Affordable Luxury from the Leading Independent Specialist Holiday Company
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January-December 2013 Affordable luxury from the leading independent specialist holiday company ITALY2013 Cities, Lakes, Sorrento & Amalfi Coast, Capri & Ischia Portofino & Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria, Puglia, Sicily, Sardinia ECTIO LL N H CO O L IC ID S S A Y A S L C Years ANNIV RY price promise 100% financial protection private transfers ER5SA 2 13 8-20 198 scheduled, charter & no frills flights from your local airport Reasons to book with us Professional reservations team with personal knowledge of our hotels Long standing relationships with hoteliers, airlines, car hire and transfer companies Regular health and safety checks at all hotels Representatives available for advice and assistance Fully bonded and licensed UK tour operator - your money is fully protected and safe No need for you to spend hours trawling the internet Excellent value holidays - Price Promise guaranteed Tailor-made for you We can book: Fully inclusive holidays including accommodation, private transfers and flights from your local airport Hotel accommodation plus private transfers and car hire Hotel accommodation plus car hire Hotel accommodation plus private transfers Hotel accommodation only Train travel throughout Italy, and from the UK PRICE PROMISE In the unlikely event that you find a more competitive price at the time of booking, we guarantee to match the price, AND offer an additional £10 per adult saving. SEE PAGE 202 COVER IMAGES (from left) La Posta Vecchia (p171), Castello Banfi Il Borgo (p71), Sardinia beach, Hotel Villa Sant' Andrea (p124) Stella di Mare Beach Hotel & Spa(p21) Celebrating 25 years of luxury We are proud to be the UK’s leading We enjoy a truly unique relationship with our UK independent specialist company providing travel agent partners, our overseas agents, and tailor-made luxury hotel holidays to a wide the top hoteliers in each of our resorts, and you range of sophisticated properties in Italy, can rest assured that you will enjoy the highest Sardinia and Sicily. Established in 1988, we’re levels of service, plus 100% financial protection, delighted to be celebrating our 25 year when you travel with us. ECTIO LL N H CO O L IC ID S S A anniversary in 2013 and in this regard, we Thank you for choosing Y A S L C would like to say a big thank you to everyone Classic. Years ANNIV RY associated with our company. ER5SA 2 013 1988-2 CONTENTS Welcome to Italy 4-5 Tuscany & Tuscany Coast 62-79 Classic tailor-made service 6-9 Umbria 80-85 100% financial protection 7 Puglia 86-89 Private transfers & car hire 7 Liguria, Portofino, San Remo & Piedmont 90-97 Our resort service 7 Lake Maggiore & Lake Como 98-109 Loyal customers & champagne gifts 9 Lake Garda & Lake Iseo 110-119 Types of holiday & flexibility of flights 9 Sicily 120-139 Classic family 10-11 South Sardinia 140-146 Classic weddings 12-13 North Sardinia 147-157 Classic spa 14-15 City Breaks - Rome 158-171 Italy by car NEW 16-17 Florence 172-181 Italy by train NEW 18-19 Venice 182-195 Venice Simplon-Orient-Express 20-21 Verona 196-197 Sorrento & Amalfi Coast 22-51 Flight details & car hire 198-199 Capri & Ischia 52-61 Booking form & holiday information 200-201 Booking conditions 202-203 Contact us freephone 0800 008 7288 We are open every day until 10pm Monday to Saturday 9am-10pm & Sunday 10am-10pm WELCOME TO ITALY Owing to its fabulous climate, enviable gastronomy, fantastic wines, beautiful scenery, magnificent architecture and rich heritage, Italy has long been a favoured haunt for British travellers. In this Italy brochure, we feature a selection of top quality hotels specifically hand-picked for their location, sophistication and superb service. We are pleased to book flights from any UK airport and we normally include private airport transfers for your arrival; although where you are more likely to want to discover Italy by car, we have automatically included car hire instead. Our holidays are totally flexible; so whether you’re in need of a short weekend break or a longer holiday, whether you’d prefer to laze around the pool in the gardens of a beautiful hotel, or if you would rather book a city break, an activity or twin-centre holiday, or a holiday by rail, you simply need to let us know. 4 Lake Lake Maggiore Como Lake Garda Milan Lake Venice Iseo Turin Verona SORRENTO, AMALFI COAST, CAPRI & ISCHIA Piedmont Gulf of One of the most famous coastlines in the world, the Amalfi Coast Liguria Venice runs south from Sorrento, itself set on a spectacular headland, Genoa Portofino and winds along the Bay of Salerno. Positano, clinging to the cliffside, is a romantic spot and ideal for honeymooners. Amalfi, is Pisa Florence a quaint fishing village with fantastic restaurants, and Ravello, high above Amalfi, proffers the most magnificent views over the Ligurian Sea Siena orange and lemon groves towards the Mediterranean. The Umbria Tuscany Perugia exclusive islands of Capri and