Well, hello then! We’re Liz and Paolo. We own and manage Villaggio Tours, and we invite you to join us in Allerona, the 11th-century Umbrian village we call home. We treat all guests like family, with activities that bring you into our homes and those of our friends and extended family; to our olive groves and vineyards; and to cantinas, palazzos, and cozy kitchens, where you’ll learn to cook with a nonna and zia (auntie) or two – or at least help out wine tasting.
Whether in Allerona or farther afield, we prioritize cultural encounters, traditional food and wine experiences, and real connections that help travelers understand real life in Italy – all while having the vacation of a lifetime.
This isn’t just a tour. It’s a welcome home party.
Parliamoci! Let’s talk!
Schedule a free video call with Liz to learn more about our trips and activities, and what it’s like to travel with Villaggio Tours. Lots of answers, no commitment, and no pressure to book.
Generic, one-size-fits-all tours of Italy cover a lot of ground, but they also take you to all the predictable places, where you’re surrounded by thousands of tourists. We’re the opposite of that! We limit our central Italy tours to 12 guests and offer you immersive experiences with the area’s best storytellers, food and wine purveyors, restaurant owners, and guides. But we might be biased — in our village, most people are family.
More and more, travelers are yearning for more than surface-level encounters. If you’re seeking a deeper connection with the places you visit and a sense of being welcomed not as tourists, but as guests and friends, come join one of our tours. Villaggio Tours are led by Liz, a professional travel writer, with her family providing the warmest of welcomes — as well as many meals. By the time you leave, you’ll feel like part of the family, too.
Italy is one of the most visited travel destinations in the world, but it’s also a victim of its own popularity. Yet there are still corners of the country, like ours, removed from the crowds, where you can find plenty of space to breathe — and where you won’t have to wait in line to take a selfie. And when we do visit big cities, we use trusted local guides who take us beyond superficial sightseeing.
Planning a trip to Italy can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially if you want to stray from the well-trod tourist path (and don’t speak Italian). Fortunately, our trips are planned from touch-down to take off, so all you have to do is show up and enjoy. But don’t worry — there’s plenty of free time for exploration built into every itinerary.
Our trips work equally well for first-timers and Italy veterans. If you’ve never been, the good news is that the Colosseum and the Uffizi are easy enough to find on your own — we’re here to take you to the places that aren’t. And if you’ve already done Italy the usual way, we’ll show you the version that most visitors never get to see: the family tables, the private cantinas, and the neighbors who’ve known Paolo since he was born.
Download Liz’s free guide:
5 Roadblocks to an “Authentic” Italy Trip
(…plus how to avoid them, from someone who’s lived here for 17 years).
