Italy, Croatia and Central Europe — guided properly, with someone who knows the back roads as well as the landmarks. Over ten thousand guests and counting.
Europe feels different when the person leading it knows not only the landmarks, but the kitchens, people and small detours that make it memorable.
I grew up in Koper — a small bilingual town in Slovenia, five miles from the Italian border. Italy was never really a foreign country to me. It was the next street over, the other language at the market, the place we drove to on weekends. That familiarity runs deeper than any guidebook can reach, and it's still the thing I draw on most.
After 25 years, 19 of them with Trafalgar, I still feel it every time. The groups I love most span generations: young families and grandparents, honeymooners and seasoned travellers, five to ninety on the same coach, sharing the same table. That mix is what turns a tour group into a family. Connecting them with the local people I've known for years — the restaurant owner who comes out of the kitchen, the craftsman who's been at his bench for decades — that's what makes Italy feel like it belongs to them.
These are the tours I keep coming back to — and the ones guests keep telling me changed how they see Europe. They're hard not to fall in love with.
Burano · Venice Lagoon
Italy had always been a dream for us. What surprised me was how different it felt from anything we'd imagined. Sasha didn't just take us to places — he made us understand them. The history, the food, the people. We came home feeling like we'd actually lived it.
Florence · Piazzale Michelangelo
Sasha was organised and gave us everything we needed the day before and the day of. We've done many tours and he is one of the best. His passion and enthusiasm for Italy — every region, every city — made the whole experience exceptional.
Piazzas & Fountains of Rome
We'd been to Rome the year before on our own. We thought we'd seen it. Walking with a Local Specialist alongside Sasha was something else — the streets between the fountains, the stories behind what we'd been looking at all along. We finally got it.
Venice · The Lagoon
Sasha made us feel well taken care of the entire trip. He had dining and shopping recommendations ready for every free moment, and his enthusiasm generated a group camaraderie I didn't expect. I would love to travel with him again.
Roman Evening with Dinner
Second night, long day, we nearly said no. So glad we didn't. Vittoria came out of the kitchen herself, the food was nothing like anything we'd eaten before — real Roman cooking, not a tourist trap in sight. The whole group went, the whole group stayed. Somewhere between the wine and the accordion we realised we'd already become a family. Only day two.
Best of Italy
This was our first tour. We had no idea what to expect. Sasha went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a great experience — he truly cared, found great value in the optional experiences, and helped us avoid every tourist trap. We are telling everyone we know to look at Trafalgar.
Reach me before departure — happy to answer any questions about the tour, what to pack, or what to look forward to.
info@sasharojnik.com
