Rome, Castel Sant'Angelo, copper engraving c. 1770.
Siena, watercolour by Walter Tyndale, publ. 1913
Cultural tours in Italy
On our Italy tours we exert our influence where it counts: to gain out-of-hours visits to the Sistine Chapel in Rome and to the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, for example. Led by lecturers pre-eminent in their field, our small-group tours of Italy do full justice to an incomparably rich cultural heritage.
Exploring Italy on a cultural tour
We offer fresh perspectives on old friends, using art historians, not musicologists, on our opera tours of Verona and bring you the mosaics of Ravenna and the frozen worlds of Pompeii and Herculaneum.
We dine finely in Piedmont, throw light on the Dark Ages in the northern Adriatic and stand at the crossroads of European civilisations in Sicily. We gaze up at Michelangelo’s David and down at Etruscan tombs. We give you Italy, packaged in a gilt-edged portfolio.
Since 1988 we have been the most influential organisation in the field of cultural travel. Our expert speakers are a key ingredient in our tours. Academics, curators and researchers, they are selected not only for their knowledge but also for their ability to communicate clearly and engagingly to a lay audience.
Privileged access
Special arrangements are a feature of our tours – for admission to places not generally open to travellers, for access outside public hours, for private concerts and extraordinary events. In innumerable ways, we lift our clients’ experience far above standards which are regarded as normal for tourists.
Small groups
Most of our tours run with between 10 and 24 participants. Our travellers are self-selected by common interests and an endorsement of our ethos, and you are highly likely to find yourself among link-minded companions.
Value for money
The price includes nearly everything, not only the major ingredients such as hotel, the costs of the lecturer and manager but also tips and drinks with meals. You can secure your booking today with a 15% deposit. We provide full financial protection for our package holidays.
A wonderful trip with a fabulous lecturer, John Burt, and a kind, attentive tour manager, Marion. The music was divine, and the other guests made for truly delightful company.
Mrs Phipps
UK
15/06/2026
Tuscany and Umbria
The week long walking tour to Tuscany and Umbria was excellent with the perfect balance between up to five mile walks, Italian scenery, culture, food and wine.
NGH
UK
04/06/2026
I have enjoyed 7 tours with MRT
I have enjoyed seven tours with Martin Randall Travel. They have all been excellent, meticulously planned and organised to the last detail, and enable...
I have enjoyed 7 tours with MRT
I have enjoyed seven tours with Martin Randall Travel. They have all been excellent, meticulously planned and organised to the last detail, and enabled us to visit and learn about wonderful places. Each tour has a scholarly expert speaker and a very competent and friendly tour manager. The booking process has always been reliable and easy, with unfailingly courteous and helpful staff at the head office. I can enthusiastically recommend Martin Randall travel.
Mary
UK
29/05/2026
Mary
UK
29/05/2026
The gold standard for cultural tours
MRT is the gold standard for cultural tours. The inclusion of an expert lecturer automatically filters a group of like-minded albeit eclectic folk; it...
The gold standard for cultural tours
MRT is the gold standard for cultural tours. The inclusion of an expert lecturer automatically filters a group of like-minded albeit eclectic folk; it directly increases the conviviality and opportunity for socialising, if wanted. Perfect for those travelling solo.
Emma
UK
19/05/2026
Emma
UK
19/05/2026
The expert lecturer adds huge value
This was my fifth Martin Randall Travel trip. They have all been good. The key difference with these tours is the fact that there is an expert lecture...
The expert lecturer adds huge value
This was my fifth Martin Randall Travel trip. They have all been good. The key difference with these tours is the fact that there is an expert lecturer (as well as a tour manager and a driver). The expert lecturer adds huge value. It's a cut above what you get even from a competent local guide with other tour companies. The expert lecturers are working academics who really know the topic and are skilled at talking about it in an accessible way without the dreaded dumbing down. The tours attract others with a similar deep interest in niche topics. It's good that everyone is on the same page in terms of their level of interest.
