We have put together a few FAQs the at we hope you find useful. If your question isn’t listed, please get in touch!
General FAQsI have arranged aN 8 hour tour with you - can I extend it?
On our "In Rome" walking tours & experiences it shouldn't be necessary to extend the time. The tour or experience will normally end at the given time. On our bespoke "Out of Rome" tours, unless otherwise stated, if your Booking Form states 8 hours (for example), the tour must end within the 8 hours. It may be possible to pay a supplement on the day if the agreed hours are going to be exceeded, but this will also depend on how many hours the driver is legally able to do over a certain period (these are time constraints that are out of our hands and must be adhered to). If you have booked an 8 hour tour (for example) and to wish to extend the timings prior to the tour date, please let us know as soon as possible. We will communicate the revised price to you, which you would need to settle in advance, in order for the extended timings to be confirmed. How do I pay for my tour?
We accept payment through PayPal where you can either set up your own PayPal account or use any credit/debit card. Using this payment method we do not see your payment card details and we never store any sensitive information. Do you arrange flights or hotels?
No. We are only involved in the tours that you book directly with us. However, from time to time we publish favourite hotels and restaurants on our travel blog and Facebook page, which might be helpful to you. What if I forget personal belongings
We accept no responsibility whatsoever for any items that you may forget or lose during your tour/experience. If you accidentally leave items in the vehicle after the tour has ended, we would try to facilitate an arrangement whereby you go by taxi yourself to the location to reclaim the items. If you forget your belongings at any other locations visited during your excursion (such as vineyards, castles, cafés, restaurants, archaeological sites, etc..) then regrettably there is nothing we can do. This is one of the reasons that we strongly advise comprehensive travel insurance. Best time of year to visit this part of italy
Rome and its surrounding provinces are located in central Italy, approximately half way down the peninsular, so generally avoids weather extremes. However, as a rough guide, please see below: January & February are the coldest months so waterproof jacket and footwear plus woollens, long trousers, hat, scarf, gloves. March, April & May are generally warm and sunny (bring sun-screen but also warm clothing and waterproof footwear). May has been known to qualify as hot some years. June, the first half of July & September are perfect hot summer days but without the suffocating heat of August, so bring a mix of lightweight clothing, a jumper and long and short trousers, sandals and sneakers. If you suffer in high temperatures you should definitely avoid the second half of July & August or be prepared to find a cool place to be between 11am and 5pm. October, November & December are more changeable and definitely crisper so think leggings, ankle boots, jumpers, fleeces and waterproofs but have t-shirts or clothing that layers well too. So, for a vacation where you might like to spend a day at the beach or on a leisure boat choose May, June, July, (August - if you like it hot) and September. If you're thinking of vineyards and wine or olives then March, April, May, June, July, September, October, (November - although we lose daylight at around 5pm). For the Winter months (December, January, February) we'd propose Rome-based walking tours & experiences or shorter day trips rather than longer full day trips. PUBLIC NATIONAL & LOCAL HOLIDAYS
KEY EVENTS AROUND THE LAZIO REGION
We have included the most important annual events which are gaining wider international interest. MARCH
Dates may be subject to change. DO YOU PROVIDE DAY TOURS FOR FAMILIES WITH BABIES / TODDLERS?
No, we don't accept bookings for families travelling with babies or young children as we are an adult only tour company, which means that your group must be aged 18+. Do you work with third party Travel/Booking agents?
No. We did consider working with third party agents early on, but quickly decided against it. We realised that part of what we love is to really get to know our customers right from the start - mostly before they even arrive in Italy. We are also able to keep our prices fairer by not having agencies adding their percentages on top (so you won't find us on Viator or other booking platforms). We may consider working with one or two high-end concierges at some point in the future but for the moment we prefer direct personal connections. dO yOU pROVIDE A tRIP pLANNING sERVICE?
