Expert answers about Perillo Tours — America's Italy specialist since 1945, offering escorted group tours, independent holidays, and custom journeys to every corner of Italy with unmatched local expertise.
Perillo Tours was founded in New York in 1945 by Mario Perillo, an Italian immigrant who wanted to share his homeland with Americans. Now operated by Steve Perillo (second generation), the company has become synonymous with Italy travel in the United States — widely recognized from Mario's iconic television commercials that earned him the title “King of Italy.” Their depth of Italy-specific knowledge, relationships with local guides, and family heritage in Italian culture give them a dimension of authenticity that generalist Europe tour operators cannot replicate.
Yes — and that singular focus is a genuine strength. Rather than spreading expertise across dozens of countries, Perillo has spent 80 years deepening their knowledge of Italy alone. Every region, every city, every island — from the grand classics to the lesser-known corners — is covered. Their Italy-only positioning means their guides, hotel relationships, and logistical expertise are genuinely unrivaled in depth.
Perillo offers several ways to experience Italy:
Your Pavlus advisor can help you determine which format best matches your travel style and preferences.
The fundamental difference is depth. Operators like Globus and Collette visit Italy as one of dozens of destinations and rotate guides, hotels, and itineraries with less local specificity. Perillo's entire identity is Italy — they know which wine estates offer genuine versus tourist-facing experiences, which family-run restaurants produce authentic regional food, and which guides have the knowledge to make Florence's Renaissance art meaningful rather than overwhelming.
For a traveler whose trip to Italy is a meaningful dream — not just a checkbox — Perillo's Italy-only depth is the right choice.
Yes. Perillo Tours is currently led by Steve Perillo, Mario's son, who has been involved in the company for decades and shares his father's passionate commitment to Italy. The family ownership means decisions are made with a long-term perspective on quality and reputation — not short-term financial optimization. That family ethos permeates the product from guides to hotels to the care put into custom itinerary design.
Perillo escorted tours include:
Lunches, personal shopping, optional excursions, and gratuities are additional.
Perillo escorted tours include breakfast daily and a selection of dinners as outlined in each tour's itinerary. Dinners on Perillo tours are a meaningful part of the cultural experience — the company's Italian connections mean meals are often taken at family-run restaurants and trattorias with menus reflecting authentic regional cuisine, rather than generic tourist-oriented dining. Lunches are on your own, which provides a welcome opportunity to explore local cafes and markets independently.
Gratuities for your Perillo tour director, coach driver, and local guides are not included in the tour price. They are customarily given at the end of the tour. Perillo provides guidelines in pre-departure materials. As a general reference, plan approximately $10–$15 per person per day for the tour director and $4–$6 per day for the driver.
Entrance fees for all sightseeing listed as included in the day-by-day itinerary are covered. This typically includes major museum visits (the Vatican Museums, the Uffizi, Pompeii), guided tours of historic sites, and admissions specified per the brochure. Skip-the-line access at major sites like the Vatican and the Colosseum is arranged in advance by Perillo — a meaningful time-saver in peak season.
Perillo covers all of Italy — every major region and many off-the-beaten-path destinations:
For first-timers, Perillo's classic “Best of Italy” style escorted tours covering Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast are the natural starting point. These itineraries deliver Italy's essential experiences with the context and convenience of a professional Perillo tour director — which transforms visits to the Colosseum, the Vatican, and the Uffizi from potentially overwhelming to genuinely illuminating.
Perillo escorted tour lengths typically range from 8 to 16 days, with classic Italy tours running 10–12 days. Independent holiday programs can be customized in length. Longer tours cover multiple regions or include island extensions (Sicily, Sardinia). Perillo also offers focused short escorted programs for travelers with limited time who want to experience a specific region like Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast.
Absolutely — and this is one of Perillo's greatest strengths. Beyond the classics, Perillo has deeply researched and expertly packaged tours to:
Return visitors and Italy enthusiasts often gravitate toward these regional specialists, where Perillo's depth of local knowledge is most obviously on display.
