Travel Italy

Custom tours are private. Custom tours meet your wants and needs.

Custom tours are for anyone who wants an independent travel plan designed and arranged just for them. These specialty journeys are private and can be any dates, any place and in any style that you want to travel.

We have built our reputation upon our professional, friendly and personalized service and supreme attention to detail. Over the years we have built up an enviable reputation for reliability and high quality services. We recognize the faith and trust you put in us to plan your travel. We will do our utmost to create and deliver the perfect trip for you. With such an emphasis on customer satisfaction you can rest assured knowing we will work diligently to see you happy with the vacation of your dreams.The media and award-winning online family travel resources have featured us as experts in what we do. Read what our guests have enjoyed most when traveling with us.

We strive on service and experience. We focus on quality and customer satisfaction not price. We are founded on the credo that superior service and high quality is what sets one company apart from another. Our name is a guarantee of quality, customer care and expertise. We design memorable and meaningful experiences with meticulous planning, top notch accommodations, local expert guides and drivers. We pride ourselves on handcrafting inspiring itineraries that take into full consideration your specific needs, wants and expectations with extreme attention to detail. We do not sell someone else’s trip. We create, plan and run our own journeys using experiences that we have unearthed ourselves. Every one of our team will go out of their way to deliver on our promise of customer satisfaction.

We handcraft private guided travel options for all ages and interests. Leave your dream trip in our skilled hands and enjoy a fully customized itinerary. Our comprehensive one-on-one vacation consulting service gives you the peace of mind of knowing that your vacation has been professionally planned and all the little big details are taken care.

Our job is to marry your request with our expertise, making sure you end up with a trip that fits your needs. We do not work with fixed itineraries. We do not have set group departure dates. We start from scratch and build the trip you want. You will work with one of our travel specialists to design the vacation of your dreams. To create your personalized itinerary we must be aware of what you want. Once we have a clear sense of your travel style we can start creating your tailor-made itinerary, including hotel preferences, transportation and suggested tours and other special activities at one cost to you. We will refine your tour package until you are 100% satisfied. We are dedicated to working with you to ensure that the final itinerary is exactly what you want. To get started, please fill out our custom trip planning form.

We are a boutique tour planning company. We do not buy packages from other agencies, we do not sell other companies products. We create, plan and run each and every itinerary with your needs in mind and based on our personal experience. Our philosophy is that we focus on quality rather than quantity therefore, we tend to get booked up very quickly. We encourage you to make your reservation just as early as possible especially, if you are limited to the time period in which you can travel. Reservations are made on a first come, first served basis. The further in advance you are able to make your arrangements the more likely we can secure the holiday you want. This is especially important if you wish to visit Italy during the busy summer and holiday times. Some holiday periods (Easter and school half term weeks, public holidays and the peak summer months) can get booked up very quickly. If you know you want to travel at this time it is a good idea to contact us at your earliest convenience to ensure the dates of your choice are available.

We do not book flights.

We do not handle train tickets however, we can advise on trains when that is your choice for in-country traveling.

To ensure that you stay in the best places we have visited hotels all over Italy. We are very selective with our choices. It has taken years of experience to weed out the good hotels from the great, so you can trust that we stand behind the services we recommend. We only choose accommodations where we would wish to stay ourselves. We look for high standards of personal service and attention to detail.

Yes. Nancy Aiello Tours caters to all ages. Our private tours are fun and educational unique experiences for adults and kids. You are not limited to just our Family First Programs, we can work around most of our adult itineraries to make them suitable for multi-generational families. At the time of inquiry, let us know about your children age and interests. This will help us to build with you an unforgettable family trip!

Travel is one of the most powerful ways to educate children and for families to spend quality time together. We offer meaningful journeys meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. We plan our family tours with children in mind. Our experiential travel experiences deliver a seamless mix of adventure and education that is so much fun kids won’t even realize they are learning something the whole time. We know that it is important your family has time to relax. Itineraries are flexible, kid-centric and suitably paced.

We specialize in family travel. We have an outstanding team of expert kid-friendly tour guides who inspire, engage and educate both children and teens. They use visual aids and overlay books to help young travelers create vivid pictures of the past. Our passionate kid-friendly guides often parents themselves, have extensive knowledge and experience in capturing young learners curiosity. They are dedicated to satisfying their natural curiosity encouraging their quest for knowledge. It is exactly this irrepressible curiosity of young minds that becomes the support for our guides’ strategy.

Our private Italy tours are led by expert licensed local tour guides who are born and raised in the area you visit. You will have a different guide for each city or region. Though your guides change the quality of the experience will be consistent. You can count on the guides to be friendly and professional. Their firsthand knowledge of their homeland enables them to show you the little details that other travelers miss out on. Local guides know the hidden corners and amazing anecdotes that make their city history come alive.

