Italian Heritage Tours

Discover Italy from the Alps to Sicily.
A dream come true!

2025 Tours

 

JUNE TOUR                                           

Notice: This tour is designed for the Gastaldo Family, but others are welcome too.

THE GASTALDO MEMORABLE TOUR TO ITALY

 June 10-23, 2025

 14 days 

Day 1. June 10. Tue. Fly to Italy
At 11:55 a.m. you leave from Columbus, Oh. with American Airlines and go to JFK Airport in New York (JFK). From there you fly non-stop to Milan, Italy. Dinner is served aboard. 
Day 2. June 11. Wed. Land in Milan, Lago Maggiore
Welcome to Italy! First impression; Italian is spoken here! You are tired, but you cannot check into your hotel until 3:00 p.m. Therefore you will relax in the picturesque and neat resort town of Stresa, located by the Lago Maggiore (Lake Major), at the foot of the majestic Alps. What a breathtaking place! Your Hotel “Regina Palace” is fit for royalties!
Day 3. June 12. Thu. Highlights of downtown Milan
Milan is the business and fashion capital of Italy. An orientation tour of downtown will show you the famous Duomo (with 2300 marble statues), the luxurious Galleria with its funny “Bull”, La Scala Opera House, the grandiose Sforza Castle, etc. Then you will have free time to browse in elegant department stores and enjoy watching those classy people walking by. You will be impressed by Milan’s life style.  
Day 4. June 13. Fri. Verona
All aboard! Choo Choo! Today you travel east on a freeway. Leave Lago Maggiore, bypass the cities Milan, Bergamo, Brescia and stop in Verona. That is one of the most beautiful and romantic Italian cities. The center is traffic free and filled with shops, restaurants and people. Tourists go to Verona mainly to see the famous Castle and Lodge of Romeo and Juliet. There you too can dream…..! Don’t forget that Verona is also famous for its best preserved Roman Amphitheater. A nice hotel with a huge swimming pool in the neat resort town of Abano Terme is waiting for you.
Day 5. June 14. Sat. Venice
You might have seen Venice in books and on TV, but today you see and touch that fairy city entirely built on water. It is one of the world’s greatest tourist attractions. It is a city with a network of canals, narrow alleys and hidden plazas linked by 450 quaint bridges. For more than a thousand years, Venice was the capital of the famous Venetian Republic. Its fleet dominated the Adriatic Sea. After an orientation tour of the city’s highlights, you will have the rest of the day free to discover on your own this city of dream: ride the gondola, shop for souvenirs, eat in a romantic restaurant by a canal and have fun. San Marco’s Square: what a fantastic place, how people and… pigeons! You will be in a real Wonderland! Remember that the only way to convince your friends you were in Venice is to show them pictures of you in the Gondola and feeding the pigeons!
Day 6. June 15. Sun. Padua, to Tuscany.
This morning you go downtown Padua, an interesting cultural and artistic medieval city. Tourists mostly to go there to see the renowned shrine and tomb of St. Anthony. After lunch you drive through the “Po Valley”, a very important industrial and agricultural area. Then you bypass the city of Bologna, cross the Appennini mountains and enter the region “Tuscany”. 
A romantic old fashioned hotel on the mountain is waiting for you: music and “Tuscan dinner”.
Day 7. June 16. Mon. Florence
Florence was the “Cultural Renaissance City of Europe”, because, after about 1000 years of “dark ages”, western civilization was born there again. The greatest artists lived, worked and are buried there: Dante, Michelangelo, Galileo, Macchiavelli, Donatello, Rossini, etc. A local guide takes you on a walking tour of downtown and tells you all about the Renaissance and this famous city: Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Signoria, Duomo, Gates of Heaven, Giotto’s Campanile, Santa Croce, etc. Florence is also a shopping paradise because gold, leather goods and objects of art are found here at a reasonable price. Ladies, this is the day you have been waiting for!  
Day 8. June 17. Tue. San Gimignano, Winery
You have heard about the beauty of the “Tuscan country side”. Smile, because today you drive through it as you go to San Gimignano, “The town of beautiful towers” which has remained the same as it was more than a thousand years ago. Rich families built their own tower for defensive reasons and for showing off: the higher the tower, the greater was their power! Of the 70 towers today only 14 remain, but the entire city is just as it was more than 1000 years ago and it makes you feel as if you were living during the Middle Age! The town is a major Tuscan tourist attraction. Walk on Main Street, see the many souvenir shops, buy some ceramic items, relax in a sidewalk café and dream of being a “Count/Countess” parading along that street to see and to be seeing! You will love San Gimignano! 
In the afternoon you go to a Winery, where you taste many kinds of local wines, eat bruschette, cheese, salami, prosciutto, and have a lot of fun. You drink wine until you drop! People in the past tours always said that was a highlight of the tour. After that you will be so “ubriaco” (tipsy) that you will not notice the time spent in your bus going to your next hotel in Assisi!
Day 9. June 18. Wed. Assisi
