Italy

Each of our many and varied rail tours in Italy offers an exciting itinerary of guided tours and excursions designed to offer a broad introduction to the many treasure that this enchanting country holds.

It is our aim to provide an experience of Italy that is rewarding, pleasurable and memorable whilst offering the best possible value for money. The cost of your Italian rail holiday includes all train and other travel costs, hotel accommodation, an extensive programme of sightseeing trips and activities and a selection of meals.

We appreciate that the standard of accommodation is an important factor in your enjoyment of any Italian rail tour, and so we only use hotels that benefit our guests with a convenient location and provide excellent value, facilities and comfort. By choice we often select reputable family-run hotels which extend our guests a greater degree of personal service and a more relaxing environment.

Historically, Italy can justifiably claim to be the seat of Western civilization thanks to the rise of the Roman Empire which, at its height, encompassed large regions of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Educated and cultured, the Romans influenced every society they conquered, leaving a rich legacy of written and spoken language, architecture, legal principles and inventions including thermal heating, sewage systems and a formula for cement that is little changed today. The European Renaissance, a cultural movement that lasted from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century is said to have originated in Florence. Some of Italy's greatest and most famous works of literature, architecture and art were produced during this period and can still be seen by our guests today in locations such as Florence's Cathedral and Uffizi Gallery, Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, and the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, where Leonardo da Vinci's famous mural, The Last Supper, is located.

Italy's cuisine needs little introduction; most guests on our rail tours will be familiar with classic Italian creations such as pizza, spaghetti Bolognese, salami and minestrone soup. As with other countries, however, Italy's food varies greatly between regions which have different traditions and styles of cookery. In general terms, Italian cuisine stems from the simple combination of fresh and flavoursome produce to create colourful dishes that preserve the identity of individual ingredients yet harmonise flavours perfectly. Pasta, polenta and risotto rice are staples of Italian cuisine and to these a variety of meats, fish, vegetables, herbs and sauces can be added to create simple yet utterly delicious meals. These can be accompanied by Italy's famous and excellent wines which include the white Pinot Grigiot, and the red Chianti.

Thanks to a Mediterranean climate, Italy largely enjoys hot, sunny summers and mild, wet winters where snowfall is relatively rare with the exception of mountainous regions such as the Italian Alps and the Dolomites. Inland summer temperatures usually average between 28 and 33°C (82 and 91°F), whilst sea breezes lower the temperature slightly along Italy's coasts. Early autumn brings brief thunderstorms but temperatures remain warm and rainfall is short-lived.