These optional experiences are the ones your fellow travellers will be talking about for years. Carmela has lived and breathed these moments — they are the difference between a good holiday and the trip of a lifetime. None of them overlap. You can — and should — do all three. Book early, because places fill fast.
Optional Experiences are booked on tour — simply speak to Carmela when you board the coach. Prices are in euros, per person. Payment by card or cash. We strongly recommend booking on Day 1 to guarantee your place, as these experiences sell out fast.
Rome's most iconic squares and fountains aren't just places — they are living stages where 2,000 years of history, passion and beauty converge. Join a passionate Local Specialist on foot as you weave through a maze of cobbled lanes and sun-drenched piazzas in the very heart of the Eternal City. Stand before the Pantheon — still the world's best-preserved ancient building — toss a coin into the Trevi Fountain, and discover hidden gems that most tourists never find. This is Rome as it was meant to be experienced: slowly, intimately, unforgettably.
You have come all the way to Rome. Walking past the Pantheon in a rush is not the same as truly understanding it. This experience gives you that depth — the stories, the secrets, the sensation of being genuinely inside this city's soul. Guests who book this consistently say it was the highlight of their entire trip.
Tonight, Rome belongs to you. Leave the tourist trail behind and step into a world of candlelight, clinking glasses and the hypnotic crackle of a wood-fired oven. After a scenic drive, you'll arrive at a characterful Roman trattoria — the kind of place where local families have celebrated milestones for generations. Settle in, let the food arrive, and let the atmosphere of the Eternal City do the rest. Antipasti, pasta, pizza fresh from the wood fire, house wine — this is Italian dining the way it's supposed to feel.
A Roman evening well-spent is one of life's great pleasures. Your fellow travellers will be at this table — laughing, raising glasses, making memories. Don't be the one who stayed in the hotel. This evening is one that will stay with you long after the trip is over.
There is a reason the Amalfi Coast is one of the most photographed places on earth — and no photograph has ever done it justice. Wind along one of Italy's most legendary coastal roads, where every bend reveals a new tableau of turquoise sea, terraced lemon groves and pastel-coloured villages clinging to dramatic cliffs. Stop in Positano, the jewel of the coast: a cliffside village of steep, flower-lined streets, vibrant boutiques, and Mediterranean views that have seduced artists, writers and wanderers for centuries. Breathe it in. This is the Italy you dreamed of.
The Amalfi Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage site for a reason — it is genuinely one of the most beautiful places in the world. Seeing it from the coach window is one thing. Standing in Positano, gazing out at that sea, is something else entirely. This experience is legendary among our best-sellers all over Italy — and once you're there, you'll know exactly why.
Step aboard a private boat and glide along one of the most spectacular coastlines on Earth. Cruise beneath towering cliffs, weave past the legendary Faraglioni Rocks rising straight out of the sea, and drift into the shimmering White Grotto, its waters scattered with rare red coral. As you trace this glittering shoreline of turquoise water and hidden villas, your guide brings to life the stories of Roman Emperors and the glamorous icons who have called Capri home for centuries. The journey ends with an ascent into Capri Town itself — pure island magic.
Capri isn't just an island, it's a legend — and the only way to truly experience it is from the water, looking up at the cliffs the way emperors once did. This is one of our most beloved experiences in all of Italy, consistently rated unforgettable by past guests. Weather-permitting it's pure magic; on the rare day it isn't, you're treated to a guided minibus tour of Anacapri with Villa San Michele or the famous chairlift instead — so either way, Capri delivers.
Leave the coast behind and step into the heart of rural Campania, where a local family welcomes you onto their working farm. Wander through fragrant lemon groves heavy with fruit, visit the olive oil mill where centuries-old methods are still in use, and watch fresh mozzarella being hand-pulled before your eyes. Then settle in for a generous spread of home-cured cold cuts, marinated vegetables and olives grown right there on the property — all washed down with wine made from the family's own grapevines.
