Italy Tours, Vacations and Shore Excursions throughout Italy
Experience Italy’s Heart and Soul with our tailored Vacation Packages, customized Cruise Shore Excursions and signature Walking Tours. Not ordinary holidays…not typical excursions or tours, but experiences designed for couples, families & groups of friends with personal attention from Your Own Italy.
Private Tours of Italy with your own driver & local guide. Experience Italy’s art, history & culture with private tours, authentic wine tastings, artisanal cooking classes & made-in-Italy shopping excursions. Tour Italy, live like a local & make it your own.
YOUR OWN ITALY
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Amalfi Coast Adventure
Experience authentic Italy, unchanged, unaltered
Rome - Sorrento Discover the gems of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello. Set sail on a romantic tour of Capri on your private boat with a bottle of prosecco. Scout the ancient city of Pompeii and view the entire region from the pinnacle of Mt. Vesuvius. Wind through the heights and depths of the Amalfi Coast. This is your Amalfi Coast adventure of a lifetime.
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Design Your Own Italy Vacation
Make Italy Your Own
This is private travel, perfected. Your Own Italy is proud to offer unique, tailored vacations throughout Italy for couples, families, and friends. We seek to create unforgettable vacations customized to make your trip unique. Our clients are travelers who want to be guided during their time in Italy but do not want to be part of a group. Our experience of over 30...
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The Three Cities of Art
Rome, Florence and Venice
Rome - Florence - Venice If everyone weren't speaking Italian, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were in three different countries when you visit Rome, Florence, and Venice. Rome is wide, broad, and majestic. Its baroque piazzas are the size of small ball fields and even in its historic center, which in some places dates back to the Middle Ages, the buildings are...
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Sicily and the Amalfi Coast
Sorrento, Syracuse and Taormina
Sorrento - Syracuse - Taormina This 10-night trip takes you to where the sun always shines! With three nights in Sorrento, three in Syracuse, and three in Taormina, you will visit Pompeii, lunch on Mt. Vesuvius, travel along the Amalfi Coast, cruise to Capri, and take a cable car up Mt. Etna. As a grand finale, you will experience Taormina, Sicily's most gracious...
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The Soul of Sicily
Experience the Pageantry
Palermo - Trapani - Agrigento - Syracuse - Taormina This tour of Sicily last almost two weeks and hits all the high spots. From Palermo, Sicily's largest city, to the fishing village of Cefalu’ … from the archeological treasures of Segesta to the beautiful city of Trapani … from salt pans to olive oil … and that’s just the first few days! There's also the Valley of...
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Italy's Heart and Soul
Rome and Florence
Rome - Florence Here is the perfect tale of two cities: Italy's "art" and "soul." Rome, once the capital of the western world, remains the secular capital of Italy and the seat of the Catholic Church, and as such should be on the bucket list of anyone who wants to understand western civilization. When Florence began flexing her muscles in the fifteen century, she...
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The Eternal, the Spirit and the Art of Italy
Rome, Sorrento and Florence
Rome - Sorrento - Florence With English-speaking guides throughout your trip, you’ll start right in the middle, in Rome, where you’ll explore history, art, religion, and more, with private visits to The Vatican Museums and Saint Peter’s Basilica. Then you'll head south into "il Mezzogiorno," where you’ll visit Pompeii, lunch on Mt. Vesuvius, settle into Sorrento,...
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The History, the Shore and the Romance of Italy
Rome, Sorrento and Venice
Rome - Sorrento - Venice If you are looking for maximum diversity in your Italian vacation, this 11-day trip is the one you want. With the history, religion, art and architecture of Rome, the blue waters of the Amalfi Coast and Capri, and the romance and shopping opportunities of Venice and its nearby islands, you will experience the best Italy has to offer, all...
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The Glory of Rome, the Gems of Amalfi
Rome and Sorrento
Rome - Sorrento If you don't believe Italy runs the gamut of human endeavor, try this week-long adventure! It begins with the glory, pomp, and majesty of Rome, ancient, baroque, and modern; takes you through incredible Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius; and concludes on the Amalfi Coast with the tiny urban gems of Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello and a romantic boat tour of...
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The Lakes and Villages of Northern Italy
Milan, Lake Como, Verona and Venice
Milan - Lake Como - Verona - Venice A trip to Northern Italy is a trip to one of Italy’s most beautiful and romantic regions. Milan, Italy's second-largest city, is a world capital of art and design. Whether experimenting with better ways to lay paint on walls, as with The Last Supper (an experiment that, admittedly, was not entirely successful) or developing...
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The Complete Italian Experience
The Grand Tour of Italy
Venice - Milan - Monterosso - Florence - San Gimignano - Sorrento - Rome This is it: your Grand Tour of Italy. Seventeen days/sixteen nights touring the major regions of our amazing country! Beginning in the northeast, you’ll take in exotic, romantic Venice, then head west to chic and sophisticated Milan, world capital of fashion and design and home of Leonardo da...
