These tours are designed, arranged and escorted by Amici Tours ABN

Transcription

1 These tours are designed, arranged and escorted by Amici Tours gned, arranged and esco ABN

2 page 1 contents overview page 2 map page 3 itineraries page 4 inclusions page 9 destinations page 11 the tour hotels page 17 FAQs page 21 contact details page 23

3 page 2 overview of the 2018 tours Our 2018 Italy tours will take place early in the European Autumn, a really good time to be in Italy. We'll enjoy some lovely warm weather, but it won't be as hot as July and August. Also, the tourist crowds will be less overwhelming. The southern tour will include a week in Sicily, which was very popular with our 2017 tourers. And great news, Umbria returns to our northern itinerary in The northern tour follows on directly after the southern tour, so you can conveniently do both tours if you wish to. The tours are designed, arranged and escorted by Amici Tours. We believe in slower tours. Take more time and actually enjoy yourself! ''The Sunny South" September 23 - October 04 (11 nights/12 days) $2,600 per person, twin share basis Single supplement $550 Deposit $520 "Northern Icons" October 04 - October 13 (9 nights/10 days) $2,200 per person, twin share basis Single supplement $650 Deposit $440 "The Sunny South" with Northern Icons" September 23 - October 13 (20 nights/21 days) $5,000 per person, twin share basis Single supplement $1,200 Deposit $1, International airfares not included. Bookings close June Prices above cannot be guaranteed for bookings made after March

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5 page 4 the itineraries the sunny south 11 nights, 12 days Day 1 -- Sunday 23rd September In the early evening we ll gather together at our Rome hotel, before setting out to stroll through some of Rome s most famous piazzas. We will experience Sunday evening in Rome. Sunday is the big day when Italians go out and meet up with friends and relatives. Rome has a vibrant out-of-doors culture on any evening of the week, and even more so on Sundays. We ll finish our evening with a group dinner at a restaurant that serves popular Roman dishes. Overnight in Rome. Dinner included. Day 2 -- Monday 24th September Off to Sorrento today by private coach. On the way, we ll visit the ancient site of Herculaneum (Ercolano in modern Italian). Herculaneum suffered the same fate as better-known Pompeii. The life of the town came to an abrupt end on 24th August 79AD with the catastrophic eruption of nearby Mt Vesuvius. Herculaneum was a resort town for wealthy Romans, and as such very different to Pompeii, which was a working port city. After arrival and check-in at Sorrento, you will have time in the afternoon to get acquainted with this lively coastal town. In the evening, a group dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight in Sorrento. Breakfast, dinner included. Day 3 -- Tuesday 25th September A fun outing to the island of Capri, crossing over by hydrofoil, and then enjoying a boat ride along the coast of the island, with an opportunity for swimming at the Green Grotto. Afterwards you can spend more time on the island, exploring, swimming, dining or relaxing as the mood takes you. You will have a return ticket so you can get back to Sorrento by hydrofoil at whatever time you choose. The jetty at Sorrento is within walking distance of our hotel, so no transport needed, unless of course you have exhausted yourself on Capri. By the way, there is a public lift, for 1. If you don t feel like walking back to the hotel, there is a local bus that runs frequently, and of course plenty of taxis meet the boats as they arrive, too. Overnight in Sorrento. Breakfast included. Day 4 -- Wednesday 26th September Today an excursion to the ancient city of Pompeii, with a guided tour of part of the site, which is enormous! We ll then transfer to the beautiful Sorrentino winery at the foot of Vesuvius, for wine-tasting and lunch. After lunch, return to our hotel in Sorrento. Overnight in Sorrento. Breakfast included. Day 5 -- Thursday 27th September We ll visit the Amalfi coast today by coach, spending time in Positano and Ravello, and also seeing the town of Amalfi. We ll enjoy beautiful coastal scenery throughout the whole day. At the end of the day, our coach will transfer us to our Salerno hotel. Overnight in Salerno. Breakfast included.