Just as Florence was the city of “Cultural Renaissance”, Assisi was the city of “Religious Renaissance”. There you walk through the same streets where St. Francis and St. Clare walked and preached some 800 years ago. They founded the religious order of Franciscans. You will see their Tomb and their artistic Basilica. In the afternoon you will be free to have lunch in some cozy restaurant and admire this medieval town with its quaint streets, souvenir shops, restaurants, fortress, etc. Tourists love Assisi!       
Day 10. June 19. Thu. Preci: family roots
As far you have visited popular northern Italian tourist places: Alps, Milan, Verona, Padua, Venice, San Gimignano, Florence, Assisi. In there you have mostly seeing foreign visitors
and you heard many foreign languages. But to see Italy it means to see also places away from the tourist beaten path: you need to visit towns where you can see the true Italian life style and hear people speaking only Italian! Smile, because that is what you are going to do the next two days.
“Preci” is a charming, remote medieval mountain town in the center of Italy, province of Perugia, region Umbria. The “Gastaldo Family” in this group has roots in there.  Yes, this is the day they will dig for family roots. It will be a thrilling experience to walk through the town’s narrow streets, to meet living relatives, to visit the parish church, to eat the local food and drink local wine. What a memorable day! It is a total immersion in the true Italian life.
Day 11. June 20. Fri.  More family roots
Leave behind you the Umbria region and enter the northern side of the Lazio region. That was once the land of the “Etruscans”, a civilized people that preceded the Roman civilization. Today we stop there in the small town of Ponte Romano, so the Gastaldo Family can dig for more “roots”. The rest of the group will enjoy visiting one more remote town, before going, next day, to the biggest Italian city, Rome. Have an “Etruscan lunch” with plenty of food and wine.
Day 12. June 21. Sat. Rome: historic sites.
No tourist buses are allowed in the historic center of Rome, thus the only way to discover it is to do like the Romans do: walk. Yes, you will go on a slow walking tour of Rome, the Capital of the World, the Center of Christianity, the land of the Roman Caesars, and the Cradle of Western Civilization. We begin by visiting the famous “Spanish Steps” and “Via Condotti”, where the rich and famous people go shopping. Next, you see the celebrated “Trevi Fountain” where you toss your “three coins in a fountain…” The 2000 year old “Pantheon” is a breathtaking wonder of the glory that was Rome. “Navona Square” is the most beautiful and most romantic square in the city. Have lunch there in some cozy restaurant and then, walk to Piazza Venezia and see the huge monument to King Victor Emmanuel who united Italy in 1870. The Americans call it “Wedding Cake”. There is also Palazzo Venezia, which was the Headquarters for Fascists. Next, going towards the Coliseum, you will walk through the Roman Ruins: 2000 years ago that was the heart of Rome. Then, right in front of you stands the majestic “Coliseum”. People remain speechless in seeing it! It could sit 80,000 spectators. Just think of thousands of gladiators and Christians who died there for the enjoyment of the Romans! Next to the Coliseum stands the well preserved Arch of Constantine, the emperor who in the year 312 granted freedom of religion. Yes, this will be the hardest day of your tour, but what an educational experience you will have! Rome was not founded in a day, but you must discover it in one day!   
Day 13. June 22. Sun. Vatican City
This morning you go “abroad” to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Let’s begin by walking into St. Peter’s Square: what an impressive place! It is today Sunday, thus at noon the Pope blesses the huge audience on the Square. Let’s go! After that you go inside the majestic St. Peter’s Basilica where you will see the famous “Pieta’’ of Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and the tomb of many popes, including that of the Polish Pope John-Paul. There is so much to see in the Basilica that one should spend an entire day there, admiring its breathtaking pieces of art and learning about the history of the Christian Church. Next, you go to the Catacombs (the Church’s basement) where you can see the tomb of many other Popes. As you come out of the Basilica you will see two Swiss Guards by one of the Vatican’s main entrance gates. Today you could also manage your time and visit the famous Vatican Museum and its renowned Sistine Chapel. Don’t forget to shop for religious shopping.
Day 14. June 23. Mon. Return flight
A morning drive to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport reminds you that everything comes to an end. You fly to Chicago and then back to Columbus, Oh. True, your wallet is almost empty, but look how much life experience you have gained and how much fun you have had! Mamma Mia, what a fantastic tour! I love Italy! Arrivederci, Bella Italia! The memories of this tour will last a life long!   
Dates:  June 10-23, 2025
Cost:    $4850 per person   
Tour cost includes: round trip air fare from Columbus, Oh. to and from Italy, all land transportation in Italy by private, deluxe bus, all hotel rooms (double occupancy) in first class hotels, all breakfasts and all dinners, sightseeing as in this itinerary, tour escort at all time, local guide in Florence, taxes.
Tour cost does not include: lunches, gondola in Venice, Vatican Museum: pay only if you go.
 
