Tripudium

Can you tell me something more about the exclusive activities you offer in your tours?
We will attend cuisine classes in a picturesque country house; read excerpts from classical Latin authors such as Ovidio and Orazio near the fireplace with a good glass of wine; learn from Casanova in person spicy details about the life of nobles in the baroque era at Caffé Florian in Venice; discover how to produce your own paper-maché mask.
We will look for the world-wide famous black truffles, with the help of local guides and their pack of dogs; meet all those artisans Italy is famous for and visit their ateliers, from ceramics to gold, from silk to leather, from fashion to Murano glass. We will step back in time wearing a costume at a Renaissance party in exclusive stately homes or learn Italian with "special" teachers. Moreover, we'll shop in the most refined boutiques or simply stroll on a quite path, we'll watch a play at theatre "behind the scenes" and meet the actors or spend the evening on the beach watching sunset and playing together, … always guided and looked after by the great experience of the club's founders, 24 hours a day. Please, visit the page Artists for you for more information and photos.

So, basically, Live Italy offers its members a holiday around Italy…
Absolutely not. Every tour operator can offer you a holiday. Ours is an experience of life that no travel agency can give you. The members decide themselves where they want to go and what they want to do; the itineraries you find in the website are mere proposals that can be modified according to the needs of each participant, as it would happen if the holiday were planned by you and your friends.
Before the departure, we will create with you the itinerary that best suits your tastes and budgets. During the holiday, then, we'll be with you 24 hours a day to provide exclusive services (private entertainment, guided tours of unknown resorts...) and keep the challenges of travel from you.
The human element is the essential feature of everything. In fact we create a group of friends who share emotions during the whole stay and for whom we arrange something special that only "local friends" can do. You will remember your journey as a unique experience.
Thus the group will necessarily be harmonious. If you like classical music and opera, for instance, you will not be with guests who hate it.

Why do you say that no tour operator can offer what you offer?
Simply because we're not a tour operator but artists who know and love their country and want to share with others the privilege of enjoying the thousand treasures that Italy can offer.
All the activities we suggest for your stay are absolutely exclusive and authentic, like the places you'll visit, unknown to the vast majority of tourists and often even to Italians.
Forget thinking of you as a tourist but only as a "citizen", even if only for the length of your stay.
If you like fashion, for instance, we'll organize visits to the most significant places of interest for fashion, both early or contemporary, visit cloth museums or period costume laboratories, meet expert professors of various subjects...; if you like good wine, we'll visit the most famous wine shops of Italy, attend classes with wine experts, take part to the grape-harvest (in the appropriate season) or learn the most curious legends and traditions about wine.

How can you arrange harmonious groups?
Before building the stay we will send you a form with possible activities and you will tell us what you like most. A useful aspect is that you like walking as it is important for most of our itineraries.

I would like to come with 3 or 4 friends of mine, without waiting for you to form a group with someone else. Is it possible?
Obviously it is, but it will be slightly more expensive. In fact, general costs will be split on fewer guests.

And if I am alone?
Nothing changes but the fact that you will have to wait for a group to be formed and join it. Send us a mail and we will tell you what projects we're planning. We'll constantly keep you up-dated on how the group is growing. When the minimum number of guests is reached... you will come to Italy.

Is there a maximum number of guests who take part to the holiday?
It's around 10-12 guests. We think that, in case of big numbers, the philosophy of the club would get lost and the stay would become more a commercial activity than a life experience.

When do tours take place?
There are no fixed periods. We suggest options for some of our itineraries according to the kind of activities but they can normally be adapted to different periods of the year. You tell us when the best period for you is and we will coordinate it with the needs of all the other participants as friends normally do when they want to do a holiday together.

Is there's a minimum number of people for each tour?
No. As we have already said the more people take part to the stay the less expensive the cost of all general services will be (split on more guests), but actually there's not a minimum number.

Do you take care of flights?
We prefer to leave that aspect to the guests. Each one will get to the starting destination in Italy on his own. We will wait for you at the hotel of the town where the tour begins but we'll give you all the necessary help for transfers to and fro the airport.

How much does the stay cost?
Obviously each stay is different from the other and the cost depends on:
1) The quality of the services you choose (normal hotel or 5 star one);
2) Number of participants (to share general costs, i.e. car rental);
3) The activities (opera, concerts, museums, travels in Italy, workshops and classes, private entertainment, etc.).

We offer tailor-made solutions to different travel experiences in Italy. You send us an enquiry (telling us approximately when you want to come and what you want to do or simply choose one of our itineraries) and we will start creating a personalized itinerary for you. That's why you do not find costs in the web site.

How much do I pay in advance?
30 % when you book; 20% at least 15 days before the departure; the rest, the day of your arrival.

What happens if I cancel my journey?
It depends if your journey involves other guests (with whom we have formed a group) or if you are together with your own group and all of you cancel it. In the first case you lose the entire amount of the advance (in fact we can't ask other guests to pay more because you cancelled your trip); in the second case you lose half of the advance if you cancel earlier than 30 days before the departure, 75% of it until 15 days ahead and the whole advance less than 15 days ahead. Particular regulations are applied in case of peak-season (July, August, Christmas, New year's eve and Easter).

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