Welcome
Experience an itinerary that fits your unique needs and preferences
We design custom itineraries and private experiences throughout Italy and Switzerland for individuals and small groups. We offer private experiences, and our itineraries are tailor made to accommodate your preferences and interests, while highlighting the very best of each destination.
Industry Awards
Italy and Switzerland - iconic destinations
Whether you want to spend time wine tasting and cooking in Tuscany or hiking and skiing in the Swiss Alps the problem for travelers is not scarcity of information, but quite the opposite – information overload! An abundance of travel books, user-review web sites, blogs, input from well meaning friends, and random influences of all kinds – good, bad, and indifferent invade the traveler’s senses. We help you cut through the noise to create a seamless planning process.
Unique experiences are our specialty. Whether you are a first time visitor or someone who has seen the major sites and wishes to delve deeper, we can design the trip of your dreams.
We keep an active social life on Facebook (@ciutravel), Instagram (@ciutravel and/or @negroniandspritz), and Twitter (@ciutravel).
Postcards from italy
Warm Thanks and New Year’s Greetings from CIU Travel
As we bid farewell to the previous year, we would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and trust in CIU Travel. We are truly grateful for
2024 Casa Gola Olive Oil
The olives of Casa Gola have been harvested, pressed, filtered, and are now ready to make their journey to the US as an exquisite extra virgin olive oil. The first
International Friends of Festival Verdi Weekend 2024
We are thrilled to invite you to join us for an unforgettable journey to Italy from October 10-14, 2024, for Teatro Regio di Parma’s annual Festival Verdi. There, we’ll celebrate our
Casa Gola Olive Oil 2023
The olives of Casa Gola have been harvested, pressed, filtered, and are now ready to make their journey to the US as an exquisite extra virgin olive oil. The first
About Us
CIU Travel is owned and operated by the travel consulting, opera singing, husband and wife team of Maria Gabriella Landers and Brian Dore.
Store
We offer Florentine Gift Boxes filled with both sweet and savory treasures shipped directly to you from Italy, world class Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Umbria, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and more.
Trip Reviews
Maria was also able to get us (very hard to come by) soccer tickets for the Rome vs. Lazio derby!
I cannot say enough good things about our recent trip to Italy planned by Maria Gabriella Landers. I traveled with my husband and 9-year-old son to Umbria and Rome. When Maria recommended making restaurant reservations in the weeks before our trip, I was too overwhelmed to even begin to choose,
Asolo, which we never would have known about, was a definite highlight for its charming serenity!
A terrific time was had by my husband and me. There were a couple of glitches and it was wonderful to have help from our concierge. A drastically delayed flight was no problem when the driver could be easily contacted and kept apprised of our ever later arrival. The hotels were
Awards & Press
Top Travel Specialist for Italy since 2006
Condé Nast Traveler first recognized CIU Travel as one of the magazine’s Top Travel Specialists for Italy in the August 2006 issue. The initial application was arduous, and staying on this prestigious list is even more difficult. We continually strive to maintain this award winning standard, and have been named to the list every year since 2006.
The specialists on the list are chosen by CNT’s editorial staff and represent the best destination experts in the travel industry.
In honor of Condé Nast Traveler’s 25th Anniversary issue, CNT asked us to design a dream trip to include in their World on Sale promotion offered to readers. Our “Italy for Foodies, 10 Night Culinary Adventure of Umbria, Sorrento and Rome” was selected and included in the September 2012 issue.
Wendy Perrin • The WOW List
Trusted Travel Expert for Italy since 2014
We’ve been proud members of Wendy Perrin’s WOW list since 2015. Wendy selects the members of The WOW List based exclusively on customer feedback and her own research.
What makes Wendy’s Trusted Travel Experts the best?
Read reviews from Wendy’s travelers | Traveler Reviews on wp.com
We have contributed Insider Guides for select destinations in Italy.
Town & Country Travel
To celebrate the magazine’s 170th anniversary, Town & Country teamed up with Wendy Perrin, sourcing Wendy’s “WOW List” of trip-planning experts to create a modern-day Grand Tour: a trip around the globe in 170 days, including stops in over 50 countries. From Sweden to Antarctica, this Grand Tour is the ultimate template for the vacation of a lifetime, and we were honored to take up the challenge of planning the perfect week in Italy for T&C readers.
