Tours and Tour Dates
Northern Italy
April 19th - May 2nd, 2012 - 14 days
Venice - Verona - Bellagio - Cinque Terre -Rome
April 19th - May 2nd, 2012 - 14 days
Venice - Verona - Bellagio - Cinque Terre -Rome
Package inclusions:
§3 Nights Hotel in Venice
§2 Nights Hotel in Verona
§3 Nights Hotel in Bellagio, Lake Como
§3 Nights Hotel in Cinque Terre
§1 Night Hotel Rome
§ 6 Lunches, and 6 Dinners Included
§12 Breakfasts
§Guided Tour of Venice, St. Mark Square and St. Marks Tower
§ 3 Day Vaporetto (water bus) Pass in Venice
§Tour to Murano and Burano
§Wine Tour and Lunch To Amarone production area
§Wine Tour to Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino producers
§Lunch on Lake Garda
§Tour of Bellagio and Transportation and tour to Varenna and Menaggio
§Stops in Santa Margherita and Portofino
§Combination Boat Tour, Train Ride and Walking Tour of Cinque Terre
§Private Motor Coach Transportation for our Tours
§Group transfers to and from the airports in Italy
§All Wine Tastings & Tours
§All Boats and Ferries
§Local Guides
Excluded are airfare, meals not mentioned, travel insurance, tips to guides and drivers, and personal expenses.
§3 Nights Hotel in Venice
§2 Nights Hotel in Verona
§3 Nights Hotel in Bellagio, Lake Como
§3 Nights Hotel in Cinque Terre
§1 Night Hotel Rome
§ 6 Lunches, and 6 Dinners Included
§12 Breakfasts
§Guided Tour of Venice, St. Mark Square and St. Marks Tower
§ 3 Day Vaporetto (water bus) Pass in Venice
§Tour to Murano and Burano
§Wine Tour and Lunch To Amarone production area
§Wine Tour to Soave, Valpolicella and Bardolino producers
§Lunch on Lake Garda
§Tour of Bellagio and Transportation and tour to Varenna and Menaggio
§Stops in Santa Margherita and Portofino
§Combination Boat Tour, Train Ride and Walking Tour of Cinque Terre
§Private Motor Coach Transportation for our Tours
§Group transfers to and from the airports in Italy
§All Wine Tastings & Tours
§All Boats and Ferries
§Local Guides
Excluded are airfare, meals not mentioned, travel insurance, tips to guides and drivers, and personal expenses.
Italy Culinary Tour, personally escorted by
Chef Michael Bologna
May 9th - 18th, 2012 - 10 days
Amalfi Coast - Sorrento - Capri -Rome
The Amalfi Coast
Along this coast, where one mountain after another plunges sheer into the sea, there is a string of towns that not long ago were accessible only by boat. Today the Amalfi Drive, a spectacular cornice road of “a thousand bends”, covers the route; necessity makes it so narrow that every encounter with an oncoming vehicle is an adventure, but everyone except the drive will have a treat. Nature here has created an amazing vertical landscape, a mix of sharp crags and deep green forests. In doing so, she inspired the Italians to add three of their most beautiful towns.
Capri
Capri is pure enchantment and can lay fair claim to being the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean, a delicious Garden of Eden with over 800 species of flowers and plants cascading over a sheer chunk of limestone.
The coast around Capri are high and rocky and offer a large number of grottoes surrounded by rocks which rise out of the water, such as the famous Faraglioni. The geological structure of Capri is prevalently calcarea with the presence of tuff and pozzuolana transported by the winds during the volcanic eruptions of Campi Flegree and Vesuvius.
Capri’s fame as a seaside resort all contribute in making Capri a Mecca of international tourism, including the handicraft industry – which produces beautiful ceramics and majolica, coral jewelry, hand-made baskets and large wicker baskets and espadrilles.
The Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurro) – Capri’s most famous tourist site is well named if nothing else – its shimmering iridescent blueness is caused by the reflection of light on the water in the morning. Similar caverns are fairly common in the Mediterranean but Capri’s is the yardstick by which they are measured.
Sorrento
Sorrento is a land of colors, land of mermaid tales, and a city of orange and lemon groves. Sorrento is a very pretty little city where kindness and hospitality are a combination that is handed down from one generation to the next. Sorrento sits on a long cliff overlooking the bay. A narrow ravine cuts the town in half. On one side is a suburban area of quiet, mostly expensive hotels, around Via Correale. On the other is the Old Town, still preserving its grid of narrow Roman Streets.
