Our tour of Italy has one room left

I’m excited that we are working with Albatross Tours to present a brilliant tour in Italy in May 2025. And we have just one last twin room (for two guests) available on the trip. It is truly through less-travelled Italy, even though it begins in Venice and ends in Rome. A maximum of 28 readers will leave Mira, near Venice in north-east Italy, on May 27 and wind their way southwards over 15 days through pretty villages and towns before finishing in Rome. It is a tour personally chosen and endorsed by me — and I am planning to be in Italy to greet the group, host a welcome dinner, and spend the first day with our guests, before they head off with our experienced tour manager.

We’ve partnered with Albatross Tours because their personalised attitude and approach fits ours. It is from $10,347 per person, based on twin share, for the tour only. That includes hand-picked accommodation (three nights in some places), 24 meals, including a special lunch inside the ruins of a deserted village and eight evening meals, and travel in a first-class air-conditioned touring coach. One of the three-night stays is in a charming 16th-century palace in Ascoli Piceno.

To request the last spots on this tour, and more information, email info@westtravelclub.com.au (now!)

A COMFORTABLE FIT

+ The Albatross Tours approach fits us nicely. It is an excellent company, offering real connection to places, with very carefully chosen accommodation and experienced tour managers, but also enough free time to relax and explore at your own pace. As an Albatross insider puts it: “Albatross Tours are designed to give travellers a relaxed but full European tour experience with longer stays in each destination.” Albatross won the prestigious National Travel Industry Award for being the most outstanding tour operator — specialised in 2024, for the second consecutive year.

+ “We understand you want more from an escorted tour than a few hurried, all too brief visits to the destinations you have travelled so far to see,” says a spokesperson for Albatross Tours. “Which is why we have developed our hub-and-spoke style touring.

“Our hub-and-spoke style of touring ensures your days are easier and more enjoyable. We usually settle in to a charming hotel for three, four or even five nights and take day trips out to explore the local region. This allows you to experience a variety of exciting excursions and activities. Not just the usual highlights, but also many more unique, authentic, regional experiences, often well away from the bustling tourist crowds. Best of all, it also means we can factor in genuine, essential leisure time for you — ‘My Time’.”