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Tag: Southern Italy

  • Best Summer 2026 Italy Tour Packages

    Best Summer 2026 Italy Tour Packages

    Summer in Italy: Leaning Tower of Pisa and vibrant Tuscan skyline — perfect for Italian vacation tours

    Updated January 16. 2026

    We spend most of 2025 traveling through Italy checking out the best tours for next summer. Families thinking of a 2026 trip to Italy for summer vacation may want to consider the following all-inclusive summer Italy tours.

    Summer is a popular time for people from all over to tour Italy. The cities such as Rome, Florence, and Venice are crowded with foreigners on holiday in Italy. The Italian beaches are crowded with local Italians and northern Europeans looking for surf, sun, and fun.  The small towns such as the very popular ones in Tuscany and Umbria have a full schedule of summer festivals.

    Throngs of visitors crowd the tiny towns for the weekend festivals. Therefore, it is often easiest when planning a summer family vacation to Italy to consider joining an all-inclusive Italy tour. The itinerary is already thought through. Travel and accommodations are set. And you’ll avoid potential pitfalls that may derail the best planned Italy summer family vacation.

    Check out these all-inclusive summer tour packages for your family to visit Italy during summer 2026.

    The Great Cities: Rome, Florence, Venice Summer Tour Packages

    11-Day Rome, Florence, Venice Classic Italy Tour

    This tour includes Italy’s great cities Rome, Florence, Venice. Enjoy three nights in each city.

    For those wanting a slow paced tour and an authentic taste of Italian life this is the tour. The pace allows for enjoying each city and its rythm from morning, through the afternoon and into the evening.

    Excursions include visitng Assisi, Pisa and Bologna. There is optional tour to Pompeii.

    Price includes escorted tours of the primary sightseeing highlights. For more information click classic Rome, Florence, Venice tour.

    For more Rome, Florence and Venice tours click here.

    Northern Italy Summer Tour Packages

    With the 2026 Winter Olympics in northern Italy this area is going to be vey popular. Many travelers aren’t familiar with the area’s beauty will be drawn to explore northern Italy tour packages.

    Our two favorite Northern Italy tours for summer 2026 are the following:

    11-Day Milan, Dolomites, Venice Tour

    This escorted tour travels round trip from Milan. It includes the Dolomites area including Bolzano and Cortina, both areas where Olympic skiing will take place. It then travels down to Venice before returning to Venice. This is a first class tour of Northern Italy’s Olympic areas.

    8-Day Tuscany and Italian Riviera

    This Italy summer tour package may be renamed the “jetsetters Italy summer vacation package” with the northern Italy highlights Tuscany and the Italian Riviera on the itinerary.

    Tuscany and the Italian Riviera are loved by all who visit. Their natural beauty coupled with culinary traditions make these two areas the perfect destination for a family summer vacation to Italy.

    For more information about the Tuscany and Italian Riviera summer tour departures click here.

    Southern Italy Summer Tour Packages

    10-Day Campania and Puglia Tour

    Southern Italy is the quintessential vacation destination. And this tour brings you to the best beaches in Southern Italy.

    This summer vacation package explores the regions of Campania and Puglia.

    Campania was the summer playground of the ancient Romans. And when you arrive you will fully understand. The area is built around the main attractions; the Bay of Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

    Puglia’s charming towns and beautiful coast are perfect for a low key, causal summer vacation. Enjoy the beaches by day and the towns by night. You will fall in love with Puglia’s towns.

    Tuscany and Umbria Summer Tour Packages

    11-Day Tuscany and Umbria Small Group Tour

    With summer weekends come festivals that highlight the cultural heritage of Tuscany’s and Umbria’s charming towns. This small group tour is a fabulous way to jet off on a family summer Italy tour of these two very popular regions. 

    The tour ends with a night in Rome. For more information about summer tour departures to Tuscany and Umbria click here.

    For more Italy summer trip planning assistance click ItalianTourism.us Italy summer vacation ideas.

  • Lecce to Rome – Notes from Train Italia

    lecce to rome train route

    Our trip to Rome from Lecce, located in the Puglia region, – every mile of our train ride and our journeys fills our eyes, minds, and hearts with new experiences and insights into this beautiful country.

    The train path in southern Italy passes olive groves that provide some of the world’s best oil and farms that fill markets, homes, and restaurants with fresh, delicious produce cover and color the countryside.

    Bright yellow and orange wildflowers, palm trees and centuries old palazzi mark the countryside along the train tracks separating you from enticing long distance and beautiful views of stunning blue ocean for miles and miles.

    Forget reading, playing games, or using your cell phone or even sleeping – the richness of the environment and its history is captivating.

    This train to Rome comes with an odd twist. After speeding north for several hours, it pulls into the Foggia station, and departs by backing up to the south.  The rear car of the train is now the front car; seats that once faced forward, now face backwards.

    The steward smiled patiently when I asked if this train was indeed going to Rome.

    After servicing Foggia, the train evidently needs to loop south and then west to navigate through the Apennine mountains which have separated the people of east and west Italy for millennia before it can progress north.

    The reverse loop also provides service to several cities, one of which is Caserta.

    Looking out the train window at the Caserta stop, one sees an unreal image. It is the massive Royal Palace of Caserta, one of the largest royal residences in the world with over 2.5 million square feet of floor space, 70 million cubic feet, in 1200 rooms on five floors.

    Construction began in 1752 for Charles VII of Naples, and his court.  Starting in 1943, during the allied invasion, the royal palace served as Allied Force Headquarters for the Supreme Allied Commander in the Mediterranean area, a significant upgrade from his former tent.

    Even fewer than 24 hours in Rome is fulfilling. One never quite gets used to being surrounded by such history and inescapable beauty everywhere. To the city’s credit, increasingly Italian culture not only cares for centuries of great art, but continues to celebrate contemporary art and artists with new museums, concert halls, and innovative art spaces. I feel “renewed” by its rich past and present treasures every time I am in Rome.

    How to Travel by Train From Lecce to Rome

    lecce to rome frecciarossa

    The high speed train from Lecce to Rome takes just over 5 hours.  The high speed train is called the Frecciarossa.

    About Traveling through Southern Italy

    For more information about Lecce click here.  For more information about Rome click here.  For information about the Puglia region click here. For more information about riding the trains in Italy click here.

    About Italy Vacations with ItalianTourism.us

    ItalianTourism.us provides the largest selection of hand-picked tours to Italy. For more information about tours that include Rome and Southern Italy click here.

    About Dolce Vita:

    Dolce Vita is an American of Italian descent currently living in Lecce. Lecce is located in Southern Italy in the heel of the Italian Boot. Stay tuned for more notes from Dolce Vita and her experiences living the “sweet life” in Italy.