October 8, 2003 -- Springtime in Paris, Autumn in New York. We'd like to see Winter in Rome rank up there as well, especially at these prices. The weather is rather mild, and it only gets better the farther south you head. The crowds are gone, you can walk peacefully in Roman streets without being shoved off the sidewalks, and find tables at almost any café or restaurant, not to mention seats at cultural events in the evenings.
Several American tour operators have splendid packages to Italy this winter. Pricewise, the winner is Go-Today, which has deals as low as $459 for its "Rome Winter Special" for a six-night stay between November 1, 2003 and March 8, 2004 (expect blackout dates from Dec. 14 - Jan 4). That's for departures out of New York or Newark, but for those flying out of Chicago or Miami, you pay from $559; from the west coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle) it's $639.
Other Italian packages include (priced out of New York and Newark):
- Venice (four nights, from $429)
- Florence (four nights, from $449)
- Florence & Venice combined (six nights, from $699)
- Rome & Florence combined (six nights, from $699)
- Rome and Venice combined (six nights, from $699)
- "Taste of Italy" (Rome, Florence & Venice combined: six nights, from $729
Prices are per person based on double occupancy and do not include airline departure taxes or airport fees. A Saturday stay is required. The package includes the roundtrip airfare on an available carrier, the lodging, transportation between cities when applicable, continental breakfast daily, hotel taxes and service charges. You can book on the Internet at www.go-today.com or by phone (extra $20 charge if by phone) at 425/487-9632.
Insight Vacations has a popular Southern Italy & Sicily tour, running for ten days and eight nights, that takes in Rome, Sorrento, Taormina, Palermo and back to Rome. Prices start at $1,550, including airfare, sightseeing, lodging, transfers, eight buffet breakfasts, four dinners or buffets, domestic flight from Palermo to Rome, hotel taxes, service charges and porterage. Land-only prices start from $1,060. The highlight of this trip may well be Palermo, with its magnificent cathedral and Palace of the Normans. Contact Insight at www.inusa.insightvacations.com or at 888/680-1241.
Florence, for many visitors, is the ultimate in Italian cities, with its splendid Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, the cathedral and a myriad of other sites. AHI International, which boasts of its intellectual outlook, has an eight-day/six-night program that includes roundtrip airfare from New York, lodging at one of Florence's best hotels (the Anglo American), transfers between airport and hotel, full buffet breakfast daily, a reception, farewell dinner, sightseeing tours and two lectures by area experts on topics of local interest. The all-inclusive price starts at $1,795 per person, based on double occupancy. Tours depart on October 29, November 5, November 12 and November 19. Contact AHI at www.ahitravel.com or at 800/323-7373.
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