windshoppe Loc: Arizona

We've also done many tours with OAT and it's sister company, Grand Circle. Ultimately, we stopped doing tours for exactly the reasons stated earlier. It's difficult to do photography and keep up with the tour group. Often my wife would stay with the group getting the benefit of the guide's comments, while I was way behind and she'd fill me in later. If this is your first trip to Italy I'd suggest using it partially to make a list of places at which you'd like to spend more time. Since Italy is one of our favorite places we've been there independently 3 times, the last for a 5-week stay during which we began in Venice and ended in Sicily traveling by rental car (rented in Switzerland, not Italy!) Despite the occasional frustration you'll come home with a ton of great photos. Have a wonderful trip!

berchman Loc: South Central PA

I don’t go on photography tours because they are much more expensive when compared to other small group tours going to the same destination. I have seen pictures of these tours with a bunch of people standing shoulder to shoulder, tripods almost touching, all trying to take the same shot repeated thousands of times on Flickr, 500px, et al.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

Even though I have traveled a lot, I’m a very anxious traveler, worrying about problems that never arise. When I was at a hotel in Switzerland’s Engadin Valley I ran into an American couple who had bought a Volvo at their factory in Scandinavia, driven to Moscow, and were on their way to Rome, and this without knowing a word of any language other than English. There must be an angel looking out for such innocents? Or fools?

I, on the other hand, would not dare to travel independently without at least a survival level of competence in the native language of the country. I have travelled to Italy independently six times, but the last, seventh time, I went with OAT to Sicily and Calabria because even after taking five years of classes in Italian, my Italian had gotten rusty from not using it for a number of years.

Unlike Scandinavia, Holland and Switzerland, not many Italians speak English, so yes, the OP can make his next trip to Italy independently if he’s willing to deal with not speaking Italian. Google translate didn’t exist when I traveled to Italy; maybe that will help. I don’t mind looking like a tourist when I travel, but I do mind looking like a fool.

philo Loc: philo, ca

My trip to CR including air will be about 3 grand. i have seen other tours for around 5 grand. At my stage of life this may be my last trip.

sharonmblais

I really enjoyed your photos! Thanks for sharing.

Moondoggie Loc: Southern California

I've been to Africa with OAT and will be going to Iceland with them this year. They have done an excellent job with the places you visit, expert guides, food and accommodations. I have also booked a trip with them to Israel/Egypt/Jordan for 2020.

Bill P

I never do tours, as they all look to me like reenactments of the Bataan death march.

I have visited the Aosta region and found it delightful and largely undiscovered by tourists. A trip to Monte Bianco tops things off well.

carl hervol Loc: jacksonville florida

I don't go on tours I rent a car and go where I want with out being rushed if I decide to spend the night I can.

philo Loc: philo, ca

I agree with you that is the way to go; however i don't want to drive in a foreign county.

eagle80 Loc: Kutztown, PA

I have driven in many country. No difference then the States. Great Britain NO.

Lagoonguy Loc: New Smyrna Beach, FL

My wife & I have taken six tours with OAT & Grand Circle and we took the Northern Italy & Dolomites trip in 2018. All of our tours were delightful, informative and usually permitted an adequate amount of time for photos. My wife takes primarily videos and I take mainly stills. If you are interested you can take a look at my wife’s YouTube [lesdubb channel] where our trips, including the OAT Northern Italy trip video that includes much of the N. Italy tour, memorialized. She still has to complete the Dolomites portion which will be published probably by Sunday with our four night independent travel to Venice to follow by July 1st. Our other trips are on there as well. We were lucky to have never held the tour hostage to our photo indulgence, at least yet. Many of the afternoons are free time in cities so you just have to plan ahead and ask your tour director for any directions or suggestions. Most of my shots were with a Pana/Leica 12-60 f/2.8-4 lens with a Nikon 16-35 f/4 used mainly in Venice. I enjoyed using a Sigma 16mm f/1.4 on the P/L for Milan night shots and some interiors. We were fortunate to have the same OAT tour guide, Lucia Tomassini, that we had for our OAT Tuscany& Umbria tour. She was excellent as all of our tour directors have been. I normally decide on one camera & lens for the day but we both carry an additional Canon G16 for other shots. My wife uses a Sony Camcorder. Frankly, it takes her six months to edit, insert music and provide historical information for her videos, I just take my photos and move on. We suggest getting out early morning to take photos especially in Venice, the colors are magic and there are no crowds. Have a wonderful trip!

berchman Loc: South Central PA

With tourism now a mass worldwide phenomenon, one doesn't have the option of last minute decisions to stay an extra day, that is, not if one wants to stay in desirable hotels, B&B's, or HomeAway apartments. For example, I needed to book an apartment in Barcelona a year in advance and my visit wasn't even during the peak tourist season. When I travel independently I like to hang out in one location long enough to feel comfortable. OAT tours really move along. They leave the hotel early, pack the day full, and by the day's end all one wants to do is to collapse in bed. Their one advantage, aside from keeping the group size relatively small, is to offer experiences that one is unlikely to have on one's own. For example, in Palermo (Sicily) we visited a leather shop owned by a married gay couple who had their marriage ceremony in a public square in the city at a time when being openly gay in Sicily was a BIG NO-NO, never mind being married publicly. They had a great story to tell.