I have been to Italy many times in April, but never with great weather like this. No rain, temps in the 70's. I could use less crowds but for the most part, they have been A-OK. Since my first report we have continued to roam about Rome, headed up to Florence, traversed over to Padua and Venice. I have seen most of the sights while leading my small group tours to Italy, so I am doing my best to enjoy the weather, relax, and eat some good food.
We started out from Great Barrington, MA on Wednesday at 11 a.m. We made it to JFK by 4 pm to catch our 6:15 pm flight to Milan. After arriving in Milan it was a train to Milano Centrale train station then a 3 hour cruise into Rome, checking in at 3 p.m. To say I am tired is an understatement, but I still went out and did a good 5 hours of touring. Check out the blog post to see what we did today in Rome.
On Wednesday I embark for a one week tour of Italy. When I take people on a small group tour of Italy I have a well-defined itinerary but this time, since I am traveling on a personal trip to Italy, my itinerary is somewhat more flexible. All I know now is I will arrive in Rome and stay for 2 nights, probably taking a trip to Assisi, then I will go up to Florence for a few nights taking side trips to Pisa, Venice and perhaps Siena. I will probably spend the last night in Milan before heading home. Check out my blog post to see what I will be packing on a trip to Italy.
Airline Deals
Probably the largest expense behind the cost of lodging on a tour to Peru or a vacation to Europe is going to be airfare costs. With fares to Europe this summer in the $1,500 range for economy class, people are scrambling to find the best airfares. In this blog post I put down some of my best tips for finding bargain airfares to Italy, Paris, and Spain as well as Peru. So now on your next tour to Europe or even Peru, spend money on dining, touring, or a great hotel instead of giving it to the airlines.
Paris For Ladies Only
Last year I introduced "Paris For Ladies Only" as a new tour offering and it immediately became the most popular trip on my schedule. It is in many ways like my other small group tours to Paris in that we only take about 12 people, we see the major sights like the Louvre, Orsay, Opera and other popular places in the City of Light. However on our "Ladies Only" tour we stay at an exclusive 4-star Left Bank hotel and add some spectacular features the ladies prefer. It's perfect for solo travelers (about half the ladies coming on my tours are solo travelers) or those traveling with a companion. So, pack your bags and leave the guys behind and check out the details of my "Paris For Ladies Only" tour in this blog post.
Italy Packing List
Italy Trip Report: Day 1