Ischia are busy by day especially in Adriatic Sea the height of summer, but it’s easy to escape by staying in one of our exclusive hotels in Capri or one of the wonderful spa hotels Rome on Ischia. TUSCANY & TUSCANY COAST Bari Tuscany is one of the most beautiful and well-known Italian Olbia Naples holiday destinations. The cities and towns of Pisa, Lucca, San Ischia Sorrento Puglia Gimignano, Florence and Siena are famed for their art and Sardinia Amalfi Capri architecture, and the delightful rolling countryside boasts olive Coast groves and vineyards plus some of Europe’s loveliest medieval villages with their narrow cobble-stoned streets, bustling piazzas, Cagliari and busy restaurants where the gastronomy is traditional and Tyrrhenian Sea succulent. Wine buffs will delight in the vineyards of Chianti, and art lovers simply must visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery with its Ionian Sea unequalled collection of 13th to 18th century paintings. In Mediterranean Sea contrast to the delightful rolling hills of the interior, the exclusive Palermo coastal resorts of Forte dei Marmi, Viareggio and Porto Ercole are Taormina perfect for a sophisticated beach holiday. Sicily Strait Catania of Sicily LIGURIA & PIEDMONT Also known as the Italian Riviera, the beautiful winding stretch of PUGLIA coast from the French border to Tuscany is famed for its gloriously In Italy’s southeast, Puglia, also known as Apulia, boasts beautiful mild climate, lush vegetation and picturesque fishing villages, beaches, undulating countryside with vineyards, olives, almonds including Portofino, one of Italy’s premier resorts, where the central and pine forests, medieval towns, massive fortresses and churches, piazza is perfect for leisurely drinks and al fresco dining. The seaside and fantastic food. Our hotels, country-mansion type masseria, are resort of San Remo, situated in a wide sheltered bay close to the all located close to Alberobello with its extraordinary white-washed French border was one of the first tourist resorts to be established on trulli houses. the Italian Riviera and has played host to numerous illustrious personalities over the years. North of Liguria, Piedmont boasts a SICILY treasure chest of culture, art, natural beauty and unmistakable The largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is regarded by Italians flavours. Famed for its Barolo wine and excellent cuisine visitors will as quite foreign. Its landscape comprises long, wide coastal plains delight in the castles, churches and palaces, shopping in the retail edged by secluded coves with sandy and pebbled beaches, outlets, or simply joining in with the relaxed Piedmontese way of life. backed by charming valleys and high mountains. The north is home to Palermo, the capital, and in the east the most rewarding towns THE Lakes include Messina, Catania, Siracusa, and Taormina with Mount Etna Playgrounds of the rich and famous for centuries, and home to forming a stunning backdrop to the coast. poets, artists and composers, the Italian Lakes are areas of outstanding beauty. The furthest west of our featured lakes is Lake SARDINIA Maggiore, with its translucent waters said to be teardrops of Sardinia has a peerless climate, turquoise waters and white sandy unrequited lovers. Further to the east is Lake Como; possibly the beaches. Its capital, Cagliari is a lively mix of cafés, restaurants and most enchantingly romantic of all the lakes with its rugged peaks a delightful old quarter. The north boasts a jet setters’ paradise, and delightful lakeside villages. Lake Garda, the largest of the lakes Costa Smeralda, with its 50km of sandy beaches, and the south boasts fjord-like scenery in the north with gently sloping vineyard offers gently shelving beaches, beautiful clear turquoise waters, covered hills to the south. Lake Iseo is the lesser known of the lakes luxurious hotels and ancient ruins. and enjoys a beautiful setting surrounded by wooded mountains. ROMANTIC CITY BREAKS UMBRIA Italian cities are full of romance, music, culture and fantastic In central Italy, the spectacular Apennine Mountains form a architecture. Rome, Florence and Venice really need no delightful backdrop to Umbria’s stunning landscape of beautiful introduction, Siena has delightful squares heralding the Middle Ages, countryside boasting fertile plains, enchanting forests, beautiful and Verona boasts its summer opera and romantic links with Romeo lakes and pretty medieval villages. The region is steeped in history, and Juliet. And for true romance, travel overnight by Venice art, serenity and spirituality; the fine wines are incredible, and the Simplon-Orient-Express from London to either Venice or Verona. world class cuisine always freshly prepared with local ingredients. www.classic-collection.co.uk I freephone 0800 008 7288 any airport I any airline I any day & duration 5 CLASSIC TAILOR-MADE SERVICE Our customers expect excellence, and from the moment that you contact us, you’ll know that we offer a professional and flexible service.