Explorations 4.7 feefo-stars

Tours

Best of Italy

12 DAYS
$5,799 pp*
Save up to $500
*Rate is per person, land only, double occupancy, tour inclusions and available options may vary based on departure date.
Please select a date below for more details.

About This Tour

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Be whisked away into the beauty and history of Italy when you journey to Venice, Florence, and Rome. Journey to the wine-producing Romagna countryside for a relaxing two-night stay in a wine resort, and visit the Republic of San Marino, an enclave state of Italy. See how gondola oars are crafted before cruising the canals of Venice on one yourself. Witness a performance of Vivaldi’s famous Four Seasons in the city he lived in. Explore Orvieto, an ancient Etruscan hilltop city. Try your hand at making Italian culinary classics before sitting down to dinner. Discover Rome’s artistic masterpieces. Come along with us and embrace the history, culture, art and romance of this incredible country.

Your Tour Includes
  • 4 Handpicked Accommodations
  • 16 Meals
Included Highlights
  • Venice
  • Gondola Ride
  • Classical Music Concert
  • Ravenna

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Your Tour at a Glance

Stay

12 Days

11 Nights


Meals

16 Meals

10 Breakfasts

1 Lunches

5 Dinners


Activity

3 - Active

What's This?

Travel Style

Explorations

What's This?

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Pre Tour 2 Night Venice

$899.00 pp

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* With Insurance Purchased

  • *No Hassle Refunds
  • Traveling Well Safety
  • No booking fee, *no change fees
  • Top Rated Travel Protection

