The last ferry to Capri leaves Sorrento at sunset. Alex knew this. What she hadn’t planned for was still being at the hotel at 3 PM, bags barely dropped, with two sailings left in the day and an island she’d always wanted to see sitting just across the water.
So she ran.
As one of our trip designers, Alex travels every route before you do. She’s thinking about how the journey feels, whether the experience lives up to expectations, and whether the whole thing is worth your time and money. Only when it passes that test does it make it into your trip.
Here’s a look behind the scenes – what really goes into creating an Italy tour, and what Alex discovered along the way that she didn’t expect.
- Your Italy road trip hub: routes, tips, and expert advice all in one place.
What actually goes into building your trip
Designing a tour starts long before anyone sets foot on a plane. There’s the research, the local partnerships, the careful craft of an itinerary that balances the must-sees with the moments nobody tells you about.
But for Alex, the desk is only half the job.
Before a single tour is ready for you to book, she’s on the ground, travelling the routes, staying in the hotels, and experiencing the sights herself. And she does it undercover. No announcing she works in travel, no special treatment. Just a traveller, moving through a destination the way you will.
I try to step into the mindset of our customers. I’m thinking about language barriers, how it feels reading signs, what the roads are actually like behind the wheel.
- Alex
It’s a working day that rarely ends before midnight. She’s covering the must-see attractions and the hidden ones – the Colosseum and the hilltop villages of Perugia.
Because there’s a difference between what a place looks like on a list and what it actually feels like to be there. And Alex knows that better than most.
I don’t want our travellers to just tick a bucket list. I want them to take home a memory that changes them. Something that makes them feel uplifted.
- Alex
That’s the bar. And if something doesn’t meet it, it doesn’t make it into your trip.
- See what made the cut. Check out our top Italy tours
- Related: Best places to visit in Italy
Italy, beyond the bucket list
There’s a version of Italy that ticks every box. The Trevi Fountain. The canals of Venice. A photo outside the Duomo in Florence. The non-negotiables. And rightly so.
But Alex wants to give you more than the postcard version.
A memorable trip is an experience – something where you engage with the destination. The top sights matter. But they’re not the whole picture.
-Alex
Take Pompeii. One of southern Italy’s most visited sites for good reason. But a short drive away sits Herculaneum – quieter, lesser known, and well worth the detour. That’s the kind of alternative Alex builds into your tour, not instead of the headline act, but alongside it.
In practice, this means building in time. We design itineraries that give you room to wander, linger over lunch, stumble onto something that wasn’t in the plan.
For travellers who want to go deeper, our longer itineraries run to 14 days or more. Think extra time in Tuscany, a detour into Umbria, and UNESCO sites that don’t make the highlight reels.
Don’t plan too much. Pre-plan the key things and then make room.
-Alex
- Travel with a local guide on a small group tour of Italy
- Related: Planning a trip to Italy – Expert tips and ideas
What it’s really like to drive in Italy
There’s no better example than the Amalfi Coast.
Alex had done her research. She knew the roads were narrow. What no amount of research prepares you for is actually being there, as the cliff edge comes a little closer than expected.
It’s the Amalfi Coast. It’s Naples. It’s not for the faint of heart.
-Alex
But that’s exactly why she was there. She needs to know what it feels like so she can properly prepare you for it.
Two things she’d tell every driver before they set off: sort your insurance and don’t stress about parking. If you’re booking a self-drive tour of Italy with us, you’re already covered. Your car hire includes Collision Damage Waiver, third-party liability insurance, and 24/7 roadside assistance. Which means you can focus on the road ahead, not the what-ifs.
And parking, she says, is far easier than people expect. Most towns have underground or above-ground garages, usually a 2-minute walk from the centre and cheaper than you’d think.
What surprises most people, though, is the driving itself. In places like North America and Australia, a long drive can mean hours of highway. In Italy, you can stop every 5 minutes and see something beautiful. The road isn’t just how you get there – it’s part of the experience.
- Before you hit the road, read our tips for driving in Italy
The reason Alex does it. And the reason you should too.
There’s a moment on a rooftop in Florence that Alex still finds difficult to put into words.
It was early. The city was quiet. Church bells, doves, the hills of Tuscany stretching out beyond the rooftops. And standing there, taking it all in, it was impossible not to feel it.
I was experiencing it with my whole body. Through my breath, my senses, my eyes. And then it was my heart.
-Alex
She’d been to Florence before. But this felt different. A reminder, she says, of why travel matters and why she does what she does.
Travel while you can. Go see the world, enjoy it fully. Don’t wait – go on the trip you’ve always wanted to do.
-Alex
Ready to plan your Italy trip?
At Nordic Visitor, every itinerary is designed by someone like Alex. We’ve been on the ground, driven the roads, and handpicked the best experiences.
When you’re ready to book your Italy trip, our local experts in Rome will spring into action. They’ll handle everything: the hotels, the routes, the details that make the difference between a good trip and one you’ll never forget.
The icons. The hidden corners. And everything in between. Get in touch and let’s start planning your Italian getaway.