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Vatican Under the Stars
Your guide will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you to the Vatican for this enchanting stroll through the galleries of The Vatican Museums after dark! On select Friday evenings you can enjoy ancient sculptures, iconic paintings, and centuries of history brought to life by your private guide, and in the former palaces of the Pope you'll have the opportunity to view sculptures from antiquity that inspired Michelangelo almost 2,000 years later. You'll view the fantastic frescoes in the Raphael Rooms and the Borgia Apartments, named after the private chambers of Borgia Pope...
The Three Basilicas of Rome
Your guide and driver will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you on a tour to visit the three great patriarchal basilicas of Rome. The Basilica of St. John Lateran, the oldest and most important, has been set aside for use by the Pope as his own parish. The famous church is topped with impressive statues along the outer face and full of beauty inside. The main walls are covered in beautiful frescos from the Renaissance age and the main nave, restored four centuries ago, will leave you in awe! Built between 422-432 under the instruction of Pope Celestine the 1st, the lovely...
Introductory Tour of Rome
Your guide will meet you at your accommodations and will accompany you on your “Dolce Vita” Tour. You’ll uncover the secrets locked in Bernini’s work, marvel at the Pantheon (ancient Rome's best-preserved monument), toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain to ensure your return to the Eternal City, and simply enjoy Rome’s charming streets in a leisurely Italian fashion. By the end of the tour, you will realize that your guide has not only shown you around Rome, but has taught you how to get around Rome as if you were a native.
Rome by Night Tour
Your guide will meet you at your accommodations and accompany you on an enchanting tour of the Eternal City. Rome is an entirely different place at night: it glows in the warmth of amber streetlights and shimmers with the golden flames of candles on cafe tables. The stones of ruins and bricks of piazzas take on a surreal and breathtaking quality in the evening that can only be described as romantic. The leisurely late stroll will include many of the most important sights in the city, such as the Pantheon, the Capitoline Hill, the Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona.
The Colosseum and Roman Forum Classic
Your guide will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you on a journey back in time. At the Colosseum, one of the largest structures of the ancient world, Romans once gathered to watch gladiator games, animal contests, and even reenactments of sea battles. A massive stone amphitheater which seated an estimated 60,000 spectators, it was built in only eight years. Your guide will tell you about its design and construction, political purposes, fighters (both willing and unwilling), and eventual demise as an arena. At the Imperial Roman Forum, you will hear about the myths and...
Jewish Rome
Your guide will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you on a lively tour of Jewish Rome. Ancient Rome, like contemporary New York City, was a sprawling area of diverse people trying to live and do business together. They were Greek, North African, Sicilian . . . and Jewish, many of whom went to Rome to work but ended up settling among their compatriots, building homes, raising families, and becoming vital parts of the Roman community for centuries. Jews have lived in Rome more or less continuously for over two millennia, making Rome’s Jewish community among the oldest in the...
In the Footsteps of the Medici Family
The glory of the Medici family began in the first half of the fifteenth century under the leadership of Cosimo de' Medici. Despite being expelled from the city twice, the family returned each time more determined than before to leave legacies of their absolute power in the form of the visual image. The tour begins at the San Marco Monastery and Museum, housing the world's largest collection of the works of Fra Angelico, an early Renaissance painter whose talent Vasari described as "rare and perfect." The monastery was nurtured by Lorenzo the Magnificent, and its magnificent library contains...
Florentine Food Markets and Tastings
The San Lorenzo market is comprised of two separate markets, but your tour will concentrate on the Central Market ("mercato centrale"), a two-level indoor food market with fresh local produce on the ground floor and restaurants and gourmet shops upstairs. On the other side of town, the slightly smaller market of Sant' Ambrogio retains more of a local flavor. With both outdoor and indoor stalls, it is a colorful place to get a taste of Florentine life any time of year. At both markets, you will enjoy tastings of olive oils, balsamic vinegars, cheeses, meats, and other local delicacies, and...
Cannaregio and the Jewish Ghetto with Chichetti
Your guide will meet you at your accommodations for a journey through winding streets, small squares, and picturesque bridges to the ghettos vecchio, novo, and novissimo (old, new, and newest). The Venetian word “ghetto” referred to its officially-mandated Jewish enclosure, a 16th century mixture of imposed ordinances, lively everyday life, and generally tolerant cosmopolitanism. The Cannaregio area’s open air markets are where Venetians do their food shopping, and the tour will include a break with a before-meal cocktail spritz and a cicheto (Venetian hors d’oeuvres) at a popular Jewish...
The Ca’ Rezzonico Museum, Accademia Gallery, and Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Your guide will meet you at your accommodations. The collections in these museums are among Venice's greatest, ranging from Byzantine and Gothic paintings through Renaissance masters to contemporary art. The opulent, marble-faced Baroque palazzo of the Ca’ Rezzonico Museum, on the Grand Canal, houses art works and objects of 18th century Venice, including paintings by Pietro Longhi, Canaletto, and Francesco Guardi; a collection of Murano glass; and furnishings from an antique Venetian pharmacy, including majolica canisters containing 18th century remedies. A boat will take you to the...
