Some journeys you take. These ones take you in.

Not itineraries we found in a brochure. These are the journeys we have walked ourselves, with the families, cooks and guides who make them worth the trip. Slow mornings on a terrace, long lunches that drift into the afternoon, and at every door, someone who already knows your name.

Kingdom of the Sun Discovery: A private Journey into Italy's Mezzogiorno 9 Days / 8 Nights Kingdom of the Sun Discovery: A private Journey into Italy's Mezzogiorno 3 Nights Polignano a Mare 3 Nights Messina 2 Nights Matera 2 Nights Maratea What's Included Transportation in luxury vehicle 24-hour emergency service Accommodation in Centrally Located Hotels All arrival and departure transfers View Tour A Private Journey with Local Hosts through Southern Italy and Malta including the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, Sicily and the Island Nation of Malta 14 Days / 13 Nights A Private Journey with Local Hosts through Southern Italy and Malta including the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, Sicily and the Island Nation of Malta 4 Nights Malta 2 Nights Amalfi Coast 2 Nights Palermo 1 Night Capri What's Included 24-hour emergency service Daily Buffet Breakfast Detailed explanation of sites Ferry tickets View Tour Peaks, Palaces & Prosecco: A Grand Tour of Northern Italy including Venice, the Dolomites, Verona, Milan & More! 11 Days / 10 Nights Peaks, Palaces & Prosecco: A Grand Tour of Northern Italy including Venice, the Dolomites, Verona, Milan & More! 3 Nights Venice 2 Nights Valdobbiadene 2 Nights Verona 1 Night Dolomites What's Included Admission fees to sites and galleries mentioned in the itinerary (e.g., Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, Last Supper, etc.) Private water taxi transfers in Venice Superior rooms at boutique 4-star and 5-star hotels throughout the trip Daily buffet breakfast at all hotels View Tour Absolute Italy: Mostly Private Tour of Italy including the Amalfi Coast - Capri - Pompeii - Rome - Tuscany - Florence and Venice 11 Days / 10 Nights Absolute Italy: Mostly Private Tour of Italy including the Amalfi Coast - Capri - Pompeii - Rome - Tuscany - Florence and Venice 3 Nights Rome 3 Nights Venice 1 Night Naples 1 Night Amalfi Coast What's Included Privately Guided Tour of Vatican City with Licensed Guide 4 star hotels in great locations Daily Buffet Breakfast Excellent Photo Opportunities View Tour Absolute Italy from Venice to the Amalfi Coast including Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Vatican City, Pompeii and Capri 11 Days / 10 Nights Absolute Italy from Venice to the Amalfi Coast including Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Vatican City, Pompeii and Capri 3 Nights Florence 2 Nights Venice 1 Night Vatican City 1 Night Rome What's Included Train from Venice to Florence Wine and Olive Oil Tastings Wine Estate Visit Daily Buffet Breakfast View Tour Sardinia : Land of Centenaries, Shepherds and Shimmering Seas 14 Days / 13 Nights Sardinia : Land of Centenaries, Shepherds and Shimmering Seas 3 Nights Cagliari 2 Nights Olbia 2 Nights Alghero 1 Night Porto Cervo What's Included Some recommended dinners 24-hour assistance Taxes and fees 14 days with 4-star superior hotels and buffet breakfasts View Tour
A journey earns its place on this page the old way: we go first. We sleep in the rooms, eat at the tables, drive the roads. If it does not feel like Italy opening its own door, it is not listed here.

