Coach & Minibus Hire in Italy

Italy's Wine Country, with Someone Else at the Wheel

Wine regions are made for small groups. The lanes are narrow, the cellars welcome a dozen guests at a time, and everyone, including whoever would have driven, gets to taste. A minibus with a driver carries the group from one estate to the next.

The driver stays sober, by law

Italy sets a limit of zero for anyone carrying passengers for a living and for drivers of buses or of vehicles with more than eight passenger seats. On a wine day the driver does not taste at all, so the group can relax, and the bottles bought at the cellar door ride safely in the back.

Passenger van interior
Passenger van interior

Rules to know before you set off

  • The Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2014, with six component areas including the Langa of Barolo, the hills of Barbaresco, Grinzane Cavour castle, Nizza Monferrato, Canelli and the Monferrato of the infernot cellars
  • Etna's vineyards grow on the slopes of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, the most active stratovolcano in the world; its upper area has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013

Five regions within reach

Chianti Classico lies between Florence and Siena: about 71,800 hectares taking in the whole of Castellina, Gaiole, Greve and Radda. Greve is roughly 40 minutes from Florence and Castellina about 50 minutes from Siena, while Montalcino, home of Brunello, is a longer run of about 1 h 20 min from Siena. Look for the black rooster, emblem of the consortium founded in Radda in 1924.

In Piedmont, the vineyard landscape of the Langhe-Roero and Monferrato has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2014; Alba is about 1 h 15 min from Turin and Barolo about 1 h 20 min. Valpolicella begins barely half an hour from Verona, and its Amarone, Ripasso and Recioto come mainly from the native Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes.

Franciacorta, by Lake Iseo in the province of Brescia, makes sparkling wine by its own method, and the Strada del Franciacorta links its cellars; Erbusco lies about 1 h 20 min out of Milan. In Sicily the vines climb the slopes of Etna, whose upper area became a UNESCO site in 2013. From Taormina the north side at Piano Provenzana is about 1 h 10 min away.

Booking the cellars

Wineries receive groups by appointment, so reserve each visit and tasting before the day and send us the times. Three cellars make a full day; two leave room for a long lunch in a village square.

What travellers ask us

Can we mix wine with sightseeing?

Yes. San Gimignano pairs well with Chianti, the shore of Lake Garda with Valpolicella, and Taormina's old town with a morning on Etna.

Will a minibus reach the smaller estates?

Usually more easily than a coach. Give the winery addresses, and the operator checks the access roads for the size of vehicle.

Can we take cases of wine home on board?

A few cases fit in the rear luggage space if some seats are free. For a large order, say so in advance so there is room.

More places for your group

Other vehicles with a driver