About Us

Hidden Italy has been organising walking tours in Italy for 16 years and was one of the pioneers of small group active tourism. Our first guided walking tour was based in Montalcino in southern Tuscany. Since then we have taken people walking many different parts of Italy, from the Lakes in the north to Sicily in the south and lots of places in between, including Liguria, Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria and the Amalfi coast.

The idea for Hidden Italy came during the six years I spent living and working in Milan in the 1980s, when, to escape the bustle and smog of that wonderful city, I went walking in the surrounding mountains, along the rivers on the Po plain and along the coastal paths of nearby Liguria.

For me there are still few greater pleasures than entering the walls of an ancient Italian town after a good day’s walk, with the prospect of a fine meal and a warm bed in front of me. The original idea for Hidden Italy was to share this experience.

Hidden Italy is based in Sydney, Australia, with our operational manager based in Tuscany. We have booking agents in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

We are very pleased with our 2009 program. We hope you will agree and that you will consider joining us in our adventures.

Simon Tancred
Director, Hidden Italy

About Simon Tancred
I first went to Italy as a backpacker in 1980 and fell in love with it. I returned in 1983, living and working in Milan until 1988. For many years afterwards I was a program manager at the Institute of Languages, University of New South Wales (Sydney) taking guided tours to Italy annually. I spent two years with my family in Prato (Florence) in 2003 and 2004, establishing a language centre for Monash University (Melbourne). Since then I have dedicated myself full-time to Hidden Italy. I love photography and writing and have had articles and photographs on Italy published in most major Australian newspapers and travel magazines. I speak fluent Italian, unfortunately with a distinct Australian accent.

What Makes Our Tours Unique?

	Hidden Italy visits places that are off the beaten track, and visits them in times of the year that avoid the main seasons.
	Our itineraries offer a blend of experiences that have a logical thread, but also have the space and time for you to follow your individual interests
	Each itinerary concentrates on a single area with its own historical and cultural integrity, moving at a relaxed pace, which means that you have more opportunities to really get to know and understand the places you visit.
	Our guided tours travel in small groups (from seven to a maximum of fourteen guests), which means that we can move discretely; the service is personalised; and there is the chance to get to know your travel companions.
	Our self-guided walks are updated regularly and have 24 hour telephone back-up.
	View our Guided Tours
	View our Self Guided Walks