Italy small group versus independent

Hi does anyone have any thoughts on how to do a trip to Italy. We are
a group of women aged 35-50 who like to have fun! We want to
experience the Italian culture, art, food and wine. We were thinking
about doing a villa and side day trips versus a small group tour
company. We were thinking Tuscany/ Umbria, hill towns, Florence,
Rome, Cinque Tera etc. Does anyone know of any small group tour
companies? Or would you recommend doing it independently. Thanks

Leanne wrote:

Hi does anyone have any thoughts on how to do a trip to Italy. We are
a group of women aged 35-50 who like to have fun! We want to
experience the Italian culture, art, food and wine. We were thinking
about doing a villa and side day trips versus a small group tour
company. We were thinking Tuscany/ Umbria, hill towns, Florence,
Rome, Cinque Tera etc. Does anyone know of any small group tour
companies? Or would you recommend doing it independently. Thanks

I would recommend getting the villa and doing it on your own. Italy is
an easy country for travellers. For a small group, the main advantage of
a tour is that it would avoid disagreements over "What shall we do
tomorrow?" However, if all of you are reasonably flexible and enjoy the
same sorts of things, you will surely get a trip much more tailored to
your interests by doing it on your own.

I'm not sure I would want to do Rome as a day trip from somewhere in
Tuscany, however.

Barbara

"Leanne" wrote in message
om...
Hi does anyone have any thoughts on how to do a trip to Italy. We are
a group of women aged 35-50 who like to have fun! We want to
experience the Italian culture, art, food and wine. We were thinking
about doing a villa and side day trips versus a small group tour
company. We were thinking Tuscany/ Umbria, hill towns, Florence,
Rome, Cinque Tera etc. Does anyone know of any small group tour
companies? Or would you recommend doing it independently. Thanks

I think you should consider an independent trip. We have made two of these
to Italy in the last couple of years. One was in the Tuscany region, the
other in the Umbria region. Both worked out just great. We even arranged
for a cook for the evening meals. This meant a nice evening at our villa
after a full day of side trips.

There are Internet sites that list many available villas for rent, and with
a group of people the cost per person can be quite reasonable. You might
check out -
http://rentavilla.com/
or
http://www.rentvillas.com/

Depends on where you locate your villa, as to side trips, but there should
be plenty of opportunities wherever you go. Have a great time.

Joe in Texas