Catacombs of San Giovanni
Catacombs of San Giovanni

Find your trip

Up To £100pp Off! Banish the Blue Monday Blues with an Italian Adventure For Less

If the gloom of January is getting to you - you're not alone! The third Monday in this month is known as Blue Monday, which just happens to be after the weekend on January 20th. Its name was defined by factors that included the bad weather - typical of this time of year - and the fact that we're still a little way from the first payday of 2020. People tend to be more cautious with their spending habits and may find themselves dreaming of warmer weather. This is where we come in...

Our January sales offers are still live, but they will end on February 2nd. That means if you're thinking of booking a holiday, there's no time like the present as you can take advantage of some great savings while giving yourself something to look forward to later in the year. Can't remember what our sales offers are? Let us remind you:

Low deposits of either £99pp or £199pp 

Book any Bare Bones tour that departs between 1st May and 31st December 2020 and pay a low deposit of just £99 per person. Book any standard Andante Travels tour that departs within the same period and enjoy a low deposit of just £199pp. All tours featured in this blog fall into the latter category, with deposits at just £199pp down from £500. So, if you don't want to pay in full, why not secure a place on the tour of your choice for less?

Pay in full and save up to £200pp

Book a place on any Andante Travels tour that departs between 1st May and 31st December 2020 and you can enjoy savings of up to £200pp when you pay in full at the time of booking. If you've already booked a holiday departing between these months, just call us asap to pay your balance and we'll ensure you get to enjoy the same savings. Hurry, this offer is only valid between 2nd January and 2nd February 2020.

The tours featured in this blog have savings of £50pp and £100pp applied to them:

Blue skies await in historic Italy...

Puglia & Basilicata - £100 off

Book a place on our our 4th September departure before 2nd February and you'll only pay £2,895pp, enjoying a saving of £100pp. These Italian destinations offer rich histories and outstanding monuments, which date from the Neolithic period right up to the modern age. While the Greek influence on the region is unmistakable, the Norman conquest under William de Hauteville in the 11th century left an incredible mark on the area, producing some of the most splendid castles still extant in Italy. Discover Alberobello's white-washed trulli houses, explore ancient Matera (where Mel Gibson's "Passion of the Christ" was filmed), experience the Baroque city of Lecce, and pay a visit to Castel del Monte - the most spectacular in southern Italy. Your expert guide lecturers for this departure will be the award-winning Dr. Eireann Marshall and Isabella Sjöström. If you don't want to pay in full at the time of booking, take advantage of our low deposit of just £199pp, down from the normal £500!

Click here to view the tour's full itinerary now.

Latium: The Roman Rich - £100 off

Book a place on our 17th May or 11th October departures before 2nd February and you'll save £100pp. Spend eight memorable days discovering the sites and stories of this historic part of Italy, from Emperor Hadrian's villa in the beautiful setting of Tivoli to the lesser-known Roman town of Tusculum. Other highlights range from a private tour of the wonderful Gardens of Ninfa to a chance to discover Tiberius' seaside villa at Sperlonga with its remarkable dining room, and from a trip to the site of Ostia Antica and a visit to Alba Fucens. There are two hotels for this tour, the Villa Irlanda Grand Hotel in Gaeta and the the Hotel Flora in Rome. Your expert guide lecturer for the May departure will be Diana Blumberg and the October tour will be led by Professor Tony King. If you don't want to pay in full at the time of booking, take advantage of our low deposit of just £199pp, down from the normal £500!

Click here to view the tour's full itinerary now. 

Ravenna & Aquileia - £100 off

Treat yourself to a place on the 25th May or 2nd November departures of this tour before 2nd February and you'll enjoy a saving of £100pp. We begin in Aquileia, a great city of the Roman Empire that played host to emperors and archbishops alike. From here, we continue on to Ravenna, one of the must-see cities for archaeology enthusiasts, where we marvel at the artistry on display and explore the stories behind its glittering tiles. We'll treat you to special access to the mausoleum of Galla Placidia, you'll visit the medieval monastery at Pomposa with its 14th century frescoes and you will gaze upon the 4th century mosaic floor of the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Another highlight is our visit to the Tempietto Longobardo, a unique Lombard chapel. The 2nd May tour is led by Dr. Eireann Marshall and the 2nd November tour is led by Oliver Gilkes. If you don't want to pay in full at the time of booking, take advantage of our low deposit of just £199pp, down from the normal £500!

