Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

The Medieval and Renaissance town of Urbino hosts the annual historic festival “Festa del Duca” — Duke’s Festival — from August 13 through 15.
The festival offers visitors a chance to discover the rich cultural and artistic heritage of one of the best preserved and most appreciated historic towns in Italy.
Dancers, musicians, artists and artisans fill the streets during the Festival days creating a cheerful, yet surreal atmosphere.

Visitors can enjoy theatrical performances, musical concerts, local crafts exhibitions and food tastings with food prepared from authentic Renaissance recipes.
(Find out festival details and programme at http://www.urbino-rievocazionistoriche.it/ ).

Urbino is short drive to another tourist attraction, the Republic of San Marino, as well as to the major sea resorts located on the Adriatic Coast of Marches and Romagna. That offers a chance to combine a very nice tour.
For those who are willing to travel by plane, the closest airports are Ancona or Rimini.

When: Aug 13 through 15 (annual)
Where: Urbino

If you are looking to experience secret local food and wine places in Rome, you could take advantage of a 3.5 hours private tour while visitng the Eternal City.

A private guide will take you through the following places — in each of them you’ll be able to enjoy tasting sessions.

- Chocolate shop: taste chocolate made from secret recipes which have been kept secret for decades.
- Coffee shop: taste hot coffee and visit of the roast room with explanations about how the coffee is prepared and roasted in the most famous coffee shop in Rome.
- Ice Cream Shop: taste artisanal ice cream.
- Campo de’ Fiori: wine tasting in one of the places where you can better experience the real flavor of Rome.
- Restaurant near the Church of Santa Barbara: try Baccalà (fried fillet of stockfish) + 1 glass of DOC wine, mineral water, olives, nuts etc .

The price starts from 73.06 euro (for 8 people, to 269.00 for 1 people). See details here.

Beginning November 7-8, you can enjoy five week-ends filled with olive oil events in Umbria.
Frantoi Aperti, an event aiming to promote the olive oil produced in Umbria, offers for five week-end — from November 7 through December 8 — guided tours and visits to frantoi (’frantoio‘ is the factory where the olive oil is produced).

Umbria is a well-known area for the production of one of the finest quality olive oil in Italy.
Of course the visits include tasting sessions of olive oil paired with the many local specialties.

It is not just about olive oil, Frantoi Aperti offers a very unique experience, the chance to combine the finest gourmet and culinary tradition with art and culture, by visiting the charming countryside and the many perfectly preserved historic towns that make Umbria known and appreciated worldwide.
Some of the towns involved in Frantoi Aperti include Spoleto, Spello, Campello sul Clitunno, Castiglione del Lago (on the Lake Trasimeno shore).

Programme and details of the event are available at Frantoi Aperti website.

When: November 7 - December 8 (in the Weekend)
Where: Umbria

The “Palio di Asti” is more than just a famous historic race.
It’s a historic festival offering visitors also the chance to enjoy excellent wines and food in one of the most important wine-making areas in Italy.

Asti is a center as famous for its wines as it is for its fine food.
It is located in one of the most important areas for the white truffle hunting. So a trip there is the occasion for tasting truffle-based recipes and many other specialties that go hand in hand with centuries of history. A fine example is the “bagna caôda”, a rich sauce with anchovies, garlic and oil.

In the days preceding the race visitors may enjoy the historic district of Asti with visits to museums, medieval palaces, and antique shops as well as the many collateral and preparatory events such like the Palio of the Flag-wavers, the flea-market, the trials of owner-jockeys on the field.

One of the most fascinating part of the festival is the historic procession, taking place on Sunday a couple of hours prior to the race, with over twelve hundred characters wearing medieval costumes parading through the alleys of the town.

where: Asti (Piedmont)
when: September 18-20 (annual, third week-end of Sep.)
Festival’s details and programme at http://www.palio.asti.it .

If you have just one day to visit Florence, a guided tour could be what you need. Even better if you are given the option to pick a half day tour.

The following guided tour of Florence gives you the option to choose the sightseeing and the schedule that works best for you. The options you have include: a morning tour, an afternoon tour, and a full-day tour.

- Florence morning tour
Your morning tour starts with a drive up to Piazzale Michelangelo to admire wonderful panoramic views of Florence. Next, you’ll take a walking tour of the cathedral complex in the old city center, including Giotto’s bell tower, the Baptistery with its bronze doors and the famous cupola by Brunelleschi. A short walk brings you to the Accademia Gallery which houses the statue of David by Michelangelo. The morning tour concludes here, or you can choose to end your morning tour with lunch at a restaurant in the town center.

- Florence afternoon tour
Your afternoon tour begins with panoramic views of Florence, Fiesole and the Arno Valley. Next, you’ll visit the old city center to see the Franciscan Church of Santa Croce. A short walk through the heart of Florence brings you to the famous Piazza Signoria, where you can see the imposing Palazzo Vecchio and the beautiful Loggia del Lanzi. Next you’ll visit the Uffizi Galleryto admire superb paintings by Botticelli, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Giotto. The tour concludes at the Uffizi.

- Florence full-day tour
A combination of the morning tour, including a light lunch, followed by the afternoon tour.
Here’s tour details.