Frequently asked questions

Step 1: Fill out the questionnaire then you'll receive an email to book a call-30 minutes ($250). ​ Step 2: Are we a good fit? ​ This call has a non-refundable intro fee $250. The 30 minute call will include a review your excursion interests and other travel needs for your upcoming trip. At the end of the call, if we decide to work together, the $250 will be 100% applied to the cost of your trip. ​ After about 2 weeks, Katie will email you a draft of your custom excursions and costs per person (starting at $150 per person). From there, we'll work together to create your unique, authentic Tuscany Trip! ​ Note: Please note we do not offer a breakdown of prices on the packages.

No, we do not book flights.

Included in each Custom Excursion Planning Package is: Behind the scenes research of your personal must-sees and activities to experience in & around Tuscany A personalized, detailed itinerary with all your excursions & accommodations. Connections with Katie's personal network on the ground. 2 hours of face to face consultation before your trip using zoom. Personal advice and recommendations from Katie's experience of living in Italy for over 20 years. Booked activities like wine-tastings, cooking classes, guided hikes and bike tours in the Tuscan Hills. Insider Information & Tips Advice on Train, car rental, private driver transfers Communication access through travel app before your trip and during your trip. (delayed response due to time zone). A Written Itinerary (pdf & app) with all contact information of excursions. Support before & during your trip Booking requests/reservations by Katie on the behalf of the client. ******FYI...Katie does not get commission from the vendors or experiences she recommends when you book. *****

Custom Excursion Packages Price varies depending on: -How many travelers: 4-6 people -How many excursion days : from 1-7 days -How much time we have for planning: 6 months before travel is recommended Pricing Includes: Booked activities like wine-tastings, cooking classes, guided hikes and bike tours in the Tuscan Hills. Advice on Train, car rental, private driver transfers Insider Information & Tips Travel Preparation advice A Written Itinerary (pdf & app) with all contact information of excursions. Communication access through app & phone call Support before & during 1-7 day itinerary 2 hours of face to face consultation over zoom Excursion Price starts at $250 per person. This depends on how many excursions you plan for your trip. Every excursion will be booked and paid for so you don't have to worry about anything during your trip. ****FYI...Katie does not get commission from the vendors or experiences she recommends or books for you.**** ​

There won’t be any special discounts given. You will always be provided with excellent services such as some of the best guides, drivers, accommodations, tours and experiences. Since we have many contacts and friends in Italy and how much time we spend researching places and experiences for our clients, each experience will be memorable and unique for you. We believe in quality. This means our prices and accommodations are priced accordingly.

Katie has been living in Tuscany & Florence on and off for 20+ years, we focus on Tuscany & Florence when we plan custom trips. Hopefully in the future, we'll add neighboring regions like Umbria, Emilia-Romagna & another gem of a region, Puglia.

Book a 30 minute call ($125) with Katie to help you with your planning and get travel tips. She will not book, share names of places or organize your trip during the call. If you'd like more assistance, we can start the process of creating your memorable trip to Tuscany with Custom Excursion Planning. You can also listen to Katie's podcast, Florence & Me wherever you listen to podcasts. On the podcast, Katie discusses different parts of Tuscany. As well as her favorite places in Florence. Our Neighborhood Guides of Florence are available for purchase at Truly Italy's SHOP. These have been curated by Katie, who has been a resident of Florence and knows where to go to avoid tourist traps.

We recommend family owned agriturismo, villas, and B&Bs. We can give you their contact name and website to book on an 60 minute Trip Consulting Call ($275) or a 30 minute Trip Consulting Call ($125). 1. Fill out the questionnaire here 2. You'll receive an email to choose a 60 minute call or 30 minute call.

1. When you book your Custom Trip Planning call, you'll pay non-refundable upfront planning fee of $250 (which is applied to the total amount of your trip). Then you'll sign a custom planning agreement which explains our terms and conditions regarding planning your trip. The intro planning fee will start the process of researching your upcoming trip. 2. Then once we start researching, we'll put together a proposal and itinerary of your custom trip with the price per person. 3. When you agree on the proposed itinerary and pricing per person, you'll pay 30% of your trip cost. 60 days before your departure, you'll pay the remaining balance of your trip.

Yes! We work with small groups for events and special occasions.

You can expect your first proposal by email within 5-7 days of confirming my services. The entire planning process takes about 1-4 months (depending on how many activities, complexity of the trip, how many travelers, how much time we have for planning, and any specialized requests that require extra time & research) Booking us 3 - 6 months before travel is recommended and preferred. We highly encourage you to book with us only if you are serious about planning your custom trip. We work with small locations and family run businesses so it is often difficult to hold a non-paid spot longer than a few days. Thank you in advance for your understanding! If you just want tips or advice and NOT full service custom planning, book a Trip Consulting Call (30 minute & 60 minute)

We're staying up to date with the COVID-19 travel restrictions and also the restrictions in Italy. Check out our Covid Free Flight video here, from our trip in July 2021. We’re able to provide these important details to you as a client. If you are interested in future travel we encourage you to visit our website Truly Italy , our social media channels, or feel free to email us at trulyitalytours@gmail.com

Each retreat has different activities included. For more details, click below: → Truly Tuscany Retreat → Truly Florence Retreat

Your Airfare is not included in the retreat price. We can assist you in travel destinations and also provide you with train travel information on how to arrive at our venues. A private transfer to/from airports is not included but we can arrange a private transfer if needed for an extra charge. All our meals at our venue are included. Breakfast will be provided on all retreats. Some meals will be included when we are out on excursions. The restaurants we will dine at as a group will not be extravagant or incredibly expensive. We love finding and eating at authentic restaurants that create dishes with heart and soul. Travel insurance is not included. We recommend you purchase travel insurance for your trip. We recommend companies like AIG & Travelex. It's an extra buffer for you in case you need to cancel or there's an emergency.