Miscellaneous: 
–  A deposit of $500 per person is necessary to join this tour. 
–  When you sign up for this tour you will receive a letter of confirmation  
    which will also contain all information you need to get ready for your 
    memorable tour.
–  If you stay in a single room, like a king/queen, it costs $550 extra.
–  For this tour we have 30 seats reserved in the airplane: first come first 
   served.
–  People originating from cities other than Columbus, Oh, will meet the 
   group in New York.

 

OCTOBER TOUR                                           

FABULOUS TOUR TO SOUTH ITALY

 Nature, History, Archaeology, Culture, Dancing, Food and Fun 

 October 14-28, 2025                                                     

Day 1. Oct. 14. Tue. Fly to Italy
Leave from Columbus, Oh. with American Airlines and go to Charlotte, N.C. From there you fly to Rome, Italy. Dinner is served aboard. If you are not from the Columbus area, you fly from your airport and join the group in Charlotte.
Day 2. Oct. 15. Wed. Land in Rome, connect for Palermo
Welcome to Rome! First impression: Italian is spoken here!  While waiting for your connecting flight, have a “cornetto” (croissant) and an espresso coffee or just begin to enjoy the delicious Italian food with a full meal (it is lunch time). After one hour flight over the Tyrrhenian Sea you land in Palermo, Sicily. You are in the magic land of legends! A private Bus will take you to your hotel. You are very tired, so take a rest, but make sure you wake up on time for your first exquisite Sicilian dinner. Buona Notte! (Good Night!).   
Day 3. Oct. 16. Thu. Visit Palermo
Palermo is a city of about a million people and the capital of Sicily. It is rich in history and culture. During the past 3000 years many nations conquered and ruled it: the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Germans, Spaniards, and French. Their cultural influence is still evident in the highlights of the city and you will see most of them. Then you will have plenty of free time downtown for lunch and shopping.
Day 4. Oct. 17. Fri. Agrigento
Did man reach civilization only in our times? A journey to Sicily proves that he reached it more than 2000 years ago. In fact everywhere in Sicily one can find remains of the great Greek civilization. Why Greek? Because the Greeks conquered and owned Sicily for many centuries; they built monumental temples and public buildings that are still standing. In Agrigento (old  Akragas) you will see a profusion of that civilization. The so called “Valley of Temples” (the heart of old Akragas) still reveals what a beautiful and prosperous city it was. Alas, time, wars, earthquakes, fires and Akragas came to an end. Today farmers grow wheat, olive and almond trees where that city was. However, the temples, ruins and burial sites are still there and attract a large number of visitors. You will see and touch those ruins. A local guide will walk you through them and explain everything. Next, the country restaurant Villa Kephos is waiting for you: you will eat antipasto, three kinds of Sicilian pizza and drink plenty of wine! Now drive through central Sicily and arrive to your nice hotel by Taormina.  
Day 5. Oct. 18. Sat. Taormina       
Today you fill your mind and soul with the splendor of God’s creation. Located above the Ionian Sea with the smoking Mt. Etna on the back ground, Taormina is the most visited place in Sicily and one of the most breathtaking views in Italy. The 3000 year old Greek Theater is still there and you must see it. After a short orientation tour, you will have the rest of the day free to stroll, shop and eat in some cozy restaurant. You will love Taormina!  
Day 6. Oct. 19. Sun. Calabria
Arrivederci, Sicilia Bella! Leave Sicily, cross the Strait of Messina on a huge ferry boat and land in the Italian mainland, Calabria Region. After traveling through mountains, high bridges and quaint villages on hilltops, you stop in a large farm among olive, figs and orange trees. There you can sit on old farming machines,  talk to donkeys and sheep, pet rabbits and catch chickens! Not only, but, under an open hut, you can help the Chef prepare the items you are going to eat for lunch. Next, you have a short ride to the city of Cosenza, where you will have some free time to visit its historic center and shop for something “Calabrese”.
