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LIST: UK TOUR OPERATORS TO ITALY

These are UK-based tour operators and specialist travel agencies featuring holidays, tours and travel in Italy.
Abercrombie & Kent 020 7730 9600 Upmarket tailormade holidays
ATG Oxford 01865 315 678 The Alternative Travel Group have been working their home town, Oxford, into their brand name recently and now with the re-launch of their website, they've become simply 'ATG Oxford'. What they do has remained the same as when they started back in 1979: walking tours, cycling tours and special interest tours, for independent travellers or escorted groups. Italy is the cornerstone of their programme with a huge range of cycle tours and guided & independent walks throughout the country with many of them focused on historical or cultural themes.
Back-Roads Touring Co 020 8566 5312 Fully-escorted, small group, scheduled and customised tours by mini-coach.
BellaSardinia.com n/a BellaSardinia offer small group special interest holidays on Sardinia, including painting holidays, cooking holidays, and culture tours.
Bellini Travel 020 7437 8553 A specialist Italy travel portal/agency selling components & advice. They also have an 'arts & heritage' brand, Fine Art Travel.
Boxwood Tours 01341 241717 Horticultural holidays visiting private & historic gardens in Italy.
Bridgewater Travel 0161 787 8587 Villas, farmhouses, castles, hotels & apartments mainly in Tuscany
Citalia 0871 200 2004 Citalia have been around a bit - 83 years actually (2010)- and Italy is their patch! They have a huge programme of hotels, s/c villas and tours throughout Italy.
Classic Collection 01903 823088 Glamorous 5/4-star hotels in Sorrento & the Amalfi Coast.
Cognoscenti World 08717 500070 Luxury tailor-made holidays and short breaks based on a selection of beautiful hotels. Also cookery courses, weddings, golf holidays, etc.
Colletts Mountain Holidays 01763 289660 Summertime (and winter) mountain activities in the Italian Dolomites.
Cottages to Castles 01622 775217 Cottages to castles in Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio, Sicily and the Neapolitan Riviera
Cresta Holidays 0871 895 0075 Pound signShort breaks specialists staying in hotels in cities and towns all over Itay. Part of the Thomas Cook group.
Crystal Lakes 0871 231 5661 Holidays focused on Italy's lakes - Lake Garda, Lake Maggiore and Lake Como - the cultural cities of northern italy: Florence, Verona and Venice.
Crusader Travel 020 8744 0474 Villas, apartments and country hotels in Umbria & Sicily. They also have properties on Sicily's neighbouring islands (Ustica & Pantelleria) and offer scuba diving opportunities. (Crusader are also dive specialist operators in the Red Sea).
CV Travel 020 7581 0851 Mainly villas, mainly Umbria & Tuscany
Design Holidays 0870 727 3755 Holidays in resort hotels and villas on Sardinia.
Discovery Travel 01785 214239 A range of s/c properties from farmhouses to cottages in Puglia, Abruzzo, Le Marche, Umbria and Tuscany. Also Italian language and culture courses in the historic town of Spello.
Essential Italy 01223 460100 A small villa agency run by a brother & sister team offering hand-picked villas, apartments and hotels in Tuscany, Umbria, Sardinia, Puglia, Sicily and the Amalfi regions of Italy, with an emphasis on customer service before, during and after a holiday.
Expert to Italy 0207 5203100 Tailor made holidays all over Italy. Much coverage in national newspapers. Part of Lai Travel.
Exsus Travel 020 7292 5050 Luxury tailormade holidays in top hotels in Sicily, Venice, Florence and the Amalfi Coast.
Ferrari Tours 0808 234 6830 Ferrari Tours design and operate exclusive, tailor-made supercar tours for individuals and private groups to Italy.
Hammond Villas 0844 232 2323 A small specialist villa company, offering a good selection of villas with pools in mostly Tuscany and Umbria. All villas and their owners are known personally to the company.
Headwater Holidays 01606 720099 Cycling, walking and cookery holidays in Tuscany & Umbria.