The area surrounding Sorrento is one of the great garden spots of Campania – a lush little plain full of vines and lemon groves tucked beneath a backdrop of soaring hills. Sorrento is famous for the production of Limoncello, an alcoholic digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
ROME – THE ETERNAL CITY
Rome has been defined as the Eternal City, dubbed as the Urbe, the cuput mundi, such names sum up perfectly the age-old and everlasting importance of this city, the cradle of western civilization, the nucleus of the political life of the then known world, and for centuries, the centre of Christianity. Rome offers an historical, artistic, and monumental heritage of universal value, given that Roman civilization was together with its Greek counterpart, the great cradle of western civilization. To sum up, the city’s history, its culture and its art justify the definition of Rome as the caput mundi that is the capital of the world. Its majesty, its beauty, its remarkable monumental heritage render it eternal.
Positano
Positano is the most picturesque and photographed of the coastal towns. What is not in question, however, is that you’ll need a sturdy set of knees, for where most towns have streets, Positano has steps. Lots of them. The town is chock-a-block with expensive boutiques and steeply stacked houses whose pastel colors of peach, pink, terracotta andwhite lend it a slightly theatrical feel.
To complement the vertical landscape, here is Italy’s most nearly vertical town. You can walk down to the sea, only the alpinists among you can make it back up (fortunately, there is a regular bus service along the main street). When you get to the bottom there is a pebbly, grey beach and the town’s church decorated with a pretty tiled dome like many others along the coast. Positano is situated in a splendid gorge, which gradually widens out as it moves towards the ocean. The entire built-up area is surrounded by green palm and citrus groves, which makes it particularly delightful.
Amalfi
This miniscule village once had a population of 80,000. Most of the Old Town simply slid into the sea during a storm and earthquake in 1343.The earthquake completed Amalfi’s decline, but what is left of the place today – with its 5,000 or so people is beautiful almost to excess. Above the little square above the harbor, a conspicuous inscription brags, “Judgment Day, for the Amalfitani who go to Heaven, will be a day like any other day.” The square is called Piazza Flavio Giola from here an arch under the building leads to the centre of town, the Piazza del Duomo with a long flight of steps up to what may be the loveliest cathedral in the south of Italy (9th-12th centuries)
Ravello
Ravello enjoys a beautiful location, perched on a balcony overlooking the Amalfi coast. The village seems to have been a resort even in Roman times, for numerous remains of villas have been found. Ravello’s chief glories are its wonderful gardens, treasure houses of tropical botany.
Along this coast, where one mountain after another plunges sheer into the sea, there is a string of towns that not long ago were accessible only by boat. Today the Amalfi Drive, a spectacular cornice road of “a thousand bends”, covers the route; necessity makes it so narrow that every encounter with an oncoming vehicle is an adventure, but everyone except the drive will have a treat. Nature here has created an amazing vertical landscape, a mix of sharp crags and deep green forests. In doing so, she inspired the Italians to add three of their most beautiful towns.
Capri
Capri is pure enchantment and can lay fair claim to being the most beautiful island in the Mediterranean, a delicious Garden of Eden with over 800 species of flowers and plants cascading over a sheer chunk of limestone.
The coast around Capri are high and rocky and offer a large number of grottoes surrounded by rocks which rise out of the water, such as the famous Faraglioni. The geological structure of Capri is prevalently calcarea with the presence of tuff and pozzuolana transported by the winds during the volcanic eruptions of Campi Flegree and Vesuvius.
Capri’s fame as a seaside resort all contribute in making Capri a Mecca of international tourism, including the handicraft industry – which produces beautiful ceramics and majolica, coral jewelry, hand-made baskets and large wicker baskets and espadrilles.
The Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurro) – Capri’s most famous tourist site is well named if nothing else – its shimmering iridescent blueness is caused by the reflection of light on the water in the morning. Similar caverns are fairly common in the Mediterranean but Capri’s is the yardstick by which they are measured.
Sorrento
Sorrento is a land of colors, land of mermaid tales, and a city of orange and lemon groves. Sorrento is a very pretty little city where kindness and hospitality are a combination that is handed down from one generation to the next. Sorrento sits on a long cliff overlooking the bay. A narrow ravine cuts the town in half. On one side is a suburban area of quiet, mostly expensive hotels, around Via Correale. On the other is the Old Town, still preserving its grid of narrow Roman Streets.
The area surrounding Sorrento is one of the great garden spots of Campania – a lush little plain full of vines and lemon groves tucked beneath a backdrop of soaring hills. Sorrento is famous for the production of Limoncello, an alcoholic digestif made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. Other agricultural production includes citrus fruit, wine, nuts and olives. Wood craftsmanship is also developed.
