Our Suggestions For Your Customized Classic Italian Itinerary

Beyond Venice

The other outstanding beauties of Northern Italy

Northern Italy is best known for famous cities like Venice or Milan, essential destinations for all travelers. Nonetheless, we recommend you don't miss some other exceptional spots: these are classic destinations for locals, but they are not as well known by other travelers.   

Padua, less than an hour away from Venice, is a perfect example of a city that has so much to offer in terms of history, art, and culture. Its star attraction is the Scrovegni Chapel, which features some precious frescoes by Giotto: their uncanny realism is so revolutionary that it strongly influenced the Renaissance movement many years later. Our local expert guide, specialized in art and history, will tell you all about it. All our guides speak excellent English, but if you prefer, we can arrange all tours in the language of your choice, upon request. 

Another gem in Northern Italy is the small town of Bellagio, on Lake Como. Lake Como has been a retreat for the rich and famous since Roman times, and is now a top destination for travel connoisseurs. Bellagio, called the Pearl of the Lake, is a town full of history, with some stunning views of the lake. You'll be able to enjoy a great choice of restaurants, bars, and boutiques, and relax in the beautiful gardens of Villa Melzi, known for its many botanical species. 

Lake Como is just a short ride away from Milan: there you can visit all the famous spots like the Duomo Cathedral, or spend a great night at the Teatro La Scala. Since you don't have a minute to spare, and since Milan is always full of people, Avventure Bellissime offers a full range of customizable private tours, with skip-the-line tickets and private English-speaking guides to ensure all fundamental landmarks are covered.

Moving to Northwest Italy, and to the small village of Liguria. There, you’ll find five beautiful coastal villages: Cinque Terre. This area is certainly among the most stunning and popular destinations in Italy, but will you know all the most exclusive spots? For example, Corniglia is a small village perched on the hillside, where you can enjoy a walk down its narrow alleys and picturesque squares. You could have a mouthwatering pasta al pesto for lunch in Vernazza’s central square, which sits right on the
water, and is overlooked by the Castello dei Doria, an ancient ruined castle. Lastly, in Porto Venere you can take a boat ride to see its characteristic colorful houses.

Moving south, you’ll find Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna. There, you can take a fascinating tour of its famous mosaics, with a licensed expert local tour guide: by the end of the day, you'll be able to decipher the encrypted messages of the mystical world that you’ll find in the churches and mausoleums, like San Vitale, Galla Placidia Mausoleum, San Apollinare Nuovo, and San Apollinare in Classe. After that, you could finish the day with a visit to the tomb of the most famous Italian poet: Dante Alighieri, author of The Divine Comedy.

Around Florence and Rome

The hidden gems of Central Italy

You are probably familiar with Rome, the capital of Italy, as well as Florence and all the most famous villages in Tuscany. However, do you know all the classic vacation spots in Central Italy, where locals and experts usually go on vacation?

A perfect tour of Central Italy’s hidden gems could start by visiting a stunning but less well-known region of Tuscany: The Orcia Valley. There, we can take you on an e-bike tour featuring the incredible landscapes of the Valley, before stopping for a lunch with some delicious Brunello wine and Pecorino cheese.

Moving to the very heart of Italy, you’ll find the central region of Umbria, which has the same charms as Tuscany but is much less visited. Its largest city, Perugia, is a gourmand’s paradise, famous for truffles, prosciutto, pasta, olive oil, sheep milk cheeses, and of course the Perugina chocolate factory. Isn’t everybody’s dream to take a tour in a chocolate factory? In Perugia you can finally do it! Yum!

Your next stop could be Assisi: known to pilgrims from all over the world, Assisi is the birthplace of Saint Francis, one of the patron saints of Italy. It is also home to the papal Basilica of St. Francis and to Basilica of Santa Chiara.

Staying nearby, you could finish off your Umbrian tour with a visit to Gubbio, known for its panoramic Piazza Grande offering the best view of the Umbrian hills and the Castello di Petroia, and Spoleto, a town that represents the tangled bond of Roman and Medieval heritage. The last stop in the Central Italy Tour is Marche and Urbino, hometown of Raffaello, whose historic center has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Far away from Naples and Amalfi

Discover the best of the South of Italy

When one thinks about the South of Italy, the first things that come to mind are sea and sun. A place where it is warm all year long, and the perfect place to visit in the summer.

Not too far from Naples, you’ll find Ischia Island, often called "the Green Island" because of its thermal waters and natural picturesque spots: that’s probably why it is much liked by movie directors and celebrities. A little less well-known, but equally worth a visit, is the island of Procida: take a relaxing boat tour and enjoy a delicious meal of fresh fish to fully experience the mood of an everlasting summer.

As you probably know, the shape of Italy resembles a boot, but do you know that at its heel lies a long list of fabulous locations worth visiting? Take Lecce, with its Amphitheatre and Roman Theatre, Alberobello, famous for its trulli huts, and Matera, known for its “sassi” (rocks), Sasso Caveoso & Sasso Barisano, as well as its rock church.

Moving down the boot, you’ll find the biggest island in Italy: Sicily is full of hidden gems for you to discover, like the Valle dei Templi: an enchanted valley, dotted with almond trees, where lies the most impressive group of monuments of Hellenic architecture in Sicily. 

Another Sicilian pearl is Monreale, a historic hill-town just outside Palermo, a picturesque place most famous for the fine mosaics in the town's great Norman cathedral. In addition, Erice, not too far from the island of Favignana, has some historical castles that are well worth visiting, like Venus Castle, which dominates the southeastern slope and skyline.