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Steve Perillo

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Steve’s Bio

Music, Travel, Politics and Fun!

Steve Perillo is the CEO of an international tour company by-day, and a composer by-night.

Steve heads-up PERILLO TOURS, America’s largest travel company to Italy since 1945.  He was a lifelong apprentice to the legendary Mario Perillo, Mr. Italy, and represents the 3rd generation of the family business.

While specializing  in Italy tourism, Perillo also offers vacations to Greece, Hawaii, Costa Rica, and the educational brand, LEARNING JOURNEYS .

Mr. Perillo is carrying on his father’s distinctive style of  TV commercials as CEO/spokesman for the company. In this age of large, impersonal travel conglomerates, Perillo is unique as an owner/operator who personally stands behind every vacation sold.

Perillo’s latest enterprise is ITALYVACATIONS.COM , a do-it-yourself, fully customizable travel booking engine.

Musically, Mr. Perillo’s composition studies were under the guidance of David del Tredici at Boston University.  His works are a colorful and dramatic combination of  pop, classical and 21st Century concert styles.  While eclectic, he maintains a rigorous formal technique.

Mr. Perillo’s catalog includes dozens of piano works, pop songs, a flute sonata, brass quintet, 2 wind quintets, piano trio, string quartet, 8 extended “tone poems” for large orchestra, a piano concerto and symphonies.

Meanwhile, Mr. Perillo is active in Italian and Catholic charitable organizations such as Unico, NIAF and the Sons of Italy. He’s also a major contributor to the Vatican Restoration Project in Rome. He resides in Saddle River, New Jersey.

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Launched in 2009, ItalyVacations is the sister company of America's oldest and largest travel company to Italy - Perillo Tours.

Perillo Tours was founded by Joseph Perillo in 1945 . It was a time when well-heeled Americans set aside a month to visit Italy, and Joseph would arrange for his client's trans-Atlantic crossing, a private guide to greet them in Naples, hotel reservations, museum tours and letters of introduction.  With all arrangements done by telex and mail, a trip could take six months to prepare!

In 1975, Joseph's son Mario Perillo streamlined the operations and made arranging trips easier by combining chartered aircraft and motor coach sightseeing. By the summer of 1978, he was filling three 747s a week with first-time visitors to Italy.  The price, including airfare, hotels, meals and sightseeing for 2 weeks, was $699 per person!  Perillo Tours quickly became a household name and Mario was dubbed " Mr. Italy ."

When Mario Perillo passed away in 2003, his son Steve Perillo felt the a mission was clear: to combine the expertise of Joseph's customized services with the mass buying power of Mario's group tours.  Now, Steve proudly presents ItalyVacations!

Perillo has a long history of escorting travelers to Italy, so with ItalyVacations you can be sure that this is not just another assortment of travel booking links. With 75 years of experience creating exciting itineraries, filling Italian hotels, hiring services and accommodating the most "interesting" customer requests - ItalyVacations is the ultimate one-stop-shop for creating your custom itinerary to Italy .

ItalyVacations is designed to be easy to use and is backed by our vast experience in creating quality packages that are exciting, well-paced and fun.  So you can be assured that everything we offer meets our standards of quality.  We are happy to help you make arrangements, but for many of you, we know that's the fun part!  So ItalyVacations.com allows you to build your own Italy Vacation and we're always here to help by phone or e-mail.

Here, anything is possible.  Take a guided tour of Venice and Rome followed by a wine tasting in Tuscany, or try a cooking class in Sorrento with a rental car to Puglia and 3 nights in Taormina.  And just in case you are interested in something you don't see on our site, just ask - we will make your trip as spectacular as you dream it to be.

Book your vacation to Italy with ItalyVacations and know that you're entrusting your vacation to the most experienced team of Italy travel professionals around. Since we know our business so well, we know that traveling is sometimes not as smooth as we planned. There are often dozens of connections, arrivals and departures to deal with. Weather, traffic, mechanical difficulties and other influences can mar your serene experience. Unknown companies, new tour operators, and giant booking websites can't offer you the support, advice, and experience that we can.

ItalyVacations will be here for you before, during and after your trip. That's our pledge and that's your peace of mind.

Thank you for using Perillo's ItalyVacations - brought to you by one of the oldest and most trusted travel companies in America!

• Terms of Travel
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The Scoop: What to Know About Perillo Tours

This italy specialist also offers tours to greece, spain, and hawaii..

The Scoop: What to Know About Trafalgar Tours

• Perillo Tours is a U.S.-based tour operator specializing in guided trips to Italy.
• Here’s everything you need to know—updated for 2024—about Perillo Tours to decide if it the tour company is a good fit for you.

