WALKING TOURS

LOST IN ITALY Springfield, Illinois United States www.gogetlost.com
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Overview

Attitude… Many terms can be used to describe Lost in Italy’s journeys; laid-back, fun loving and free wheeling are just a few that come to mind. Of course, they take good care of all the important stuff like accommodations and the like, but eave plenty of opportunities for what Lost in Italy calls “getting lost” or exploring on your own, with your friends or with your group leader. Over the years, Lost in Italy has learned that the “getting lost” attitude allows you to experience all the fun and truly fond memories you bring home after a tour. Lost in Italy will take the real spontaneous fun over the pre-planned canned stuff any day!

The Real Italy… There are plenty of over-crowded, “Rome to Florence” bus tours out there. Lost in Italy prefers to avoid the big cities and spend their precious time in Italy visiting the smaller cities and towns where the pace is slower, people are friendlier, the food is better, the prices are lower and the scenery is breathtaking. If you feel that you must see the big cities while you’re in Italy, you can always arrive before the rest of the group or extend your stay a few days.

The “Anti-Group” Tour… Groups average around 14 people, the most Lost in Italy will have on a walking tour is 18 and on a cooking tour there’s never more than 10 travelers, which is a nice size. It lets everyone enjoy the advantages of group travel without having the usual bus tour size of 50-250 people. 10-18 people also allows enough diversity and camaraderie among the group to provide for an interesting eight or nine days. Lost in Italy organizes tours so that you’re more like a band of friends traveling together rather than a highly-structured and impersonal crowd of strangers with a "herder" group leader. You won't find any "Hello, my name is" badges in Lost in Italy’s groups, or anything else that makes you look like tourists! In fact one of their favorite pastimes is poking fun at the huge tour groups as they stampede past (usually as they're enjoying a glass of wine or cappuccino at a nice quiet spot).

The Guides Are The Owners… Lost in Italy is part of a family business owned by Jeff and Steve Fafoglia, who have been leading groups of adventurous travelers all over the world since 1994. Although they are an American company, they are also proud to be Italian citizens. They have strong ties to Italy and spend a lot of time there visiting relatives, finalizing details for travel groups and exploring new areas for future trips. On every Lost in Italy trip you can expect at least one, if not both, of the owners to accompany your group. They LOVE Italy and they LOVE to introduce new faces to their favorite spots and to all their Italian friends! They’re proud of the fact that over half of their travelers are either alumni or referrals.

Balanced And Flexible… Tours provide just the right mix of walking, dining, shopping, sightseeing and fun along with plenty of free time. Since groups usually have their own private motorcoach accompany them for transfers and as a support vehicle, there are often other alternatives for those who would rather check out the sights by car than by foot. When possible, on many days, Lost in Italy offers options to shorten the walk for some of the group or to provide alternate independent activities. On just about any day you can opt to "do your own thing" and laze around the square with the locals instead of participating in the days planned schedule. Travel in Italy can sometimes be unpredictable. When Mother Nature or any other unforeseen event changes things, schedules are flexible enough to be quickly altered to accommodate everyone. No two trips are exactly alike – each individual tour is unique and memorable!

Affordable… Lost in Italy’s preference for lodging is quaint inns and small hotels with local flavor, (and private bathrooms), and are chosen for their location, cleanliness, charm and affordability, avoiding the sterile “chain” style high rise hotels. Most restaurants and meals aren’t “pre-planned”, some of their best culinary finds have come when they were out “getting lost”. It’s hard to find a bad restaurant in Italy and with the staggering amount of great spots to eat, in Lost in Italy’s opinion, it would be a sin for someone to choose all your meals. Almost all of Lost in Italy’s advertising is word-of-mouth, keeping prices down! Compare their trips to competitors like Backroads or Country Walkers, and you’ll find that Lost in Italy’s tours are longer, with smaller groups, and are 30-50% cheaper! (And they’re more fun!)

Friends… There’s nothing like a shared experience to bond people together and form friends out of strangers. Groups are all about having fun and making friends while exploring the best of Italy. The Italians have made enjoying life into an art form and they do their best to emulate them! Check out the Word-of-Mouth section on Lost in Italy’s website and read what previous travelers have to say. You can even contact some of them and find out first-hand how special their tours are!

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