Day 7. Oct. 20. Mon. Pompei
Drive through the rest of Calabria and arrive to Pompei. Located at the foot of Mt. Vesuvius, Pompei was a rich city more than 2000 years ago, but in the 79 A.D. it was totally buried under volcanic ashes. Its life came to a sudden stop and later even its location became unknown. About 1700 years later it was finally found and excavations began. Now most of it has been brought back to the light. A local guide will walk you through those ruins and explain everything. What an impressive view! What a unique educational experience!  
Day 8.  Oct. 21. Tue. Amalfi
Drive to Salerno and take a large boat going along the Amalfi Coast and to the city of Amalfi. What is so special with Amalfi? They say that when people of Amalfi die and go to Heaven, they look around and say: “Well, nothing new; it looks just like home!” Today, while on the boat and then in the city of Amalfi, you will see that those people are right. Tourists go there to admire the beauty of God’s Creation: breathtaking blue sea and sky, beaches, picturesque towns, good food, limoncello drinks, shopping, a super artistic cathedral, tomb of the Apostle St. Andrew, etc. You will have most of the day free to enjoy that piece of heaven. Sing: “O Sole Mio…..!”        
Day 9. Oct. 22. Wed. Paestum: a walk through history 
Located south of Naples, the city of “Poseidonia” was founded by the Greeks about 600 years BC. It became a prosperous city and embellished itself with splendid temples and public buildings. In 273 BC it was conquered by the Romans and renamed “Paestum”. It lasted for nearly 1,000 years until malaria caused it to be completely abandoned. The people are gone, but those temples are still there, almost intact, and today they are among the best preserved ancient Greek monuments. They survived earthquakes, shifting sand soil and thousands of years of time. This morning you will have plenty of time to walk through that historic site. Next, a visit to a buffalo mozzarella farm will bring you back to today’s real word and will delight your stomach. Afternoon drive to Campobasso.
Day 10. Oct. 23. Thu. Campobasso
Campobasso is the main city in the Molise Region. In the morning you have some free time downtown, shop and/or visit the Castle Monforte or the Samnitic Museum. Then, the huge and impressive “La Molisana” pasta factory is waiting for you. Surely, in your life you ate plenty of pasta: do you want to know how it is made? Today you learn all about it. In the afternoon you drive along the Adriatic Sea and you enter the “Abruzzo Region”. Your hotel is right on the beach: run barefoot to the sand!
Day 11. Oct. 24. Fri. Abruzzo: street market, olive oil mill, lunch in a country agriturismo and fun, fun
Abruzzo is a region east of Rome. It is made of high mountains, rolling hills and beach towns. This is a happy time to be in Abruzzo, because this is when farmers pick their grapes and make wine, pick olives and make olive oil. Today and tomorrow will be a perfect time to fall in love with Abruzzo.
This morning a short drive through a country road bordered by vineyards and olive groves takes you to the hilly town of Pianella (Remo’s town). There you will have time to walk downtown. It is today Friday and every Friday they have a street market. So, be jolly, greet people, stop at a coffee shop, eat a “gelato” and sing. Next, we visit a nearby Olive Oil Mill and taste the new oil on a bruschetta! Oh, then comes the happiest time of this tour: you don’t know what good food, wine and fun are until you have lunch in a local country restaurant. Among the many local specialties, you will have the traditional “pasta-fagioli”, the delicious “arrosticini” and the sweet Montepulciano Wine. They will keep Abruzzo in your memory forever. While eating, two local men with accordions will make you dance until you drop! Mamma Mia, people in my past groups always said lunch and fun in that place was one of the highlights of the tour!   
Day 12. Oct. 25. Sat. Abruzzo: Winery, Sulmona, Confetti.