6 page 5 Day 6 -- Friday 28th September At Salerno we ll board a train and travel to Taormina in Sicily. The journey will be quite an event, because apart from the interest of the scenery, we ll cross over to the island of Sicily on the train ferry. In the late afternoon we ll check in to our lovely Taormina hotel. There ll be time to rest and freshen up before enjoying dinner together in a nearby restaurant. Overnight in Taormina. Breakfast, dinner included. Day 7 -- Saturday 29th September Today is a free day for your own independent activities. You ll be able to explore the shops and cafes in Taormina, see the beautiful ancient Greek theatre, and even go to the beach if you want to, using the convenient cable car* which takes you down to sea level. Another option would be to do Chef Massimo s Sicilian cooking class*. Some of our 2017 group did this and absolutely loved it. Overnight in Taormina. Breakfast included. Day 8 -- Sunday 30th September An expedition to Mt Etna. Mt Etna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. Our bus will take us up to about 1,900 metres. Our tour includes a guided walk at that level, and afterwards you will find some restaurants where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch, out of the cold. There will also be the possibility to take the cable car up to 2,500 metres*, if the weather and the volcanic conditions are suitable. The day will include a visit to a town at Etna s base. This will be a big day and a huge adventure. Overnight in Taormina. Breakfast included. Day 9 -- Monday 1st October Off to Syracuse today. Before lunch we ll visit Syracuse s Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum, which is one of the principal archaeological museums of Europe. This vast, modern museum has a staggering collection of archaeological finds from eastern Sicily, beautifully displayed. After our museum visit we ll go to Ortygia Island, which is the historic centre of Syracuse, and where we ll be staying for the night. Ortygia is connected to the mainland by two bridges. The island is ancient and very beautiful. It was occupied in ancient Greek times, in fact Syracuse was an important Greek colony. Nowadays Ortygia is a very popular place for tourism, shopping and entertainment. You will have plenty of time to explore the island. In addition, if you wish to, you will easily be able to visit the Neapolis Archaeological Park*, also in Syracuse. Overnight in Syracuse (Ortygia). Breakfast included. Day Tuesday 2nd October Leaving the east coast of Sicily we head inland, on the way stopping at Villa Romana del Casale. This is a magnificent Roman villa that was built around the start of the 4th century AD. It contains the largest collection of ancient Roman mosaics in the world, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mosaics are of great interest because they depict various facets of everyday life in the early 300s AD. After our visit we ll head off to our next hotel, which is located right by the Valley of the Temples, in Agrigento. An excellent dinner will be served by the hotel. Overnight in Agrigento. Breakfast, dinner included.

7 page 6 Day 11 Wednesday 3rd October In the morning we ll check out of our lovely hotel, and go do a guided tour of the famous Valley of the Temples. This is the largest archaeological site in the world and covers 1,300 hectares. Stupendous. It too is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Valley of the Temples is actually located on a ridge, rather than in a valley. It contains seven temples, all in the Doric style. After our guided tour of the site, we ll head off to Monreale, where we ll visit the truly beautiful cathedral and monastery. We will then be transferred to our hotel in central Palermo. Our group dinner that evening will in fact be a street food tour in central Palermo. Palermo street food is famous. The tour will enable us to see the historic centre, try some popular Sicilian dishes, and actually be part of Palermo s lively evening street scene for one evening. Overnight in Palermo. Breakfast, dinner included. Day Thursday 4th October If you are not continuing with us to Venice for the Northern Icons tour, we will say good-bye to you after breakfast and wish you all the best for the rest of your travels. If you are continuing on with us for the Northern Icons tour, we will transfer together to Palermo airport for our flight to Venice. Breakfast included. * Activities marked with an asterisk are suggestions only. They are not organised by Amici Tours, are not part of the tour and are not included in the tour price.

