Avanti Destinations is offering a series of independent, custom packages that provide a range of possibilities for people who are ready to venture beyond the must-see sites for first-time visitors.

The four-day Villas of Tuscany and Umbria program is available with a wide choice of villa options in the hills of Tuscany and Umbria. The package includes three nights’ accommodations, two three-course dinners at each villa, a four-day compact manual car rental and guidebooks for cross-country exploration. The packages are priced from $895 per person double occupancy.

Avanti’s Cinque Terre includes three-star superior hotel accommodations in Monterosso for three nights, a private full-day tour of nearby hillside villages, a one-day pass for local trains and ferry boats and a three-course dinner. It is priced from $939.  The

Avanti’s Best of Italy is a 10-day package that includes Italy’s three most popular cities for tourists: Rome, Florence and Venice. It includes three-night stays in each of the cities, arrival and departure transfers, reserved first class rail passage between cities, semi-private three-hour tours for only Avanti guests in Rome and Florence, a gondola ride in Venice and one traditional Italian dinner in each city

It is priced from $2,255.

Italian Romance is a seven-day independent package that combines Rome with the Amalfi Coast.

In Rome the package includes three nights’ hotel accommodations and a guided Rome tour for Avanti guests only.

On the Amalfi Coast the package includes three-night stays in the client’s choice of either Sorrento, Positano, Capri or Amalfi, a private tour of the Pompeii ruins, traditional three-course Italian dinners in each city and reserved first class rail transportation between Rome and Naples. The package is priced from $1,425. All prices are per person double occupancy. Arrival and departure transfers are included for each destination.

Prices include taxes and service charges, daily breakfast, and often ground transfers. Packages include cooking classes, market visits, wine tastings, vineyard tours, semi-private tours of Italian cities and explorations of Chianti vineyards by horseback.

Rail Europe Inc. is offering $100 off the Youth Eurail Global Pass and $75 off the Adult Eurail Global Pass when booked between now and June 12. Agents need to enter coupon code YOUTH100 or ADULT75 during checkout and the discount will be applied to the total purchase.

The Eurail Global Pass from Rail Europe provides city-center to city-center travel on the national rail networks of 24 European countries.

Participating national rail networks include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Ireland (includes Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland), Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.

Prices begin at $393 for Eurail Global Youth Pass and $682 for the Eurail Global Adult Pass.

The continuous pass is available for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months and the flexipass is available for 10 or 15 days of travel within a two month period.

Bookings can be made by visiting Rail Europe’s website at agent.raileurope.com or by calling Rail Europe’s contact center or at the banner ad at right.

These graceful hills are a curious blend of microclimates and a fertile ground for vineyards, olive groves, and nut trees.

The tour visits the medieval village of Cortona, featured in the film “Under the Tuscan Sun”, among other idyllic Tuscan destinations. The tour covers 147 miles, with a daily average of around 30 miles.

Departure dates are June 10th, September 1st, September 16th and September 30th. The June 10th and September 30th departures are currently being offered at a discounted rate of $300 off.

For more information on this Tuscany cycling tour or other tours in Europe, call 1.800.866.7314 or visit http://www.ciclismoclassico.com

The first two days of this gastronomically-focused bike tour zigzag through the olive groves and stone villas that line Sette Ponti (The Roman Road of Seven Bridges). Guests wind through the sun-drenched Pratomagno range and stop for breaks in picturesque towns peppered with fig trees, vegetable gardens and vineyards.

Medieval churches, quaint hamlets, and charming landscapes abound. A highlight of this ride includes visiting an olive oil press to sample Tuscany’s exceptional blends.

“It is amazing to taste and learn about the intricacies of authentic, fresh-pressed Tuscan olive oil,” said Ciclismo Classico Founder Lauren Hefferon. “There is nothing quite like cold-pressed, 100% Tuscan extra virgin olive oil directly from the source.”

After spending the evening in an authentic boutique hotel, guests zip through olive groves en route to the Renaissance gem Arezzo, home of the works of Piero della Francesca and the backdrop for the Oscar-winning film “Life Is Beautiful”. Cycling the flatlands of La Val Di Chiana leads to a late-afternoon walking tour of Cortona, an exquisite hill town filled with Roman arches, Etruscan tombs and Renaissance palaces.

“The La Val Di Chiana region is rich with extraordinary history dating from the Etruscan and Roman periods,” said Hefferon. “The cultural heritage is well preserved in the museums, archaeological ruins, monuments, and historic centers.”

An evening of world-class wine tasting and Tuscan cuisine prepares guests for a morning ride that crosses the border to the Green Heart of Italy—Umbria—and the blue waters of Lago Trasimeno, a favorite route for local cyclists. The tour concludes with one final stroll around Cortona.

For more information on this Tuscany cycling tour or other Italy cycling tours, visit http://www.ciclismoclassico.com  or call 1.800.866.7314.

Discover the Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre by Sea Kayak This Summer

Tofino Expeditions invites you to discover the landscape and culture of Italy by kayak

Tofino Expeditions, a company that has been offering commercial sea kayaking tours since 1988, is announcing a brand new sea kayaking tour of Italy that offers an unparalleled look at Cinque Terra National Park and the Italian Riviera. This sea kayaking tour includes a locavore experience of Liguiria’s famous gastronomic and wine culture as well as intimate access to breathtaking landscapes. With a trip length of 5 days, the tour is a great add-on to an Italian summer vacation.

The Italian Riviera and Cinque Terre–La Riviera di Levante–is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in the world. Steeped in history with the dramatic mountainous background, the towns of the Riviera seem like a series pastel colored jewels set against the vivid blue of the Mediterranean. On this tour, paddlers will experience the“Marineria” (the life of the sea) that is at the heart and soul of this destination. Warm water, sun drenched beaches, great food and the harmony of life at the sea’s edge have attracted artists, poets and writers for more than two centuries.

