There are a few limitations to this special from Foreign Independent Tours (tel. 800/248-3487; www.fittours.com), but for the right person, this could be a smart deal for the Thanksgiving holiday. The company is offering a special on its Thanksgiving week trip to Rome, Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, priced from $1,999 for eight days and six nights. You must book by October 3, and the price and package are only valid for the November 23 departure.
The package price includes quite a bit of your expenses. The specially advertised price for this trip includes, for example, round-trip airfare from New York-JFK to Rome, fuel surcharges, six nights at the Hotel Prime Villa Torlonia in Rome, daily breakfast, three lunches (including Thanksgiving), one dinner, the assistance of a tour host, and motor coach transportation, depending on the itinerary. As with many of the company's trips, the property -- along with the itinerary -- is usually culturally thoughtful. The hotel dates to the early 1900s and is located in a quiet part of the city called Coppede. There are excursions to Vatican City, Sorrento, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast; entrance fees to Pompeii and the Vatican Museum are also included. You can, however, expect to pay an additional $175 for airport fees and taxes. Optional tours to Tuscany's Siena and San Gimignano are not included and will add on $176. Your Thanksgiving meal takes place facing an Italian garden at the lovely, elaborately decorated Grand Hotel Parco Principi.