Getting Prepared

Know Before You Go

Enhance Your Tour

Accommodations

Arrive Earlier

Pre Night: Maison Venezia UNA Esperienze
From $270 per night

...
Maison Venezia UNA Esperienze

Nights 1-3

...
Borgo Conde Wine Resort

Nights 4-5

...
Grand Hotel Cavour Florence

Nights 6-7

...
Ponte Sisto Hotel

Nights 8-10

Stay Longer

Post Night: Ponte Sisto Hotel
From $175 per night

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Trip Reviews

Live, Unedited, & Independent Traveler Reviews

Rating

98 reviews
Overall Trip Rating
4.7
Out of 5
feefo-stars
Based on 98 independent reviews
5
79
4
11
3
6
2
2
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    Accommodations were not what I expected for a first class tour
    Jack De Leon
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    This tour offered the right amount of free time and educational site touring. Everything was top notch including the tour guide. Best of everything!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Every aspect of the trip surpassed our expectations!
    Michelle Duplantis
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Your tour guide Chiara Brandi was outstanding. Her historical knowledge was impressive. She kept everyone on time withiut coming across pushy.
    Michael Foster
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Well planned Fun Educational I especially enjoyed the gondola ride in Venice Loved every minute in Florence —would have liked more time there and in Venice,and less at the wine resort
    Marilyn Miller
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    some inclusions were not interesting
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great value for everything I saw and experienced about Italy. The history, food and culture was wonderful! Our guide Manny was so knowledgeable and helpful. 5 stars for him!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    In one of the hotels I slept on a pull out chair. The tub in Rome was too high to get in or out safely
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Collette tours are very organized and customer service is great. Our tour guide Allesendro was excellent!
    Ruma Das
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Guide was excellent. Daily balance of events was well planned. The overview and experiences superb
    Geraldine Tibbits
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    Spending 3 days at winery was too much. No options to do anything at night .
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Awesome trip to remember
    Linda Wagner
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great experience of a trip
    Brenda Garrison
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Wonderful fun experience!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Lots of wonderful people!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great tour. Would recommended this to others.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great experience Tour Guide Alexa was amazing
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Best of Italy vacation was an experience of a lifetime.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    everything was perfect. especially the leader
    Margaret Daugherty
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Alexa was excellent ! Was on top of things. Had a surprise for us, the American cemetery in Florence . Great surprise. Very friendly , knowledgeable and genuine .
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great places to stay, great places to visit, great local guides, and great tour manger. We were well taken care of. I especially liked that our tour group was small, 24 people.
    Laura Kruger
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The locations, logistical planning and tour manager expertise
Reviewed on
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Everything was wonderful. Vanessa, our tour guide, was amazing! She was so much fun and very attentive to everyone’s needs.
    Lisa Mackenzie
Reviewed on
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  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Wonderful
    Marisela Cooper
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  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    From the wonder and surprise of Venice to the history and grandeur of Rome, the Best of Italy is an informative and fabulous tour. Most favorable moment? There are several! The visit to Murano and the Vivaldi concert in Venice; the farm-to-table lunch in the Po Valley; the exploration of San Marino; beholding St Mark's in Venice, Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, and St Peter's in Vatican City.
    Joanna Haston
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Best of Italy was a lovely tour with a great overview of some of Italy's highlights. Excellent for the 1st time traveler to Italy. My favorite activity was the Vivaldi concert in Venice. The hotels were all very nice and in excellent locations so that exploring the cities on our own in our free time was very easy. Tour manager, Davide, was extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
    Karen Ratcliffe
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Ravenna and Republic of San Marino - off the beaten track and memorable
Reviewed on
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  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Wonderful tour! Highly recommend!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    We had the best time! We had the time of our lives. Simone was kind, funny, informative and kept us on time. I enjoyed every stop and adventure!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    This was an excellent tour; it covered many different types of museums, buildings, gardens, and gave us a good overview of the country of Italy.
    Jane Lafferty
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Savio and Daniel the buss driver were the Best. Both were Wonderfull. I wouldn't change a thing about our trip. It was perfect. Bottles of drinking water is the only struggle we had and the was only a minor problem.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Tour manager was amazing. Went to many places you would not on your own. Catacombs, Raving Mosiac church, as well as all the key highlights in the cities. Great trip HIGHLY recommend it.
    Robin Erickson
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The tour included many of the high profile sites, and included unusual visits to a hands on cooking class, a visit to a parmigiana-reggiano cheese school; and the process of making balsamic vinegar. A very interesting presentation on the craftsmanship of oar making in Venice. A unique visit to San Marino. The Catacombs visit was remarkable, as was the Sistine Chapel. Throughout our tour Ned provided intricate detail of each city and places of interest which were valuable. His care throughout the trip was evident and truly appreciated.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The trip was fantastic and our guide Ned was just great. Very pleasant, accommodating and knowledgeable.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    There were too many wonderful aspects of the trip to really pin down one favorite. If pushed…I would choose the city of Florence!!! The little towns of Ravenna and Chiusi were also a highlight.
    Amy Benevides
Reviewed on
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Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Mara, the tour manager, was great with her insight and suggestions for our free time. Particularly enjoyed our day in San Marino and vatican tour.
    Allen Johnson
Reviewed on
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Absolutely loved the whole tour, especially the vineyard we stayed at and the hands on cooking class we had making piadinni flatbread. Was awestruck by the beautiful churches with the mosaic tile ceilings and walls and the Vatican and Sistine chapel. I also loved visiting the high school culinary and hospitality class and learning about how the Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar are made and the tremendous luncheon they made for us. The food tour on our last day was also so much fun. Loved the gondola ride in Venice and the Murano glass blowing. Our tour guides were all extremely knowledgeable and especially Guilo Passiarella whose humor and tremendous knowledge made everyday so much fun!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Excellent all the way around. The tour manager was extremely knowledgeable about each city, street, museum, hotel, restaurant, language, safety, history, and mode of transportation. The hotels were incredible and in the heart of each city. Our guide made the Best of Italy fabulous. My travel agent was incredible. She made everything possible. I couldn't be happier with all the details that went into all the planning.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    Everything was great and the tour manager was over the top fantastic! My only concern... it would be great to have a way to keep those who are not suited for a tour. The activity level was 3 (moderate activity, steps, uneven surfaces, etc.). There were 5 of 24 who were not suited for the tour which meant the remainder of the group had to go slower - sometimes oppressively slower. It diminished the potential experience we could have had.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    Everything was great, especially the tour manager - over the top fantastic! The only thing which would have made the tour better if there was a way to prevent those who should not have been on the tour. Specifically, the tour is listed as an activity level 3 (moderate activity, steps, etc.). The tour group was slowed by 5 of the 24 attendees including one who used a cane periodically to walk.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    I think the tour guide, Minnie makes the tour! We were told 16 passengers, had 24! Not cool! Places you visit are great, individual tour guides are a roll of the dice. Some were good? Others knew their stuff, but walked at their pace, and rambled off so many facts, you remembered none! Taking pictures was routinely done on the run!! Hotels are middle of the road, for the price I expected better. One had a broken toilet seat, and when repaired eventually, had 2 pieces of metal, dropped into to bowl! Overall, the meals were very heavy in pasta, and prosciutto, with hardly a fresh or cooked vegetable in sight! I believe we had one meal with chicken, and 3 with badly cooked fish! So, not impressed there!