ROME – THE ETERNAL CITY
Rome has been defined as the Eternal City, dubbed as the Urbe, the cuput mundi, such names sum up perfectly the age-old and everlasting importance of this city, the cradle of western civilization, the nucleus of the political life of the then known world, and for centuries, the centre of Christianity. Rome offers an historical, artistic, and monumental heritage of universal value, given that Roman civilization was together with its Greek counterpart, the great cradle of western civilization. To sum up, the city’s history, its culture and its art justify the definition of Rome as the caput mundi that is the capital of the world. Its majesty, its beauty, its remarkable monumental heritage render it eternal.
Positano
Positano is the most picturesque and photographed of the coastal towns. What is not in question, however, is that you’ll need a sturdy set of knees, for where most towns have streets, Positano has steps. Lots of them. The town is chock-a-block with expensive boutiques and steeply stacked houses whose pastel colors of peach, pink, terracotta andwhite lend it a slightly theatrical feel.
To complement the vertical landscape, here is Italy’s most nearly vertical town. You can walk down to the sea, only the alpinists among you can make it back up (fortunately, there is a regular bus service along the main street). When you get to the bottom there is a pebbly, grey beach and the town’s church decorated with a pretty tiled dome like many others along the coast. Positano is situated in a splendid gorge, which gradually widens out as it moves towards the ocean. The entire built-up area is surrounded by green palm and citrus groves, which makes it particularly delightful.
Amalfi
This miniscule village once had a population of 80,000. Most of the Old Town simply slid into the sea during a storm and earthquake in 1343.The earthquake completed Amalfi’s decline, but what is left of the place today – with its 5,000 or so people is beautiful almost to excess. Above the little square above the harbor, a conspicuous inscription brags, “Judgment Day, for the Amalfitani who go to Heaven, will be a day like any other day.” The square is called Piazza Flavio Giola from here an arch under the building leads to the centre of town, the Piazza del Duomo with a long flight of steps up to what may be the loveliest cathedral in the south of Italy (9th-12th centuries)
Ravello
Ravello enjoys a beautiful location, perched on a balcony overlooking the Amalfi coast. The village seems to have been a resort even in Roman times, for numerous remains of villas have been found. Ravello’s chief glories are its wonderful gardens, treasure houses of tropical botany.
Les Marmitons International
Barbados Cooking and Food Tour
September 19th - 24th, 2012, 6 days
Package inclusions:
§5 nights’ accommodations – The Divi Southwinds Beach Resort Hotel - Located on the South Side of the Island right in the middle of the Entertainment, Restaurant & Shopping District of St. Lawrence Gap www.diviresorts.com/divisouthwinds
§Day Tour to Mount Gay Rum with Lunch. We also visit St Nicholas Abby with an Island Tour and Cocktails at Bathsheba on the East Coast
§Picnic on Crane Beach’s Pink Sand (one of the top 10 beaches in the World). Transportation with cocktails to Oistens Friday Night Fish Fry
§Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner
§Farewell Dinner
§Cooking Event with a Local Celebrity Chef
§Private Motor Coach Transportation for all Tours and Events
§2 Lunches and 3 Dinners Included
§Local Guides for all our Tours
§Excluded are airfare, meals not mentioned, travel insurance, tips to guides and drivers and personal expenses.
Pre – Tour Option
Leaving North America: September 15, 2012 Returning: September 24, 2012
10 Days / 9 Nights
If there is interest in an extra 4 nights in Barbados please let us know and we will put together a program for the 4 nights.
Free Time
You will have a full day and an additional ½ day to schedule some of these optional activities. We will assist you with reservations if you like.
· Harrisons Cave ( The underground lakes are quite spectacular)
· Atlantis Sunday Brunch and visit to Bathsheba (Beautiful boutique hotel and restaurant serving local gourmet brunch with spectacular views of the East coast. Allow time for a visit to the beach afterward)
· Local vegetable garden tour? (Learn about locally grown foods)
· Attend a Polo match or Cricket match
· Catamaran cruise and swim with the turtles
· Visit George Washington House
· The Cliff Restaurant – One of the top 50 restaurants in the world
· Plantation dinner show (Not gourmet food but a local buffet)
· Experience a unique underwater adventure in a real submarine
· Snorkel or Dive The Barrier Reefs
More Barbados Information www.visitbarbados.org
§5 nights’ accommodations – The Divi Southwinds Beach Resort Hotel - Located on the South Side of the Island right in the middle of the Entertainment, Restaurant & Shopping District of St. Lawrence Gap www.diviresorts.com/divisouthwinds
§Day Tour to Mount Gay Rum with Lunch. We also visit St Nicholas Abby with an Island Tour and Cocktails at Bathsheba on the East Coast
§Picnic on Crane Beach’s Pink Sand (one of the top 10 beaches in the World). Transportation with cocktails to Oistens Friday Night Fish Fry
§Welcome Cocktail Party and Dinner
§Farewell Dinner
§Cooking Event with a Local Celebrity Chef
§Private Motor Coach Transportation for all Tours and Events
§2 Lunches and 3 Dinners Included
§Local Guides for all our Tours
§Excluded are airfare, meals not mentioned, travel insurance, tips to guides and drivers and personal expenses.
