Italy & Tunisia
Friendship Golf Tour

March 12–24, 2027  ·  13 Days  ·  Rome  →  Hammamet  →  Tunis

Trip Highlights

Two countries, four championship rounds, two thousand years of history

Thirteen days across the Mediterranean, built around one idea: that the best way to see a country is to play golf with the people who live there. You'll tee it up alongside members at Marco Simone, host of the 2023 Ryder Cup, walk the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel with private historians, and cross to Tunisia for ancient Carthage, the Roman amphitheatre at El Jem, and two of North Africa's finest courses.

13 Days
4 Championship Rounds
3 Hotels
20 Guests Maximum
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Golf With Locals

Both rounds at Marco Simone are played in mixed groups alongside club members — the heart of the Friendship Golf idea.

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Living History

The Colosseum, the Vatican, ancient Carthage, El Jem and Kairouan — with private licensed guides throughout.

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Built for Couples

A full parallel programme for non-golfers on every golf day. Nobody spends the week waiting at the hotel.

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Mediterranean Luxury

A boutique Roman palazzo, an adults-only beachfront retreat in Hammamet, and a five-star resort in Tunis.

The Golf

Four rounds across three courses

Rome · 2 Rounds

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Host venue, 2023 Ryder Cup

The course where Europe reclaimed the Ryder Cup on home soil, set in the rolling countryside northeast of Rome with the city skyline on the horizon. You'll play it twice — both rounds in mixed groups paired with Marco Simone members.

Hammamet · 1 Round

Citrus Golf Club — La Forêt

18 holes · Par 72 · Ronald Fream design

Voted Tunisia's best golf course by the World Golf Awards. La Forêt winds through pine forest and olive groves across 173 hectares, with seven lakes and narrow, thinking-golfer fairways. The flagship of Citrus and the tougher of its two championship layouts.

Tunis · 1 Round

The Residence Golf Course

18 holes · Par 72 · Robert Trent Jones II

Laid out on salt flats beside the Mediterranean, right on the grounds of your hotel. Two returning nines with back-to-back par fives — "Tenacity" and "Courage" — and a tidal-water stretch from the 12th to the 14th before a long par-five finish.

Playing with members. At Marco Simone, both rounds are arranged as mixed groups pairing our guests with local club members — friendly competition, shared scorecards, and the introductions that turn a golf trip into something you remember. Golf carts, transfers, unlimited practice facilities and clubhouse lunch are included on all golf days. Beverages at the clubhouse are not included.

Jack McCullars
Your Host

Personally hosted by Jack McCullars

Jack travels with the group for all thirteen days — not a rep who meets you at the airport, but the person who built the trip and who knows the people you'll meet along the way.

Jack lived in Tunisia for more than a decade. He knows the country's history, its food, its golf and its people first-hand, and the Tunisian half of this itinerary is drawn from years of living there rather than from a brochure. Our Tunisia operations are run in-house through our own local team, which is why this leg opens doors that standard packages don't — including coffee and conversation with English-speaking Tunisian friends on the way to Tunis.

Friendship Golf Tours is a division of International Golf Adventures, an IAGTO member operating custom golf travel since 1999.

Itinerary

Day by day, March 12–24, 2027

Part One — Rome, Italy

March 12–18  ·  6 Nights
1
Friday, March 12

Arrival in Rome

Meet and greet at Fiumicino Airport with private transfers to Leon's Place Hotel. Settle in and gather in the evening for a welcome dinner at an authentic Roman restaurant.

Included: airport meet & greet, private transfers, welcome dinner

2
Saturday, March 13

Christian History of Rome All Guests

A full day tracing the origins of the Church. San Giovanni in Laterano, the first cathedral of Rome; the Papal Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura; the Abbey of Tre Fontane; Santa Croce in Gerusalemme; Santa Maria Maggiore; and the Catacombs of Domitilla.

Included: private English-speaking guide, all entrance tickets, earphone system, light lunch at a traditional Roman restaurant with beverages

3
Sunday, March 14

Colosseum & Ancient Rome All Guests

Two thousand years in a single day. San Clemente al Laterano, layered over a first-century house and a Mithraic temple; the Mamertine Prison, held by tradition to be where Peter and Paul were imprisoned; then the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.

