Need suggestions on how to find a good travel tour for Italy?

Some people will disagree with me and that's OK - we are all different and have different comfort levels BUT I would not book a tour at all. Why not consider touring yourself? It's very easy to do in Italy - trains are simple and go just about everywhere you will want. Contact me thru the Answers thing and I'll give you some suggestions if you like. Either way have a great time!

Since the cheapest flights from/to New York across the Atlantic are in early Dec and late Jan it would IMO be stupid to join a tour. With the tour you would pay the regular, year-round standard fare or over-Christmas high-season fare instead of getting discounts for your timeframe of travel. You should also check out guidebooks like Rick Steve's and Lonely Planet, you'll see it is easy to do on your own and save the 50 % cut that the agency would take. http://www.ricksteves.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com Rick Steves' has tours btw, his Dec 10-days Italy tour is 2,595 USD per person plus airfare (600 USD from NY). That calculates to a daily cost of 178 EUR per day. I consider this to be quite expensive. Most people manage to travel on a much lower budget, spending maybe 100 to 150 EUR per day and person. Some cheapskates (like me) get by on 50 EUR per day and person by staying in hostels and eating food from the supermarkets. Go figure.

Yes definitly consider your options - you could combine some independent travel, maybe by train and take local tours in towns and country areas such as Tuscany. For more Italian information check out http://lissiearticles.com/italy-travel-information-tips-and-advice/