Shore Excursions in Italy: Our Tips

The Mediterranean this year will be more crowded than ever with cruise ships stopping at Italian ports. This means that cruise clients, choosing shore excursions, offered by the cruise lines, will be faced with large crowds, increasingly herded together like cattle!
For years we have offered an alternative to this, for clients who want something special, more intimate end/or more family oriented.
In this Article we enlist some of our special experiences all with excellent English-speaking drivers and guides, Mercedes vehicles and above all private, they are a good alternative for you off-shore excursion!

Rome (9 Hours)

Our classic Day in Rome picks up clients at the cruise ship in at the dock in Civitavechia and are wisked away to arrive in Rome to begin their drive to see its major monuments, which are the Eternal City’s most beautiful treasures. We can (with advanced notice) arrange a special Coliseum visit (‘no wait’ of course) before a lunch stop on own at one of the city’s great restaurants. Following this, with our expert guide we transfer them to the Vatican for a special tour of the Vatican Museum ending in St. Peter’s Basilica. We reserve and prepay the special entrance to the Vatican (again ‘no wait’). Return to the ship—after a very special and full day!

Umbria (8 hours)

Tuscania, Bagnoregio, Orvieto and Bartolomei.
Civitavecchia to Umbria is only 90 minutes.
This is a new proposal for clients who have already visited Rome. First stop will be Tuscania, a charming hilltop village, filled with Etruscan ruins. Stop and enjoy the beautiful view. Then on to Bagnoregio, a truly unusual hilltop town. This highly unusual Borgo is some 300 steps up so we recommend it for your active clients looking for a bit of exercise after feasting delicious meals on the ship. Next stop is Orvieto, a very pleasant city famous for its artisan shops and its magnificent Cathedral, the boldest and most colorful of Italian Gothic architecture. Highly notable in the Duomo are the recently restored frescoes of the Last Judgement by Luca Signorelli. Lunch in Orvieto and a stop for olive oil tasting in nearby Bartolomei before returning to your cruise ship.

Florence (8 hours)

Clients will be picked up at the dock in Livorno and driven through the Tuscan countryside to Florence, the capital of the Renaissance. Upon arrival in Florence, they will meet our special guide for a tour of the cultural highlights of this beautiful city. Final stop is the Academy Museum to see Michelangelo’s masterpiece, the David (no wait reservations will be made.) Lunch on own, wandering and shopping before returning to cruise ship with a short stop in Pisa to see the Campo dei Miracoli, the famous Cathedral, Baptistry and of course the Leaning Tower.

TUSCANY EXPERIENCES (8 hours)

Again, clients will be picked in Livorno to visit Bolgheri.   Bolgheri and Super Tuscans. Designed for your wine lovers, this excursion goes into the stunning Bolgheri wine country and to the town of Bogheri—where many of the famous Super-Tuscans come from. Wine tasting at one of the top-quality wineries with our winery expert and guide. Lunch in San Vincenzo on own, a lovely seaside town- After lunch visit another winery or a stop in Popolonia to visit its famous Etruscan ruins. 8 hrs.

Lucca and MonteCarlo (8 hours)

Montecarlo is the center of wine production of the Colline Lucchese wines. You will visit a local wine producer to learn first-hand about organic wine production. Wine tasting of course follows with lunch in route on own at a charming countryside trattoria.   After lunch, you will visit Lucca, an aristocratic, elegant city which was known for its beautiful silk and Renaissance architecture. We can include bike riding along its walls or walk among its beautiful Palaces before returning to your cruise ship.

Carrara Marble and the Versilia coast (8 hours)

Carrara is world famous for its pure white marble. Clients will visit an open- air marble museum and then board a jeep to see the marble quarries where Michelangelo found his white marble blocks to turn into magnificent sculpture. At the end of this tour they proceed to Pietrasanta, and important art center and home of many world- famous sculptors. Lunch on own in either Viareggio or Forte de Marmi, pearls of the Versilia Coast where many Italians spend their summer vacations. Forte de Marmi has beautiful shops of all the famous Italian designers as well as artisan ones—a shopper’s paradise!

To conclude, we have other fascinating shore excursion experiences throughout Italy—in Sicily (Taormina, Palermo and Siracusa/Ortigia), La Spezia for the Cinque Terre, numerous tours in Venice, Bari and even Ravenna. These are for clients who do not want to go on excursions with large groups but prefer an individual, special experience with private drivers and guides.

We offer a great alternative to pre-cooked, over-crowded Italian shore excursions. Please be in touch with us even for a completely customized one that is completely out of the box!

Contact Us for a custom Taylored Shore Excursion!

You can visit our website (Di Nocera Service), or simply send us an email at info@sorrentotransfer.com and get a free quote on a custom taylored tour