— Jesse, founder

Calabria and the Cedri Riviera Fully Private Escorted Experience including Cooking and Exclusive Dino Island Boat Experience with Local Hosts (Weekly Departures from March 2025 - November 2025) 5 Days / 4 Nights Calabria and the Cedri Riviera Fully Private Escorted Experience including Cooking and Exclusive Dino Island Boat Experience with Local Hosts (Weekly Departures from March 2025 - November 2025) 1 Night Praia a Mare 1 Night Maratea 1 Night Diamante 1 Night Dino Island What's Included Specialized and Personal Service View Tour Florence, Tuscany and the Italian Riviera 10 Days / 9 Nights Florence, Tuscany and the Italian Riviera 3 Nights Florence 2 Nights Cinque Terre 1 Night Siena 1 Night Montalcino What's Included Siena and San Gimignano Small Group Sizes Wine Tastings Winery Visits View Tour Italy's Northern Wine Country:  Fine Wines, Food and Incredible Landscapes in Piedmont, Cinque Terre and Tuscany (Personalized Experiences) 10 Days / 9 Nights Italy's Northern Wine Country: Fine Wines, Food and Incredible Landscapes in Piedmont, Cinque Terre and Tuscany (Personalized Experiences) 2 Nights Piemonte 1 Night Turin 1 Night Santo Stefano Belbo 1 Night Cinque Terre What's Included Tastings of local products Wine and Olive Oil Tastings Winery Visits Cooking class View Tour Flavors of Fall in Tuscany: Cooking, Truffle Hunting, Chocolate, Olive Oil and Wine Therapy on private 100% Tuscan owned organic estate with weekly departures in October and November 2024 7 Days / 6 Nights Flavors of Fall in Tuscany: Cooking, Truffle Hunting, Chocolate, Olive Oil and Wine Therapy on private 100% Tuscan owned organic estate with weekly departures in October and November 2024 3 Nights Castiglion Fiorentino 1 Night Montalcino 1 Night Perugia 1 Night Cortona What's Included Tasting Menu Tastings of local products Wine and Olive Oil Tastings Cooking class View Tour Harvest Time in Sicily: Experience a Sicilian Wine Journey - 7 Days of Vino, Volcanoes & Villages 7 Days / 6 Nights Harvest Time in Sicily: Experience a Sicilian Wine Journey - 7 Days of Vino, Volcanoes & Villages 2 Nights Catania 2 Nights Ragusa 1 Night Menfi 1 Night Marsala What's Included Premium wine tastings Private guided vineyard and cellar tours Personalized 24/7 travel support Local taxes and service charges View Tour
Jesse Caitlin Andrews, Founder & Technical Director
Jesse Caitlin Andrews Founder & Technical Director
Alexandra Tweedie, Tour Leader & Director of Client Experiences
Alexandra Tweedie Tour Leader & Director of Client Experiences
Eleonor Kinchin-Smith, Groups & Family Experience Manager
Eleonor Kinchin-Smith Groups & Family Experience Manager
Karen Pacheco, Product Development, Villas & Travel Operations
Karen Pacheco Product Development, Villas & Travel Operations
Patrick Vivona, Communications & Events Coordinator
Patrick Vivona Communications & Events Coordinator
Adam Beaven, Business Development Manager & Luxury Travel Curator
Adam Beaven Business Development Manager & Luxury Travel Curator
The Local Hosts

You will be met by people we know by name.

A local host is not a rep with a clipboard. It is the family whose farmhouse you sleep in, the cook who plans the market run around what you like to eat, the driver who has taken the coast road a thousand times and still slows down at the good part.

Many of them have worked with us for years, some since our first summer in Calabria in 2003. That is what turns a route into a welcome.

The families
Agriturismi, villas and small hotels where you are a guest, never a room number.
The cooks
Market mornings, home kitchens, and lunches that refuse to end.
The drivers & guides
Local roads and local stories, told without a script.
From the guest book

Told better by the people who went.

★★★★★
My husband and I just took a two week trip to Italy that was planned for us by Eleanor Kinchin-Smith. It was a fantastic trip and we could not have been more thrilled. We worked together with Ele to let her know...
Emily and David Davison
★★★★★
Dear Guiseppe and Jesse, We just returned from our most wonderful vacation to Italy and wanted to first thank you for putting together such a wonderful trip, and second to provide some feedback for the future. Hotels 1. Hotel Sovestro in San...
Ron and Deb Crosby
★★★★★
The trip was great we appreciate all the hard work you and your team invested to make our experience a once in a lifetime trip. We appreciate all the attention to the details in particular Giuseppe spending the time and the focus...
Leon and Michele
What happens next

How a journey with us actually starts

  1. You tell us what caught your eye

    Pick a journey above, or describe the trip in your head. Either is a fine place to begin.

  2. We write back, from Italy

    A planner who lives there reads it and replies, usually within a day. No call centre, and no sales script.

  3. We shape it around you

    Nothing on this page is fixed. Add days, swap a town, travel at your own pace. The journey is a starting point.

Good questions

Before you ask us

Are these private tours or small group tours?

Most are completely private: your dates, your pace, your own driver and guide. A few run as small groups, because some tables are simply better with company. Each journey's page tells you which it is.

Who will actually be with us in Italy?

People we know by name. The family who owns the farmhouse, the cook who walks you through her market, drivers and guides we have trusted for years. And our own Italy desk stays a phone call away for the whole trip.

What is included in the price?

Each journey lists exactly what it includes on its own page, usually your rooms, transport within Italy, guides and the experiences named in the itinerary. International flights are not included, though we are glad to arrange them with you.

Can we change one of these itineraries?

Please do. These journeys are how we love to travel, not a fixed catalogue. Add days, swap a town, slow the pace down. Tell us what you would change and we will rebuild it around you.

When is the best time to travel?

Italy is generous in every season. Spring and autumn are our favourites, with warm days, quieter piazzas and the markets at their best. Summer is made for the coast, and in winter you have the cities almost to yourself. Tell us your month and we will shape the journey around it.

How do we begin?

Just write to us. Tell us which journey caught your eye, or describe the trip in your head. A planner who lives in Italy replies, usually within a day, and from there it is a conversation, never a sales script.

None of these quite right? Tell us what you had in mind and we will build it around you.