Meet Your Own Italy: Personalized Travel Crafted by Passionate Experts
About YourOwnItaly
Your Own Italy is proud to offer unique, private tours of Italy... distinctive, premier vacations throughout Italy… and day excursions for tour ship travelers.
Experience Italy’s Heart and Soul
We provide expert guides with in-depth knowledge of the region and fluent English, creating distinctive tours for individuals and their traveling companions. We seek to create unforgettable vacations, with the customization that makes your trip unique. Our goal: to help you make Italy your own, with experiences that transform you.
Your Own Italy is Boutique Travel Perfected
Your Own Italy is a U.S.-based company with operations in Italy, dedicated to creating unforgettable travel experiences. We design both private tours for travelers who prefer a personalized journey and small-group tours for those who enjoy shared adventures. With over 30 years of experience, we take pride in sharing the Italy we know and love, offering an insider’s view of its culture, beauty, and charm.
Here’s what we do
For those interested in a custom private journey, we work closely with you to design a personalized Italian vacation—selecting the regions you want to visit, the pace you prefer, the experiences you seek, and the budget that suits you best.
Once destinations are chosen, we’ll help you select accommodations: perhaps a 4-star boutique hotel in a historic center, an apartment for a live-like-a-local stay, or a mix of both. For luxury travelers, we partner with Italy’s top 5-star hotels.
Next, we craft your itinerary—private tours, high-speed train travel or a private driver, cooking classes, wine tastings, shopping excursions, even a private boat around Capri. Whether you prefer to see it all or take things slow, every detail is arranged in advance for a seamless, stress-free journey.
For those who enjoy shared experiences, our boutique small-group tours—limited to 6–12 guests—offer an intimate way to explore Italy. Each tour balances guided exploration and free time, with charming stays, private transport, and immersive experiences. You’ll enjoy the camaraderie of a small group with the same personalized service that defines Your Own Italy.
In both cases, a dedicated staff member follows your itinerary daily, while our 24/7 concierge team is always available to handle logistics, special requests, and any last-minute needs—so your only job is to enjoy Italy.
Our team
Carmen Carbonell
Carmen Carbonell is founder and President of Your Own Italy. Carmen was born in the United States, where she obtained a degree in Architecture. 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.
Cristy Willingham
Heading our Washington D.C office, Cristy has been working with Your Own Italy from the onset and is responsible for managing the operation side of our business, processing payments and answering all questions regarding vacation insurance to ensure that our clients receive the best possible service at all times.
Micheal
Michael joined the team in 2017 as the coordinator and designer of tours throughout Italy. A licensed tour guide for the last 20 years in English, Italian and French as well the author of “National Geographic Traveler – Rome, Michael has the last word on which tours are developed and added to the Your Own Italy repertoire.
Gene
All systems function thanks to Gene’s behind the scenes talent! From solving internet glitches to online payment processing, Gene ensures that Your Own Italy’s website is a pleasure to browse !
With Your Own Italy, your dream of an unforgettable Italian vacation becomes a reality. From romantic gondola rides in Venice to private wine tastings in Tuscany, every moment is thoughtfully planned and effortlessly executed.
We would like to sincerely thank Carmen and her team for the wonderful two week itinerary planned for us in Italy as well as your dedication and constant communication in keeping us always informed with our tour guides and drivers.
Being that this was our first time traveling to Italy, Your Own Italy made our hotel (beautiful hotels) , transportation, and tour reservations for us which made our trip stress free where we could relax and enjoy our time. All the private drivers and AP Tour Guides were wonderful, gracious, very knowledgeable and informative. We really enjoyed them and learned a lot from them.