Lost in Italy - Good Stuff To Know

At Lost in Italy®, we offer unique and laid-back walking tours of the most beautiful country on earth. Get "lost" with us in rural Italia as we sample the best Italy has to offer in scenery, wine, food and people. Our tour leaders are knowledgeable, experienced and committed to the success of your trip. Best of all, THE GUIDES ARE THE OWNERS. Although we are an American company, we have strong ties to Italy and spend a lot of time there visiting our relatives, checking out details for our travel groups and exploring new areas for future trips.

Lost in Italy® is part of a family run business owned by Jeff & Steve Fafoglia, we have been leading groups of adventurous travelers all over the world since 1994. On everyLost in Italy® trip you can expect at least one, if not both, of the owners to accompany your group from start to finish. We LOVE Italy and we LOVE to introduce new faces to our favorite spots!

Please read the following information carefully It contains important stuff to help you get ready for your trip!

Lost in Italy® tours are all "land only" packages, airfare is not included in the pricing of a tour. We recommend that you work with your local travel agent for your airline tickets. Do not book any flights or order non-refundable airline tickets until you have verified that you are accepted on the Lost in Italy® tour and that the tour has the minimum number of people to insure its departure. We will notify all travelers by e-mail when a trip and the dates are confirmed. When arranging your flights, remember to allow for plenty of time between connecting flights for airline delays due to weather, etc.

Lost in Italy® is not responsible for the purchase of nonrefundable, advance purchase airline tickets.

Most of our travelers choose to arrive a day or two before the trip, stay in Italy after the trip, or both! If you do this, you’ll need some hotel reservations, and we make it easy to book your own.

We’ve been traveling around Italy for many years now, and we’ve accumulated quite a bit of time in hotels all over the country. (Normally we try to sponge off our relatives when we need a room for the night, but unfortunately our family is not as spread out as we would like.) If you’re arriving a day or two early, or staying in Italy after the tour to visit one of the bigger cities we can certainly point you toward some of the hotels we like. AND, you can book your extra hotel nights right through our website! If you book your extra hotel rooms through our site it will earn you a bottle of wine during your tour! To go to our hotel page CLICK HERE

If you have a group interested in your own private unique tour of Italy, we can "build" a custom itinerary to meet your needs and schedule. We can take you to any part of Italy, organize any type of activity, stay in any level of accommodation, and handle any size group. Types of Groups: Families, Youth/School Organizations, Church Groups, Food and Wine Clubs, Singles Groups, Italian Heritage Societies, and Groups of Friends. Let us put together the "perfect" custom vacation for your group!

A lost passport or airline ticket can be frustrating for any traveler. In case of problems, it is important to bring a photocopy your airline tickets and of the front pages of your passport showing your personal details, passport number, date of issue, etc. In case of loss or theft, these copies may expedite the replacement of new documents. You should also make a copy of these important documents and leave them with someone at home that can be contacted reached in case your documents are lost or stolen. Remember that your passport is not valid until you sign it, and a passport can be considered invalid if it expires less than 6 months from your return date.

Trip insurance cancellation and interruption protection can be very important and is strongly suggested. We strongly recommend that you sign up for travel insurance within one week of making your initial deposit. The best way to purchase travel insurance is to call us and let us explain the differences in the policies, then we can sign you up right over the phone. This will insure that you get the appropriate insurance for your trip.

Travel insurance not only covers the cost of your tour if you need to cancel, but it covers a variety of other things such as emergency medical expenses, emergency medical transfers, baggage delay or loss, travel delay, missed connections, etc. Our premium policy will even fly you back to your home, or to the hospital of your choice, in the unlikely event you are injured or fall sick on your tour. This will help you avoid being treated in a foreign hospital, where standards may not be what you are accustomed to.

These policies are an excellent and affordable way to protect yourself and your investment. Of course travel insurance doesn't cover every possible situation that crops up, so you need to familiarize yourself with what is covered and what is not, before you purchase it.

Lost in Italy tours are designed to accommodate people who are moderately fit, active, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. We alternate days of countryside walking with days of exploring small cities and towns. When possible, on many days we offer options to shorten the walk for some of the group or to provide alternate independent activities. On just about any day you can opt to "do your own thing" and laze around the square with the locals instead of participating in the days planned schedule.
Some routes that we walk are more challenging than others due to length, steepness, or the amount of pasta and vino you consumed at lunch. Generally speaking, the steeper the path, the slower we go. One of the guides will always bring up the rear. The following rating guide will help you decide if a tour is right for you. Remember, the ratings are an average for the whole tour, and the individual days may vary slightly. Generally these apply to the routes that we walk in the countryside, on the days when we are exploring towns you can walk as much or as little as you desire. Some walks can be shortened for those who wish an easier day.