Perillo Tours is an Italy-focused tour specialist for travelers coming from North America. Started in 1945 and operated by three generations of the same Italian-American family, Perillo has folks on the ground in both the U.S. and Italy. In more recent decades, the tour company has offers guided tours to Hawaii, Spain, and Greece in addition to its signature Italy tours.

TourScoop Takeaways

• Countries: Italy, Greece, Spain, and Hawaii
• Tour size: Up to 40 passengers
• Tour types: Group coach tours and private group coach tours

Credibility Check

On the USTOA (U.S. Tour Operators Association) and Travelstride site, Perillo gets 4.8 out of 5 . Perillo is not BBB accredited but earns an A+ rating from the organization.

Tour Destinations

Perillo is best known as an Italy specialist, with tours that range from nine to 15 days all across Italy. The company also offers a limited number of itineraries to Greece and Spain. And for 30 years, Perillo has also been hosting guided tours to Hawaii.

Perillo’s group Italy tours focus on either a geographical region or a theme. So for instance, you could opt for a tour that focuses exclusively on Rome and the Amalfi Coast, or Sicily and Italy’s South; or you could choose a themed tour like Renaissance and let the topic take you to cities (like Florence) that were important during the period. Some tours are more food-focused (for instance, Green Heart of Italy) but all Perillo tours are focused on good food experiences.

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Perillo’s Greece tour itineraries are more limited in number, but most offer a mix of land and sea excursions. The company currently offers just one Spain tour, a 13-day trip that covers much of the country. Perillo’s Hawaii tours focus on multi-island excursions that give travelers an easy way to experience the different islands of Hawaii on one itinerary. Hawaii tours range from about nine to 13 days.

Tour Guides

Perillo uses both tour directors and local guides, and both must pass a rigorous series of written and oral exams before becoming Perillo tour guides. According to Perillo: “This is a very difficult process, with approximately only one in 10 applicants passing the examinations.” And All Perillo guides are trained in the “Perillo style of ‘over-the-top’ guest service.”

Excursions/Extras

Perillo tour prices include hotels, sightseeing with expert guides, transfers, baggage handling, daily breakfast, select scheduled meals, tips, taxes, and complimentary WiFi on all Perillo coach buses. While Perillo does offer competitive airfare, it’s not included in the base price of the tour.

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There are often additional optional activities offered at (a fair and modest) extra cost during tour free time. Examples of such extras include a gondola serenade in Venice, the Illuminated Rome at Night experience, a Lake Como boat cruise, and a visit to Villa D’Este in Tivoli.

Typical Travelers

The majority of Perillo Tours’ guests fall in the 59-77 age range, and most are from the United States. Perillo Tours are popular with couples, but about 13% of tour travelers are solo travelers.

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Communication

Perillo communications come via via phone, email and website. Payment reminders and alerts are emailed. Final documents are mailed along with baggage tags, instructions with a travel wallet, and a travel pouch.

Loyalty Program

Perillo offers a discount, a special gift, and best available rooms for repeat travelers.

Private Options

Perillo Tours, offers private escorted tours for groups with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 20 people. These tours are popular with multigenerational and extended families, and groups of close friends. Eight of Perillo’s signature itineraries are available as private tours, and all feature hand-selected, immersive experiences like olive oil and wine tasting in Tuscany, private boat rides around Capri, and parmigiano cheese sampling in Parma. 

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Rome & the Amalfi Coast

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• Wander around Rome's famous landmarks including the Colosseum, Vatican City, Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica and much more
• Settle into Amalfi historic Hotel with charming first class overlooking the sea
• Sail to island Carpi, PositanoPositano and Sorrento
• Hike to charming mountain Ravello
• visit the beautiful Villa Rufolo
• Enjoy the wine tasting with the best Amalfi Coast wines and the famous LIMONCELLO liqueur

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Travel themes.

• National Parks
• Nature & Wildlife

Destinations

Attractions.

• Amalfi Coast
• Wine Tasting

Trip includes

• Great Hotels.Centrally located, First-Class and Deluxe hotels, exclusively.
• Smaller Groups. 20 to 30 guests per tour.
• More Legroom. Deluxe, state-of-the-art motorcoaches with EXTRA legroom.
• Airport Transfers. Arrival and departure transfers in Italy. (see conditions)
• Buffet Breakfast Daily. A very hearty start to each day!
• 3 Dinners & 2 Lunches. Including pasta or soup, choice of entrees, vegetable, salad, dessert, coffee, wine, mineral water, beer or soft drink.
• Wine Tasting. Vineyard tour, wine tasting and a light dinner.
• Gourmet Ice Cream Tasting at Florence Hotel.
• Wireless Headsets to hear your guide clearly and distinctly in public places.
• Travel Wallet, baggage tags and travel documents included.
• Baggage Handling. Never touch your bag! (except at airports)
• Hotel Taxes, Hotel Service Charges and All Tips for hotel and restaurant personnel.
• Professional Tour Directors and licensed local guides.
• We now offer complimentary Wi-Fi on our buses.

