So you are interested in an Italy tour but do not want to be on a motorcoach with 45+ people.  Then an Italy small group tour is the best option for you. On these small groups tours of Italy you are going to get more personalized service, more free time and more unique experiences while on your vacation.

Collette Explorations offer a group of no more than 28 passengers.  For 2012, their Italy tour is called Italyâ??s Treasures: Art, Food & Wine of Italy.  It is an 11 day vacation that visits Stresa, the Italian Riviera, Tuscany and Venice.   Explore the rugged coast and remote fishing villages of the Cinque Terre. Spend four relaxing nights in a Tuscan villa. Discover the hilltop town of San Gimignano. Experience medieval life at the Palazzo Davanzati. Visit a winery in the countryside and learn the secrets of Tuscan cuisine. Wander a Florentine food market. Spend two wonderful nights in Venice. These are Italyâ??s treasures. 17 meals are included as well as accommodations, some sightseeing, tour guide and driver starting at $3,299 pp.

Tauck Tours Culturious runs small group tours averaging 20 to 24 people.  It is a more active itinerary that may include hiking, biking or river rafting depending on your destination.  Culturious is designed for those seeking a small-group, active travel experience. Tauck offers two trips in Italy:  Tuscany & Cinque Terre and Venice & the Veneto.  Tauck Tuscany & Cinque Terre is an 8 day A Tuscany tour to savor... laughing at the enoteca while debating the merits of the olive oil flavors youâ??ve just tastedâ?¦ triumphantly ordering gelato using the new Italian phrases youâ??ve just masteredâ?¦ feeling the breeze while bicycling on the city walls of Luccaâ?¦ savoring the delectable prosciutto and Florentine cheeses youâ??ve just chosen from a local market for lunch â?? or the fruit of the vineyards youâ??ve just walked through. This is a Culturious Tuscany tourâ?¦ and this is Tuscanyâ?¦ now, your Tuscany. Priced from $3,590 pp.

Tauck Tours Venice & the Veneto: On a Culturious Venice tour, learn about the gondola and the gloriously eccentric â??Floating City.â? Wander the Strada Del Vino. Visit a private palazzo. Sip tea with a Contessa. Take a cooking class in Veneto cuisine. Discover places that visitors on a Venice tour rarely seeâ?¦ Indulge your mind, imagination and senses in a Culturious experience youâ??ll never forget. 8 days, deluxe accommodations, priced from $4,090 pp

Tauck Tours also runs small group departures on their regular tours, where on select dates, there will be no more than 26 guests.  The 2 vacations offering small group departures are A Week inâ?¦Rome, Umbria & Tuscany and Tauck Tours Classic Italy.

Insight Vacations launched Insight Gold this year.  On Insight Gold tours you get luxury hotel says, premium highlight sightseeing, all in a small group.  Insightâ??s 11 day Italy tour, Italian Vogue Gold, visits Rome, Pompeii, Capri, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice. You get 9 breakfasts, 4 three course dinners and 2 lunches. The tour is priced from $5,350 pp

The other option is to set up a customized trip of Italy for just you and your traveling companions.  Call an Italy tour specialist to discuss your options in more detail.