Kayaking the Riviera offers travelers the chance to observe Italy’s subtle features and grand, sweeping views at apace that also affords a truly immersive cultural experience.

With a focus on locally sourced Mediterranean cuisine, this tour is truly a feast for the senses. Guests savor delicacies like crispy and warm, freshly-baked focaccia scented with rosemary, a glass or two of local chilled white wine, and a frosted cup of gelato. The warm waters of the Riviera invite travelers to swim,snorkel, or relax on the beach and take in the scenery.

After a day of exploration,participants explore beautiful coastal towns where they can wander the streets for unique discoveries and dine at an intimate local restaurant. Highlights of the tour include explorations of Genoa’s Old City (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Portofino,

The Abbey of San Fruttuoso, the five Villages of Cinque Terre (also a UNESCO World Heritage Site), wine tastings, and more. Dates: July 17-21, July 31-August 4th, 2013. Cost: $1995 per person.

About Tofino Expeditions

Founded by veteran adventurer Grant Thompson, Tofino Expeditions has guided commercial sea kayaking tours since 1988, making them one of the most experienced companies in the business. The company was the very first to provide guided paddling tours of Vancouver Island’s west coast, which is now a destination on the life list of paddlers around the world.

The company guides trips along the world’s finest coasts in Baja, British Columbia, Croatia, Brazil, Vietnam, Norway, Italy, and the Galapagos Islands.

Travel to Florence is by first class rail. The package includes three nights at the four-star Grand Hotel Baglioni, which is also centrally located and within walking distance of the Duomo, Santa Marina Novella, the Uffizi Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace.

Another rail trip takes clients to Venice, where they stay at the Venetian Lagoon for two nights at the four-star Hotel Palazzo Stern, a short walk from Saint Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal.

The package is priced from $3,152 per person double occupancy, including roundtrip air from New York (JFK) to Rome and from Venice to New York. Daily breakfasts are included. Local city taxes, gratuities and rail station and departure transfers are not. Flights from other gateway cities are available at higher rates.

On the tour of the Colosseum by moonlight a guide will take guests to see the Colosseum’s arena floor, underground rooms and passages where gladiators and wild animals waited, and the device that lifted them to the arena floor. The tour also includes the exhibit, Constantine 313 A.D., which commemorates the 1,700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity lawful for the first time in the Roman world.

Moonlit tours of the Colosseum were a staple of the old world “Grand Tour” and can be read about in books like “Daisy Miller” by Henry James.

The package can be upgraded to include the four-star Crowne Plaza St. Peter’s for a package price of $516 in July or $486 in August.

“Travelers onboard these exciting, themed Louis Cruises will be treated to performances by musicians and bands that are in high-demand across Europe, sample dishes prepared by famed food experts and wines from the oldest vintners in the region, and much more during the three-, four- and seven-day Aegean cruises,” said Kyriakos Anastassiadis, CEO of Louis Cruises.

“The 2013 themed cruise program complements our innovative Mediterranean sailings and we look forward to growing this platform.”

The “Greek Wine and Traditional Flavors” theme cruise will pair Aegean dishes with vintages from Boutari Winery. Highlights include an onboard seminar with epicurean expert Vangelis Driskas and a discussion on the art and history of creating Greek wine from Boutari Winery, established in 1879. This theme is available on a three-day cruise departing on May 24, four-day cruises departing on July 27 and Sept. 9, and a seven-day cruise departing on June 21.

The “History Talks” cruise will feature Greek historian Angelos Vlachos, who will discuss the legends behind the Greek Islands, Cyprus and Turkey. This theme is available on a three-day cruise departing May 31, four-day cruises departing on May 13 and July 8, and a seven-day cruise departing on May 17, June 28 and Sept. 20.

Louis cruise itineraries can be booked through most major tour operators in the U.S. and Canada.

“There is a mystique about The Gritti Palace that has enchanted its guests for generations, so it was essential that we involved local artisans, architects, craftsmen and cultural institutions to preserve its authentic elegance and distinct personality, while bringing the landmark hotel into the 21st century,” said Paul James, global brand leader, The Luxury Collection, St. Regis and W Hotels worldwide. “The renaissance of this Venetian icon marks a momentous occasion for The Luxury Collection as the birthplace of the brand, now 85 hotels around the world, which has come full circle to restore its roots on the Grand Canal.”

“As part of Starwood’s strategy to further strengthen The Luxury Collection brand portfolio, we have made major investments to restore some of our most iconic hotels,” comments Roeland Vos, president, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Europe, Africa and Middle East. “The restoration of the majestic Gritti Palace reinforces our commitment to providing global explorers the chance to discover this incredible destination with the exceptional service and style they have come to expect from The Luxury Collection.”

The Gritti Palace, originally built by the Pisani family in 1475, became the private residence of the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, in 1525. In the centuries that followed, it was home to other noble families before being converted into a luxury hotel in 1895. In 1947, The Gritti Palace was bought by CIGA (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi), to which The Luxury Collection brand traces its roots.

Following the restoration, The Gritti Palace features 61 luxurious guest rooms and 21 suites.

Many of the Spa’s rooms have private working fireplaces, Jacuzzis and steam rooms, in which guests can pick among treatments that offer champagne, fresh fruit and live musical accompaniment. The spa is painted in soft and soothing pastel tones, and the architecture retains many of its original and historic features, in keeping with the rest of the hotel’s style. The hotel is located on Giudecca Island, across the Grand Canal from St. Mark’s Square. Giudecca is accessible to St. Mark’s Square by public ferry, water taxi or by regular water bus service.