Yes — Perillo's custom journey program is available for couples, families, small friend groups, and private tours for any occasion (anniversaries, honeymoons, milestone birthdays). Custom itineraries are built around your specific interests: food and wine, art and architecture, family history, cycling, cooking classes, or combinations thereof. Your Pavlus advisor works with Perillo's custom department to design and price the program. No group is too small — many custom Perillo trips are for 2–4 travelers.
Perillo uses 3-star to 4-star hotels with an emphasis on well-located, characterful properties that feel authentically Italian rather than generic international chain hotels. In Rome, Florence, and Venice, Perillo's decades-long hotel relationships yield excellent central properties. In Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast, smaller boutique hotels and converted villas are typical. Perillo's long-standing Italian hotelier relationships mean they consistently receive the best available rooms at their partner properties.
Perillo applies a single supplement for solo travelers requiring a private room. The supplement amount varies by tour and season. Ask your Pavlus advisor for the current single supplement on any specific Perillo departure. Perillo occasionally offers reduced or waived single supplements on select departures — these are worth asking about, particularly for shoulder-season travel.
Perillo offers hotel upgrades and premium tour programs on select itineraries. Additionally, custom Perillo journeys can be built around any hotel category — from charming 3-star family properties to five-star grand hotels. For independent Perillo holidays, the entire hotel program is selected based on your preferences. Discuss upgrade interests with your Pavlus advisor at the time of booking.
Perillo escorted groups typically accommodate 20–40 guests, though group sizes vary by departure. Many of Perillo's more specialized regional tours run with smaller groups. The company's philosophy emphasizes quality over volume — they do not deliberately oversell tours for maximum revenue at the cost of the guest experience.
Perillo tour directors are Italian professionals with deep local expertise — knowledge of art history, Italian culture, food, and regional heritage. Many have worked with Perillo for years or decades and bring personal connections to the destinations, introducing guests to local artisans, restaurateurs, and cultural figures who are part of Perillo's long-standing Italian network. Local guides are added at major cities and archaeological sites for specialist knowledge.
Perillo tours are moderately paced — there is substantial sightseeing, but the schedule is thoughtfully organized to allow guests to absorb each destination rather than race through it. In cities like Rome and Florence, the included sightseeing is substantial; afternoons often provide free time for independent exploration, shopping, or a leisurely Italian coffee. The tour director provides daily briefings on optional activities and local recommendations.
Perillo's Italy-only focus enables genuinely immersive cultural inclusions that generalist operators can't replicate:
Perillo Tours typically requires a deposit of $300–$500 per person at the time of booking. Final payment is generally due 60–75 days before departure. Cancellation penalties increase as departure approaches. Travel insurance is strongly recommended. Your Pavlus advisor will provide the exact schedule for any specific Perillo program.
Italy involves walking — often on cobblestones, through museums with large amounts of standing, and up steps at archaeological sites and hilltop towns. Most Perillo tours require a moderate level of mobility. Guests who can walk 2–4 miles per day on varied terrain generally manage well. Some sites (Pompeii, Cinque Terre, Capri) are more demanding. If mobility is a concern, discuss specific tour requirements with your Pavlus advisor.
Italy is a year-round destination, but the sweet spots for escorted touring are:
July and August are peak season with maximum crowds and heat — especially in cities like Rome and Florence. If summer travel is your only option, early morning site visits (which Perillo arranges) minimize the crowd impact.
US citizens need a valid passport to enter Italy. No visa is required for tourist stays under 90 days in the Schengen Area (which includes Italy). Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your scheduled return date. Beginning in 2025, US travelers to Europe will also need to register with the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) — a simple online process similar to ESTA for the US. Your Pavlus advisor will confirm current entry requirements when you book.
Absolutely. Italy is a transatlantic destination and Perillo tours represent a meaningful financial investment. Travel insurance protects against trip cancellation and interruption, emergency medical expenses (important — US health insurance often has limited international coverage), and baggage loss. Ask your Pavlus advisor about comprehensive travel insurance options at the time of booking.