This is the Italy that doesn't make it into the guidebooks: real families, real traditions, real flavour. Everything on your plate was grown, cured or pressed steps from where you're sitting. Travellers consistently tell us this is the meal they think about long after they've gone home — it's not a restaurant experience, it's a homecoming.
There is no entrance to Venice quite like this one. Board a private water taxi and cruise the length of the Grand Canal, passing centuries-old palazzi that rise straight from the water on either side. Spot the iconic Rialto Bridge as you glide beneath it, and arrive near St. Mark's Square before the pace changes entirely: stepping into a gondola and drifting through Venice's quiet back canals, far from the crowds, where the city reveals its softer, more intimate side.
Everyone has seen photos of Venice from the Grand Canal. Almost no one has glided silently through its hidden canals by gondola, hearing nothing but water against wood. This experience gives you both — the grandeur and the intimacy — in one unforgettable afternoon. It's simply not something you can recreate on your own.
Step off the tourist trail and into the real Venice. Your Local Specialist leads you through a hidden maze of narrow streets and quiet squares most visitors never find, sharing fascinating insight into the city's past and present along the way. Discover tucked-away corners and the same back routes locals use to slip past the crowds — a side of Venice defined not by souvenir shops, but by the rhythms of everyday island life.
Venice can feel overwhelming when you only see the crowded postcard spots. This experience flips that completely, showing you the side of the city locals actually live in. Guests consistently say this is the experience that made Venice feel real to them — not a museum, but a living, breathing place.
Cruise across the open waters of the Venetian Lagoon to Burano, the small island famous for its impossibly bright, candy-coloured houses and its centuries-old fishing heritage. Wander along peaceful canals lined in yellow, pink and turquoise, and browse shops selling handmade lace — a craft passed down through generations of island artisans. As the afternoon settles in, sit down to a relaxed dinner of local flavours and regional wine, soaked in Burano's cheerful, laid-back charm.
Burano is one of the most photographed islands in the world, and once you're standing among those rainbow houses, you'll understand exactly why. This is far more than a photo stop — it's a full afternoon of island life, craft, food and wine, completely different from anything else on this tour. Skip it, and you'll wish you hadn't.
Travel along the legendary shores of Lake Como as your Local Specialist brings its history to life — including the story behind the grand Villa Olmo and the opulent lakeside estates that have drawn the world's elite for centuries. Then stretch your legs on a scenic lakeside walk, taking in sweeping views across the water to Brunate and passing the elegant Tempio Voltiano, before pausing to enjoy a local treat in the charming town of Como.
Lake Como is one of the most beautiful — and most photographed — lakes on the planet, beloved by everyone from Roman aristocrats to modern celebrities. Walking its shoreline with a Local Specialist gives you context no guidebook can: the stories behind the villas, the families, the legends. This is effortless, scenic, and genuinely memorable.
Board a private launch and cross the glassy waters of Lake Maggiore to Isola Bella, jewel of the Borromean Islands. Join a Local Specialist for a guided tour through the island's opulent Baroque palace and its extraordinary terraced gardens, home to roaming white peacocks and sweeping views across the lake. From the terraces, look out toward Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori as you uncover the full splendour of this Borromean gem.
Few places in Italy feel as fairytale as the Borromean Islands — white peacocks wandering Baroque gardens, palaces rising straight from the lake, views that stretch for miles. This is the kind of experience people describe as 'the photo that didn't need editing.' It's genuinely one of the most magical stops on the entire tour.
As the sun dips low over the rolling hills, take a scenic drive deep into the Tuscan countryside for an evening that feels like stepping into a postcard. Arrive at a friendly, typical restaurant where the chef works only with what was bought that morning at the local farmers' markets — regional dishes, bursting with flavour, served the way they have been for generations. Pair it all with excellent wines from the very vineyards this region is famous for, as candlelight, birdsong and golden countryside light do the rest.
This is the final, unforgettable flourish to your Italian journey — the dinner you'll be describing to friends for years. Tuscany's food and wine culture is legendary worldwide, and this evening puts you right in the middle of it: real ingredients, real wine, real countryside. It's the perfect way to toast the end of an extraordinary trip.