About Us

We are a small company catering to the needs of the discerning traveller who wants the benefits of a tour where all the hard work is done but without the hassle of being lost in a crowd, as with the larger companies.

Italian Indulgence tours are the result of careful planning, allowing us to offer a more personal and tailored small group experience. Our hotels, drivers and guides are not left to chance but are meticulously hand picked so that you will receive the best available. Our guides are knowledgeable and caring and have an academic background in history or art, are adventurers, chefs or wine-makers – but this is not the only reason they work for us – we love to hear the stories and intrigue behind the art, history and culture and they are very good at bringing this to life. Our tours cater for all tastes whether the historian, art, food or wine lover, or just those who want to immerse themselves into another culture.

We know you don’t wish to spend your precious holiday looking out of the window of a big tour bus and would love to engage with the places you visit. Our deluxe mini vans give extra leg-room and allow us to nip in and out of villages and towns the way the Italians do. In fact this really is the only way to see the Tuscan hill towns as buses larger than 8 are not permitted to go into the historic areas.

Our itineraries are carefully planned and well thought out but touring Italy can sometimes offer wonderful surprises. The magic of travelling in such a small group allows us to cater for this spontaneity and it is sometimes these unplanned occurrences that can be the most memorable. The rich tapestry of experiences and the characters you meet along the way will make your tour of Italy something special.

With the benefits of a Tour Director all those niggling little details are taken care of from the best restaurants to the nearest internet office, and more.

Tour Director – Annette Blight

Annette comes from a teaching and Italian background and has spent many years studying and living in different parts of the world including the US, UK (where she undertook similar trips) to more recently, Moscow.

She has organised many trips to Italy, Greece and other parts of Europe, and loves to share her knowledge and obsession of this special part of the world.

Italian Indulgence works with many excellent local guides and drivers in Italy and in Greece.

As mentioned, some are academics, historians, chefs or sommeliers. We only use registered guides in the areas we visit. What does this mean for us?  Our guides in Italy must undertake stringent examinations before they are permitted to guide in their local area which is why you will very rarely find a guide who can guide in Rome and then another city.

Meet some of our Guides

Paola Migliori

Paola has lived in Florence all her life and along with her husband Guiseppe has guided our groups around this beautiful city for the past 3 years. Her tour to the best renaissance gallery in Italy, the Uffizi, comes alive when touring it with Poala as she is a wealth of knowledge in the lives of all of the great artists of the area such as Michelangelo and Leonardo Di Vinci. She finds the unusual to share with our guests such as the family who still produce mosaics as they were manufactured back in the renaissance times: and the bead maker who produces replicas of ancient jewellery. ’Off the beaten path’ has meaning when you have lived in such an historic city all your life.

Giovanni Visetti

Our guide Giovanni Visetti, is an Amalfi Coast guide extraordinaire who is also a map-maker and author and has been intimately involved in guiding groups around the wonderful trails of Amalfi, as well as producing maps for the area. To say he knows the trails like the back of his hand is an understatement. Giovanni is some serious walker, even organising a gruelling walk taking participants 95 miles (150 kms) in a period of 7 days in the Amalfi and Isle of Capri area in May 2011.Giovanni is our adventure guide for our Amalfi coast walk.

Antonella

Antonella is our wonderfully knowledgeable Venice guide. She grew up in the centre of Venice, with the romantic canals as the backdrop for her playground and school, so obviously she knows Venice intimately. Her love of art and art history make Antonella a fascinating storyteller for our amazing tour to Venice. Antonella’s Grand Canal Tour in a private boat (with champagne) is outstanding and reveals Venice’s glorious and ancient architecture best viewed from the water which can be so easily missed on foot.

Angelo and Beppe

Angelo (on the left) has been working with us for many years.  He is the most wonderful guide/driver in Tuscany.  So knowledgable and so much fun – he seems to know everyone and is a wealth of knowledge on anything Tuscan.

Beppe is also a wonderful driver and lives just outside of Florence. Beppe can answer almost any question on Italy – just try him.

They know the back country lanes, best wineries and of course, the best restaurants and many, many stories.

Michela Dello Iojo

Michela is a native of Naples and has been working with us as our specialist guide in Pompei for years.  The streets of Pompei come alive when you take a walk through the ancient town with Michela.  Her visit makes this tour just so exciting.

Michela is also one of our Tour Directors and she accompanies many of our private and group tours.  She is kind, fun and very patient.  Just what you want in a tour guide.