8 page 7 northern icons 9 nights, 10 days Day 1 -- Thursday 4th October If you have done the Sunny South tour with us, on arrival at Venice airport we ll transfer to our hotel by private water taxi. If you have not done the Sunny South tour with us, you will meet us at the hotel in Venice. At the hotel you will be given your 72-hour Venice Travelcard, which will enable you to travel on the vaporetti (water-buses) as often as you like, without paying. You will then have the afternoon and evening free to explore the Floating City. Overnight in Venice. Day 2 Friday 5th October The Doge s Palace, St Mark s Basilica, and the Clock Tower. At the Doge s Palace (in Italian the Palazzo Ducale), we will do the Secret Itineraries tour. This tour takes you behind the scenes in the palace, to see the parts that most tourists are not admitted to. At St Mark s Basilica we will have booked entrance, which means we will be able to avoid the long queue that inevitably develops there. Our group will enter in time to be there when the lights are on, so that we can experience the mosaics sparkling under the light. After lunch we will do a guided tour of the beautiful clock tower in St Mark s square. In the evening, a fun group dinner. Overnight in Venice. Breakfast, dinner included. Day 3 Saturday 6th October Today is a full free day for your own activities. With your Venice Travelcard you could visit some of the islands such as Murano (famous for its glassware production), or Burano (lacemaking, coloured houses, seafood restaurants). Otherwise, you could do sight-seeing in Venice - perhaps climb up the St Mark s bell tower* if you re very fit, tour the Naval History Museum*, or see the world-famous collection of 20th century art at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum*. We will lead an expedition to the Rialto market in the morning, which you may or may not choose to do with us. The possibilities for sight-seeing in Venice are almost endless, it just depends on what you personally are interested in. Even just wandering around and seeing what you discover is fun. Then there s the shopping. Overnight in Venice. Breakfast included. Day 4 Sunday 7th October By train to Florence. We ll be travelling Business Class on the Frecciarossa high speed train, which is capable of doing up to 300kph. In fact, on our 2017 tour it reached 299kph (disappointing!). On arrival at Florence we ll walk to our hotel which is located in the vicinity of the railway station. After lunch, we visit the Uffizi Gallery where we ll do a guided tour with our excellent guide and see masterpieces of Renaissance painting including Botticelli s Primavera and Venus, Leonardo s Annunciation, Michelangelo s Holy Family, and the Caravaggio collection. Overnight in Florence. Breakfast included.

9 page 8 Day 5 -- Monday 8th October Today will be free for independent sight-seeing and shopping. Some of the possibilities are visiting Pisa or Lucca by train*, going on a coach tour to the Chianti wine district*, doing a day tour to Cinque Terre*, or sight-seeing in Florence itself* (much to do there). We can help you with information about any of the various options mentioned above. Overnight in Florence. Breakfast included. Day 6 -- Tuesday 9th October We will visit the Accademia Gallery and see Michelangelo s David (the real one). After which we ll do a walking tour of the area around the Duomo and the Mediaeval district with our guide, and learn something about the history of Florence. In the evening, a group dinner. Overnight in Florence. Breakfast, dinner included. Day 7 -- Wednesday 10th October In the morning we ll board our coach for our transfer to Umbria. En route, we ll visit the small town of Gubbio, located on the lower slopes of Mt Ingino in the Apennine Mountains. Gubbio is a gem of an Umbrian hill town, with so much to see and do. After our Gubbio visit our coach will continue on to Perugia, the capital city of Umbria, and we will check in to our elegant hotel which is located right in the lively historic centre. Overnight in Perugia. Breakfast included. Day 8 -- Thursday 11th October An excursion to Assisi, the resting-place of St Francis, and a destination for pilgrims. The current Pope took St Francis name when he became Pope. Like Gubbio and Perugia, Assisi is an Umbrian hill town, located on the foothills of the Apennine Mountains. After our walking tour of the town, we ll have lunch together at the well-known La Stalla restaurant, sampling local Umbrian cuisine. We ll return to Perugia by mid-afternoon. Overnight in Perugia. Breakfast, lunch included. Day 9 -- Friday 12th October We will transfer to Rome by coach, returning to the Crosti Hotel that we originally set out from. In the afternoon we ll do a guided tour of the Colosseum and the Forum, and in the evening, we ll have our last group dinner together, a celebration of all we have achieved. Overnight in Rome. Breakfast, dinner included. Day Saturday 13th October Sadly, our tour is at an end. After breakfast we will say arrivederci and go on our own separate ways, hopefully with many joyous memories to take home. Breakfast included. * Activities marked with an asterisk are suggestions only. They are not organised by Amici Tours, are not part of the tour and are not included in the tour price.