Introductory Tour of Hidden Venice and Gondola Ride
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and accompany you to Piazza San Marco where your tour will begin with a walk around the square, with special attention to the outside of St. Mark’s Basilica, its Byzantine mosaic renditions of scenes from the life of Christ, and the history of the relics within the basilica. From there you will pass through narrow streets and small squares to La Fenice, Venice’s great opera house. Your tour ends with a private gondola ride.
Boat Tour to Murano and Burano
Your guide will pick you up at your hotel and will accompany you to your private boat. You'll speed along the Venetian Lagoon to two islands famous for their handicrafts and architecture. Known for its glassware shops and factories, Murano boasts a long and still-thriving glass tradition dating back to 1291, when artisans moved their kilns from the old city center. Exploring the island on foot, you will visit a museum dedicated to the art of glass and watch a skill glassblowers at their craft; view the splendor of Murano’s palaces and Veneto-Byzantine style churches, some with mosaics and...
Florence in a Day from Rome
Your driver will pick you up at your accommodations and take you directly to Rome's train station to board the high-speed train to Florence, where your tour guide will be waiting for you. Among the sights you'll see before lunch are the Piazza della Signoria and its beautiful outdoor sculptures, symbols of the rise of municipal power, and the Piazza della Repubblica, originally the old Roman forum and later the site of the main markets and Jewish ghetto. The tour will continue to the Piazza del Duomo, the location of the cathedral complex, which includes the Baptistery, Giotto's Campanile,...
Excursion to the Town of Asolo and the Venetian Villas
Your guide will meet you at your accommodations and accompany you to meet your driver. This region was, for most of its history, an independent republic, beginning life at the close of the Roman Empire as an outpost of refugees fleeing barbarian invaders; by the early Renaissance, thanks to some strategic looting and a location at the head of the Adriatic Sea, it had become an independent "republic" and one of the richest and most powerful cities in Europe. It did not become part of Italy until the 19th century. This tour begins with the beautiful 16th to 18th century villas along the Brenta...
Excursion to Vicenza and Verona
Vicenza and Verona are small cities, but between them is archeological, architectural, and artistic evidence of just about every significant period in Italy's history. In Vicenza, the emphasis is on the elegant and extremely influential work of sixteenth century architect Andrea Palladio, whose rediscovery of the building styles of the ancient Greeks and Roman changed the appearance of Europe forever and greatly affected construction design in the New World, as well. The city's beautiful historical center and environs boast numerous Palladio buildings, including his Olympic Theater and Villa...
The Roman Countryside Tour
Your driver will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you to Tivoli, a historic hill town lying east of Rome in the breathtaking Monte Tiburtini hills. Your guide will meet you at the Villa d’Este, a former Benedictine convent considered to be one of the most enchanting villas of the late Renaissance period. You'll discover how the building was created as a lavish home for the son of Lucretia Borgia, that scandalous Italian duchess who created so much drama in 15th century Italy. The famous Fountain of Neptune is only one of the villa’s 500 fountains; its other outdoor delights...
Excursion to Pisa and the Town of Lucca
Your private driver will pick you up at your accommodations and accompany you to Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa where you will meet your guide. You’ll visit the splendid Cathedral complex comprised of the Duomo, completed in 1092, the marble Baptistery, a majestic circular-plan Romanesque building completed in 1153, and the Leaning Tower - one of the most beautiful and famous bell towers in the world. With a reserved ticket, you can reach the top of the tower for a truly memorable experience. Your driver will then take you to the nearby town Tuscan town of Lucca, known for its cobblestone...
Pompeii in a Day from Rome
If you must see Pompeii - and you must - but had not intended on venturing further south than Rome, let Your Own Italy handle the logistics. You will be driven in a private car directly from your accommodations to the world’s most well-preserved ancient town, Pompeii where your private guide will be waiting for you. Your guide will lead you through its wealthy dwellings, whose residents enjoyed vivid wall frescoes and airy courtyards, as well as the more plebeian residences, whose inhabitants ate on the go, groomed at public baths, and attended the 500-person amphitheater in the shadow of the...
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The Lakes and Villages of Northern Italy
Milan, Lake Como, Verona and VeniceMilan - Lake Como - Verona - Venice A trip to Northern Italy is a trip to one of Italy’s most beautiful and romantic regions. Milan, Italy's second-largest city, is a world capital of art and design...
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Carmen Carbonell
Carmen Carbonell is founder and President of Your Own Italy. Carmen was born in the United States. Following college, she married an Italian and moved to Rome, where she raised 4 sons. She also developed a passionate love for Italy – its art, its architecture, its cities, its countryside, its culture and cuisines, and its people. Now, after nearly 30 years living in Italy, Carmen wants to share her love for Italy with American travelers who...
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Fit for Emperors & Popes
Rome's Castelli towns make for relaxing getaways from the city First Roman emperors, then pontiffs. Throughout the ages, when the powerful and the privileged wanted to escape the summer heat of Rome, they headed for their villas in the hills -- the Alban Hills, that is, southeast of Rome...
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