Italy 2011

Luxury
Gardens & Villas of the Italian Lakes (22-28 September 2011)
A 7-day small-group tour led by Steven Desmond, landscape consultant and advisor for the National Trust. Staying in a 5* hotel on the shores of Lake Como and a 4* Belle Epoque hotel with lakeside gardens in Pallanza (Lake Maggiore), the tour includes visits to sixteenth century, Neo-classical and twentieth century villas, and a visit to Isola Bella, one of the world's great gardens. All the villas are enhanced by splendid natural settings with lake views, enhance at this time of year by the clarity of the Italian light.
Price per person: £2,390 including flights, accommodation, travel by private coach, boat and public ferry, four dinners with wine, water and coffee, admissions, tips and talks given by the lecturer.

Food and Wine
Gastronomic Piedmont (1-7 October 2011)
A 7-day small-group tour led by Carla Capalbo, food writer and member of Slow Food Italy. The itinerary includes tasting and visiting producers of Barolo, Nebbiolo and Asti wines and a truffle seminar in Alba followed by truffle hunting in the woods around Piozzo. Food demonstrations range from making nougat, local sausages, Piedmontese pasta and Castelmagno, one of Italy's finest cheeses. The tour includes Michelin-starred meals in Cuneo and Pollenzo, interspersed with lunches at rural, family-run restaurants. All accommodation is 4* in carefully-chosen hotels in Bra and Cuneo.
Price per person: £2,590, including flights, private coach travel, hotel accommodation, five lunches & four dinners with wine, all food and wine tastings, all admissions, tips and taxes, and talks given by the lecturer.

Cities
Caravaggio: from Lombardy to Rome (17-23 October 2011)
A 7-day small group tour with, Dr Helen Langdon, author of Caravaggio: A Life, seeing sixteen Caravaggio canvasses in some of Italy's greatest art galleries and churches. Begin in Milan with visits to the Brera gallery and an introductory excursion to Caravaggio, then travel by first class rail to Rome. In Rome see four works in their original chapels and a visit to a private villa by special appointment to see an early ceiling painting; this tour places an emphasis on unhurried viewing of many of Caravaggio's finest works. Stay at a very central 4* hotel in Milan and a 4* hotel in Rome near the Piazza Farnese.
Price per person: £2,760 including flights, hotel accommodation, travel by private coach and first-class rail, four dinners with wine, water and coffee, all admissions, tips and taxes and the lecturer's expert talks and guiding.

Cities
Palermo Rediscovered (13-19 November 2011)
A 7-day small-group tour exploring the Sicilian capital's rich and complex history in the company of Dr Roberto Cobianchi, an expert guide and lecturer. The tour stays six nights in a converted 16th-century, centrally located palazzo, within easy walking distance of the city's main churches and museums. There are excursions to Segesta, an evocative ancient Greek site with a magnificent temple and theatre, and to Cefalu to see the brilliant Norman mosaics in the cathedral. A private reception at an otherwise inaccessible palazzo - used for filming The Leopard - is also included.
Price per person: £1,940 including flights, private coach travel, accommodation, four dinners with wine, water and coffee, all admissions, tips and taxes, and the talks and walks led by the lecturer.