StuDudley I can safely assume you've never done a tour so here are some of your wrong assumptions:

-Busses do drive down small roads and we do walking tours of small villages. Tour busses will take the more "scenic" route and point out all the lovely/historic views along the way.
-Maupin tours are designated to be "smaller" tours, our last tour of Italy had 16 travelers.
-The tour company specializes in small, family owned dining establisnments, ones with history.
Hotels- you will always be in one of the best hotels in each particular city. The Danielli is always mentioned to be one of the best, if not the "premier" hotel of Venice. Each person has their own likes and dislikes, what hotel is perfect to you may not be perfect to the next person.

You do not understand what is really involved in tours and I think it's better to not try to discredit something if you have no personal knowledge about the subject.

This is precisely why I don't get involved in these conversations, a person asks about a tour and the majority of people who respond have never done a tour but spend a considerable amount of time swaying another person because of their own likes or dislikes.

>>>it's better to not try to discredit something if you have no personal knowledge about the subject.<<

I had/have no intention of discrediting you. Our tastes are different. Our tastes might be different in music, food, art, also. Your plusses are plusses for you, and some of them are minuses for many people - including me.

I spend 2 months each year vacationing in Europe - mainly France and Italy. Sixteen people on a tour together would be 12 too many for us - perhaps 14 too many. Most of my friends who travel feel the same way.

Your idea of the best hotel would be different than my idea - I would much rather stay at a less than "top" hotel (like the Danielli) - unless someone else is paying for it. Most of my time in Venice has been spent walking around, seeing the sights, taking vaparetto rides up & down the canals at different times of day, dancing and listening to the orchestra till midnight on St Marks Sq. I spend very little time at the hotel in Venice - and most of the time, my eyes are closed anyway. I like to "hang out" at La Saracina in Tuscany because that's the relaxing part of my vacation. In Venice, it's to much of a magical city to spent extra dollars at a hotel, and then rarely be inside of the hotel.

There is no way a bus/van carrying 16 people could (I'll soften that a little, to "should&quot drive down the small dirt roads in the Val d'Orcia - my favorite region of Tuscany. And I bet the bus would not spontaneously stop if two people want to get out half way between Pienza & San Quirico and try to hike to that church that's out on the horizon & featured on countless postcards. You and the OP may have no interest in doing this - I don't know what your interests are. I just tried to described some options that a independent vacationer might have over tours. I did say that I've never been on a tour, but I've never seen tour groups in some of my favorite nooks & crannies in Italy, and I've seen plenty of large groups hanging around waiting for busses to carry them away to their next destination - whether the traveller wants to go there then, or linger awhile longer at their present spot.

Different strokes for different folks (that gives away my age).

Stu Dudley

lauren,
This is not a good place for advice on a tour even though travelinwifey did a great job with the positive and negatives. My wife and I prefer to do both on the same vacation but you may be a little short on time.
A travel agent can give you many options for booking your own flight 'open jaw' (in to Rome, out of Venice for example). There are tours which last about 7-8 days and then you are on your own for 3-4 days.
We really enjoyed our tours and the other passengers were interesting and fun. We also loved walking in Rome by ourselves and just being a couple after the tour. The tour let's you get a feel for Italy and over your nervousness of travelling in Europe. It's not that hard and you will love it.
Trafalgar has a message board and even if you don't use them you will have a good idea of what to expect on a tour.
I do agree that you will go back, and with your budget amount you can have a luxurious vacation.

lhb1075,
Another option is to hire a travel consultant to do the planning to your specifications. Bob the navigator http://www.slowtrav.com/cl/detail.asp?l=1258 is a frequent poster here and is very knowledgeable on Italy. While I haven't used his services I have used his advice.

Hi Lauren,

Well, is your head spinning after all this imput? Yes, I'm sure it is.

Re: tour vs. independent

The main reason I suggested independent was because of your age. I felt that you would sort of feel like you were on a tour with your parents (as travelinwifey pointed out, the age group will be older).

And Travelinwifey, I don't think anyone is trying to talk Lauren out of a tour, I think they're just trying to be encouraging and helpful with their responses. It's just that in my experience, my clients who take tours are usually older; the only instance of someone's Lauren & her boyfriend's age is someone who was taking a tour WITH their parents (and usually the parents are paying for it as well).

And since she did ask about tours for "young people", that prompted a response addressing that, giving the independent option.

Lauren I can well identify with the driving issue; I'm the opposite of Justretired -- I drive, the hubby navigates; and yes, there have been arguments, but nothing earth shattering!

That said, both tour companies Travelinwifey mentioned are great. I've never had anyone have one negative comment with Tauck.

Let us know what you decide and how your trip goes!

Regards,

Melodie