Italy has a lot to offer, from dreamy light and sumptuous landscapes made for romance, its three millennia of history, its culture and its cuisine.  You can visit Roman ruins, gaze at Renaissance art, visit tiny medieval hill towns, explore the canals of Venice and the lakes of northern Italy, and explore beautiful churches and cathedrals. Of course, you can also indulge in the pleasures of 'la dolce vita' ~ good food, good wine and improving your wardrobe!

Situated in Mediterranean Europe and officially a Republic, Italy features majestic mountains, placid lakes and splendid cities.  You are assured of a warm welcome and wonderful food whilst in Italy.

"When I first started to learn Italian, my teacher, Carla, said that she wasn't going to teach me the Italian language but the culture of her country. For the next 45 minutes she spoke about her mother in law!  I think what makes Italy different is the allegiance to the mama.  Every child gives unbelievable reverence to the Mama ... the Papa is only there to pay the bills!" - Edwin Doran 

 

Italy is another country whose tourism has been majorly affected by the significant rise of low cost airlines. Whereas traditionally, Alitalia and British Airways flew regular daily scheduled services to the main business and tourist centres, it is the low cost airlines flying from more local airports which have opened up exciting new gateways situated very close to main sports centres.

The flights to Italy are:

• British Airways ~ Daily services from London Heathrow to Rome, Venice, Milan, Turin and Verona, with BA Connect also operating a service to Milan from Bristol, Birmingham and Manchester.
  
• Alitalia ~ Daily services London Heathrow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Humberside, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Teeside.
  
• EasyJet ~ From Gatwick to Milan; Belfast, Newcastle, East Midlands, Bristol and Gatwick to Rome; Luton to Turin; and East Midlands, Bristol and Gatwick to Venice. 
  
• Jet2 ~ Flights from Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh to Milan; Leeds and Manchester to Rome; and Leeds to Venice.
  
• ThomsonFly ~ Flights from London Gatwick and Manchester to Venice.
  
• Ryanair ~ Flights from Stansted, Luton, East Midlands, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin and Shannon to Rome; Stansted, Luton, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow, Dublin and Shannon to Milan; Stansted to Verona; and Stansted, Liverpool, Dublin and Shannon to Venice.
  
• BmiBaby ~ Flights from London Heathrow to Venice.

An interesting development has been that British Airways, in particular, has invested quite heavily in developing some of these local airports with services from London Gatwick. Our preference has always been to deal with the major carriers as whilst there may be the odd occasion when they may appear to be more expensive than the low cost carriers, the flexibility of the conditions we have when dealing with name changes and cancellations can give the traditional carriers the edge.

 

The major sports we have sent tours to Italy are Football, Rugby and Hockey. It is quite a large country with many major population areas which reflects the country. Ardent football fans will know that the main clubs are all in the industrial north of the country. All sporting activity with touring sides in Italy is club-based (like many European countries, there is no school activity). This is why fixtures take place in the late afternoon or evening.

 

 

 

 

Angelo and Jon Morello look after our basketball, rugby and girls and boys hockey requirements, making full use of their extensive network of contacts at local clubs. They have been working with us for quite some time and we hear nothing but very strong praise of the personal involvement with every tour they organise for us.

We tend to place most of our groups in the north including Lake Garda, Milan, Padua, Chioggia (across the lagoon from Venice) and Bologna as that is where the strength of sport lies.  Rugby and Hockey are also available in other cities south of the industrial heartland, in places like Rome. 
 
For football tours, Marco Gianni of Dream Team Italy is our man.  Tours are based in Bussolengo (to the right of Lake Garda) where there are fine facilities.  Football tours also regularly travel to Rome where there is often the opportunity to watch Serie A games against the premier sides.

Since Italy came into the Six Nations, we have been delighted to see a substantial increase in our annual tours to this country. Whilst we send people to every area of Italy including Rome, Florence, and Milan, our main concentration has been in the north east as this is the main location for football, hockey and rugby.

Testimonial:  "Jon (Morello) was excellent and helpful in all areas." Tour Manager   

 

As with every country in which we operate, we develop a strategy to purchase your accommodation at the most competitive prices possible. In Italy, we actually operate two different strategies.  We avoid using Hostels which tend to be of questionable quality and in dubious locations to effect cheap prices. That is why we don't like to use hotels in places like Venice Lido which we regard as being package tour hotels that cater for the masses. 

The Morellos and Marco Gianni are very good at selecting and getting top quality hotels in tourist resorts primarily used by Italians which means that when we want to send our tours, the hotels are either starting a new season or winding down at the end  of one.  Consequently, they really appreciate the business we give them and look after our customers particularly well.

This is one of our success stories. Less than an hour from Verona is Sirmione at the top of a 'leg' which starts at Desenzano and goes into Lake Garda. As it is a major summer holiday retreat, it means that the hotels need business during the rest of the year. It is very safe, there are plenty of restaurants, cafes, food, ice cream and other shops to ensure that your group are very well fed, and at reasonable prices.

Another popular area is the seaside resort of Sottomarina, near to the ancient fishing port of Chioggia at the bottom of the Venice Lagoon.  Accommodation here means that groups can enjoy fabulous day trips by boat straight into Venice without paying the earth.  Chioggia itself is also very well-situated for fixtures in nearby Rovigo,  Modena and Monselice.