Italian Roots Journeys runs small-group tours through Campania, Calabria and Sicily — the regions most Italian-Australian families actually left, and the ones standard Italy itineraries skip past for Rome, Florence and Venice. Real towns, real pace, real food, off the well-worn tourist trail.
Campania, Calabria, Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata each have their own dialects, histories and food traditions — distinct from one another, and a world away from Rome, Florence and Venice. Explore each below.
Our founding circuit tours through Campania, Calabria and Sicily. If you're drawn to Puglia or Basilicata, join the waitlist below — interest like this shapes what we build next.
A single overland-and-ferry route down through the mainland south and across to Sicily — not a checklist of cities, and not a custom itinerary built around any one family.
We start inland and along the quieter coast — Cilento's cliffs and villages, Irpinia's vineyards — the Campania most tour buses skip entirely.
South through Aspromonte's mountain villages to the Tyrrhenian and Ionian coasts — Tropea, Reggio, and towns most Italy itineraries have never heard of.
A ferry crossing to Sicily's Baroque interior and Etna's foothills — a different Sicily to the Taormina resort circuit.
8–12 travellers, proper hotels, long lunches, and time to actually be somewhere — not a bus window view of six towns a day.
We're opening one founding departure before we build the full booking platform. Your deposit is fully refundable and simply confirms genuine interest; we'll follow up individually before any final payment. Read the deposit terms.
We're validating demand before we build out full operations. Reserving a spot puts down a fully refundable deposit and gets you priority access and a say in the circuit — it does not lock you into travel.
Most southern Italy touring gets squeezed into a couple of days after Rome, Florence and Venice. We do the opposite — three full regions across Campania, Calabria and Sicily, at a pace that lets you actually be somewhere, not just photograph it from a bus window.
We're starting with Campania, Calabria and Sicily based on where interest points us — join the waitlist below and note your background. We're planning to expand region by region over time.
Yes, in full, on request at any time before the departure is confirmed. The founding circuit runs only once it reaches minimum numbers; if it doesn't, every deposit is refunded in full automatically. If it runs, your deposit comes off the trip price. Payments are processed securely by Stripe — we never see your card details. Full deposit terms.
Your details are in. Secure your place on the founding circuit with the refundable $500 deposit — it takes about a minute.
Processed by Stripe · Fully refundable before the departure is confirmed · Deposit terms