10 page 9 inclusions the sunny south TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: Twin-share accommodation in clean, comfortable, conveniently-located hotels, with private bathroom, for 11 nights All transport between hotels Services of two tour leaders 11 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 5 dinners (mineral water included with lunches and dinners) 12 tours and activities (listed below) All transport and entrance fees as necessary for the tours and activities listed below Services of English-speaking tour guides for the 6 guided tours detailed below All group tips All city bed taxes, which total 20 THE FOLLOWING 12 GUIDED TOURS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE: Evening stroll through Rome s famous piazzas,with your tour leaders Guided tour of the excavations at Herculaneum Excursion to Capri Island, including a small boat tour Guided tour of the excavations at Pompeii Winery visit at the Sorrentino winery in the Vesuvio wine district Amalfi Coast excursion Excursion to Mt Etna, with guided walking tour Visit to the Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum at Syracuse Guided tour of Villa Romana del Casale Guided tour of Valley of the Temples Visit to the Cathedral and the Monastery at Monreale Streaty street food tour in Palermo

11 page 10 northern icons TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: Twin-share accommodation in clean, comfortable, conveniently-located hotels, with private bathroom, for 9 nights All transport between hotels Services of two tour leaders 9 breakfasts, 1 lunch, 3 dinners (mineral water included with lunches and dinners) 9 tours and activities (listed below) All transfers and entrance fees as necessary for the tours and activities listed below Services of English-speaking tour guides for the 6 guided tours detailed below Rome one-day public transport ticket Venice 3-day Travelcard All group tips All city bed taxes, which total 33 THE FOLLOWING 9 GUIDED TOURS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES ARE INCLUDED IN THE TOUR PRICE: Secret Itineraries tour at the Doge s Palace (Palazzo Ducale) in Venice Visit to St Mark s Basilica in Venice, with booked entrance time Guided tour of the clock tower in Venice Morning visit to the Rialto market in Venice, with your tour leaders Guided tour of the Uffizi gallery in Florence Guided tour of the Accademia Gallery in Florence, and of the historic centre of Florence including the mediaeval district Gubbio excursion Guided walking tour of Assisi Guided walking tour of Ancient Rome the Colosseum, the Forum, the Palatine the sunny south with northern icons TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: All inclusions listed above for Sunny South and Northern Icons tours Transfer from Palermo hotel to Palermo airport Flight from Palermo to Venice Transfer by water taxi from Venice airport to Venice hotel

12 page 11 destinations a spotlight on just a few of the places we ll be visiting amazing, beautiful or fun Capri Our excursion to Capri is all about fun. We ll go over to Capri Island by fast ferry from our base in Sorrento. Then we ll get into smaller boats which are the traditional fishing boats of the area, called gozzi. These boats only take six or seven passengers. In our gozzi we ll tour in the waters off the island, seeing interesting natural features and admiring some of the impressive man-made habitations on the island, and we ll stop to have a swim off the boats in the refreshing sea. After returning to the port, you ll be free to explore the island, or perhaps just do a long lunch and some shopping or some more swimming, before returning to Sorrento at whatever time you please. In 2016, we sailed right past James Packer s yacht, the Arctic P, which seems as big as a palace. Mariah Carey s much smaller chartered yacht was moored close by

13 page 12 Villa Romana del Casale This magnificent Roman villa in eastern Sicily was built around the start of the 4th century AD. It contains the largest collection of ancient Roman mosaics in the world (over 3,000 square metres), and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The mosaics are remarkable, and for other reasons besides the vast extent of them. First, they are superbly executed and beautiful. The villa must have belonged to an extremely wealthy and important family, and was possibly even the holiday home of one of the emperors, because such high quality mosaics were very expensive. Second, they are extremely wellpreserved. This is due largely to the fact that the villa was covered by a landslide in the 12th century AD, was subsequently forgotten about, and not uncovered again until the early 20th century. Finally, the subject matter of the mosaics makes them very interesting, as they depict various aspects of everyday life in the early 300s AD. One of the most famous mosaics has been nicknamed the bikini girls, and depicts girls exercising and playing various sports. It is in the gymnasium of the daughters of the family. Mt Etna Etna, in eastern Sicily, is by far the largest of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is about two and a half times the height of the next largest, Mt Vesuvius. Mt Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world and is in an almost constant state of activity. It may seem like a contradiction, but this constant activity actually makes it safer than some other volcanoes, as it releases pressure gradually rather than building it up over a long period, which can lead to a catastrophic explosion. However, Etna is still frequently spectacular, particularly when viewed at night, from afar. Our bus will take us up to about 1,900 metres. A guided walk at that level is included in the tour. Our guide for the day will be Davide Federico, who is extremely knowledgeable in his field, and likeable. He prides himself on tailoring each tour to the special interests and capabilities of the participants. Also at that level there are some restaurants where you can enjoy a leisurely lunch, out of the cold. You will also have the opportunity to take the cable car up to 2,500 metres, at own expense, provided weather and volcanic conditions permit. This will be a big day and a huge adventure. There will be snow in the area and it will be cold, so we will need to take several layers of clothes, a pair of gloves and a warm hat.

