Explore Italy in la dolce vita luxury with Abercrombie & Kent as you uncover the allures of these diverse regions
In partnership with Abercrombie & Kent
Italy is a feast for the senses, where you can savour some of the world’s best food and wine in between taking in spectacular scenery, great art, UNESCO World Heritage-listed sites and medieval villages. Let the leading luxury travel experts at Abercrombie & Kent create a Tailor-Made Italian holiday that’s curated just for you. Discover the tastes of Italy from guided visits to local markets to fine dining in Michelin starred restaurants, wake up in five star luxury including an 18th century palace, and enjoy round the clock support from your A&K Guardian Angels for a seamless European experience.
Here are some of the Italian destinations you can explore in A&K style.
The green heart of Umbria
In the centre of Italy, rubbing shoulders with Tuscany, Umbria is a mix of rolling green hills and vineyards, wild landscapes and some of the oldest towns in Italy.
Visit medieval villages and towns including Orvieto where you can learn about ancient winemaking traditions and sip wine in cellars carved into volcanic bedrock, and Assisi, where the Patron saint of Italy, St Francis of Assisi, was laid to rest in a 13th Century basilica.
Go hiking with an expert naturalist in the Monti Sibilini National Park or join a guided e-bike excursion along an old rail trail in the Nera Valley, go truffle hunting before sitting down to a picnic in the forest, or learn how to cook Umbrian cuisine in the Michelin starred restaurant Vespasia.
Your A&K journey travels from Umbria up into Tuscany where you can stroll the cobblestoned streets of the ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’ town of Cortona, and fall in love with Italy’s most beautiful medieval city, Siena.
The Italian Riviera
Travel from the Tuscan countryside to the Portofino peninsula as you discover the charms of medieval hill towns including San Gimignano and the ancient fishing villages of the Cinque Terre.
Start your journey with a stay at Borgo San Felice, a luxurious resort set in a medieval hamlet in the Chianti wine region. Watch the sunrise as you float over Tuscany’s famous rolling hills and vineyards in a hot air balloon, before enjoying Chianti tasting with lunch at a winery.
Wander through World Heritage-listed villages and towns including the Renaissance-era Pienza, and the walled town of San Gimignano where you can eat world champion gelato at Gelateria Dondoli while admiring Romanesque and Gothic architecture.
Continue onto Liguria’s Italian Riviera where you can see the postcard perfect scenes of the Cinque Terre and take an unforgettable hike through olive groves and vineyards from Corniglia to Manarola. Then discover the glamour of Portofino by foot and by boat where you can choose to join a public ferry or follow in the well-heeled footsteps of the jet set and upgrade to a private yacht.
Puglia to Amalfi Coast
Step inside the ‘boot heel’ of Italy in Puglia before going west to soak up the awe inspiring scenes along the Amalfi Coast including Positano and Capri.
Sleep in style in the 18th century Patria Palace in Lecce before joining a guided walking tour to explore the city’s striking Baroque architecture.
Visit local vineyards and join your host in a local market to stock up on ingredients before learning how to prepare your own Apulian feast. In the World Heritage-listed town of Alberobello see the cone shaped Trulli homes made with prehistoric building techniques, before visiting one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world in Matera.
Take in the views along one of Europe’s most scenic roads as you make your way up the Amalfi Coast, before exploring the jewel in the Amalfi crown, Positano. Then take the hydrofoil to Capri where you can explore the winding streets before hopping into a rowboat to experience the beauty of the Blue Grotto.
Sardinian seduction
Italy’s second largest island, Sardinia is a special cocktail of golden sand beaches, rugged mountains, archaeological sites, and a slower pace of life. While some harbours are filled with mega-yachts others are quiet spaces where you can take a dip in the crystal clear turquoise water.
Feel the Sardinian sun on your skin as you explore the white sand beaches and rocky inlets along the Maddalena Archipelago National Park in a vintage sailboat. Enjoy a private 4×4 off road adventure through the mountains before a guided downhill trek through juniper forests to see the Supramonte range’s karsts and canyons, before cooling off with a swim at one of the island’s most beautiful beaches, Cala Luna.
Visit archaeological ruins that pre-date Roman times including the Bronze Age prehistoric settlement structure, Su Nuraxi di Barumini. And get a taste for the Sardinian diet that has helped Sardinia become one of the five Blue Zones with the world’s longest living populations including delicious local seafood, cheese and wine.
For more information on Abercrombie & Kent visit www.abercrombiekent.com.au or download the 2024 A&K Europe brochure here. You can also find A&K on Facebook: @aktravel.au or Instagram: @aktravel_au