Are you looking for a one-of-a-kind vacation where you choose accommodations, trip elements, excursions, and extras? Then, a Custom Vacation is for you!
A custom vacation is exactly what it sounds like – a fully customized and tailor-made trip that is specifically designed to fit your travel style and budget.
Your vacation includes your personal, custom trip itinerary, hotels, guided excursions, day trips, and extras as specified by you and outlined in your proposal.
Custom vacations are available for travelers for as few as three nights to as many as four weeks+, however most travelers book between 8-14-day vacations.
Our process works like this:
Let us know you are interested and will arrange a free 15-minute chat where I can answer any questions you have about how our services can work for you.
If you like what you hear and we think we are a good fit, you’ll schedule a one-hour trip consult in which we will go more deeply into the specifics of your trip, where you might choose to go, various experiences we can include, etc. The fee is $250 of which 100% is applied to the cost of your trip. If you choose not to book a trip, all of the information you gather from our phone call is yours for life.
If you’d like to get started with a free chat, please check out my calendar here.
After our hour-long consult, we’ll create a draft that includes:
You will review your proposal and we will make changes, additions, and adjustments until you love it.
Once you approve your proposal and per-person price, you will pay a vacation deposit of 50% (minus the $250) and we’ll book your trip.
Approximately 60 days before you travel you will pay your balance and one month prior to your trip, you will be sent a link to our dedicated app, where you will find your full itinerary, contact information, travel tips, and more. (If you prefer, you can also save a PDF copy of your itinerary to your phone or download and print a copy!)
We will confirm everything before you arrive in Italy and be available during your vacation by in-app chat, Whatsapp, and phone calls.
Custom Vacation Package
In addition to photos and a day-by-day vacation outline, your package includes a section on local specialties, must-eat treats, and information on handmade crafts from each area you are visiting. It also includes our exclusive guides ranging from Dining, Shopping, Preparing for your Heritage Tour, Packing and more.
24/7 Consultant
We are available throughout your vacation to troubleshoot on your behalf. Additionally, you have unlimited access to email consultations prior to your trip.
Travelers who:
Due to the customization of our vacations, it is impossible to give a quote for a custom trip, however, week-long vacations for two people start at €2,500 per person in a shared room.
You will arrive in Rome’s airport and will have a private transfer to your centrally-located Rome hotel. You’ll have a guaranteed early check-in and will rest a bit before heading out to explore your new neighborhood.
In the evening, you’ll meet my friend – a Rome resident and Italian-American sommelier – for a private wine-tasting Roman cheese and wine dinner.
Today you will step back in time as your expert guide brings the most important temples and shrines of the Roman Forum to life for you, leading you through the Colosseum in the footsteps of Gladiators of Rome who killed and survived, or died for the entertainment of the masses!
Then change gears and stroll through the breathtaking piazzas and fountains of Renaissance Rome. From the Colosseum floor to Bernini’s stunning fountains, heartstopping treasures are abound on this experience spanning more than 2400 years of fascinating Roman history!
Just 30 minutes from Rome lies the historic town of Frascati, nestled in the hills known to locals as the Castelli Romani where your guide will meet you at 4:30 PM as your train pulls into the station.
The first stop is a locally renowned 16th century Farmhouse, vineyard and winery where you will enjoy a guided visit by the owners, winemakers for multiple generations. Tour the wine cellar and Roman age caves, then see how age old winemaking traditions have been maintained through the years and incorporated into the modern production of today’s highly sought after DOCG wines (don’t worry, you’ll learn what all those initials mean too!).
While you relax on the terrace, take in the unforgettable view of the rolling hills and Rome in the background and enjoy a guided tasting of three wines; Frascati Superiore DOCG, Red Vagnolo IGT and Sweet Cannellino DOCG while each one is described in detail and accompanied by delectable local extra virgin olive oil and baked goods from the local bakery.
This morning you are just a quick cab ride away from the Rome Termini Train Station where you are booked in first class tickets to Calabria. Upon arriving in Calabria, you’ll be met by your bilingual guide who will drive you to your hotel on Catanzaro Lido’s lungomare. You’ll settle into your hotel and in the evening, meet your guide for an evening passeggiata and wine-pairing dinner.
This morning you’ll head into the nearby hills to explore i due mari – the two seas! In the area overlooking the narrowest strip in Italy, you can see Calabria’s two seas – the Ionian and Tyrrhenian.
You will begin your day with a visit to a 60-year-old family-owned oil mill. My friend, Lucia, who has married into the family, will give us inside information on how to tell if olive oil is “good,” and we’ll have a chance to sample their oils and visit their private, family dairy farm. You will have a full Calabrese lunch, with wine and digestive liquors in the nearby town and return to your hotel. You’ll have the rest of the day on your own.
This morning you’ll enjoy a guided tour and in-depth look into Catanzaro’s ancient silk tradition. Since before the medieval times, Catanzaro has been home to one of the most important silk industries in Europe, once supplying tapestries to the Vatican.
In a lonely village near Catanzaro, a group of Calabrian youth has gathered to rejuvenate this dying tradition. From their base inside a Mulberry Tree orchard they breed silkworms, experiment with new all-natural colors and give travelers a hands-on experience at extracting silk. Lunch is included. You’ll return to Catanzaro Lido. Dinner on your own. Overnight in Catanzaro Lido.
You’ll have breakfast, then your driver will meet you for your transfer to the train station where you are booked in first class on a train to the Amalfi Coast.
Upon arriving, your driver will meet you for your transfer to your hotel on the Amalfi Coast, via an exclusive two-hour tour of Pompeii. You’ll check into your hotel and enjoy a private aperitivo on your hotel’s terrace, overlooking the Amalfi Coast.
Your driver will meet you this morning for an excursion to three factories and shops that specialize in Amalfi Coast’s famous ceramics. You’ll visit Salerno, one of the least touristy areas for a large factory tour, then it’s on to Vietri sul Mare, the “ceramics village” whose main road is lined with shop after shop selling stunning, handmade ceramics. Finally – you’ll head to Piccadilly to learn about another style of ceramics from the coast.
This stop is opposite the Green Grotto, where you can choose to have a small ride into a green-colored cave (smaller, and less-toursity than Capri’s blue grotto.)
The driver will arrange a great stop for lunch for you and you’ll have ample time to stop for panoramic photos.
This morning your driver will meet you at your hotel for a transfer to Naples. There, you will meet your guide and sample some of the best specialty food in the country, while learning a bit about the fascinating and colorful history of Naples. You’ll taste the best coffees, sfogliatella, and of course, pizza.
After lunch, you’ll return to your hotel to rest and pack before enjoying a farewell to Italy dinner.
You will have breakfast, then have a transfer to the Naples Airport. Ciao Italia!