Food is central to any Perillo experience. Included dinners are arranged at restaurants selected for regional authenticity rather than tourist convenience — trattorias where the menu reflects what the locals eat, not what foreigners expect. Regional variation is a highlight: risotto in the north, fresh pasta in Emilia-Romagna, wood-fired pizza in Naples, fresh seafood on the Amalfi Coast. Perillo's food and wine cultural inclusions (cooking classes, winery visits, market tours) extend the culinary experience well beyond restaurant meals.
Yes — wine is woven throughout many Perillo itineraries. The Tuscany and Umbria programs naturally include Chianti vineyard visits and wine tastings. Northern Italy tours touch on Barolo, Amarone, and Prosecco regions. Even classic tours include meals accompanied by local wines. For travelers who want wine as a central theme rather than an accompaniment, Perillo's food and wine custom journeys build entire programs around specific wine regions and producers.
Art history is a pillar of the Perillo experience. Professional art historians and licensed museum guides lead visits to the Vatican Museums (Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's), the Uffizi (Botticelli, Michelangelo), the Galleria Borghese (Bernini, Caravaggio), and other major collections. Skip-the-line access at the most popular sites is arranged in advance — critical at a place like the Vatican, where unbooked queues can exceed three hours in high season.
Yes. Perillo has deep experience helping Italian-American travelers trace and visit their family's regions of origin. Whether your family came from Sicily, Calabria, the Veneto, or Campania, Perillo's regional expertise and Italian connections can incorporate heritage visits into your itinerary. Custom journeys are particularly well-suited to heritage travel, allowing the routing to follow your family's story. Discuss your ancestry interests with your Pavlus advisor early in the planning process.
Italy is one of the world's great romantic destinations, and Perillo's custom journey program is exceptionally well-suited to honeymoons and anniversary travel. A private custom Perillo itinerary for two can incorporate:
Talk to your Pavlus advisor about Perillo's romantic Italy options — we can help design something genuinely unforgettable.
Call 800-528-9300 to speak with a Pavlus Italy specialist. Spring and fall Italy departures book quickly — 6–9 months ahead is recommended. Our advisors can help compare escorted vs. independent Perillo products and assist with transatlantic flights to Rome, Milan, or Venice.
Pavlus advisors are Italy travel specialists with decades of experience matching clients to Perillo programs. When you call us, you get:
You pay less than booking direct — Pavlus provides a savings benefit on top of all current Perillo promotions — and the support is dramatically better.
Pavlus Travel is an authorized Perillo Tours agency with a long-standing relationship. We actively monitor Perillo's promotional calendar — early booking discounts, seasonal price reductions, and limited-time offers that can represent significant savings. Our advisors alert you to relevant promotions proactively. You receive Perillo pricing at its best available rate, plus professional support throughout.
In many cases, yes. If you've already booked directly with Perillo, call us at 800-528-9300 as soon as possible. Perillo allows transfers to travel agencies within a certain window after initial booking. Once transferred, your Pavlus advisor will monitor the booking and serve as your point of contact for any questions or changes.
No — you will pay less. Pavlus provides a savings benefit on top of all current Perillo promotions — a discount, cash back, or added value that is over and above, and combineable with, any Perillo offer in the market. We are compensated by Perillo through standard agency commissions, so independent professional expertise comes with the deal.
Pavlus Travel has been selling Perillo Tours. Our Italy-focused advisors have personal travel experience in Italy, have participated in Perillo familiarization programs, and stay current on new itineraries and program updates. When you call, you're talking to someone who genuinely knows both the operator and the destination — not a general-purpose booking agent.
Your Pavlus advisor is your advocate from booking to return. If a schedule change, hotel issue, or any other problem arises — whether before departure or while you're in Italy — we communicate directly with Perillo and work to resolve it quickly. Navigating issues from abroad is stressful; having a professional intermediary who knows the operator makes an enormous difference. Call 800-528-9300.
To make your booking call as productive as possible, it helps to have:
For peak spring and fall departures, we recommend booking 6–9 months in advance. Custom Perillo journeys require even more lead time — ideally 6–12 months to ensure your preferred hotels and activities are available. Summer tours to Italy's most popular destinations also book quickly. Early booking ensures the best hotel room selections and access to Perillo's most popular departures before they sell out.
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