These services can be ADDED to many of our packages. Please take a close look at what's included in any of our packages. If it's not listed, it's not included. But we may be able to add it for you, and you can find out in the list below how much it will cost. Please note that unlike with our packages, the prices below are shown as totals, for 2008, for two people. The reason for this is that most of these services cost the same for two people as for one. It is generally not desirable for one person, alone, to buy any of these services, so it would be misleading for us to quote them per person. On the other hand, if there are more than two people in your party, it will be more attractive to buy most of these services, because the cost for each person goes down. You can ask us to quote the costs for more than two people.
Prices are totals for two people, for 2008. Click on each service for a description. NOTE that if you wish to add any of these services, you should tell us before we do the Quote for your trip.
3 Key transfers ~ For people traveling from Rome to Venice, these are the most desirable transfers, the ones that offer the best value, comfort and convenience. In Rome, after a long transatlantic flight, it's nice to have someone waiting for you outside the baggage claim to get you to your hotel, prepaid so that you don't need to worry about having enough euros. In Venice, it can be confusing and phycially demanding to get from the train station to the hotel, so having someone meet you to get you into a boat and to find the hotel makes all the difference in your first impressions of that marvelous city. And at the finish in Venice, not having to worry about getting to the airport makes for a much more leisurely conclusion to your Italy experience.
Tuscany private tour ~ This is the single most popular service we offer. And it's just as good as it sounds. At your hotel in Florence, a private driver-guide, with vehicle, will pick you up and drive you for a full day (7.5 hours) in the Chianti area of Tuscany, between Florence and the city of Siena. At your option, the tour can include a visit to a Chianti Classico winery. Let's be clear -- this is no group tour -- it's just you and your driver, and you control the pace as well as the emphasis. To add this tour, you will want to have three nights in Florence.
Rome, Florence or Venice private guide ~ You get one of the licensed artistic guides. That means they have passed rigorous requirements of knowledge about the artistic treasures of their respective cities. But the guides are more than just artistic experts. They're also local people who love to show you their cities. You'll probably feel like you met a friend in Italy when you spend time with one of these guides. That's what many of our clients tell us. Note that you can choose the emphasis of the tour. If you choose to enter a particular monument, museum or gallery, such as the Colosseum in Rome or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, you will pay the entrance fees. Advance reservations are desirable or necessary at certain places, the Uffizi Gallery being a good example, so be sure to let us know. Your guide comes to your hotel to walk with you. There's no car involved, and you will pay for any taxis you decide to use. Transportation in Florence and Venice is usually not an issue, but in Rome, you will probably want to take one or more taxi rides to move around the city.
We priced this option for a single 4-hour tour in your choice of one of the three cities.
Cooking class in Florence ~ This can only be arranged for a minimum of two people. The class is held during the daytime, between 9:30 am and approximately 2 pm, in a private residence in Florence. You take a taxi to get there from your hotel. It is not a formal class with chefs in white hats in a commercial kitchen. Our preference is to offer what is more of a down-home type experience, as if you were cooking with a friend who happens to be a native Italian. You will be asked if you have a particular preference for what is prepared. This is very much a small-group class, not private for you, but involving only a few people. You will eat the food prepared in class and have wine. As a variation, there is also the option for a market visit instead of a cooking class, at the same price. For the market visit, you will go with the instructor to a food market in Florence, such as the wonderful San Lorenzo market, to look at and discuss all sorts of fresh foods and learn to shop like an Italian. Then you'll have a tasting of some foods bought at the market.
There is also a version of this class held in a small village in the Chianti area. The cost for the Chianti class is $440, total for two people, plus the cost of transportation to get to the class. The Chianti class is best for people who have a car in Tuscany or who are staying at a lodging in Tuscany from which transportation can be arranged.
Tivoli private tour from Rome ~ There are group tours you can take to Tivoli -- ask us for a quote if you want one -- but this is entirely a private tour. Your driver picks you up at your Rome hotel and drives you for approximately 45 minutes to the medieval hill town of Tivoli, outside of Rome to the east. When you get there, you'll meet your guide, a native of Tivoli. First you'll visit the ruins of Hadrian's Villa, from the glory days of ancient Rome, located down the hill from Tivoli itself. But the name villa is highly misleading in this case, because what Hadrian built is on the scale of a good-sized town. It's an experience not unlike that of visiting Pompeii. While Hadrian's Villa was never buried by volcanic ash, it was nonetheless buried and the excavations have uncovered an amazing set of ruins, with many buildings that comprised a significant community. After Hadrian's Villa, your guide will escort you to the town of Tivoli to visit the Villa d'Este. This is quite a different experience, first visiting the sumptuously decorated Renaissance palace, but then walking into the gardens for magnificent views. You may have heard about the fountains, but you'll probably still be surprised. No image of fountains you have from elsewhere is likely to prepare you for the variety and magnitude of these. Part of the Aniene River was literally diverted through the gardens of Villa d'Este to power hundreds of fountains. When you're finished, your driver will take you back to your Rome hotel. |
