The Colosseum in Rome at dusk, its arches lit gold from within

Italy

Kosher Italy: Our Trips in the Alps and Along the Coast

Italy is on three of our trips: a winter week at a kosher hotel in the Dolomites, and two kosher cruises that call at Rome, Sicily, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany and Venice. The meals are Glatt Kosher Mehadrin and the Shabbat is kept together.

Our Italy trips

Three ways to see Italy with a kosher kitchen behind you

Kosher Italy is a matter of planning, and these are the trips where it is planned for you: a mountain hotel and two ships, each with our own group and our own kitchen.

Snow on the Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites, wooden huts below jagged peaks at sunset

Canazei, the Dolomites

Italian Alps ski week

Dates: Private stays, winter season
From: Price to be announced

Kosher Italian Alps Ski Vacation

Positano on the Amalfi Coast at sunset, houses climbing the cliff above the sea

Rome and Barcelona

Mediterranean cruise

Dates: May 23–30, June 20–27, July 25 – August 1 and August 22–29, 2027
From: $3,150 per person

Kosher Mediterranean Cruise: Four Sailings in 2027

The Grand Canal in Venice lined with palazzos, the white stone Rialto Bridge across the water

Rome to Venice

Adriatic cruise

Dates: Next sailing to be announced
From: Price to be announced

Kosher Adriatic Cruise: Rome to Venice

We do not run a land tour of Italy. Every trip on this page is a winter hotel week or a cruise, and the dates and prices are announced on each trip's own page.

The mountains

The north: a kosher hotel in the Dolomites

In winter our group stays at a fully kosher hotel in Canazei, in the Val di Fassa, about two hours by road from Verona and Venice.

The week is built around the ski season, from December to March, and it suits skiers and non-skiers alike. Meals are Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, with a full Shabbat. Kosher Italian Alps Ski Vacation has the hotel and the terms. For the mountains themselves, from Mont Blanc to South Tyrol, see Kosher Italian Alps: The Region, the Seasons and Where We Stay, and for the valley around Canazei, Kosher Dolomites: Canazei, Val di Fassa and the Mountains.

The flat-topped rock walls of the Sella group above snowy slopes scattered with pines — The Sella group in winter

Canazei on the snowy valley floor far below, ringed by steep wooded slopes and peaks — Canazei and the Val di Fassa

The turquoise shore of Lago di Braies in South Tyrol, wooded slopes and pale peaks behind — Lago di Braies, South Tyrol

The snow-streaked flank of Mont Blanc above Courmayeur under a deep blue sky — Mont Blanc above Courmayeur

Rock spires and a green alpine valley seen from Seceda, cloud rolling over the ridge — The Dolomites from Seceda

Rome, Tuscany, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast

The west coast: Italy from the Mediterranean

Our seven-night Mediterranean cruise sails four times in 2027, from Rome to Barcelona in May and June and from Barcelona to Rome in July and August, and four or five of its ports are in Italy.

Livorno is the gateway to Florence and Pisa. Catania, in Sicily, sits at the foot of Mount Etna. Salerno is the port for the Amalfi Coast. The July and August sailings call at Messina in Sicily instead of Catania, and end in Rome; the May and June sailings begin there. You unpack once, and your kosher meals come with you from port to port. Kosher Mediterranean Cruise: Four Sailings in 2027 has the day plan and the terms.

The red dome of Florence Cathedral above the rooftops of the city — The Duomo, Florence

The Leaning Tower and the cathedral on the green lawn of Pisa — Pisa

Rows of vines running up a dry Tuscan slope toward a line of dark cypress trees and a wooded hill — Tuscany

Catania, with Mount Etna behind — Catania and Mount Etna

Pastel houses and a domed church on the steep cliffs of Positano, above a blue bay — Positano, on the Amalfi Coast

Rome to Venice

The east coast: Rome to Venice by sea

The seven-night Adriatic cruise starts in Rome and ends at the port for Venice, with Italy at both ends.

Between the two it calls at Salerno on the Amalfi Coast and at Catania, then crosses to Corfu in Greece, Kotor in Montenegro, Split in Croatia and Koper in Slovenia. The ship docks at Ravenna, the port for Venice, on the last morning. Kosher Adriatic Cruise: Rome to Venice has the port-by-port plan.

Arechi Castle on the hill above Salerno — Arechi Castle above Salerno

Gold stars on a deep blue mosaic ceiling in Ravenna — Mosaics in Ravenna

Jewish Italy

Jewish history in Rome and Venice

Italy holds some of the oldest Jewish history in Europe, and both of our cruises end in or next to it.

Jews have lived in Rome since at least 161 BCE, one of the oldest continuous communities in Europe. In Venice, the Ghetto was established in 1516, and the English word "ghetto" comes from it. Our cruises give you the cities as ports of call, not as a Jewish heritage program: the day plans are on each cruise page.

The ruined columns and arches of the Roman Forum under a blue sky — The Roman Forum, Rome

Kashrut

Kosher food in Italy: what to plan for

Italian food is local and fresh-made, and a kosher traveler on their own plans every meal, packed lunches included.

On our trips the planning is done. The meals are Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, cooked for our group in a kitchen under kosher supervision, whether in the Canazei hotel or on the ship. The supervising rav for each trip is to be confirmed. Tell us about any allergy or dietary need when you inquire.

Questions

Questions travelers ask about kosher Italy

Do you run a kosher vacation in Italy?

We run three trips that include Italy: a winter ski week at a kosher hotel in Canazei, a Mediterranean cruise between Rome and Barcelona, and an Adriatic cruise from Rome to Venice. The dates of each are on its page, and several are still to be announced.

Do you run a kosher tour of Italy?

No. We do not run an Italy land tour. Italy is reached on the hotel week and the two cruises above.

Is there a kosher hotel in Italy?

Our ski week is at a fully kosher 4-star hotel in Canazei, with Glatt Kosher Mehadrin meals and a full Shabbat. Kosher Italian Alps Ski Vacation has the details.

Is there a kosher cruise that stops in Italy?

Yes, two. The Mediterranean cruise calls at Livorno, Sicily and the Amalfi Coast and starts or ends in Rome. The Adriatic cruise starts in Rome, calls at Salerno and Catania, and ends at the port for Venice. Kosher cruises lists them with our other sailings.

Can I travel to Italy for Passover or Sukkot with you?

Not at present. Our Pesach programs are in Jerusalem, on the Kinneret and in Rhodes, and our Sukkot program is in Israel. Passover and Sukkot programs lists them.

Which Italian cities can I see on the cruises?

Rome, Florence and Pisa (from Livorno), Catania and Mount Etna in Sicily, the Amalfi Coast from Salerno, and Venice from Ravenna. The port-by-port plans are on the two cruise pages.

Is the food on the cruises kosher?

Yes. Every meal is Glatt Kosher Mehadrin, prepared for our group alone and served in its own dining area, with a daily minyan on board.