Click here to view the tour's full itinerary now. 

Val Camonica - £50 off

Book yourself a place on this tour, departing 30th May, by 2nd February and you'll save yourself £50pp. The Alpine valleys of Val Camonica hold one of the largest collections of prehistoric rock art in the world - Italy’s first World Heritage Site. Having set the scene, we venture into the mountains to visit the ice-man ‘Ötzi’ - an emissary from 5,000 years ago. Hikers stumbled across Ötzi in 1991, and for over two decades analysis of his body, and the extraordinary prehistoric tool kit he carried, has given us a glimpse into the Ice Man’s world. The images depict every facet of life from Neolithic through to Roman times. Visit remarkable waterlogged wooden structures and items preserved in the mud at the edge of Lake Ledro, view artefacts from the pile-dwelling settlements of the region, and discover over 100,000 rock art depictions in the area. The tour will be led by Craig Alexander, who took part in a three-year EU-funded project to develop a new 3D scanner for rock art. If you don't want to pay in full at the time of booking, take advantage of our low deposit of just £199pp, down from the normal £500!

Click here to view the tour's full itinerary now. 

Syracuse & Ortygia - £50 off

Book a place on this tour, departing 20th October, by 2nd February and you'll enjoy a saving of £50pp. Led by Dr. Ffiona Gilmore Eaves, this is a six-day tour that covers the history of Syracuse, which stretches back around 3,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its entirety. Discover Sicilian Baroque architecture in Noto, travel to Piazza Armerina with its unique mosaic floors, and visit the Temple of Athena, incorporated into the modern cathedral. Elsewhere, you'll explore the fine Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum, visit the evocative catacombs of San Giovanni in Syracuse and there will be a tour of Megara Hyblaea, founded by colonists in the 8th century BC. If you don't want to pay in full at the time of booking, take advantage of our low deposit of just £199pp, down from the normal £500!

Click here to view the tour's full itinerary now. 

Pompeii, Herculaneum & Classical Campania - between £50 to £100 off

If you've always wanted to explore Pompeii and neighbouring Herculaneum, why not book in January while our sales offers are still live? New for 2020 are a series of private access experiences, including private access to the Theatre of Herculaneum, private access to the Store Rooms in Paestum Museum and private access to the Cave of Sejanus. Other highlights range from a hike to the crater of Vesuvius to a tour of the Pozzuoli amphitheatre. 

£50pp off on the following departures:

  • 2nd and 9th November

£100pp off on the following departures:

  • 25th May, 7th September, 14th September, 28th September, 5th October, 12th October, 19th October, and 14th December.

Click here now to view the tour's full itinerary.

Hidden Rome - £100 off

Join either Dr. Eireann Marshall (23rd October) or John Shepherd (30th October) on this fascinating tour of sites in Rome you may not have previously come across. Explore the underground ruins of Nero's infamous Golden House - a revolution in architecture and luxurious design, visit the wonderfully preserved port city of Ostia Antica that kept the capital of an empire fed and supplied, and walk along the Appian Way while pausing to visit the Villa of the Quintilli and the Circus of Maxentius.

This tour has a plethora of special visits. We have gained access to some of the most exquisite and important monuments: We visit the tombs of the Scipiones, the family which produced Hannibal’s nemesis, Scipio Africanus, as well as the catacombs of Saint Agnes on the Via Nomentana, built adjacent to one of the great churches of the age of Constantine. We also explore the Mithraeum of the Circus Maximus, created literally beneath the stairs of the great altar of Hercules. Perhaps the piece de resistance is the visit to the extraordinary Domus Aurea, Nero’s Palace built on 4 hills and now covered by later imperial projects.

Click here now to view the tour's full itinerary.

P.S. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook, because on Blue Monday (January 20th), we will be sharing highlights from our January sales offer every hour, on the hour. Bag yourself a bargain and experience an archaeological adventure for less if you book before 2nd February!

Previous story Next story

Up To £100pp Off! Banish the Blue Monday Blues with an Italian Adventure For Less was published on 16 January 2020

Newsletter