Janet
USA
18/04/26
Janet
USA
18/04/26
You really get looked after
You really get looked after on a MRT tour. Everything is arranged to make the holiday so enjoyable: transport, entry to museums all sorted without fus...
You really get looked after
You really get looked after on a MRT tour. Everything is arranged to make the holiday so enjoyable: transport, entry to museums all sorted without fuss . We have travelled with Michael Douglas-Scott 4 times now and his knowledge and engaging style enthuses one to learn and appreciate the history of western art.
Diana
UK
27/04/2026
Diana
UK
27/04/2026
One of the very best for cultural and history tours
One of the very best for cultural and history tours. I have traveled multiple times with Martin Randall and am consistently extremely impressed by the...
One of the very best for cultural and history tours
One of the very best for cultural and history tours. I have traveled multiple times with Martin Randall and am consistently extremely impressed by the quality of their tours both in content and itinerary as well as overall tour organization. Their expert lecturers are top notch and their tour managers experienced and real pros at what they do.
Eileen
USA
10/02/2026
Eileen
USA
10/02/2026
Egypt for those wanting to know more
I recently was one of 22 people joining Martin Randall for its inaugural trip to Egypt. The lecturer, a UK-based educator and specialist in Near Easte...
Egypt for those wanting to know more
I recently was one of 22 people joining Martin Randall for its inaugural trip to Egypt. The lecturer, a UK-based educator and specialist in Near Eastern history and culture, was enthusiastic, articulate and always engaging. He led us on a journey that built up our knowledge of Pharaonic Egypt day by day. He was joined by a local Egyptologist guide, who complemented his lecture and answered questions as we investigated on our own as well as handling the intricacies of Egyptian bureaucracy. A separate experienced tour leader handled the practical matters and comfort of our group with a smile and good cheer at every point.
TravelerNOW
USA
16/01/2026
TravelerNOW
USA
16/01/2026
Uniformly excellent tours and adventures
Martin Randall is a top level, and top quality operator. They do what they promise, and usually much more. I travel alone, and I note how open, well b...
Uniformly excellent tours and adventures
Martin Randall is a top level, and top quality operator. They do what they promise, and usually much more. I travel alone, and I note how open, well behaved, and usually interesting the other travellers on the tour are. They add to the enjoyment. The managers and tour specialists are extremely good, well chosen and reliable. They are good value for money in all ways. I recommend them wholeheartedly, and hope they may continue to offer tours for many years to come.
Nostromo
13/11/25
Nostromo
13/11/25
Holidays - always with that special something
Martin Randall Travel (MRT) are the best because they provide their customers with carefully designed and tested itineraries. These often feature spec...
Holidays - always with that special something
Martin Randall Travel (MRT) are the best because they provide their customers with carefully designed and tested itineraries. These often feature special access to people and sites which you would not be able to access as an independent traveler. The other factors which make for very special experiences are the guides whose knowledge and passion and ability to communicate them are second to none. They are supported by tour managers who keep us all on time. All these factors combine with small tour numbers to make for very enjoyable holidays.
Roger
13/11/2025
Roger
13/11/2025
A cruise down the Rhine with classical music concerts every night
Martin Randall leaves nothing to chance - everything is planned and of the highest quality, but there is always room for a little individuality as well.
biscuit attorney
13/11/2025
Everything we expected and more
The annual calendar of tours offers a huge range. In any year it is difficult to decide where - there is so much on offer. We wish we had more ti me t...
Everything we expected and more
The annual calendar of tours offers a huge range. In any year it is difficult to decide where - there is so much on offer. We wish we had more ti me to do more - the tours are so imaginative. the tour itself is double headed - a manager and a lecturer. In our experience they are well chosen and capable. There is plenty of pr-etour information and reading if you are up for it. They are helpful in accomadating personal needs.
Peter
13/11/25
Peter
13/11/25
Entertaining and Educational
All the staff from Martin Randall are knowledgeable, friendly and efficient. There are few problems but, should they occur, they handle them well. I feel they offer good value for money.