14 page 13 Streaty street food tour In Palermo, our group dinner will in fact be a street food tour. Streaty is a group of young tour guides who take small groups around the Palermo street food vendors to try various Sicilian specialties and experience the buzz of Palermitan night life. Participants are issued with a Streaty Foodie s Passport, which will enable them to prove to the folks back home, which Sicilian dishes they have tried. If you taste a dish, you get a stamp on the appropriate page of your passport. It makes a cute souvenir to remind you of your evening spent in Palermo. The tour will show you around the historic centre, and our guide will tell us stories from the history of Palermo. In the words of the Streaty gang themselves, The uniqueness of Palermitan street food doesn t simply lie in its variety and rich flavours, but also in the ability that every dish has to tell a historical chapter of the Sicilian capital. Palermo is renowned for its street food, and celebrity chefs Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver and Anthony Bourdain, amongst others, have visited Palermo to sample it. Here s Rick Stein receiving his Foodie s Passport from Marco. Monreale The Cathedral of Monreale is one of the greatest remaining examples of Norman architecture in the world. The interior surfaces of the cathedral are covered by 6,500 square metres of glass mosaics, and they are stunningly beautiful. A whole series of them depicts bible stories from the Old Testament. Sicily was part of the Byzantine Empire until it fell to the Muslims and became an Emirate which existed from 831 to Its capital was Palermo. In 1072 the Emirate was conquered by the Normans, and became the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. The Norman Kings chose the rural village of Monreale, just outside of Palermo, as their hunting resort. King William II of Sicily sponsored the building of the Cathedral of Monreale, and the large monastery next door.

15 page 14 The Doge s Palace in Venice The palace was the official residence of the Doge of Venice, who was the supreme authority of the former Republic of Venice. It is also where the Great Council of Venice met, and where the administrative offices were located. Construction of the building commenced in We will visit this impressive building with its magnificent adornments. In addition, we will do the Secret Itineraries tour. This exclusive tour takes you behind the scenes, to see parts of the palace that most tourists are not admitted to, affording an insight into the day-to-day administration and the political goings-on of the former Republic. A truly fascinating tour. Perugia This mediaeval city is the regional capital of Umbria, and will be our base for two nights while we explore the region. Perugia has always been loved by our tour guests. We will stay right in the historic centre, in a mediaeval environment with a busy contemporary town life that may at first seem incongruous to you. Devotees of Game of Thrones may be interested to know the actual Red Wedding occurred in Perugia in July Perugia, like many other hill towns of Umbria and Tuscany, has had a turbulent and bloody past. Power struggles between wealthy families, and battles to gain and maintain independence from the Vatican, were played out over the centuries. You will see many young people in Perugia as it has two universities, the mainstream university and the University for Foreigners. The majority of tourists you see in Perugia are Italians touring their own country. Most foreign visitors do not make time to visit Perugia.

16 page 15 Gubbio On our 2018 Northern Icons tour we ll go to three Umbrian hill towns Gubbio, Perugia and Assisi. Of these three, perhaps the least known is Gubbio. Yet what an interesting place it is! Gubbio is located on the lower slopes of Mt Ingino, a small mountain in the Apennines. The town has very ancient origins. It is known the hills there were inhabited during the Bronze Age. Then in pre-roman times it was an important town of the Umbri tribe, and later, a Roman town. Gubbio became very powerful at the start of the Middle Ages. Evidence of this is that the town was able to send 1,000 knights to fight in the First Crusade, in Very sadly, an event from more recent history was the shooting of 40 citizens of Gubbio as reprisal because the local Patriotic Action Guard had killed two officers of the occupying German Army, in a Gubbio bar. This tragedy for the town occurred in June The television series Don Matteo was filmed on location in Gubbio from Don Matteo is a (fictional) priest who solves crimes. The series is now filmed in Spoleto. Here are some of the things you can see and do in Gubbio: > Visit the Civic Museum to see the Eugubine Tablets, which are bronze tablets, the oldest of which probably date from the 3rd century BC, and are written in the native Umbrian alphabet; > See the ancient Roman theatre; > Admire the mediaeval era houses and civic buildings in the centre of town; > Go up Mt Ingino in the funivia (the bird cages ) for the spectacular view, and to pay respects to St Ubaldo ( ), Patron Saint of Gubbio, whose body is on display in the basilica; > If you enjoy walking, walk back down from there instead of taking the funivia; > Visit the Mausoleum of the Forty Martyrs, a moving experience; > Go shopping for Umbrian food delicacies and locally-produced ceramics; > Enjoy coffee, lunch, or a glass of wine or beer in one of the bars, perhaps in Bar Don Matteo.

