Italy Real Food Adventure

The cuisine of Italy includes a lot of meat and seafood. For vegetarians and vegans, we recommend reviewing the itinerary and inclusions to ensure that you will be able to fully participate and enjoy this trip. We also have many other trips to Italy which can accommodate a range of dietary requirements.

The primary means of transportation on this trip is by train. Trains are comfortable and all have toilets but can be quite busy. You'll have to carry your own luggage on and off the train, so make sure it doesn’t exceed our weight and size recommendations. You can find this information in the 'Packing' section of the Essential Trip Information.

Don’t let the heat keep you from exploring the world! Summer temperatures can be extreme in many of the regions visited (over 40°C), which can be uncomfortable. It’s essential to use sun protection, wear layers to combat the heat and drink plenty of water. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season.

1. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement exclude Days 5 and 6 (Agriturismo) where you will be in shared accommodation, and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. While we endeavor to cater for specific dietary requirements, some meals and food activities are set in advance and may be difficult to adjust. Please advise us of any dietary requirements at the time of booking so that we can ensure you’ll enjoy this trip.
3. As of April 2024, Venice will implement a visitor’s fee for all travellers visiting the city between 25 April and 15 July 2024. This fee is not payable by Intrepid customers, however you will need to apply for an exemption before arrival at https://cda.comune.venezia.it/en/richiestaEsenzione. For further information, please see the “Passports, visas and entry requirements,” section of your Essential Trip Information.

What you need to bring will vary according to the trip style you have chosen, the countries you are visiting and when you are travelling. Generally speaking, we recommend you pack as lightly as possible and make sure that you are able to carry and lift your own luggage and walk with it for short distances or up or down a flight of stairs. Our travellers usually find the smaller their luggage is, the more they enjoy the trip not having to worry about carrying heavy bags! Aim to keep your main luggage under 15kg.

Many travellers carry their luggage in a compact smaller suitcase or backpack with wheels. We recommend your bag has carry straps or handles so it is easy to lift and carry for the times you are unable to wheel it (ie. on rough surfaces or up steps).

If you are taking overnight trains, or primarily using public transport then the smaller your luggage the easier it will be to store under or above bunks. Large suitcases may not be able to be taken on board. A lockable bag or small padlock for your bag will be useful especially when travelling on public transportation as well.

You'll also need a day pack/bag to carry water, camera, swimming suit, waterproof pouch/bag for phone, hiking shoes and jacket etc. when you’re exploring during the day.

Below we have listed the essentials for this trip:, https://www.intrepidtravel.com/packing-list, WATER BOTTLE
Please bring your own water bottle to refill along the way. Although it can be difficult to avoid bottled water when travelling, please use the water dispensers which are provided on some of our vehicles and at some of our accommodation. Your group leader or local representative will advise whether tap water is safe to drink in your destination and if it is you can simply refill with tap water. When unable to avoid bottled water it is better to buy the largest available and distribute into your smaller bottle for the day. If you are walking or trekking as part of your trip you will need to carry at least 2L of water with you.

Hotel Villa Rosa, Calle Pesaro, 389, Venice, 30121, ITALY, Phone: +39 041716569

Hotel Villa Rosa is a refurbished villa, located in the quiet area of Cannaregio in the northern part of Venice's lagoon. The property is just a 5 minute walk from the Santa Lucia Railway Station, and 20 minutes by vaporetto from Piazza San Marco. All rooms include air-conditioning, a private bathroom with hairdryer, telephone and TV.

Alternate Joining Point

For trips departing on the following dates
use this joining point.
18 Oct 2024 (ZMZB241018)
25 Oct 2024 (ZMZB241025)
Hotel Ca’ San Marcuola
Cannaregio
1763
30121 Venezia VE
Italy
Venice
ITALY
Phone: +39 041716048

Pre booked arrival transfer from Venice Airport (VCE): If you have pre booked an arrival transfer, your transfer driver will be waiting in the arrivals hall holding a board with the Intrepid Logo or your name. In case of flight cancellations, changes or if you are not able to find the driver, please contact the transfer operator directly: +39 3334 112 840 or +39 3382 044 390. Please note that the transfer will drop you at Piazzale Roma from where you will have to make your way to the hotel on foot, as traffic can't enter the narrow alleys of the lagoon. Please see walking directions in the paragraph above.

At Venice Marco Polo Airport (airport code VCE) taxis are readily available. Alternatively the best way to get to the city is the ATVO (blue) bus which takes around 20 minutes to Piazzale Roma. From Treviso Airport (airport code TSF) you can also catch an ATVO (blue) bus to Piazzale Roma. The journey time will be around 75 minutes. As traffic can't enter the narrow alleyways of the old town taxis will also terminate at Piazzale Roma.