Included: private English-speaking guide, all entrance tickets, earphone system, light lunch at a traditional Roman restaurant with beverages

4
Monday, March 15

Golf Round 1 & Fountains and Piazzas

Golfers

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club, playing in mixed groups with club members. Transfers, cart and clubhouse lunch included.

Non-Golfers

Guided half day through the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, the Spanish Steps and Trastevere, with lunch at a traditional restaurant.

Note: beverages are included with tourism-day lunches; clubhouse beverages are not included

5
Tuesday, March 16

Golf Round 2 & Art and Lesser-Known Gems

Golfers

Second round at Marco Simone, again in mixed groups with club members. Transfers, cart and clubhouse lunch included.

Non-Golfers

Guided half day at Castel Sant'Angelo and the Galleria Borghese, one of the finest private collections in the world, with lunch included.

6
Wednesday, March 17

The Vatican All Guests

A full day at the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, with lunch at Romolo alla Mole Adriana. We will pursue a Papal Audience for the group; confirmation depends on the Pope's schedule closer to the date. In the evening, our second included dinner at an elegant authentic Italian restaurant.

Included: private English-speaking guide, all entrance tickets, earphone system, lunch with beverages, farewell Rome dinner

7
Thursday, March 18

Rome to Tunisia

Breakfast at the hotel, then private transfer to Fiumicino for the afternoon flight to Tunis. On arrival, private transfer along the coast to Hammamet and check in at La Badira, followed by our welcome dinner at the hotel.

Included: transfers both ends, flight Rome–Tunis, welcome dinner at La Badira

Part Two — Tunisia

March 18–24  ·  6 Nights
8
Friday, March 19

Golf Round 3 & Hammamet Medina

Golfers

Citrus Golf Club, La Forêt course — Tunisia's top-rated layout. Lunch at the clubhouse after the round.

Non-Golfers

A gentle guided morning through the Hammamet Kasbah and Medina with a seafront walk and mint tea at Café Sidi Bouhdid, overlooking the sea.

Evening: the whole group comes together for a Tunisian folklore dinner and show at Restaurant Shéhérazade.

9
Saturday, March 20

El Jem & Kairouan All Guests

The most spectacular day of the Tunisian leg. Morning at the Amphitheatre of El Jem, the greatest Roman monument in North Africa and a rival to the Colosseum itself. Afternoon in Kairouan, one of the holiest cities in Islam — the Great Mosque, the medina, and the Aghlabid Basins.

Included: professional guide, coach, all site entrances, lunch in Kairouan. Evening free at La Badira.

10
Sunday, March 21

Tunis Medina & Coffee With Friends All Guests

Check out of La Badira and head for the capital. A guided walk through the Medina of Tunis — a UNESCO World Heritage site — taking in the souks, the architecture and the layers of a city that has been trading for thirteen centuries. Lunch at Dar El Jeld, a restored eighteenth-century mansion in the heart of the old town and one of the finest tables in Tunisia.

After lunch the coach meets us on the far side of the Medina at Kasbah Square, so the walk carries you right through the old city rather than doubling back. From there we stop for coffee with English-speaking Tunisian friends — Jack's own contacts from his years living here — before continuing on to The Residence in Tunis.

Included: professional guide, coach, lunch at Dar El Jeld, coffee with local hosts

11
Monday, March 22

Golf Round 4, the Bardo & Sidi Bou Saïd

Golfers

The Residence Golf Course, Robert Trent Jones II, on the hotel grounds — no transfer needed.

Non-Golfers

Morning at the Bardo National Museum, home to the largest collection of Roman mosaics anywhere in the world.

Afternoon, all together: the whole group reunites for Sidi Bou Saïd, the blue-and-white village above the Gulf of Tunis — cobbled lanes, galleries, mint tea and one of the most photographed views in North Africa. Nobody misses this one.

12
Tuesday, March 23

Carthage — Martyrs, Bishops and Augustine All Guests

The thematic centrepiece of the trip, and the thread that ties Tunisia back to Rome. A curated day at ancient Carthage as one of the great centres of early Christianity: Byrsa Hill for the panorama, the Antonine Baths, the Carthage Amphitheatre associated with the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity in AD 203, and the early Christian basilica at Damous El Karita.

Along the way, the figures who shaped the Western church from this soil — Tertullian, Cyprian, the Councils of Carthage, and the young Augustine, who came here to study rhetoric and left as one of history's great minds.

