Italy by rail holiday Venice to Rome & the Amalfi Coast

Planet

On this trip we travel by train across all the way from Venice through to Naples. Not only is rail travel a wonderful way to see landscapes change as you traverse a country, but it has an extremely low carbon footprint compared to using chartered vehicles. Our hotels are also chosen to be within easy reach on foot from the railway station helping minimise the environmental impact of our trip on the cities we visit.

All our city tours are either on foot or use public transport such as the metro in Rome or the vaporetto water buses in Venice. As well as being less polluting and more sustainable this also enables the group to discover hidden sights and gain a greater insight into the local culture and daily life.

We make a point of staying in Venice for 2 nights (rather than just being a day-tripper) and staying in a family-run hotel, shopping and eating locally and exploring away from the tourist hotspots to ensure that our visit benefits the city as much as it can.

The tap water is treated and safe to drink in Italy. We encourage clients to take a reusable water bottle to re-fill, rather than generating plastic bottle waste. Our local partner and tour leaders on tour try to follow a zero waste travel strategy whenever possible.

As a travel company we are continually looking for ways to improve and are proud to be ‘Responsible in everything we do’. Education is key, and so all staff, Tour Leaders and partnering suppliers are trained in responsible and sustainable tourism. At our Head Office, we continually strive towards a sustainable and planet-friendly working environment, including having solar panels installed and a company commitment to reducing our plastic usage.

People

Both we and our local agent we use on this trip are very keen on doing activities and visiting places that involve our customers in the real lives and customs of the place. This can be something as simple as joining the locals for a coffee at a back street espresso bar in Rome or eating a pizza on the street in Naples (being sure to fold it local style!). We use local tour leaders that have a deep knowledge of the destination and of the local businesses in each community we visit. They also ensure that our customers are aware of the cultural norms that should be observed.

This trip visits the local food markets in the Quadrilatero quarter of Bologna where you'll taste some of the best street food in Italy and learn about the production of local artisan products such as D.O.P. meats, cheeses, regional wines and homemade tortellini pasta . There'll be the chance purchase goods here and at various other small and independent shops throughout the tour, thus contributing to the rich cultural and culinary heritage of the regions we visit.

Most of the accommodation we use on this trip is locally owned. We purposely do not include evening meals on this trip. This allows you to eat out at local family-run restaurants helping to support the local economy. Our tour leaders also offer advice about what to order based on what’s in season and what has been produced locally.

As a company we have valuable and longstanding partnerships with UK charities Toilet Twinning and Send a Cow, plus many smaller initiatives and projects around the world. We’re members of the UK travel industry body AITO because we believe it’s important to share our knowledge and experience, as well as learn from other operators.