Select Italy Tours Sets Dates For "Venice-Veneto Experience"; 7 Day Town & Country Program For $2,850.

Business Editors & Travel Writers

WILMETTE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 25, 2000

Select Italy Tours, a division of upscale tour operator Select Italy, has set dates for its "Venice-Veneto Experience" tour for 2000. It will run September 3-10, October 15-22, and November 5-12. The September 3-10 program includes tickets to the famous Venice Film Festival, held on Lido Island. Information is available by calling 847/853-1661 or email to [e-mail]

The tour is a seven-day magical blending of the Veneto countryside and Venice which gives the visitor the excitement of the city and peace found in the Italian country. It includes cooking lessons, wine tastings, visits to Palladian villas and noble's castle, gondola tour, mask masking demonstration, and a private tour of Palazzo Ducale, the famous Doge's Palace. The program is $2,850 per person, and includes all accommodations, select meals, English-speaking guide and private ground transportation. Wholesale air rates available upon request.

"Veneto is the region where wealthy Venetians escaped the bustle of the city for over 700 years, and its rich history, Palladian architecture and local cuisine makes this tour very different than others," said Roz Katz, President of Select Italy Tours. "The Venice-Veneto Experience is a town & country tour which will immerse the traveler in local customs and show the best of upscale life in Venice and the surrounding Veneto countryside from centuries ago. In Veneto, we will be staying at the Villa Luppis, a lovingly preserved villa with an outstanding chef who will give cooking lessons and sumptuous meals." Katz noted she will escort the group on the September 3-10 program.

Katz added, "Venice and Veneto is famous for its buildings designed by Andrea Palladio (1508-1580), probably the most imitated architect in history. His designs are familiar to Americans as the basis for most state capital buildings, as well as Jefferson's Montecello."

The tour includes:

- Oderzo, site of many Roman ruins

- Canova Gypsotheque, home of neoclassical sculpture Antonio Canova.

- Bassano del Grappa famous for its grappa and 13th century Palladian bridge.

- Asolo. A delightful village at Mount Grappa and a haunt for 19th century
poets and writers.

- Villa Barbaro. One of Palladio's most gracious creations with opulent
frescoes by Paolo Veronese.

- Villa Emo. Built in 1530's one of the most perfect examples of Palladio's
"case di villa."

- Grado, a historic island town set among lagoons and a 12-mile beach.

- Aquileia. Filled with ancient Roman ruins. Emperor Augustus received Herod
the Great here in 10 B.C.

- Treviso, a fortified town which has been compared to Venice. Called the
"painted city" because of its numerous frescoes.

- Villa Pisani, also called the Villa Nazionale, is one of the most spectacular
villas in Veneto. Once owned by Napoleon, who appreciated its similarities to
Versailles. Later become a popular retreat for wealthy Venetians.

- Private visit of Palazzo Ducale. Private evening tour of the Doge's Palace,
the legendary rulers of Venice for centuries. Participants get to enjoy its
splendor after all the crowds have left.

Select Italy Tours, a division of Select Italy, creates tour packages for those who want to experience the best in Italy with a specific itinerary. It plans to soon unveil an Italian Jewish heritage and golf program.

Select Italy based in Wilmette, IL and Venice, specializes in designing tailored individualized tours, including outsourcing to travel agents. Additional information is available at www.selectitaly.com.