Why it’s a good idea to plan a fall trip to Italy
Italy is always in style as a vacation destination for travelers from the United States. The country is a best seller for Virtuoso and for the Signature Travel Network, which has a double-digit growth in sales this year for Italy trips.
Flight searches are also up, but, fortunately, airfare prices are down: between May 1 and July 10, Cheapflights.com saw flight searches to Milan and Rome from the United States for travel for this September and October increase 43 percent, compared with the same period last year while ticket prices dropped by 18 percent to Milan and by 17 percent to Rome.
Misty Ewing, the global head of public relations for Virtuoso, encourages travelers to consider a fall Italian getaway. “Prices drop significantly, but the weather is still beautiful,” she said.
Deals for fall trips to Italy include the three-night Welcome Autumn package at Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa, in the Dolomites. Available through September, it includes accommodations in a junior suite, breakfast and a 60-euro dining credit per person: 665 euros ($790) a person; book by emailing [email protected].
Travelers who prefer lakes over mountains may want to consider the three-night Quiet and Relax on the Lake package for two at Palazzo del Vice Re, on the shores of Lake Como. Available in October, it includes accommodations in either a junior suite or one-bedroom apartment, breakfast, a wine tasting, a risotto dinner and the use of the property’s canoes and bikes: 525 euros a person; book by emailing [email protected].
For a flavor of a city and the sea there is the six-night Vistas of the South: Rome, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast package from Great Value Vacations. It includes round-trip airfare from several cities in the United States to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport and out of Naples International Airport, breakfast, accommodations in Rome and Sorrento, a Hop-On Hop-Off bus ticket in Rome and a car rental and limoncello tasting in Sorrento: from $1,083 a person; book at greatvaluevacations.com or by calling 800-896-4600.
In Sicily, Expedia.com has several air-inclusive fall packages. One option, from Oct. 17 to 22, includes round-trip airfare on Turkish Airlines from Kennedy International Airport to Catania-Fontanarossa Airport, and a four-night stay with breakfast at the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo in Taormina: $3,776 a person.