17 page 16 The Colosseum and the Forum, Rome Whilst in Rome we ll be doing a walking tour of the Colosseum, Forum, and Palatine Hill. People are often surprised when they realise that the Colosseum and the Forum are in the centre of Rome and so easily accessible. As with so many ancient remnants, Romans just conduct their lives around them as though they are a normal part of the landscape. Actually, for them they are, as they have grown up with them always just being there. The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built. Construction started in AD72, and was completed in AD80. Considering it was built using manpower, this timeframe seems miraculous. It was used for gladiatorial contests, mock battles, recreations of historic battles, animal hunts, and dramas. It is estimated the Colosseum could hold somewhere between 50,000 and 80,000 spectators. Colossal indeed. The Forum, which is right near the Colosseum, was the centre of public life in Rome. Forum is a Latin word meaning open space or market place. It was basically a large rectangular piazza, on the lowland between the Capitoline and Palatine Hills. Around this piazza were the Senate, the law courts, and important temples. Originally the main market was also in the Forum, although this was moved to a different site in a later century to make way for more temples and monuments. The history of the Forum goes back to the 7th century BC, when the swamp that existed in the lowland was drained and the first paved street, the Via Sacra (Sacred Way), was laid. The travertine paving that was laid down on the Forum during the reign of Augustus (1st century BC) is still in place today and we will be walking on it.

18 page 17 the tour hotels We're really pleased with the hotels we've secured for our 2018 Italy tours. The majority of them are smaller family-owned-and-run hotels. All of them without exception are conveniently located at walking distance to the centre of town. And they all provide an excellent quality to price ratio, which helps us to offer you a lower-priced tour. Sorrento Ulisse Deluxe Hostel Ulisse is a great new Sorrento hotel. Offering modern and spacious rooms, it is located about 10 minutes walk from Piazza Tasso and all the Sorrento restaurants, bars and shopping opportunities. Walk 10 minutes in the other direction and you ll be at the old fishing port of Marina Grande with its seafood restaurants along the waterfront.

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21 page 20 Perugia Hotel La Rosetta Our 4-star Perugia hotel is located right in the historic centre, on Corso Vannucci. It is easy walking distance to all the places of interest in the town, and surrounded by eating establishments. The hotel has a popular restaurant that offers a good-value set menu as well as à la carte. Rooms are currently in the process of being refurbished and will be completed in time for our stay.

22 page 21 frequently asked questions Q. I ve seen a cheaper tour advertised. Is it worth paying the extra money to do your tour? A. Of course it is sensible to shop around and compare tours. Keep in mind the old saying, You get what you pay for, it definitely applies with tours. Check these things when looking at cheaper tours. 1. Where are the hotels located? Our hotels are all centrally-located, convenient for sight-seeing and restaurants. This will be a very important contributor to your enjoyment whilst on the tour. 2. Is the tour in a good season? Ours is. 3. Will you have to pay extra for excursions and activities? These can be very expensive, find out how much they will be. With us, you won t have to pay for any extras unless there s something you particularly want to do, because our tour has plenty of included activities to keep you busy. 4. What is the quality of the included meals? Read tour reviews. Our included meals are authentic Italian regional cuisine (with the exception of one surprise!). 5. What is the maximum group size? Ours is a small group tour. 6. Are group tips and city bed taxes included? On our tour they are. Q. How can I be sure I won t lose my money if you go broke? A. It s just not possible for this to happen. We only run the tours once per year, and at no stage is it necessary for us to pay out more money than we have available. We take a deposit from each person who books, and we use that money to pay the deposits on hotels, transport etc. After our guests have paid to us the balance of the tour price on 30 June, we then pay the rest of what is owing on all those services. It s a simple system that works. Also, because we are an Australian business, you are protected by Australian consumer law. Q. Will the tour be cancelled if you don t get enough bookings? A. Absolutely not. The tour is guaranteed to go ahead, even with only one paying passenger. Q. Do you need a visa to visit Italy? A. No visa is required for Italy if you are an Australian citizen and you will be in Italy for less than 90 days, for tourism. Note, to enter Italy, the Italian government requires you to have a passport that is valid for at least 3 months after your intended departure from Italy. However, Australian DFAT recommends that when you enter the Schengen area (which includes Italy), your passport should be valid for at least 6 months after your intended departure from the Schengen area, because immigration rules can change suddenly. We also recommend this. On arrival in Italy you may have to show evidence of intended departure date, eg. air ticket. Q. Is the tap water safe to drink throughout Italy? A. Yes. Q. What fitness level do you need to do your tour? A. A moderate level of fitness is necessary for the full enjoyment of this tour. On some days the group will be walking several kilometres, and will need to negotiate steps. We will not be walking at race pace, and we will stop for rests as necessary. Comfortable walking shoes are an absolute necessity. It is possible to participate in all the activities on our tour while using a walking stick, as long as you are reasonably fit, and some of our guests have done this. If you have a mobility issue and are unsure whether it will prevent you from participating fully in the tour and enjoying it, please phone us to discuss. We wish to include people if possible.

