Well organized tour with a wonderful tour guide, Severio and driver Gaitano, who at times warranted went above and beyond the call of duty. Hotels, for the most part were good, the organized tours in a few places that required a walking tour with a different hired guide were well done, sometimes the amount of walking was challenging for some in our group but due to the restrictions on where the tour buses were allowed to drop us off it was unavoidable. There were times where it would have been nice to stay in a city longer than just a short day visit, ie Florence, and Rome but all in all a wonderful experience.

Excellent tour of Italy. Such a beautiful country! Our tour guide and driver were excellent as well. WE were very happy with our accommodations. We covered about 3200 kms. and visited many great cities, town, and villages. We liked the culture, food, and scenery. The Italian people are very gracious and happy to see visitors.

Excellent itinarary,knowledgable and helpful tour leader.Will definitely choose Blue Roads again.So much nicer being on a mini coach and with a small group.Small towns we visited and the back roads scenery a real treat.

The Italian Indulgence tour was great value for money. I particularly enjoyed the small group size and variety of activities that were included in this tour. The hotels were all very clean and had excellent buffet breakfasts. It was important to me that they were situated in central locations so it was easy to walk into historic town centers. Our Tour Leader was Helio and he was professional and warm. We were so lucky to have him lead our tour group. We saw and learned so much on this tour and covered so much beautiful countryside in the safe hands of our driver Fabio.

Most excellent small bus tour. Allowed us to get into places the big buses could not. Wonderful itinerary from Rome to Venice via the back roads when possible…. lovely Tuscany, the lake district, and the dolomites. Wine tasting, cooking class, and general touring with plenty of free time to explore on our own… fun, small hotels on the most part. A nice adventure. Also a delightful, personable and knowledgeable, Tour Guide and excellent driver. I highly recommend this tour and blue roads.

Great itinerary, excellent guide, small bus which stuck to backroads, great value for the money, nice but not stuffy accommodations,

We would highly recommend this tour. Top-notch in many ways: excellent itinerary, wonderful guide, competent skilled driver, beautiful accommodations, delicious food and fun experiences. I would do it all over again! Linnea, our guide, was knowledgeable, personable, and organized. We loved the pasta-making class, the truffle hunt, exploring Lucca and other small cities, the coastal towns etc. Lake Maggiore was one of my favorites with visiting the Borromean Islands. The best meal was on Isola Pescatori. The Italian Alps were beautiful with stops in Sondrio and Trento. We love traveling with Back-Roads and going places that the big tour buses don't go. Not touristy places, but authentic countrysides and villages. I can't wait for our next Back-Roads trip.

The tour leader did a very good job. Being fluent in both English and Italian meant that we always understood what was required of us.
Our driver was excellent. He negotiated the difficult driving conditions,(narrow roads with frequent U bends) excellently. He was by far the best tour driver I have ever travelled with.

The Italian Indulgence tour with Backroads Touring was, overall, a truly memorable experience. Our tour leader was exceptional—an Italian who spent her school years in Australia, she spoke both English and Italian fluently and had an intuitive understanding of both cultures. Her commentary on landmarks, local cuisine, and daily life added real depth to the tour. Our driver was equally outstanding: cheerful, professional, and highly skilled at navigating narrow streets and tight schedules, all while handling luggage without complaint.

The itinerary was rich and well-paced, covering over 2,000 km in 13 days from Rome to Venice. We enjoyed a diverse range of activities including a truffle hunt, a pasta-making class with a head chef, scenic ferry rides, and visits to castles, cathedrals, and stunning rural and coastal landscapes. Each day brought new flavors and beautiful locations, and I was genuinely sad when the tour ended.

However, the reason I am giving this tour four stars instead of five is due to Backroads Touring's lack of communication. During registration, their online chat support was helpful, but persistent issues—such as our profiles showing as incomplete despite being assured they were fine—remained unresolved. More concerning was the total lack of communication after final payment. While they were quick to remind us when the balance was due, we received no further updates—not even a welcome message, itinerary confirmation, or meeting instructions. This was particularly stressful: we arrived in Rome still uncertain about when or where we were supposed to meet the group. The silence raised serious doubts and even made me question whether the tour was real, especially since the final payment deadline (60 days out) coincided with the end of the window to dispute a credit card charge.

Backroads Touring delivers an exceptional tour on the ground, but the pre-trip experience needs significant improvement. A simple confirmation email in the final week with basic arrival instructions would have prevented a great deal of unnecessary stress. I would recommend the tour—but with the caveat that travelers may need to be patient and persistent in the lead-up.

Great tour, the staff was outstanding. We went places in Italy were would never go on our own. Very interesting sites!
Some of the hotels we stayed at were not "4-star" facilities!

We enjoyed seeing so many large cities, small villages and the beautiful Italian countryside. Highlights were Assisi, boat ride on The lakes, Maggiori, Como, Pescatori, the Borromeo Islands, Portafino, the Dolomites, and Verona. We also enjoyed our stay in Tuscany in Villa Pitiana. While we were on the go nearly everyday, we did have the opportunity to see and understand Italian culture and the pride of each city and village. The architecture and art are magnificent!

Helio was an amazing tour guide. He was friendly, kind and funny. He gave us the history of the area and recommendations for food and activities during our free time. He kept us on schedule and gave us options.
Fabio was a great driver. He is very kind and friendly. He made us feel very safe when he was driving and took great care of our luggage.
They both made our tour experience so enjoyable and relaxing.

Tour and guide was fantastic, the only reason I’m not 5 stars, was drop off in Venice was a disaster.

This was so well organized and a perfectly curated trip. It starts with my trip advisor, rachel hoeing’s skilled ability to listen to your needs and tailor make your trip. Every detail was attended to which made it stress free. The group was small, accommodation superior, driver and mercedes bus were safe and clean, tour leader is my new best friend. This was my first Back roads tour but not my last!!

Italian Indulgence was well worth the cost. The group size was perfect, the tour leader - Beatrice Balducci, was amazing - very personable, fun, knowledgeable, passionate about Italy and making everything special for each person. She took the time to get to know each of us and provide us with experiences from very local cultures that without her, we may not have gotten. Many of the places we visited were off the beaten trail, but really gave us an opportunity to experience the real italian culture - not just the tourist world. This trip also incorportated local activities including cooking class, truffle hunting, and wine tastings. Bea also arranged for one of our group to go horseback riding and helped me find a salon to get my hair cut, colored, and styled. She went above and beyond to make this trip special. We truly came together as a family!

It was easy to book tour.

Great itinerary. Excellent accommodations.
Fantastic Tour Director (Helio Dacosta) and Driver (Fabio).