Keep in mind that all of these ratings are for people who are fit, and are accomplished walker/hikers. The ratings apply to an average walker/hiker, not beginners and not experts. For example, a Moderate rating means that a fit walker will enjoy the route but not be challenged by it. If you don’t have a history of fitness or walking, then the Moderate route will be more like the Challenging route to you. Like wise the Challenging route may be more than you can handle. The tour leader will assess your fitness level on the first day or two of the trip. They will then be able to counsel you on what the best route for you may be on certain days, or when a particular walk may be more than you can handle. For your safety and for the group safety, all decisions of the trip leader are final.

Easy We will walk between 3 and 10 miles per day, with mostly flat or gently rolling terrain. Although steps and steep stretches may be encountered, they are not frequent. Surfaces are generally solid, but can have occasional stretches of loose stones or uneven surfaces. Walking times will vary between 2-4 hours.

Moderate We will walk between 4 and 12 miles per day, with some moderate to steep inclines or steps. Paths will vary from cobblestones and pavement to dirt, rocks, or grass. Surfaces can be loose and uneven, requiring normal balance skills. Some easy scrambling over boulders may be required. Walking times will vary between 2-6 hours.

Challenging You should be prepared to be able to walk 5-12 miles per day over occasional to frequent steep inclines and declines. You should be able to negotiate any type of trail surface, from loose gravel and fist-sized stones to coarse ash (on Etna). Surfaces can be loose and uneven, requiring good balance skills. Paths may be exposed or in the case of Etna, windy and cold. Walking times will vary between 3-6 hours.

Lost In Italy tours are based on double occupancy. We stay away from the big hotels in big cities choosing instead, small hotels in small cities and towns. The unique family run hotels we pick for our itineraries won't always have a variety of choices for size or style of bed. Standard accommodations are two people per room with a private bath. Twin rooms may consist of one bed and one roll-away or fold-out sleeper.
If you are traveling as a single, we can try to match you up with a roommate of the same gender, or you may choose to room alone. Please note there will be a single occupancy surcharge.

If you are traveling as a single, we can try to match you up with a roommate of the same gender, or you may choose to room alone. Please note there will be a single occupancy surcharge.

With the exception of private groups, you must be at least 16 years old to be accepted on aLost in Italy® tour. All minors (under 18 years) must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times.

2 sets of comfortable clothes for traveling (cotton or linen trousers are much cooler than jeans and much easier to wash and dry)
3 pairs of shorts and comfortable walking shirts
2 sets of "casual" dress clothes for dinners
1 pair of sturdy, comfortable lightweight walking shoes or boots, (over-the-ankle types provide much more stability on uneven terrein)
1 pair of casual dress shoes
Lightweight rain gear
Compact traveling umbrella
Sunhat or cap
Sunglasses
Polartec pullover or windbreaker style jacket
Small daypack, models with padded waistbands are far more comfortable
Comfortable walking socks, underwear and sleepwear
Users of contact lenses or glasses should bring a spare pair "just in case"
We highly recommend a pair of collapsible walking sticks!
Synthetic fabrics are easier to pack than cotton or other materials and wash much easier in the hotel sink.
For those travelers participating on our Etna walk, you’ll have some few special clothing requirements. You’ll receive a list of items in your trip planning packet.

Just remember to pack light!

A Word About Exchange Rates:

The monetary exchange rate between the US and Italy, (the dollar and the Euro), fluctuates constantly. We try to take this into account when we organize tours, but since the tour prices are announced 6-12 months before the departure date, the rate can sometimes vary quite dramatically when the departure date arrives. Normally we absorb any differences, but we reserve the right to adjust the trip price before the final payment date. Historically, we have only had to do this once, and hopefully we will never have to do this again. If there is ever a price adjustment, we anticipate that the most the price will vary is just a few percent. Of course, if you were organizing your own tour of Italy, you would have to deal with the same rate fluctuations, and wouldn’t have the advantage of a tour company absorbing the majority of the change.

Traveling Light ...

Of course this is a general clothing guide, however, keep in mind that everything for an 8-9 day trip should fit into a medium sized bag. Also remember that the airlines are sticking to their requirements for checked and carry on baggage, contact your airline for details on their restrictions. Either an easy-to-carry backpack or soft-sided luggage with wheels and a handle are recommended for traveling throughout Italy. Some hotels do not have curb service for vehicles and buses, especially if you are staying in a historic district, which means everyone will probably need to carry their own bags from the bus to the hotel at some point during the trip. Traveling with a backpack or wheeling your bag is much easier than struggling to carry everything in your hands.