When tourists go on vacation to Italy they all long to go to a “Winery” and have fun. Smile, because Abruzzo has plenty of wineries and this morning you will visit one of the best. Signora Giovanni Bosco will be proud to take you on a tour of her huge and historic “Cantina”, where you can see men crushing the grapes with huge machinery and making wine. You will also see huge vats and thousands of artistically aligned bottles full of new and old wine. Giovanna will serve you several kinds of wine with cheese and bruschetta. She will even show you her “Winery Museum” and sell souvenirs. Her most popular souvenir is a T-Shirt with the writing “We shall die but not of thirst”!
One more stop in that enchanting Abruzzo: you go to Sulmona, the “Confetti Capital of the World.” Its streets are adorned with many shops selling colorful confetti bonquets.“Confetti” are sugar-coated almonds in a variety of flavors, shapes, and colors. They are mostly used as traditional gift at weddings, baptism, graduation, etc. Late afternoon drive to your last hotel by Rome.  
Day 13.  Oct. 26. Sun. Vatican City.
As far you have enjoyed your vacation days in relaxing places away from crowds of foreign tourists, but these last two days you have to compete for space with people from all over the world coming to Rome, the Capital of the World, the Center of Christianity, the land of the Roman Caesars, and the Cradle of Western Civilization. Moreover, it is the revered year of “Jubilee”.
This morning you go “abroad” to Vatican City, the smallest country in the world. Let’s begin by walking into St. Peter’s Square: what an impressive place! It is today Sunday, therefore, if at noon you are on that Square, you could see the Pope blessing a huge crowd from his window. Go inside St. Peter’s Basilica and admire the largest and most famous of all the Christian churches. There you will see the famous “Pieta’’ of Michelangelo, the tomb of St. Peter and the tomb of many popes, including that of the Polish Pope John-Paul. There is so much to see in that Basilica that one should spend an entire day there, admiring its breathtaking pieces of art and learning about the history of the Christian church. You will also visit the Catacombs (the Church’s basement) where you can see the tomb of many other Popes. As you come out of the Basilica you will see two “Swiss Guards” by one of the Vatican’s main entrance gates; every hour on the hour there will be the “Change of Guard”. Then, you will have time for shopping for religious souvenirs in the numerous shops just outside St. Peter’s Square. Not only, but you can manage to find time to see the famous Vatican Museum with its renowned Sistine Chapel. 
Day 14. Oct. 27. Mon. Rome: walking tour of its historic downtown 
Tourist buses are not allowed in the historic center of Rome, thus the only way to discover it is to do like Romans do: walk. Yes, you will go on a slow walking tour of downtown the Eternal City of Rome. We begin by visiting the famous “Spanish Steps” and “Via Condotti”, where the rich and famous people go shopping. Next, you see the celebrated “Trevi Fountain” where you toss your “three coins in a fountain…” The 2000 year old “Pantheon” is a breathtaking wonder of the glory that was Rome. “Navona Square” is the most beautiful and most romantic square in the city. After lunch we walk to Piazza Venezia and see the huge monument to King Victor Emmanuel who united Italy in 1870. The Americans call it “Wedding Cake”. There is also Palazzo Venezia, which was the Headquarters for Fascists. Next, going towards the Coliseum, you will walk through the Roman Ruins: 2000 years ago that was the heart of Rome. Then, right in front of you stands the majestic “Coliseum”. People remain speechless in seeing it! It could sit 80,000 spectators. Just think of thousands of gladiators and Christians who died there for the enjoyment of the Romans! Next to the Coliseum stands the well preserved Arch of Constantine, the emperor who in the year 312 granted freedom of religion. Yes, this will be the hardest day of your tour, but what an educational experience you will have! Rome was not founded in a day, but you will have to discover it in one day! 
Day 15. Oct. 28. Tue. Return Flight
“And now the end is here…..” A morning drive to Rome’s airport marks the end of your fabulous tour. It is true that your wallet is almost empty, but consider how much life experience you gained and how much fun you had! Because of the delicious food you ate everyday in Italy, from now on pasta and wine will be part of your life! Mamma Mia, I love Italy! Arrivederci, Bella Italia! I shall return!                                  
 