From Piazzale Roma walk across the big bridge over the Canale Grande and continue straight past Santa Lucia train station to your left. Continue straight along Lista Di Spagna which runs parallel with the north side of the canal. Walk about 100 metres down this street, then turn left into Calle Misericordia. The hotel is halfway down this street on the right hand side.

Hotel San Marco, Via Villafranca, 1, Rome, ITALY, Phone: +39 06490437

Hotel San Marco is situated in a historic 19th century Italian palazzo and located close to Termini Station – the transport hub of Rome, and just around the corner from Castro Pretorio – one of the underground Line B metro stations. All rooms include digital TV, free Wi-Fi, minibar, air conditioning and private en-suite bathrooms with heated towel racks, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries.

Alternate Finish Point

For trips departing on the following dates
use this finish point.
07 Jun 2024 (ZMZB240607)
14 Jun 2024 (ZMZB240614)
Hotel Globus
Viale Ippocrate
119 - 00161 - Rome (RM)
Rome
ITALY
Phone: +39 06 445 7001
For trips departing on the following dates
use this finish point.
03 May 2024 (ZMZB240503)
Hotel Sonya
Via del Viminale
58
00184
Rome
ITALY

Hotel San Marco is approximately 10 minutes walk away from Roma Termini, the main railway station, from where there are trains and/or buses to both of Rome's airports.

Breakfasts included: 7

Lunches included: 1

Dinners included: 4

While we will endeavour to cater to dietary requirements where possible, please note that many meals and food activities on Real Food Adventures are set in advance in order to deliver a well-rounded experience of a country’s cuisine. In many countries, dietary restrictions are uncommon and not well understood. If you have dietary requirements and are concerned about whether this may impact on your ability to participate fully in all food-related activities on this trip, please speak with your booking agent so it can be determined whether your dietary requirements can be met.

Meals & Beverages:
Please refer to the inclusions section for the included meals and food activities. Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are not included with meals unless specified or part of a beverage tasting activity. 

SUMMER
Summer temperatures can be extreme in many of the regions visited (over 40°C/104°F), which can be uncomfortable. It’s important to use sun protection and drink plenty of water. Please carefully consider the time of the year you wish to travel and your suitability to that season.

SHOULDER SEASON
In contrast, weather in shoulder season can be unpredictable, and snow is not unheard of at higher altitudes. If you travel at the start or towards the end of the European season please pack accordingly with warm and/or waterproof clothes (preferably layers). The advantage of travelling during this time is that there are less tourists around.

While we always endeavour to provide the best possible holiday experience, due to the nature of travel and the areas we visit sometimes things can and do go wrong. Should any issue occur while you are on your trip, it is imperative that you discuss this with your group leader or local representative straight away so that they can do their best to rectify the problem and save any potential negative impact on the rest of your trip.

We recognise that there may be times when your group leader or local representative may not be able to resolve a situation to your satisfaction - if this is the case, please ask the group leader or local representative to speak to their direct manager.

You may also choose to provide details in your online feedback, which we ask you to complete within 30 days of the end of your trip. Please do be aware that it is very difficult for us to provide any practical help after the trip is completed, so informing us while still travelling will give us the opportunity to resolve the issue in real-time.

For general contact details please use the following page: http://www.intrepidtravel.com/ourtrips/contact/

In case of a genuine crisis or emergency, you can reach our local office on the numbers below:

If you have booked an arrival transfer, and you experience severe delays at immigration, baggage collection or customs, or if you are not able to find to the driver, please contact the transfer operator directly on the number listed in the joining point instructions in the section above.

Intrepid's Local Operator: +49 8024 4679 540

The style of accommodation indicated in the day-to-day itinerary is a guideline only and may change. On some occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our preferred accommodation. In these cases, we will use a similar standard of accommodation.

Throughout the trip, we request that our properties prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible which means we won't be able to check-in immediately on arrival at some hotels. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination or on some trips, have use of shared day rooms until all rooms are available.

EUROPEAN HOTELS
Hotels in Europe often don't have double beds, but rather two single beds that can be pushed together/apart. Rooms can be rather small, especially by American or Australian standards.

Your accommodation may not always have private en suite facilities or air-conditioning. European hotels generally don't provide kettles or fridges.

TRAINS
The main mode of transportation on this trip is by train. Italian long-distance and inter-regional trains are comfortable and often decked out with air-conditioning. Toilets are always available. Some of the trains have snack bars (or vending machines) and power points next to the seats but that cannot be guaranteed on every journey. Regional and metropolitan trains are usually a bit more basic and can be quite busy, but this just adds to the experience. Train travel is a fast way to traverse long (and short) distances, allowing you to avoid traffic jams and arrive right into the city centre of your next destination.