For both September 2025 retreats we DO! Early Bird Special: Reserve your retreat between March 18th and March 31st, 2024, and enjoy a generous $300 discount. Early Bird #2: Make your reservation between April 1st and May 1st, 2024, to receive a $200 discount. Early Bird #3: Book your spot between May 2nd and July 2nd, 2024, and avail of a $100 discount. Things to note: Discount will apply to the remaining retreat fee after a $500 deposit is received. Deposit must be paid before the end of the timeframe to receive the discount. Save your spot by clicking here.

If this is your first time visiting Italy then we say YES. There are many places we can recommend where to visit that aren't too far from our destination. You can always travel after the retreat, maybe meet up with a friend and make it a longer trip. Just an idea.

Non ti preoccupare! No worries AT ALL. Katie’s been fluent in Italian for many years and since moving back to the states she’s kept up her language skills. One of the perks of coming on an Italian Travel Retreat with Truly Italy is that there’s an option to learn a bit of Italian while you are here. Italians, in most major cities, speak a little English. Hotels, restaurants, and some stores are pretty easy to communicate with. There are apps you can download like Duolingo and Google Translate that helped my parents communicate with my in-laws, no joke. You can find Italian-language movies on Netflix (yes, they are there) and watch them with subtitles. That was one of the first things I did when I started learning Italian.

Each retreat will be filled with a variety of activities (depending on type of retreat) such as walking tours, pasta-making classes, artisan workshops, shopping, plenty of culture & FOOD. For more detailed activities click the page below: → Truly Tuscany Retreat → Truly Florence Retreat

No, you don’t. However each retreat has activities built into the price. If you don't think you will want to participate in all or many of the activities, then this retreat isn't for you. Also, note that we will be walking A LOT on these retreats. If you are not physically able to walk 3 miles a day, these are the travel retreats for you.

Yes, Yes, and Yes. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, couples, anyone who is interested in traveling through Italy with an insider is welcome to come. Check out Truly Tuscan Retreat & Truly Florence Retreat for what activities we will be doing.

That depends on which travel retreat you decide to go on. We’ll be honest, Rome is usually the cheapest out of all the airports to fly into from the US. But again that depends on where you are located. For our Tuscany-based retreats – We recommend flying into either Florence or Rome airports.

After you pay the deposit, we can offer a payment plan. Contact us at trulyitalytours@gmail.com for terms and conditions of payment. Note: There will be a 3.5% processing fee added to each payment.

No, the deposit is $500 for all travel retreats are non-refundable. The deposit you provide plays a crucial role in securing our services in advance, covering costs for our dedicated vendors such as drivers, private chefs, and venue bookings. These deposits are non-refundable to ensure that, in the event of a retreat cancellation, our partners are not left at a significant financial disadvantage. Should there be a need to cancel your participation in the retreat, for any reason from either side, while we will miss your presences, we gladly offer the option to transfer your deposit towards securing your place in a future retreat.

Each Retreat is 6 days/7 nights. .

We like to have a small group of people on each retreat so we can connect personally with each person. Our retreats are limited to 4-6 people per week.

NO WAY! We will visit churches but there will be no talk of religion, politics or any other controversial subject.

Not at all, we will be traveling by car to each excursion, event and day trip. Very intimate, private, and personal mode of travel.

I have a Guest page saved for participants that lists all my packing suggestions. Be aware that you will need to be lifting your luggage from the airport to the trains to the villa/B&B. We rents a car that can fit our participants comfortably. Please let us know how much luggage you have so she can prepare accordingly when she picks you up at the train station.

Our villas are both self-catering, so Katie will be doing the grocery shopping the day before you arrive with the participant's preferences. All locations offer free wifi internet connection. As for toiletries, Villa Antica Sosta does not offer body wash, shampoo or conditioner, you must provide that for yourself. You will provided bath & pool towels for the week. If you need more towels or a change of sheets that will be an extra cost. Living in a villa for a week offers, a washing machine, dishwasher, things you have available at your own home. Please don't expect a hotel experience. Our B&B Secret Garden you'll be provided towels for your private bathroom, you'll have tea, coffee and juice available all day long, you can use the fridge to store your food and use the kitchen when needed. Also there are hairdryers in each bathroom and slippers for the common area. They offer a courtesy set with shampoo. Lastly, they offer daily cleaning between 10.30am and 12.30 pm. Breakfast is served in the garden between 8.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m.