    Judith Hermann
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Rome was the best with Vsicsand St Peter’s basilica
    Joseph Kirkland
Reviewed on
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Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Venice— taking water taxis and gondola ride Romagna countryside—the wonderful wine resort, wine tour, bread making class and glass blowing Florence—all the wonderful churches museums Rome—Sistine chapel and seeing the Pope in St. Peter’s square
Reviewed on
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  • Trip Rating:
    2star
    The plane ride home
    Kenneth Smith
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    2star
    Famous iconic sites and museums were not included and then sold out! Also illness / Covid was brought into the bus first day then spread throughout. We were so sick by the end of trip we missed all of Rome and part of Florence. In addition, gondola ride was canceled with no compensation.
    Mary Smith
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    It was great, plenty busy, but not overly. Saw some beautiful sites and loved Giulio!
    Pamela Klein
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Enjoyed the mix of planned and unplanned time as well as the variety of excursions and cultural activities.
    Ray Brooks
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    My favorite place was the wine resort in Tuscany. I loved my huge private room overlooking the vineyard. I enjoyed the hands-on cooking class and every meal there.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    The visit to the Murano Glass factory was amazing. Watching the guy start with a molten piece of glass and end up with a beautiful horse was such a surprise! There were such beautiful vases and glasses in the shop, I wish I could have bought so many things.
    Jean Herron
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    I enjoyed the tour as a whole, I don't think there was a favorite thing. Our time in Romagna at the wine resort was especially nice. One thing I was disappointed in was the Vatican tour, it was supposed to be a before hours, breakfast at the Vatican private tour. Instead it was just the normal tour.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    I loved riding in the gondola in Venice. The food was delicious, the countryside was beautiful, the Colosseum and Vatican were impressive. The whole trip was wonderful!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    Hotels, breakfasts, and provided meals were great. Stops along the way were very enjoyable and informative. Favorite bonus stop that I would never have thought to do was SanMarino. I wish we'd have had more time there. Was disappointed that food "cooking " class was not what I had hoped for, neither was wine tasting. Wine was great, but there wasn't really instructional experience despite staying at winery. Those were 2 things i was really looking forward to and left me wanting. History and outside guides were very good, particularly Venice tour guide.
Reviewed on
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  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    The overall experience was great! Italy is beautiful. The flight over was miserable. The inability to see our seat assignment until we reached the airport was frustrating. I called Collette several times to ask about upgrading to premium economy. The Collette representative in each case was not knowledgeable or helpful with the cost or even the possibility of upgrading. I was told twice that someone from 'the flight desk' would call me back with information. I received one call back and was quoted a price so high I assumed it had to be a mistake. The tour manager was extraordinary. She was incredibly knowledgeable, personable and attentive. The accommodations were very nice. As for the itinerary I would have preferred more time in Venice, Florence and Rome and less time at the Borgo Conde Wine Resort. We will see Italy again...but we will book our own flights.
Reviewed on
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The entire tour was incredible. Our tour guide, Mara, was amazing and our coordinator, Chuck Cinelli, was the perfect host. Italy is an amazing land. We’ll return on one of Chuck’s tours in the future.
    Rod Singletary
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    professional and friendly tour director. Great overall accomodations and dinners.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    The Best of Italy failed to include "the Best of Italy. We had to pay extra to go into the Colosseum &The Pathanon. Not enough time spent at the Vatican, it was rushed. The odd things they included was a pontoon ride on the Po River. It was ecological excursion that wasn't what I expected to do in Italy. Then went to a local school where we thought we would see the art of making cheese and balsamic vinegar, instead students just told us about these things. We also spent three nights at a wine resort, one night would have been fine, it would have been nice to have more time in Florence, we only had 2 days.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The best of Italy Collette tour to with my tour manager Chiara was really run. She had a very inviting personality and made me feel included with the group. She was also very knowledgeable about all things Italian. She’s a real history buff, which I appreciated because it made the commutes to the places we were visiting in Italy (which were a bit long at times) more exciting! She also took the time to give the group some really amazing recommendations of places to visit or dine at in Florence, Venice and Rome. All and all I had a great time sight seeing and experiencing Italy with Chiara and the amazing people I got to know in our group. I would highly recommended her to a family member or friend and also I would love for her to be my tour manager again.
    Chyna Lowers
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Every aspect of the trip surpassed our expectations!
    Michelle Duplantis
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    This tour offered the right amount of free time and educational site touring. Everything was top notch including the tour guide. Best of everything!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    Accommodations were not what I expected for a first class tour
    Jack De Leon
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Your tour guide Chiara Brandi was outstanding. Her historical knowledge was impressive. She kept everyone on time withiut coming across pushy.
    Michael Foster
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Well planned Fun Educational I especially enjoyed the gondola ride in Venice Loved every minute in Florence —would have liked more time there and in Venice,and less at the wine resort
    Marilyn Miller
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    some inclusions were not interesting
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    4 stars
    In one of the hotels I slept on a pull out chair. The tub in Rome was too high to get in or out safely
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great value for everything I saw and experienced about Italy. The history, food and culture was wonderful! Our guide Manny was so knowledgeable and helpful. 5 stars for him!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Collette tours are very organized and customer service is great. Our tour guide Allesendro was excellent!
    Ruma Das
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Guide was excellent. Daily balance of events was well planned. The overview and experiences superb
    Geraldine Tibbits
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Lots of wonderful people!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Wonderful fun experience!
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great experience of a trip
    Brenda Garrison
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Awesome trip to remember
    Linda Wagner
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    3star
    Spending 3 days at winery was too much. No options to do anything at night .
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great experience Tour Guide Alexa was amazing
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great tour. Would recommended this to others.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Best of Italy vacation was an experience of a lifetime.
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    everything was perfect. especially the leader
    Margaret Daugherty
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Alexa was excellent ! Was on top of things. Had a surprise for us, the American cemetery in Florence . Great surprise. Very friendly , knowledgeable and genuine .
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    Great places to stay, great places to visit, great local guides, and great tour manger. We were well taken care of. I especially liked that our tour group was small, 24 people.
    Laura Kruger
Reviewed on
  • Trip Rating:
    5 stars
    The locations, logistical planning and tour manager expertise

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