If you’re looking for a small group adventure in Italy, you’ve come to the right place! Genius Loci Travel offers a large range of guided walking tours all over Italy.
Many of our group trips will operate with as few as four passengers. We have always strived to stay away from mass tourism, our groups are therefore never larger than 15 people (on most trips the actual maximum is 10-12 persons). All people with the same passions as you!
Many of these tours can be turned into Private ‘Bespoke Adventures‘ to accommodate private group travel. We can organise both “off the shelf” itineraries, as well as create custom itineraries to meet your special needs. Book the dates you want, with the family or friends you wish to bring along!
You will see, walking through Italy with a passionate guide and a group of friends will allow you to make a unique full immersion in our beautiful country!
WELCOME TO THE REAL ITALY !
Small Group Adventures: Walking with Friends
Genius Loci Travel has always strived to stay away from mass tourism. Our groups are therefore never larger than 15 people (on most trips the actual maximum is 12 persons), small enough to be able to select ‘small ‘boutique’ hotels, to avoid making a negative impact on the places you go, and small enough to travel to special places and immerse yourself in the real country, without having to follow an umbrella…
When you join a Genius Loci tour, you travel with fellow travellers from around the globe, Europeans, Australians, New Zealanders, Americans, Canadians, and others. People with different origins, but with a common interest in travel, culture & nature, history and gastronomy. Our groups ensure you to have a good time with other travellers from around the globe, sharing and exchanging ideas and interests and creating new friendships. Our local tour leaders make sure you’ll see the best of the country!
Small Group Adventures: Worry-Free & Fun
On our small group adventures we care about the logistics – you enjoy the journey! Our experienced Tour Leaders, all expert local guides, take care of every detail, every step of the way. From the moment you contact us to the moment you have your last breakfast together, we arrange and coordinate everything, so you can focus on the scenes around you, relax, and have all the fun.
All your accommodation and transportation is taken care of. The hotels we choose are always well located, have all private facilities (with the exception of some mountain huts) and offer the best price/quality ratio around. Transportation is done with the best possible means. Private buses are used on all longer road journeys to guarantee our freedom to explore and to increase your comfort, but if it’s a better option to use the public transport (train, boat or bus), the tour leader will buy your tickets and gets you on the right bus, boat or train. Most entrance fees are included as well, generally for all the sites, parks and activities listed in the itineraries (see separate tours for details).
Local Leaders
By working with a team of local tour leaders, we can help you get inside a destination. Our guides live in the regions you walk, leading the way and facilitating ‘insider access’ every step of the way. They open doors wherever you travel and present a local’s perspective on the people, places, and regional cultures.
Our Tour Leaders come from a myriad of professional backgrounds, but all have a profound knowledge of the area where they guide our tours. All are professionals and adhere to one of the 3 national associations of ‘environmental walking guides’ (AIGAE, Assoguide and LAGAP). Some are geologists, some are biologists or art historians, and can you tell all the details in their fields, but above all they all have the special ‘local knowledge’ about their country, Italy and their region. Including the best ice cream shop or the nicest restaurant in town, Italian soccer & politics…
Also, Genius Loci Travel Tour Leaders have two other things in common: the ability to ‘connect’ with each and every guest and the desire to facilitate the most unforgettable experience for each guest in their area, time after time. Their goal is to help provide a fun, safe and unforgettable experience for our guests.
They can help you to understand the country in-depth, as they speak the language, can read the menus, understand the day to day world around them, offer insights into the history and culture, and are passionate about their homeland.
Guaranteed Adventures !
We require normally a minimum of four people to operate a guided trip at the advertised price. If, a month before the trip starts, there are fewer than four registrants, you will be given the following options:
1. Do the self-guided version of the same trip or a similar trip. You get all the necessary info plus a discount ! If more people sign up in time we can switch back to a guided tour.
2. Switch to another of our Active Italian Adventures in the same year.
3. Choose to do this trip as a ‘private adventure’. A 20% price premium will be requested.
4. Cancel for a full refund (no administration fees will apply).
Walking or Trekking ?
Most of our holidays are relatively relaxed walks, as the walking is seen as a means for discovery, not a goal by itself (see our grading system). We like to enjoy the outdoors and plenty of variety on our travels. Some areas – like the Dolomites – invite for a more challenging walk, others allow for easy strolling.
Your leader will always be able to inform you about easier / harder options for the day walk, and if you wish you could also opt out for a day.
The walking is not only fun, it is also generally the best way to discover the place we are visiting. Is there a better way to sense the silence and isolation of the Amalfi Coast, than walking along the wonderful trails, suspended between the sky and the sea? How can you enjoy Mount Etna more, than walking almost by yourself over the rim of a crater? And what about a full immersion in the superb Tuscan countryside?
We strongly believe walking is the ideal pace to meet people, absorb the countryside and make fascinating personal discoveries. Trains, ferries and all kinds of local transport are also used to vary the pace and perspective of your travels. The key difference between a Genius Loci Travel tour and most mainstream tours is that you, with the help of your local leader, immerse yourself more in the destination, get to know special places and local people.
N.B. Many group tours from Genius Loci Travel are organised in collaboration with other tour operators, all of them leading specialists in active tourism in their respective countries.
