April 5–12, 2027

TRIESTE TO TREVISO

There’s a good deal more to northeastern Italy than Venice. The stretch of the Friuli–Venezia Giulia and Veneto regions along the top of the Adriatic between La Serenissima and Croatia was and is a cultural crossroads with a unique archaeological legacy. Aquileia, enriched by Adriatic trade, boasts a magnificent late-antique basilica as well as the extensive remains of an important ancient port. At the eastern extreme, near the border of Slovenia, Trieste’s Austro- Hungarian heritage is evident in its ornate architecture, coffee culture, and baked ham, while the secret of charming, canal-lined Treviso is beginning to leak out—so there’s not a moment to lose.

October 18–25, 2027

LATIUM

Aeneas fled the flames of Troy and eventually sailed toward his destiny in Italy (after a detour in Carthage). There he found a land with a long seacoast, shimmering volcanic lakes, gentle hills, and friendly locals, the Latins. Their territory, just south of what would become Rome, was Latium, and it is the focus of our April 2027 tour, which makes a circle beginning in Rome through the hills and up the coast back to Rome. Our itinerary includes the emperor Hadrian’s spectacular villa near Tivoli (a UNESCO World Heritage site), the ancient towns of the Castelli Romani, today famed for white wines, great bread, roast pork, and strawberries, and sites like Gabii and Terracina where new finds are rewriting Roman history.

March 27–April 3, 2028

ALONG THE LIGURIAN SEA

The blue of the Ligurian water, the white of the Apuan Alps (it looks like snow but it’s marble), and the green of the pesto genovese provide the color scheme for this new itinerary. Before the Romans conquered the area, there were native Ligurian peoples who have left their archaeological mark. In Genoa, Pisa, and Lucca we’ll see traces of the ancient past, while the quarries of Carrara still provide the marble carved by Italy’s finest sculptors, whether Michelangelo or his many nameless ancient predecessors.

October 9–16, 2028

PIEDMONT

In the shadow of the Alps, on the French border, the modern-day Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta regions extend over what was once the western frontier of Roman Italy. From the arch at Susa to the theater at Aosta (“little Rome of the Alps”), Roman monuments still proclaim imperial power. The tour will begin and end in Turin, connected by rail and air with many European and Italian cities and 90 minutes from Milan Malpensa airport.

Solo travelers welcome

At Elifant, there’s a seat for everyone at the table. 

History buffs. Art lovers. People who care about the who and the why of traditional food as well as the what. Elifant travelers are curious—and congenial. Many travel solo and enjoy meeting new people. And all appreciate a little pampering.