All our private guided tours are skip the line. However, you should be aware that Italy’s tourist sites are among the most popular in the world. Skip the line access and careful planning limit our crowd exposure, but some locations may be unavoidably busy especially during the busy summer and holiday times.

We do NOT offer semi-private or group tours. We ONLY offer private tours limited to you and your party. Nancy Aiello Tours specializes in custom vacations for individuals and families. We are a boutique business that offers guests an unmatched level of personal attention. All our tours are private, luxurious, and totally customized to suit your desires. Perfect for anyone who wants a unique intimate experience. You have the opportunity to interact closely with your own dedicated guide who sparks your interests to create a special experience. Focus on your interests, move at your own desired pace, and ask your own expert guide any questions you want. Your personable guide will be happy to satisfy every curiosity! You may choose an ideal pre-made private tour on our website. Alternatively, we can customize an itinerary in line with your wishes.

Every vacation, like every guest, is completely different. No two are alike, which is why costs range depending on the level of customization you would like and the experience you want to have. We craft personal proposals based on your needs and wants.
Pricing of private tours varies and is determined by number of participants, length of the tour, ground transportation, destinations, time of year, and many other factors.
Pricing of private tour packages varies and is determined by number of participants, length of the trip, ground transportation (public or private), private guides, destinations, time of year, travel style, quality of hotels and room categories selected, and the overall intricacy of your custom itinerary. We do not handle flights and train tickets. We do not know the cost of your itinerary until you select the components that are in it. A custom itinerary for two begins at approximately € 1,000 + per day (excluding airfares). Please keep in mind that costs can vary a lot depending on the services and arrangements you decide to include.

We do not offer any discounts. Our goal is to make awesome travel experiences and treat every guest equally. We compete on service not price. Instead of focusing on price we focus on people and priceless vacations filled with inspiring and life-enriching experiences. While many tour companies like to promote low prices, we believe that value for money is more important. This translates into charging a fair price for your trip and not compromising on quality. If you are looking for the best deal, perhaps we are not for you.

Travel insurance is for your protection in the case of an unforeseen event which delays or prevents travel. Nancy Aiello Tours strongly recommends that you purchase a comprehensive travel insurance with many coverage options from basic trip cancellation insurance to full coverage which includes emergency medical assistance. It is very important that you protect your vacation investment in case of trip cancellation/interruption, travel luggage delay or loss of luggage and medical expenses. Travel Insurance gives you peace of mind in safeguarding your investment in the event of a cancellation prior to or during your trip.
A comprehensive travel insurance gives you coverage for unforeseen problems, from a cancelled flight to a serious illness. If an illness, accident, or other covered unforeseen circumstance forces a traveler to cancel or interrupt their plans, they face two major financial losses, money invested in nonrefundable pre-payments, and medical expenses that in many instances may not be covered by health insurance.

All of our tours are private and built from scratch. We have not set itineraries nor scheduled departure dates. Our custom tours can be any dates, any place and in any style that you want to travel.

If you have an activity-specific question, please visit the tour page and check if you find your answer right there. You can also email us to [email protected] You need to include name of the tour/s OR link/s of the respective tour/s, desired date, and the number of adults/children, age of children at the time of travel in your party. While asking for the reservation, we appreciate, if possible, the name of the hotel and its address so that if centrally located we can plan the meeting point accordingly. This helps us to respond your query with details.

Our published tours are intended to serve as a “starting point” for the trip you ultimately end up taking. These sample itineraries are based on our own expertise and firsthand experience. While it is fine to decide to take a trip exactly as it appears on our web site, most people prefer to work with one of our travel experts to create an itinerary that meets their interests and preferences. All our tours can be customized, modified or tweaked. From designing a custom experience from scratch to modifying an existing itinerary, the only limit is your creativity!

Meals are not included in the tours. Food is one of the best aspects of Italy and we wouldn’t want to limit your choices by picking set menus for you. We understand that local food is an important component of any vacation. Everybody has different tastes and we have found that our guests enjoy the spontaneity of discovering restaurants on their own. As a result, we intentionally do not include any meals in the tours. Nevertheless, your private guide is happy to recommend restaurants and advise on local specialties.

Gratuities are at your discretion. Tipping is always appreciated although not mandatory. It is always up to you to determine the amount if you are happy with your tour guide and/or driver. Our clients generally tip from 10/15% of the purchase price, depending on the quality of the experience and their tipping habits.

