Here is our awesome list for 2025:
April — Athens, Santorini and Italy’s Apulia Region (1 LEFT)
We will soak up the splendor of Athens and Santorini before hopping over to the heel of the boot. We’ll enjoy the traditional foods and wines of both areas, tour the dramatic coastlines by boat, and visit the olive-tree capital of Italy. There are than 60 million trees in Apulia, where we’ll wander through ancient olive groves – some as old as 3,000 years!
May — History and Beauty: Rome, Lake Como and Venice (FULL)
We’ll start in Rome during this unique Jubilee Year and then head north to enjoy the beauty and richness of North Italy’s gems. At the foot of the Alps, we will stay on the shores of Lake Como. Then we’ll cross the top of the boot by highspeed train to spend time in the “floating city” of Venice. We’ll dine on the traditional foods of these regions, see spectacular views from mountain tops and bell towers, and spend some time on the water – lake and lagoon!
May – Athens and Santorini Greece (FULL)
This custom trip will explore ancient Greece, from the coastal views of Santorini in the Cyclades islands to Athens and its rich history and ruins. We’ll soak up art and architecture, history and culture and taste our way through this magnificent country.
Aug/Sept — Lake Como and the Italian Alps (FULL)
We will enjoy the beauty and richness of North Italy’s gems: the western Italian Alps and Lake Como. We’ll dine on the traditional foods of these regions, see spectacular views from Italy’s highest peak in the Alps, Mont Blanc (bordering France) and make our way over to Lake Como to see villas, vineyards and a bit of Switzerland.
September — Fall in Tuscany: colorful Chianti and the Riviera (FULL)
If your image of Italy includes cypress trees, red tile roofs, wine and pasta, this is your trip. We’ll spend half our time in the Chianti countryside at a beautiful villa and half in a beach town on the Ligurian Sea. We’ll visit gems like Siena and Lucca, join a truffle hunter and his dog in the woods, and cook alongside a world-class chef in his convent-turned-cooking school.
Sept/Oct – Turin, Italy and Normandy, France (FULL)
What a collection of history and culture. Turin boasts not only the famous Shroud, but it’s also the birthplace of the global Slow Food movement . We will wine, dine and cook our way through Piedmont and then make a quick hop to Paris. We’ll make our way to the Normandy area to pay homage to countless brave WWII soldiers and to experience the cultural offerings in this beautiful corner of France.
October — Lisbon, Portugal (FULL)
This informal tour will be recon together: discovering history and culture of this western-most country of mainland Europe. I will book tours and transfers with a partner agency and we will vet them together as we refine this ideal visit for future travelers. Seafood, wines and the Portuguese language will provide new opportunities, especially for previous Italy travelers.
October – Sicily, the Beautiful Crossroads of Culture and History (4 LEFT)
Mt. Etna, Arab architecture, Greek ruins and a confluence of cultures that bring you unparalleled food, wine and travel experiences. Sicily is Italy…but it isn’t. We’ll stay in beautiful and unique boutique hotels like a former villa and explore on the south and east sides of Italy’s largest island. We’ll enjoy boat tours, a cruise up Mt. Etna, volcanic wines, and more.
Send me a note if you have a request or itinerary idea! lynette@cypresstours.net
In an ancient olive grove of 2,000-year-old trees in Apulia, the “heel of the boot.”