23 page 22 Q. What will the weather be like in Italy for the tour? What type of clothes should I pack? A. In the main, expect the weather to be sunny and warm to hot. However, it is important to be prepared in case of occasional cool weather and rain. Therefore bring mainly summer clothes, and don t forget to bring your swimmers. But add a pair of light long pants and a pair of warm long pants (jeans or trackies), a couple of light sweatshirts and a light windcheater. In addition, a folding umbrella is a must. On the day that we visit Etna we ll be dressing in layers, and you ll need to bring both of your sweatshirts and the windcheater on the coach. For Etna we suggest you also bring along a pair of woollen gloves and a warm hat or scarf. Q. Is there a weight limit for my luggage? A. Yes. Please limit the weight of your main luggage bag to 23kg. There are some very good reasons for this, the main one being that on the flight from Palermo to Florence, 23kg is the limit imposed by the domestic airline (unless you want to pay an excess baggage allowance). Also, you must be able to handle your own luggage when we transfer between hotels. Q. How much spending money should I allow for the tour? A. We estimate that $1,200 per person will be a good amount of spending money if you are doing both tours. Allow $600 if doing only The Sunny South, and $600 if doing only Northern Icons. This will cover airport transfers at start and finish of tour, lunches, evening meals with a couple of beverages, any individual sight-seeing you may do, and sundries such as small souvenirs, bottled water, sunblock, and the occasional taxi etc. You should budget extra on top of this if you plan to do serious shopping, expensive extra tours, or fine dining. Q. How does the cost of living in Italy compare with Australia? A. The cost of living is quite similar to Australia overall, but individual items differ. Taxis are cheaper, and coffees are cheaper as long as you avoid the tourist cafés. Some items such as sunblock are very expensive. As in Australia, meals can be expensive or cheap depending where you choose to eat. House wines are in general quite cheap and very drinkable, while more expensive fine wines are available. Sicily is cheaper than Florence and Venice. Q. What is the best way to access my spending money while I m in Italy? A. There are ATMs in every town, and we personally choose to use them to get our cash because they are convenient. Unfortunately the banks (the Italian banks and your Australian bank) will take a generous cut for themselves out of each transaction, but we ve come to the conclusion it doesn t matter which way you do it, the banks are going to be the real winners. Q. Should I get some Euros in Australia to take over to Italy with me? A. Yes, we recommend that you get at least 100 to take with you to Italy. Although there are ATMs at Rome airport, it is not unheard of for them all to be out of cash at the same time. Q. Do you recommend I invest in a scan-proof wallet for my bank cards? A. Yes. Q. How do I go about booking? A. Contact us, and we will or post you the booking form. See contact details on the next page. To secure a place on the tour/s, you will need to pay the deposit (see page 2), and return the completed booking form to us. Half of the deposit is non-refundable if you cancel.

24 contact us Postal address: 42 Fiona Crescent, Lake Cathie, NSW 2445 Phone: / (02) louise@amicitours.com.au Visit our website: Check out the Amici Tours Facebook page and like it to receive updates