V
17/11/25
An Italian art lover's dream
Martin Randall Travel is a thoroughly professional cultural tour operator: all arrangements are impeccably organised, tours are well researched, lectu...
An Italian art lover's dream
Martin Randall Travel is a thoroughly professional cultural tour operator: all arrangements are impeccably organised, tours are well researched, lecturers are experts in their subjects, and are excellent guides both on-site and in formal lectures. The company, of like-minded individuals is always congenial - in sum, an excellent informative and enjoyable experience.
Mo
16/11/25
Mo
16/11/25
Cotswold Choral Festival
As always, Martin Randall had created a perfectly designed itinerary and executed it in an extremely well organised manner, despite it being a very complex event.
Lecturer in medieval history at the University of East Anglia. He was taught at the Universities of London, Cambridge, and Oxford, and was a research fellow at Jesus College, Oxford. He specialises in the period, 700–1200, and publishes on western kings, secular élites and their records. He is a keen believer in the value of exploring and understanding the architectural fabric, material culture and landscapes of the past.
Art historian specialising in Renaissance and Baroque architecture in Rome and the Papal States, and Assistant Director of the British School at Rome from September 2015. He received his doctorate from Cambridge University, and also studied at the British School at Rome, where he was Rome Scholar (2009–10) and Giles Worsley Fellow (2013). He has lived in Le Marche region of Italy and is currently writing his first book on the Marchigian Cardinals of Pope Sixtus V.
Wine, food and travel writer. Born in Mexico, he was raised in the USA before studying English Literature at the University of Exeter. Together with his wife, he has pioneered a series of illustrated wine-food-travel books including The Wine and Food of Europe, The Wine Roads of France, The Wine Roads of Italy, The Food Lover’s Companion to France and The Food Lover’s Companion to Italy. He is also the author of The Taste of Britain and lives in Devon, where he is closely involved with the food scene of the West Country. Marc is a certified Vinitaly International Italian Wine Ambassador and has a weekly show “Wine, food and travel with Marc Millon” on Italian Wine Podcast. His latest book, Italy in a Wineglass - the Taste of History, was published in spring 2024.
Between 10–24 participants can usually join our small group tours, though the upper limit can be lower dependent on the tour.
Solo travellers are certainly welcome on all small group tours to Italy and often make up a majority of our participants. Our experienced tour managers will make sure everyone is properly introduced. There’s a lot to share, and conversation comes naturally as a result.
All of our Italy tours are led by experts in the field, including historians, archaologists and journalists. Among those leading opera tours in 2025/2026 include art historian Dr Thomas-Leo True and food critic Marc Millon.
In the traveller’s perfect world, everyone would be charged the same amount for their room, whether they were alone or sharing with a partner. In the hotelier’s perfect world, all rooms would cost the same, whether they had one, two, three or ten people sleeping there. The world we live in is closer to the hotelier’s vision, where rooms cost the same regardless of occupancy. Two people can split the cost of a £100 room, paying £50 each, or one person can pay the full £100. When expressed as a per person cost, this looks like a £50 supplement.
We negotiate hard with hotels, to keep single-occupancy prices as low as possible, but as long as hoteliers charge per room and not per person, this iniquitous situation will endure. The only obvious alternative – having couples subsidise solo travellers – strikes us as even more unfair.
Martin Randall Travel makes no profit from the single supplement.
A confirmation e-mail is sent as soon as possible (it will take longer if you book over the weekend and/or have selected to receive documentation by post).
To confirm your place, we ask for a non-refundable deposit of 15% of the tour price, with the balance due 12 weeks before departure. If your departure is within 12 weeks, full payment will be due at the time of booking.
Final Documents are sent two to three weeks before the tour departs – the full itinerary, a participant list and any background notes. These will be posted to you (unless you have informed us otherwise); if you live outside the UK, they will be given to you on the first day of the tour.
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