Guida Turismo
The Italian National Tourist Board
sponsors the site www.italiantourism.com
or Ufficio Turismo: ENIT (Ente Nazionale Italiano per
il Turismo) www.enit.it
Other helpful sites include www.initaly.com
and www.wandering.com
General Information
The Insider's Guide to
Rome
www.arca.net/florence.htm
Venice Today
www.doge.it
venezia.net
A
Great General-Interest Web sites
www.infohub.com
The InfoHub Specialty Travel Guide
www.capri.it
www.inmedia.it/puglia
(info on the entire region)
www.ilgirasole.com
(Capri)
www.starnet.it/buca
www.bestwestern.com/thisco/bw/98153_b.html
www.ansa.it
www.ifinet.it/bottega
www.italytraveller.com
www.italiantourism.com
Organized Tours
& Package Tours
 The
biggest operator of escorted tours is Perillo Tours,
family operated for three generations,
Mario Perillo, and his son. Perillo's tours cost much less than you'd
spend if you arranged
a comparable trip yourself. Accommodations are in first-class hotels,
and guides tend to be
well qualified and well informed. www.perillotours.com
One of the more moderately priced package-tour operators for travel in
Italy is Italiatour,
part of the Alitalia Group, www.italiatour.com
which offers a wide variety of tours
at great saving in the off season.
Trafalgar Tours is one of Europe's largest tour operators, offering
affordable guided tours
with lodgings in unpretentious hotels. www.trafalgartours.com
Globus has first-class escorted coach tours of various regions lasting
from 8 to 16 days.
Tours must be booked through a travel agent www.globus.com
Abercrombie
& Kent offers a variety of luxurious premium package.
Your overnight stays
will be in meticulously restored castles and exquisite
Italian villas, most of which are four- and five-star accommodations.
www.abercrombiekent.com
Central Holidays
Tours (CHT), affiliated with Alitalia offers low- and high-season
package tours. www.centralholidays.com
Pino Travel www.pinotravel.com
offers a pick-and-choose menu of car rental, air, and hotel.
Travelers with Special Needs
Travel
Information Service, Moss Rehab ResourceNet,
is a great source for information,
tips, and resources relating to accessible travel. www.mossresourcenet.org
Another excellent
online source of travel agents who specialize in planning trips for travelers
with disabilities. Access-Able Travel Source www.access-able.com
(SATH)
Society for the Advancement of Travelers with Handicaps. The
organization
provides information sheets on destinations and referrals to tour operators
who specialize
in travelers with disabilities.www.sath.org
 Flying Wheels Travel
offers various escorted tours and cruises with an emphasis
on
sports, as well as private tours in minivans with lifts. www.flyingwheelstravel.com
Another reputable operator
is Accessible Journeys, for slow walkers and wheelchair
travelers www.disabilitytravel.com
Holiday Care
is a national charity advising on accessible accommodations for the elderly
and persons with disabilities. www.holidaycare.org.uk
American Foundation for
the Blind; www.afb.org
Accessible Italy
Web site that concentrates on info pertinent to Rome, Florence,
Venice,
and Milan for the traveler with reduced mobility. www.tour-web.com/accitaly/index.html
Armchair World
www.armchair.com
For seniors:
Grand Circle Travel www.gct.com
AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) Members get discounts
on hotels,
airfares and car rentals. www.aarp.org
If you want something
more than the average vacation or guided tour,
try Elderhostel
www.elderhostel.org
For Students
The best resource for students is the Council on International
Educational Exchange
(CIEE) . This organization can set you up with an International
Student ID card, and its
travel branch , Council Travel, the world's biggest student
travel agency, can get you
discounts on plane tickets, rail passes, and the like
www.counciltravel.com
Hostelling
International/American Youth Hotels (HI-AYH)
www.hiayh.org
Also
try USIT Campus www.usitcampus.co.uk
CyberDeals for
Net Surfers Microsoft Expedia www.expedia.com
www.priceline.com
Opereted by the European Travel Network, www.discount-tickets.com
is a great online
source for regular and discounted airfares to destinations around the
world. You can also use this site to compare rates and book accommodations, car rentals, and
tours.
www.moments-notice.com
www.180096hotel.com
Epicurious Travel www.travel.epicurious.com
Fly- Cheap www.cheaptickets.com
Airhitch www.airhitch.org
EurairPass www.europeflightpass.com
Council Travel www.counciltravel.com
STA Travel www.sta.travel.com
1-800/AIRFARE www.1800airfare.com
1-800/FLY-CHEP www.flycheap.com
Yahoo! Travel http://travel.yahoo.com
Airlines
Alitalia is the
Italian national airline, with nonstop flights to Rome from different
North American cities, including New York (JFK), Newark, Boston, Chicago,
and Miami. Nonstop flights into Milan are from New York (JFK), Newark,
and Los Angeles. From Milan or Rome, Alitalia can easily book connecting
domestic flights if your final destination is elsewhere in Italy. Alitalia
participates in the frequent-flier programs of other airlines, including
Continental and US Airways. www.alitalia.it
Canadian Airlines International www.cdnair.ca
American Airlines: www.americanair.com
Continental Airlines: www.flycontinental.com
Northwest Airlines: www.nwa.com
US Airways: www.usairways.com
Travel by car
The Three major car rental companies
in Italy are:
Avis www.avis.com
Budget www.budgetrentacar.com
Hertz www.hertz.com
Other US-based companies
Auto-Europe www.autoeurope.com
Europe by Car www.europebycar.com
Kemwel www.kemwel.com
In some cases, slight discounts are offered to members
of the American Automobile Association (AAA) or the American Association
of Retired Persons (AARP). Each pampany offers a collision-damage waiver
(CDW) at $15 to $25 per day (depending on the car's value). Some companies
include CDWs in the prices they quote; others don't. This extra protection
will cover all or part of the repair-related costs if you have an accident.
(In some cases, even if you buy the CDW, you'll pay $200 to $300 per accident.)
(Check your existing auto insurance and also see what's available through
your credit cards. Note that credit cards might cover collision but will
usually not cover liability.) In addition, because of Italy's rising theft
rate, all three of the major U.S.-based companies offer theft and break-in
protection policies (Avis and Budget require it).
Emergencies Dial 
113 for ambulance, police, or fire. In case of a break-down
on an Italian road, dial
116 at the nearest telephone box; the nearest Automobile
Club of Italy (ACI) will be notified to come to your aid.
Travel by train
For Italian an European rail information,
visit CIT Travel at www.fs-on-line.com
Where to buy a pass: Rail Europe www.raileurope.com
www.cittours.com
Apartments, Villas
and Palazzi
If you're looking to rent a villa or an apartment, one of the best agencies
to call is Rental in Italy www.rentvillas.com
, www.theparkercompany.com
, www.homeabroad.com
A popular
but very pricey agency is Villas International www.villasintl.com
If you
want to stay in a historic palazzo, contact Abitare la storia
www.abitarelastoria.it
This
nonprofit organization represents owner-managed hotels, residences, restaurants,
and convention centers around Italy, in the city and the country.
Vacation, inc. web site at www.vacation-inc.com/home.html
Interhome,
with vacation homes all over Italy (and other countries) www.interhome.it
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