Dates of the tour:  October 14-28, 2025

Cost of the Tour:   $4750 per person 

Tour cost includes: round trip air fare from Columbus, Oh. to and from Italy, air fare from Rome to Sicily, all land transportation in Italy by private, deluxe bus, all hotel rooms (double occupancy) in first class hotels, all breakfasts and all dinners, a memorable lunch in Remo’s town Pianella, sightseeing, tour escort at all time, local guides in Agrigento and Pompei, tips and taxes.

Tour cost does not include: lunches (except in Pianella), entrance to the Valley of Temples, to Pompeii and to Vatican Museums, round trip boat to Amalfi, Winery. Why not included? Because often a few people choose to be free and to go to other places of their interest. Thus: pay only if you go. If you go to all those places it should cost a total of about 120 euros (based on 2024 cost).   

Miscellaneous 

– If you are not from the Columbus, Oh, area you fly from  
  your airport to Charlotte, N.C. and join the group there. The airfare might be more or less.
– While in Sicily, Calabria, Molise and Abruzzo some people 
  may want to leave the group and visit the town of their 
  family roots. We will help them to have their dream come 
  true.
– A deposit of $500 per person is required to join the tour. 
– If you stay in a single room, like a king/queen, it costs $550 
  extra.
– When you sign up for this tour you will receive a 
  confirmation letter which will also contain all information 
  you need to get ready for your memorable tour.
– Later, this itinerary might be slightly modified to 
  accommodate the needs of people who will join the tour. 
  When the itinerary is made we don’t know who will be on 
  the tour.
– For this tour we have only 35 seats reserved in the airplane: 
  first come first served.  
– To sign up for the tour send a personal check (no credit     
  card). 
Make the check to:
Italian Heritage Tours

and mail it to:
P.O. Box 174. Reynoldsburg. Oh. 43068

 

 

 

 

 

For further information, please contact:
Remo or Eva Faieta
at
The Italian Heritage Tours
Phone: 1-614-833-5716

 

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