Holiday helpline
We ask three operators – Citalia, Magic of Italy and Travelscene – to come up with recommendations and sample prices for three clients who have special requests for an Italian short break
Request 1: Clients A are a middle-aged couple of culture vultures looking to see and do as much sightseeing as they can during their short break. They are interested in the art galleries, museums and history Italy can offer.
Magic of Italy
Area: Florence.
Product: the four-star Brunelleschi Hotel – with its own sixth-century Byzantine
tower and medieval and Renaissance buildings – is ideally placed at the heart of the city. From here clients can visit the Uffizi Gallery and famed Ponte Vecchio, climb the Duomo (cathedral) for superb views and explore the Pitti Art Gallery.
Price: three nights’ bed and breakfast, including transfers, costs £449 per person for departures between July 1 and August 25.
Travelscene
Area: Florence – birthplace of the renaissance and packed with fantastic sights.
Product: the 16th-century Hotel Paris puts the clients at the historic centre of the city close to all the major landmarks, the Uffizi and Accademia galleries. The hotel breakfast room is a spectacular hall boasting 18th-century frescos and each bedroom has stained glass windows.
Price: two nights’ bed and breakfast costs £275 per person (November to March, excluding December 19-31). Flights with Ryanair from Stansted to Pisa with onward travel to Florence by rail.
Citalia
Area: two-centre break combining Florence and Lucca.
Product: both these places are oozing with medieval curiosities and fascinating walkways and monuments. Soak up the famous sights and renaissance splendour of Florence and then move on to the lesser known medieval walled city of Lucca. Birthplace of Puccini, Lucca is a quiet spot to simply wander around. Stay at the Hotel Ariele in Florence and La Luna Hotel in Lucca.
Price: four nights’ bed and breakfast costs from £511 per person. Hire car for two days is £50.
Request 2: Clients B are two professional women taking a brief break from the hassles of work for some lively Italian fun. They want to shop, they want to be surrounded by lots of Italian style and atmosphere and they want great nightlife.
Magic of Italy
Area: Milan
Product: Milan is a superb, often neglected city with some of the best designer and bargain shopping in Europe, great nightlife and fabulous restaurants. Culturally interesting, it has art exhibitions – without the queues of Florence – and the world-famous La Scala Opera House. For nightlife and restaurants the Berea area is very trendy. Stay at the three-star San Carlo Hotel.
Price: three nights’ bed and breakfast costs £299 per person based on scheduled flights (October 1 to November 15).
Travelscene
Area: Milan
Product: A lively cosmopolitan city with trendy restaurants in Navigli, lots of pavement café culture and famous bars, plus the world’s first designer shopping arcade – Galleria Vittorio Emanuelle II – where top fashion names can all be found with ease. Stay at the designer hotel Spadari Al Duomo which boasts its own collection of modern art and furniture and is situated close to the Duomo and La Scala.
Price: two nights’ bed and breakfast cost £365 per person based on scheduled KLM flights from Stansted (September 16 – October 31).
Citalia
Area: Costa Smeralda, Sardinia.
Product: a very exclusive, true Italian resort with good shopping and a lot of chic clubs to cater for the jet-set nightlife. Relaxed and unusual, the resort was developed by the Aga Khan in the 1960s and is set on an unspoilt rugged coastline with quiet private coves and deserted white sandy beaches to laze in and Porto Cervo to designer shop in. Stay at the Hotel Cervo.
Price: three nights’ bed and breakfast at this exclusive resort costs £673 per person based on scheduled Meridiana flights from Gatwick.
Request 3: Clients C are a romantic young couple looking to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in a romantic setting.
Magic of Italy
Area: Lake Garda
Product: Situated in the hills just 25 mins from Romeo and Juliet’s city of Verona, the new Palazzo Arzaga is a converted 15th-century monastery and is a real romantic retreat with a difference. Facilities include pool, extensive gardens and exclusive health spa. Venice and the medieval town of Mantova are within easy reach, as of course, are the attractions of Lake Garda
Price: three nights’ bed and breakfast costs £595 per person based on charter flights from Gatwick in June. Car hire, priced at £79 for three days, is strongly recommended.
Travelscene
Area: Venice
Product: Exotic and romantic with plenty of opportunities for candlelit suppers, evening gondola tour and romantic walks through colourful narrow streets and bridges. Stay at the elegant Villa Mabapa on the Venice Lido Lagoon and visit the islands of Murano, Burano, and Torcello to add another dimension to a celebration weekend.
Price: Two nights’ bed and breakfast costs £235 per person based on scheduled Ryanair flights from Stansted (mid-week November 1 to December 18)
Citalia
Area: Sorrento, Neapolitan Riviera
Product: with stunning views of the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is one of the most romantic places in Italy. Clients can take day trips to the beautiful island of Capri or Ischia, or excursions to the ancient Pompeii site or Herculaneum. Hotels are of a high standard with good southern Italian cuisine and wine. Stay at the Hotel Tramontano for traditional style and anniversary spumante on arrival.
Price: dinner, bed and breakfast for three nights costs £388 per person, or for a week costs £489, departing Gatwick