Evening: farewell dinner with the full group, marking the end of thirteen days together.

Included: specialist guide, all site entrances, lunch at Le Golfe in La Marsa, farewell dinner

13
Wednesday, March 24

Departure

Breakfast and check out, then private transfer to Tunis–Carthage International Airport for the late-morning flight to Rome Fiumicino, arriving early afternoon for onward connections. Guests who would like to extend their stay in Italy or Tunisia are welcome to — just let us know and we'll arrange it.

What's Included

One price, from arrival in Rome to departure from Tunis

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12 nights' accommodation — 6 nights in Rome at Leon's Place, 3 at La Badira in Hammamet, 3 at The Residence in Tunis

4 rounds of championship golf — two at Marco Simone in mixed groups with members, one at Citrus La Forêt, one at The Residence, carts and transfers included

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Breakfast every morning — full American breakfast in Rome, buffet breakfast at both Tunisian hotels

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4 included dinners — two in Rome at elegant authentic Italian restaurants, a welcome dinner at La Badira and a farewell dinner in Tunisia

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Tunisian folklore dinner and show at Restaurant Shéhérazade, for the whole group

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Lunch every touring day at carefully chosen local restaurants, beverages included — plus clubhouse lunch on golf days (clubhouse beverages not included)

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Private licensed guides throughout — three full days and two half days in Rome, full guided programme in Tunisia, with earphone systems

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All entrance tickets including priority and skip-the-line access at the Vatican, Colosseum and major sites

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All ground transportation — airport transfers, golf transfers, inter-city and inter-hotel coaches across both countries

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Rome to Tunis flight on the connecting leg between the two halves of the tour

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Spa access in Rome and unlimited use of practice facilities at all three golf courses

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Jack McCullars hosting throughout plus full-time local assistance in both countries

Where You'll Stay

Three hotels chosen for character, location and comfort

Rome

Leon's Place Hotel

6 Nights  ·  Rome City Center  ·  Boutique 4-Star

A beautifully restored nineteenth-century palazzo tucked between the Villa Borghese gardens and the historic center — one of Rome's most acclaimed boutique hotels, outranking many of the city's larger five-star properties on every major review platform. Leon's Place offers elegant, individually designed rooms, full American breakfast daily, complimentary spa access, and the kind of attentive personal service that larger hotels simply can't match. Your home in Rome for six nights.

Hammamet

La Badira

3 Nights  ·  Adults Only  ·  Beachfront

An adults-only design hotel on the Hammamet shoreline, and the finest address on this stretch of coast. Junior suites with sea views, a serene spa, and a standard of Tunisian hospitality that consistently surprises first-time visitors. Ten minutes from Citrus Golf Club and the ideal introduction to the country.

Tunis

The Residence Tunis

3 Nights  ·  5-Star  ·  Golf On Property

One of the most exclusive hotels in Tunisia, with its Robert Trent Jones II championship course on the grounds and a celebrated thalassotherapy spa. Minutes from Carthage and Sidi Bou Saïd, and a short drive from the airport on departure morning.

Pricing

Per person, based on two sharing a room

Non-Golfer

Per person, double occupancy

$$$$ per person
  • 12 nights across three hotels
  • Dedicated guided programme on every golf day
  • All guided touring and entrance tickets
  • 4 dinners, folklore dinner, all touring lunches
  • Bardo Museum and Sidi Bou Saïd
  • Rome–Tunis flight and all transfers
  • Every full-group day alongside the golfers

Single supplement: $$$$ per person, for guests who would like a private room.

Booking Information

Twenty places. One departure. March 12, 2027.

This tour runs once, with a maximum of 20 guests, and it is designed for couples and friends travelling together — golfers and non-golfers alike. Reach out by email or phone and Jack will walk you through the itinerary personally, answer your questions, and hold a place for you while final pricing is confirmed.

Talk to Jack

The fastest way to get your questions answered is a direct call or email. No forms, no call centre.

US Phone

888-99-PLAYGOLF

UK Phone

0800-111-GOLF

Address

10904 Scarsdale Blvd., Ste 350-149
Houston, TX 77089, USA

Request Full Details

Send us a note and we'll follow up with the complete itinerary, pricing, and deposit information.

Places are limited to 20 guests. Early registrants receive priority on room type and tee-time pairings.

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