Hi from Rick: We ♥ Italy
Last month, after a "welcome to Italy" dinner in Rome, I strolled over to Piazza Navona — just to cap a lovely day at one of my favorite spots to savor the Eternal City. The square — long and oblong, still shaped like an ancient chariot-race course — is a joyful jumble of statues, obelisks, and domes towering over passeggiata strollers; street artists wowing onlookers with tourist portraits, the pop of a cork signaling a fountain-side prosecco; and locals seeing how much love they can pack onto a Vespa. I was impressed by how, frankly, normal the piazza felt…and how enduring my love for Italy remains.
But this year, our tour sales to Italy are a bit slow. With the death of Pope Francis and hubbub surrounding his funeral, the conclave, and the election of Pope Leo XIV — all in the same year when the Vatican had already invited Catholics from around the globe to Rome for the 2025 Jubilee — people are wondering is the Eternal City simply too jammed this year to enjoy? I was just there — and the answer is "no."
In April, I spent a week in Rome filming a new public television special and found most of the city no more crowded than usual. Sure, it's busy — but Rome is always busy. The Jubilee is bringing lots of pilgrims, but their agenda sticks to the major pilgrimage sites. The other 90 percent of the city hardly feels the Jubilee jam. Same goes for the rest of Italy. Some creative worriers speculated that the entire country would be unbearably crowded, swept up in Jubilee jostles. But we've got dozens of tours on the road right now in Italy and based on reports from our guides, Italy is crowded, sure…but no more than usual. And our tour operations department has been working closely with our wonderful Italian team to fine-tune our tour experiences there and minimize any crowd problems.
So, if you've been dreaming of an Italian getaway, don't let the "Rome is too crowded" headlines scare you away. We'd love to share our love of Italy with you on a Rick Steves tour, where our expert guides will immerse you in that dolce vita, the grandeur of the ancients, the breathtaking art of the Renaissance, and the colorful backstreets of your Italian dreams.
If a last-minute trip sounds tempting, note that we still have seats available on our late-summer and fall departures of our Best of Rome, Best of Venice, Florence & Rome, and Heart of Italy itineraries. And we've just released our 2026 tours, so you currently have your pick of departures for next year (and can save $100 per seat if you book by July 7).
In this month's Tour News, we'll get a closer look at our Best of Venice, Florence & Rome and Heart of Italy tours with colorful day-by-day slideshows, share rave reviews from recent Italy tour members, meet Italy guide Virginia Agostinelli, and revel in the art of the Florentine Renaissance.
I love how, traveling on our tours, you won't have to worry about booking rooms, securing tickets, or navigating crowds. We handle all that for you. And, with an expert Rick Steves guide leading the way as you peel back the layers of Rome, you might even find yourself asking... "Crowds? What crowds?"
(And where am I going for my annual vacation this fall? It's a secret…but it rhymes with Benice, the Trolomites, Lake Fomo, and the Cinque Berra.)
Buon Viaggio!
Rick