The convenience of ATM cards and credit cards extends over the ocean in Italy as well thanks to a few global cash networks. These networks allow cards to be used in different countries just as you would use them in the US. But make sure you call your bank before leaving on your international trip. This one rule will save you a lot of headache. It is the most important rule! If you don’t inform your bank or your credit card company, most likely your card will be rejected when you try to purchase things abroad. If you’re taking a credit card with you, call your bank and ask them how much they charge you on international purchases. Regardless if it’s a VISA or MasterCard, each bank that issues a credit card has its own fee and they should be able to tell you. Important to know what your daily maximum for cash withdrawal is. Depending on the fees charged by your bank, many times it makes a lot of sense to withdraw the maximum allowed in one transaction. Many banks charge a flat fee for each transaction regardless of the amount.

There are no issues related to using cell phones and computers. Travelers who want to stay connected at a lower cost can sign up for an international service plan through their carrier. Most offer some sort of global calling plan that cuts the per-minute cost of phone calls and a flat-fee data plan that includes a certain amount of megabytes. Your normal plan may already include international coverage. It’s a fairly painless process:
1. Confirm that your phone will work in Europe. Nearly all newer phones work fine abroad (as do older phones purchased through AT&T and T-Mobile), but it’s smart to check with your cell phone carrier if you are unsure. Contact your cell phone carrier to determine whether your cell phone service extends to Italy.
2. Research your provider’s international rates. Plan pricing varies wildly by carrier. Call your provider or check their website for the latest pricing.
3. Activate international service. A day or two before you leave, log on to your mobile phone account or call your provider to activate international roaming for voice, text, and/or data (whichever features you plan to use), and sign up for any international plans.
4. Cancel international service when you get home. When you return from your vacation, cancel any add-on plans that you activated for your trip.

Our suggestion would be to exchange some money before you go and take it with you, and then get the rest from ATM’s while in the country. The official currency in Italy is the Euro. In Italy, travelers’ checks are becoming increasingly unpopular. In addition, they are a hassle to get, a hassle to change, and there are always extra fees. Most reputable establishments will accept major credit cards. The Automatic Teller Machines (ATM’s) in Italy are known as Bancomats, and they are widespread. Using a credit card, or even better, a debit card or your local bank ATM card, is very easy. If you are unsure about the compatibility or the banking systems, contact the bank or institution that issued your card. The Bancomat will dispense Euro. Many banks are now charging large fees of 2.5% to 4% for cash advances on credit cards, which negates any advantage of using the Bancomat in the first place. We advise that you use your regular ATM card and simply withdraw money from your account just as you would do at your local bank. To obtain the most current exchange rates for all national currencies, you may want to check your local newspaper or visit oanda.com
We recommend that you contact your bank in advance of departing to determine whether you will be able to use your ATM and credit cards while traveling. When contacting your bank, notify them of your travel dates so that they will anticipate charges being made outside of your hometown and do not suspend your cards for what may appear to them to be “suspicious” charges.

According to the Italian regulations children aged between 4 and 12 must use the adult seat belts in the rear if accompanied, in the rear, by another passenger aged over 16.

The weather in Italy is temperate and unpredictable. Generally, spring and fall average high temperatures in the regions explored on this journey range from 53 to 81 °F (12 to 27 °C) and summer high temperatures range from 76 to 88 °F (24 to 31 °C), though temperatures are frequently over 90 °F (32 °C) in summer. Rain falls evenly throughout the year in Venice, but more seasonally in Rome, where summers are drier than winters. Venice experiences very high humidity, with hot weather in July and August. Due to its location on the Adriatic coast, Venice often experiences thunderstorms and rain showers which, particularly in spring and autumn, tend to cause flooding, known as the “acqua alta”. Rainfall in Florence is twice that in Rome. To know about current weather conditions, we suggest you visit noaa.gov

Italy is one hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (or Greenwich Mean Time). From late March through late October, Italy switches to Daylight Savings Time and is two hours ahead. To determine current time in Italy, we suggest you go to timeanddate.com

We suggest that you pack the following items your journey:
• Casual daytime wear – shorts, slacks, long and short-sleeved shirts
• Lightweight, comfortable, sturdy walking shoes that have already been broken-in
• Rain poncho and collapsible umbrella
• Optional: Jacket and tie for men
• Optional: Casually elegant evening wear for ladies
• Sunglasses, sunscreen, hat
• Swimwear
• Plug adapter
• Cell phone
• Camera, lenses, batteries, memory cards and/or plenty of film
• Battery-operated travel alarm clock
• Daypack for camera equipment
• Copies of your travel documents that should be secured in the safe in your hotel room while traveling