Hedonistic Hiking 0845 6801948 Owner-operated company offering fully-inclusive gourmet walking holidays and tailor made tours in Italy. Boutique accommodation with a focus on delicious food and fine wines. Australia based but with a marketing presence in the UK.
Hello Italy 01483 284011 Cottages, castles, studios in country settings.
Home in Italy 020 7404 4911 A selection of exlusive elegant private villas, cottages, farmhouses, apartments and other properties in regions all over Italy. Also cooking holidays and weddings.
Ilios Travel 0845 675 2601 Villas and farmhouses with private pools in rural locations in Umbria, Tuscany, Le Marche, Lazio and Abruzzo. Sardinia, the Islands and Sicily, as well as some exclusive country house hotels and city apartments.
Invitation to Tuscany 0121 429 5016 Property rental in Tuscany
Italian Breaks 020 8660 0082 Apartments and some villas all over Italy
Italian Connection, The 01424 728900 Tailor-made holiday specialists.
Italian Expressions 020 7435 2525 Short breaks and longer holidays in a range of grand hotels, boutique hotels, castles & country-house hotels throughout Italy.
Italian Life 0113 281 8811 Villas in Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria & Lazio
Italian Rentals 4U 01223 690018 Italian villas and apartments particularly Sicily.
Italian Secrets 01494 676136 Cookery weeks run by Anna Venturi at her villa on the north coast of Sicily.
Italy Hotels Direct 0141 561 3639 Discount hotel booking in Milan Florence & Rome
ITC Classics 01244 355 340 ITC specialise in luxury holidays in luxury hotels & resorts. In Italy that means classic hotels in a wide range of locations including Rome, Capri, Florence, the Italian Lakes, Venice, Milan, the Almalfi Coast, Sardinia, Tuscany and Portofino.
Just Sardinia 01202 484858 starIndependent company launched in 2000, specialising in tailor-made and package holidays to Sardinia, based on a selection of hotels, villas, apartments and farm accommodation. They claim in-depth local knowledge of Sardinia, not least because the directors have lived and worked there since 1982.
Kirker Holidays 020 7593 2283 Luxury short breaks specialist offering characterful, privately-owned hotels in Italy. What started in 1986 as a small programme of three cities – Venice, Florence and Rome – now includes some 40 towns and cities and over 90 relaxing rural and coastal hotels.
Kudu Travel 01722 716167 Kudu operate a number of guided 'cultural' tours to Italy focusing on the arts, food, wine and chocolate!.
La Bella Toscana 01986 892333 Specialise in villas, farmhouses & apartments in medieval San Grimignano and Colle de Val d'Elsa bewteen Florence & Sienna.
Landmark Trust 01628 825925 As in the UK, a number of protected historic properties for rent
Living Italy   Year round programme of cultural tours based in Umbria
Long Travel 01694 722193 starSmall specialist operator, set up by Annie Long in 1987, offering tailor-made holidays in personally selected (and rather special) hotels, villas, and farms in southern Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. Long Travel is a member of AITO
Mediterraneo Case 020 8133 1261 Self-catering cottages, farmhouses, apartments, and villas in Apuglia, Sardinia, Calabria & Campania.
Momentum Travel 020 7371 9111 Momentum are best-known as ski tour operators but they also specialise in tailor-made summer holidays & breaks in Italy, particularly villa holidays and golf/spa breaks.
Page and Moy 0800 567 6638 Wide range of 45 escorted tours, city breaks, rail tours, Christmas shopping visits and cruising. P&M are part of the Kaleidoscope Travel Group which specialises in escorted travel.
Painting in Italy 0800 458 9112 Relaxed painting holidays with expert guidance in Tuscany and Umbria. Sister brand to Cooking in Umbria.
Peter Sommer Travels 01600 861 929 Pound sign Specialises in archaeological tours by gulet around the coast of Turkey. In 2010 they expanded their tours to cover ancient sites in Italy and Greece.
Quality Villas 01442 870 055 Quality villas is a family-run business set up by Margaret Rees in 1986, specialising in luxury villas & farmhouses with private pools, in Tuscany, Umbria & Lazio.