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Want a tailor-made trip instead?

Your trip, your way, planned by an expert:.

• You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
• Expert designs the itinerary for you, and once approved, takes care of logistics

Dates & Availability

Check Current Availability, prices, specials with Perillo Tours .

The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.

Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.

Perillo Tours Reviews & Ratings

Not worth your money.

My Mom and I had the opportunity to visit Italy this summer on the 9 day Rome and Amalfi Coast Tour. Italy is a beautiful country and everyone needs to see and exper...

Other Perillo Tours Reviews

Avid Traveler

Despicable and Unhealthy Bus Conditions

On our trip to Amalfi coast, the bus was parked in a field for two days. The next day, we had an 8 hour bus trip to Sicily. The bus was not properly cleaned before...

It was my dream to go to italy

It was my dream to go to italy, we went 2019 Perillo Tour and Angelica made my d...

Every single thing went perfectly and smoothly and it was a dream come true

We took the North Classic Tour in Sept 2019. It was the dream vacation we had been hoping for and planning for 15 years! We added Sicily at the beginning and my gran...

See all Other Perillo Tours reviews

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Tour operator, perillo tours.

We would like to introduce you to unique and exclusive customized tours for both first time travelers, as well as your most discerning and well seasoned groups.

For 66 years and three generations the Perillo family has perfected the art of traveling to Italy and beyond, making Perillo Tours America's leading tour operator to Italy. From major cities to the charming hill towns off the beaten path, Perillo's itineraries are crafted with the ideal balance of sightseeing, free time and activities that offer an immersion into rich traditions.

PT Groups can customize any tour to specifically suit your group needs...Your group, your way. One of a kind journeys exclusive and unique.

The customized group experience is perfect for:

Family Groups

Faith-Based Travelers

Educational and Academic Groups

Affinity Groups and Clubs

Non-Profit Organizations

Conferences

Perillo Tours is proud to offer a new era in customized groups , including our exciting Learning Journeys! PT Learning Journeys was created so that students of all ages can experience the richness and diversity of the world, while applying learning through hands-on experience such as performances, cooking classes, language immersions and art studies.

We look forward to welcoming your group on a trip of a lifetime including visits to both traditional and exclusive, unique sights, tasty food specialties and the cultural immersion that only Perillo Tours can offer!

Since 1945, three generations of the Perillo family have perfected the art of traveling to Italy. And this means that when you book your vacation, you can relax and let us take care of all the details. For my grandfather, Joseph, and my father, Mario, nothing was better than receiving letters of thanks from the thousands and thousands of travelers who've journeyed with us. That's still true today. We invite you to discover why we've always been number one to Italy.

Why Perillo

For 66 years, three generations of the Perillo family have perfected the art of traveling to Italy. And this means that when you book your vacation, you can relax and let Perillo take care of all the details. For my grandfather, Joseph, and my father, Mario, nothing was better than receiving letters of thanks from the thousands and thousands of travelers who've journeyed with us. That's still true today. We invite you to discover why we've always been number one for travel to Italy.

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Optional Tour Add-Ons

Make the most of your time in Italy with these great optional tours:

Moses & Catacombs

Duration: 2 hrs

First we visit the Church of St Peter in Chains to see the preserved chains and Michelangelo's statue of Moses.  Then we continue to the Catacombs, the underground cemeteries of the early Christians.

Piazzas & Fountains

Duration: 2 hours

During our walking tour we will delve more into renaissance Rome visiting Bernini's Fountains, the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain (throw a coin in and make a wish),  the impressive Pantheon and the famous Piazza Navona.

Sample Airfare

Airfares are unpredictable and impossible to estimate at time of brochure printing. Your airfare can range anywhere from approximately $400 to $950 depending on your departure city. Additionally, current departure tax and fuel surcharges are running approximately $650 per person and are subject to change.

Your exact airfare will be advised within 3 business days of booking your tour. You are under no obligation to accept Perillo's air schedule and quote. However, payment for tickets issued by Perillo Tours is due with "final payment."

Airfares DO include your roundtrip airport transfer in Italy at scheduled times, provided you arrive and depart on scheduled tour dates. If you wish to arrive earlier or extend your stay, airport transfers are not included.

We strongly recommend you BOOK EARLY as lowest airfares are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Plus, more availability on the most convenient flights and best seats.

Affordable Upgrades

When you purchase your Coach ticket through Perillo Tours, you can upgrade to "Classica Plus" or "Premium Economy" on select flights starting at $250 each way. For ultimate comfort enjoy Business Class/First Class for a surcharge of as little as $2700 per person.

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