Avanti Launches Expanded Italian Villa Program

Wholesale FIT tour operator Avanti Destinations has launched an expanded Italian villa program for independent travelers with the flexibility of combining several short stays in three-, four- and five-star family-run villas of varying sizes, each offering different experiences, such as wine-tasting, gourmet meals with wine-pairing, vineyard tours, cooking classes, candlelight dinners in olive groves and spa facilities in seven regions around the country, from well-known regions like Tuscany and Piedmont to more off-the-beaten-path ones like Sicily and Sardinia.

Avanti sells custom-crafted independent travel vacations exclusively through travel advisors, not directly to consumers. Italy is Avanti’s number one selling destination.

The company will offer a webinar on the newly expanded Italian villa program on March 30, 2023 at 1pm Eastern, 10am Pacific, Advisors can register here.

“Our Italian villa program’s flexibility is client-friendly - advisors can book parties of any size for as short a stay as three nights in each villa, while other suppliers require the entire villa to be booked for a minimum of one week,” said Paul Barry, CEO of Avanti Destinations. “Your clients can have the villa experience of being in a private family-run estate out in the beautiful countryside, but also the flexibility and ease similar to booking a hotel. And it is easy to combine one or more villa stays with time in major and secondary cities, such as Florence, Venice, Milan, Genoa, Perugia, or Palermo.”

“Because of high demand, villas should be booked four to six months in advance,” advised Barry. “We expect the summer will be sold out.”

Available April through October, Avanti’s villa program includes two dinners and a wine tasting at each villa, ensuite accommodations with daily breakfast and live availability to multiple room categories.  Clients have access to all amenities at each villa – pool, spa, gardens. Some villas feature organically-sourced cuisine and naturally-made wine. Others offer babysitting services, tennis courts and bicycle rentals.

Advisors must book a rental car for clients to reach villas from their arrival towns and cities. Cars can be booked with Avanti.

The 20 villas in the program range in size from six to 48 rooms and in style from renovated Baroque and 19^th century to modern.  The seven regions are Tuscany, Umbria, Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Sicily and Sardinia.  The scenery in all regions features rolling hills of vineyards, but in Piedmont the Alps form the backdrop, while the Mediterranean coast is nearby in Liguria, Sardinia and Sicily.  

For more information on Italian villa experiences or travel in Italy and Europe generally, or to book custom-crafted, multi-destination FIT travel 365 days a year throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa, the Middle East or Central and South America, log into the revamped advisor portal or call 1-800-422-5053 to speak with an expert travel consultant.