
To delve deeper into more cultural highlights, tours to the countryside inspire holiday travelers with the immense surroundings of Italy's diversity. While fast-paced urban sprawl is evident in big cities, the laid-back rural tempo remains in small Italian cities like Sorrento, Orvieto, Assisi, Perugia and the Isle of Capri. Itineraries might include stops in old monasteries, ancient towns, Gothic cathedrals, vineyards and in front of some of the world's most outstanding Renaissance architecture.
Italy's governance stretches to the islands nearby such as Sardinia, Sicily, the Egadi Islands, Ponza and Elba. Sicily is famed for its Greek ruins and Mt. Etna, Europe's largest active volcano, while Sardinia has lovely beaches to explore. More island resorts are found in Sicily's Aeolian Islands. Some tours might also combine Sicily with Italy's neighboring country, Malta.
To make the most of an Italy tour, plan a suitable budget for souvenir shopping and dining out. With full board tours, you are likely to have an easier time setting aside pocket money for extra expenses since meals are provided. Be sure to ask your tour provider for inclusions like meals, transport fees, entrance fees (if applicable) and guide services.
