Travel to Italy with the Experts

Whether you're traveling to Italy for the first time or the fiftieth time, Great Travels offers you boundless enthusiasm in planning your visit. We know Italy as a resident and as a traveler, having visited the country from top to toe over the last 40 years.

Follow the Back Roads — Join a Small Group

Once or twice a year, we create very special regional tours for no more than 16 travelers. Our groups offer congenial companions with a love of travel and experienced in the ways of the world. They are curious people who are readers, cinema and theater goers with a passion for local foods and wine. If you might enjoy such a group travel experience please check out our two tours for this year. These tours are very popular and fill fast. We always have people who have traveled with us before.

Join Us in Amazing Sardinia
      with Cinque Terre Extension

Sept. 18 - 30, 2011     

Discover Italy's most mysterious, alluring land. Prehistoric Nuraghic towers and fairy house graves, splendid white beaches lapped by sapphire blue waters, wild, rugged interiors with fertile plains, steep mountains friendly people skilled in traditional arts, crafts and music, mouth-watering local cuisine and Sardinian wines.
Plus, enjoy first class accommodations throughout including private cabins on the overnight ferry to the mainland. We'll also visit the popular Cinque Terre, five fishing villages which cling to the cliffs of the Ligurian Coast.

Last call for Harvest Fun in Italy Tour

November 5 - 11, 2011     

Join us this fall for a 6-night/7-day adventure that brings all the sights, sounds, tastes and fun of the Italian harvest home to you.
Your home will be a private villa near Assisi. Here you join a small, convivial group of solo travelers, couples, friends, mothers & daughters and more. Imagine the satisfaction of seven days to experience and absorb authentic Umbria culture -- mostly through food and wine -- with hands-on cooking lessons, Montefalco vineyard visits, truffle hunting in the forested countryside, ceramic painting in Deruta and insights from expert personal guides in the historic art towns of Assisi and Perugia.
(Photo by Arthur Isack)

Customize Your Individual Tour

We consult with you and structure your visit to Italy to meet your every wish. Our honeymoons, anniversary and special family or couple tours are always a resounding success. Send us an email outlining your dream trip and we will put our years of experience to work for you. We are adept at working within a budget. We charge a fee for services based on the length and complexity of your itinerary.

Two Sample Tours for the North or South

Piedmont — Especially for food and wine lovers

Visit: Genoa, Dogliani, Le Langhe, Barolo, Monforte d'Alba, La Morra, Costigliole d'Asti, Santuario di Vicoforte, Cuneo, Mondovi, Grinzane Cavour, Bra, San Martino, Asti, Lake Orta, Turin

Puglia — Explore Italy's Adriatic From the Trulli to the Sassi

Visiting: Bari, Montegrosso, Minervino Murge, Scesciola, Castel del Monte, Gravina in Puglia, Altamura, Ruvo, Martina Franca, Locorotondo, Alberobello, Polignano, Cisternino, Ostuni, Lecce, Santa Maria di Leuca, Otranto, Gallipoli, Taviano and Matera

What others say about Great Travels Custom Itineraries

	"Joe and I had a fabulous time. It was everything we had hoped. You did an incredible job giving us a taste of Italy." Karen and Joe Coleman

"The trip was absolutely wonderful - we had the time of our lives! The hotels were outstanding and the food was out of sight." Andy Aument

"Thanks for all your help. All of the guides were great, the hotels and the itinerary. We will never forget this trip." Marie Steinmetz

"I wanted to tell you how much we LOVED our trip to Italy. It was perfectly planned! The information that you sent before we left was truly helpful. Your attention to detail is incredible!" Louise Piver

"Everything was AMAZING! We know a couple people who plan on heading to Italy in the next year or 2 and have highly recommended you to them." Kerry Sullivan

"Thank you for all you did for us. You have an excellent reputation and it is well deserved." Ken Valentine

"... by far and away our best Italian vacation. Thanks for all your assistance. You were invaluable." Pierre McMahon

What our Small Group Tour Customers Say

"I thank you for introducing us to Italy. Each trip has been unique and memorable. Thanks again for a great time!" Mickey & Al Boersma

"Having your wonderful VIRGO organization skills and always being on the ball made me feel secure." Kati Annulli

"We count the time we spent with you in Italy as the highlight of the year. The trip that Patti planned for us was inspired and only improves in our memories over time." Tad and Lynn Grodzki

"Thanks for the wonderful introduction to Italy! Beautiful sites, delicious food, great company, memories to last a lifetime." Kathy & Jim Kent

Patti Absher

Owner and manager of Great Travels, Inc. Patti lived in Italy as a young woman and has been organizing trips for her friends and family for many years. She founded Great Travels in 1994 to bring people in touch with the real Italy (as opposed to the tourist Italy). "I want my travelers to have a deep and authentic experience of this very special country. You should come home as a different person, someone better able to appreciate what makes life rewarding," she affirms. I especially enjoy my small group tours as I see Italy anew each time through the eyes of my travelers. These experiences have been tremendously rewarding for me. I thank all my wonderful travelers over the years for giving so much back to me.

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