Real Holidays 020 7359 3938 Real have a "Italian Portfolio" with its own dedicated brochure featuring holidays in a range of properties from 4-star hotels to Agriturismo apartments with pools in Umbria, Marche, Calabria, Campania, Puglia and Sicily.
Sardatur Holidays 020 7242 2455 Sardinia specialist with some lovely hotels (4/5-star) and apartments all over the island.
Sicilian Experience 020 7828 9171 Specialists for Sicily, Ustica and the Aeolian Islands (north of Sicily around Stromboli).
Solmar Villas 0870 381 3000 European villa specialist with a small selection of private villas & country houses in Tuscany.
SoloSicily 020 7193 0158 Sicilian villa specialist. They also feature boutique hotels and offer weddings, car hire and other services.
Summer's Leases 0845 230 2223 Small independent villa rental specialist for Tuscany and Umbria.
Sunvil 020 8758 4747 Fly-drive and tailor-made itineraries throughout Italy, Sicily, Lipari and San Marino. Their 2006 brochure is their first dedicated Italy brochure (until now, Italy and Portugal have appeared together in one brochure). New additions to the programme include elegant hotels and villas in Puglia, Turin, Venice, Lake Garda, Florence, San Gimignano, Positano, Sorrento and Sicily (Taormina, Syracuse and Cefalu).
Tastes of Italy 020 8788 2337 Gourmet breaks in Italy combining luxurious food with Italian culture, plus cookery and wine courses.
Time Away 020 8343 2590 Self-catering properties in the most popular regions of the Italian mainland, and Sardinia & Sicily.
thinkSicily 020 7377 8518 Specialist operator to Sicily offering spectacular escorted walks, beautiful villas & apartments and sumptuous hotels on Sicily itself and the Aeolian islands.
To-Tuscany 020 7193 7782 Independent villa rental specialist to Tuscany
Traditional Tuscany 0700 488 7226 Farmhouses, villas & apartments in Tuscany, Umbria and the Marches.
Trafalgar Tours 020 7574 7444 A number of classic escorted coach tours around Italy.
Travel à la Carte 01635 863030 Villas & farmhouses in Tuscany
Travel Department, The 020 7099 9665 Escorted holidays with a planned itinerary and a local guide, bookable online as an "all-in" package, with departures, particularly to the Italian Lakes, from regional airports in the UK.
Travel Editions 020 7251 0045 Small company operating a programme of pre-scheduled cultural short breaks for escorted groups. There regular tours to the Tuscany, the Aeolian Islands & Sicily, and to see classical performances & events in Venice (Carnival), Verona, Milan, etc.
Travelsphere 0844 318 8132 Pound sign Direct sell operator with air, coach and rail holidays to the lakes and a range of popular cities/destinations in Italy.
Tuscan Holidays 015394 31120 Holiday homes on vinyards in Tuscany
Tuscany Holiday Link 01296 488 073 Italian farmhouses, elegant villas, luxury apartments and flats to rent based in and around Florence, Siena, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, Iago, Certaldo Alto, Casole d'Elsa, Chianti Hills, Volterra and Montelopio. A small agency run by Liliana Calendino Parise.
Tuscany Now 020 7272 5469 Villas throughout Italy
Umbria Rentals 07776 250 381 A small number of apartments and villas in/around the Umbrian village of Panicale.
Vacansoleil 0333 700 50 50 Pound signEuropean camping & mobile home holidays with 50 campsites featured in Italy.
Venetian Apartments 020 8878 0982 Exclusive upmarket private properties in Venice, Florence, Rome & Verona
vtcItaly 07836 760827 Veronica Tomasso Cotgrove rents handpicked period properties in Tuscany, Umbria, Venice, Rome, Florence & Sienna
Voyages Ilena 020 7924 4440 Well-regarded operator offering personally chosen apartments, villas with pools, and small hotels on Sardinia.

Notes

  • If you are looking for a quiet and contemplative break, Monastery Stays is a specialist online agency in the USA taking bookings for over 270 monasteries and convent guesthouses in Italy.

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