No. We only provide tours designed by ourselves, which we are happy to tailor for you, plus our set walking tours in Rome. WILL MY TOUR GO AHEAD IN ANY WEATHER?
We generally aim for all tours to always go ahead (we haven't had to cancel any so far), however, once in a while Rome and the Lazio region are affected by extreme weather (whether it be excessively high heatwaves or flash-flooding with electrical storms, etc. - please refer to our terms & conditions). In these cases, for the safety of all concerned the tour would not go ahead. Unfortunately due to the often 'last minute' onset of such conditions we would not be able to refund. It is therefore highly advisable that your travel insurance covers you for such eventualities. As an alternative consider requesting an activity that can be done before 11am or after 4pm. Vertical Divider
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Wine FAQsdo you run wine tours to Tuscany?
No. We only cover the Latium (Lazio) region, which includes the famous 'Castelli Romani' wine territoty producing Frascati white wine, the ancient 'Ciociaria' territory which produces Cesanese del Piglio red wine, the Latina province, which produces the Nero Buono di Cori, and delicious wines of the Tuscia territory which is close to the Tuscany border. Lazio has many worthy rivals to Tuscan reds. Are there age limits for wine tours?
There is no specific upper age limit, 18 is the minimum legal drinking age in Italy. However, we only provide tours for adults (aged 18+). There can be quite a lot of walking, standing and going up and down steps, so it is up to each individual to decide whether or not they are fit enough for these tours. If you're no good with lots of steps or prefer less walking please mention this in your inquiry. Are wine tours suitable for single travellers?
Absolutely. Most vineyards have a minimum requirement but if you're happy to cover the cost we will happily satisfy your request. Are your wine tours suitable for people with physical disabilities?
This would depend on the disability. Some of the vineyards in our portfolio do have wheelchair access so a partial visit may be possible, however arranging transport with wheelchair lift could prove more difficult, not to mention the extra cost. Where there are mobility limitations, please ensure that you book with a travelling companion who is willing and able to assist you on tour as, regrettably, our tour team will be unable to offer individual assistance in such cases. Do I have to be a wine expert to enjoy these tours?
Not at all. All you need to enjoy one of our wine tours is passion and curiosity about wine! All sorts of people book with us – from amateurs to experts and groups of family or friends wanting a fun experience or a way to celebrate a birthday or anniversary. If all you want to do is taste rather than have a full tour of the vineyard, please let us know when you inquire. How much wine can I bring back from Italy?
Different rules apply according to country, so it is advisable that you check beforehand. The general rule seems to be 1 litre of wine per person is duty-free and should go in the hold (checked luggage). Anything over this amount should be declared and will probably have a small amount in duty to pay. Currently you can bring 2 litres of wine back to the UK duty-free but that may change after March 2019. For the USA we believe the number is 3 litres. For this reason you might like to book your wine tour at the start of your vacation so that you can enjoy any purchases before you return home. Remember to ask at the vineyard if they export to your country and take photos of the bottles you enjoyed. What size are the tastings?
Tasting sizes are generous. Usually 1/3 of a glass per each wine, with most wineries allowing you to go back to re-taste and some leaving bottles on the tasting table for you to revisit as you wish. You are not allowed to take any of these bottles home, however but you may purchase unopened bottles. Is it possible to purchase wines at the wineries & vineyards?
Of course. You may purchase wines at all of the wineries & vineyards we visit but you are not obliged to do so. It gives us immense pleasure when we know that you have enjoyed the wines and wish to take some back home. Why wasn't I able to sample all of the wines that were described in the tour itinerary?
We try to give accurate information regarding the wines you'll be tasting, however, on occasion, in smaller family-run wineries (where the number of bottles produced is only a few thousand), there may be a particular wine that they run out of prior to your tour, in which case - wherever possible - the vineyard/winery would substitute with one of their most similar wines as an alternative. For example, if a particular white wine from your tasting is no longer available we would aim to substitute with another white of equal importance; if it was a red wine then we would aim to substitute with an equally important red. |