The New York Times Just Discovered the Northern Italy We’ve Been Visiting for Years

This morning, I received an email from a fellow traveler who had joined me on our Venice and Northern Italy tour.

She had just read an article in The New York Times about exploring the Veneto region beyond Venice—the quieter cities, cultural treasures and less-crowded places that most visitors to Italy never see.

Her message made me smile.

She wrote, in effect, that The New York Times had finally discovered what The Traveling Professor has been doing for years.

She was right.

For years, we have been taking small groups through this remarkable part of Northern Italy, visiting not only Venice and Florence but also Padua, Vicenza, Verona and other places that are often overlooked by mass-market tours.

The article described a style of travel that sounded very familiar: getting beyond the crowds, traveling through the region rather than simply rushing between famous landmarks, and discovering the cultural wealth of Northern Italy outside Venice.

That email inspired me to write this post.

Because what makes our trip special is not simply the cities included on the itinerary. It is the way we experience them.

We travel with an intimate group of only 12 to 14 people. We move from city to city by train instead of spending the trip on a large motorcoach. We stay in comfortable, well-located four-star hotels. Most importantly, we allow enough time for the kind of spontaneous discoveries that are often lost in travel today.

You may follow a narrow alley and find a small artisan shop.

You may notice a sign for an abbey that was not on the day’s itinerary and decide to take a look.

You may enter an almost empty chapel and discover extraordinary paintings, sculptures or religious relics that would attract enormous crowds in a better-known city.

Or you may come across a tiny music museum that never appears in the popular guidebooks.

Those moments cannot always be planned.

But they can only happen when a trip gives travelers enough freedom, time and curiosity to discover them.

The email I received this morning captured the idea perfectly: we have been offering an Italy experience away from the crowds for years—one that shows travelers a more personal and authentic side of the country.

Northern Italy Beyond Venice

Most first-time visitors to Italy naturally want to see Florence and Venice. They should. These are two of the world’s great cities, filled with extraordinary art, architecture and history.

Our journey includes both.

In Florence, we experience Renaissance masterpieces, historic churches and some of the most celebrated museums in Italy. In Venice, we visit the great landmarks around St. Mark’s Square while also exploring the city’s quieter passageways, canals and neighborhood squares.

But the real distinction of this trip is what happens between those famous destinations.

Padua, Vicenza and Verona are not filler stops on the way to somewhere more important. They are among the most rewarding places on the entire journey.

They are cities where people still live, work, shop, study and gather in the piazzas. They contain extraordinary works of art and architecture, but they are not overwhelmed by international tour groups.

That is where Northern Italy begins to feel less like a sightseeing checklist and more like a place you are genuinely experiencing.

A More Personal Way to Travel Through Italy

The size of the group makes an enormous difference.

A group of 12 to 14 travelers can move through a city naturally. We can walk through narrow historic streets, travel comfortably by train and enter smaller museums, churches and restaurants without overwhelming the place.

There is less waiting, less herding and far less time spent assembling dozens of people before every departure.

The social experience is different, too.

People get to know one another. Solo travelers, couples and friends become part of the same small group. Conversations develop over breakfast, on the train and during an evening meal.

By the end of the journey, it often feels less like traveling with a tour group and more like exploring Italy with friends.

Why We Travel by Train

Train travel is an important part of this Northern Italy experience.

Rather than viewing Italy primarily through the windows of a motorcoach, we travel between cities using the country’s high-speed and regional rail system.

The train takes us close to the centers of the places we have come to see. It allows the journey to become part of the experience rather than simply time spent getting from one attraction to another.

It also gives the itinerary a more natural rhythm.

We arrive in a city, settle into a comfortable hotel and begin exploring. We are not constantly returning to a bus parked outside the historic center.

Train travel helps us experience Italy as a connected collection of cities and regions rather than a series of isolated sightseeing stops.

Comfortable Hotels in the Right Locations

A hotel should be more than a place to sleep.

Its location determines whether travelers can enjoy a city after the scheduled touring has ended.

Our hotels are selected for comfort, quality and convenience. Staying in a well-located four-star hotel means travelers can walk to a nearby restaurant, browse local shops, sit in a café or take an evening stroll through a piazza.

There is no need to wait for a motorcoach to return to the city center.

The destination remains available to you.

That freedom is an important part of the trip because some of the best travel experiences happen after the formal sightseeing is over.

The Spontaneity Often Lost in Travel Today

Modern travel can be organized so tightly that there is little room left for discovery.

Every attraction is scheduled. Every departure time is fixed. Every meal is arranged. Travelers may see many things, but they rarely have time to follow their curiosity.

We believe a good itinerary should provide structure without eliminating spontaneity.

We arrange the hotels, trains, transfers, admissions and guided experiences. But we also leave room for travelers to explore.

That free time is not empty space in the itinerary.

It is where travel becomes personal.

It may be used to return to a museum, visit a local market or enjoy a long lunch. It may lead to a hidden abbey, an unfamiliar church or a small shop at the end of a long alley.

No two travelers will use that time in exactly the same way.

That is part of what makes the journey memorable.

Padua: One of Italy’s Most Rewarding Surprises

Padua is one of those cities many travelers know little about before the trip.

Then they arrive and wonder why it is not better known.

Its historic center is filled with arcaded streets, markets, cafés, churches and expansive piazzas. It is home to one of Europe’s oldest universities and has long been associated with scholarship, science and art.

The Scrovegni Chapel, with its extraordinary Giotto frescoes, is one of the greatest artistic experiences in Italy.

But Padua is more than one famous chapel.

It is a city that rewards wandering.

You can walk through the market, stop for coffee, explore a church or simply observe local life. Because we spend meaningful time there, travelers can begin to feel comfortable rather than merely passing through.

Vicenza: Renaissance Beauty Without the Crowds

Vicenza is one of Italy’s great architectural cities.

It is closely associated with Andrea Palladio, whose designs influenced buildings throughout Europe and the United States.

The Teatro Olimpico is one of the city’s most remarkable treasures—a Renaissance theater with an elaborate stage that creates the illusion of streets extending into the distance.

Vicenza is elegant, compact and highly walkable.

It offers major cultural importance without the crowds found in many of Italy’s better-known cities.

For many travelers, it becomes one of the unexpected highlights of the tour.

Verona Beyond Romeo and Juliet

Verona is often introduced through its connection to Romeo and Juliet, but the city has far more to offer.

Its Roman arena remains one of the most impressive ancient amphitheaters in Italy. Its streets reveal layers of Roman, medieval and Renaissance history. Its piazzas invite travelers to slow down rather than rush through.

Verona is beautiful enough to rival many of Italy’s most famous destinations, yet it remains manageable and enjoyable.

It is a city to walk through, not simply a collection of attractions to photograph.

The Italy Most Travelers Miss

There are many ways to visit Italy.

You can join a large bus tour, follow a tightly scheduled itinerary and see the famous attractions in rapid succession.

Or you can travel with a small group, move between cities by train, stay in comfortable central hotels and allow time for the unexpected.

Our Venice and Northern Italy tour was created for travelers who want to see the celebrated Italy—but also want to discover the quieter Italy that exists just beyond it.

The most memorable moment may occur in front of a world-famous masterpiece.

It may also happen inside an almost empty chapel, in a tiny museum or at the end of an alley you almost walked past.

That is the kind of travel experience our fellow traveler recognized in The New York Times article this morning.

And it is the kind of experience we have been sharing with our travelers for years.