Pre – Tour Option
Leaving North America: September 15, 2012 Returning: September 24, 2012
10 Days / 9 Nights
If there is interest in an extra 4 nights in Barbados please let us know and we will put together a program for the 4 nights.
Free Time
You will have a full day and an additional ½ day to schedule some of these optional activities. We will assist you with reservations if you like.
· Harrisons Cave ( The underground lakes are quite spectacular)
· Atlantis Sunday Brunch and visit to Bathsheba (Beautiful boutique hotel and restaurant serving local gourmet brunch with spectacular views of the East coast. Allow time for a visit to the beach afterward)
· Local vegetable garden tour? (Learn about locally grown foods)
· Attend a Polo match or Cricket match
· Catamaran cruise and swim with the turtles
· Visit George Washington House
· The Cliff Restaurant – One of the top 50 restaurants in the world
· Plantation dinner show (Not gourmet food but a local buffet)
· Experience a unique underwater adventure in a real submarine
· Snorkel or Dive The Barrier Reefs
More Barbados Information www.visitbarbados.org
A Culinary Tour Personally Escorted by
Chef Michael Bologna
October 4th -13th, 2011 - 10 days
Tuscany - Cortona - Montepulciano - Pienza - Florence -
San Gimignano - Siena - Rome
TUSCANY
Tuscany is a land of great culinary traditions, precious wines and excellent extra virgin olive oil and an enogastronomic tour is an excellent method to learn the tastes and traditional products of the region. You will visit Tuscany's great wineries and enjoy tastings of Tuscany greatest wines, often accompanied with tastings of other Tuscan specialties and traditional products.
Tuscany is iconic in what it says about Italy. From its world-famous art and architecture to its vineyards and olive groves to its slow paced hill-top towns our tour will be a discovery of Tuscany’s beauty, wine, and unparalleled artistic legacy.
Chianti and San Gimignano
Visit all the most beautiful sights of the Tuscany countryside. Taste Chianti wine at one of the many family run wineries. Visit the famous medieval hill-town of San Gimignano.
Siena: Medieval Tuscany
Siena sits over three hills, with its heart the huge piazza known as Il Campo, where the Roman forum used to be. The Campo is dominated by the red Palazzo Pubblico and its beautiful tower. The Palio horse race is a very special event that takes place every year in July and August.
Florence – Italian Renaissance
The jewel of Renaissance Italy remains as it once was – a busy business centre. Enjoy a simple Tuscan meal of tomato stew followed by prime steak in a family-run trattoria or dine in one of the city’s classic gourmet restaurants. Florence is known for its top-grade Chiantis or super Tuscan wines such as the Vino Nobile di Monetpulciano or Montalcino’s Brunello. Or you can simply wander the charming Chianti countryside.
Visit the region’s brilliant 14th to 16th-century masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s David or Brunelleschi’s dome.
ROME – THE ETERNAL CITY
Rome has been defined as the Eternal City, dubbed as the Urbe, the cuput mundi, such names sum up perfectly the age-old and everlasting importance of this city, the cradle of western civilization, the nucleus of the political life of the then known world, and for centuries, the centre of Christianity. Rome offers an historical, artistic, and monumental heritage of universal value, given that Roman civilization was together with its Greek counterpart, the great cradle of western civilization. To sum up, the city’s history, its culture and its art justify the definition of Rome as the caput mundi that is the capital of the world. Its majesty, its beauty, its remarkable monumental heritage render it eternal.
Positano
Positano is the most picturesque and photographed of the coastal towns. What is not in question, however, is that you’ll need a sturdy set of knees, for where most towns have streets, Positano has steps. Lots of them. The town is chock-a-block with expensive boutiques and steeply stacked houses whose pastel colors of peach, pink, terracotta andwhite lend it a slightly theatrical feel.
To complement the vertical landscape, here is Italy’s most nearly vertical town. You can walk down to the sea, only the alpinists among you can make it back up (fortunately, there is a regular bus service along the main street). When you get to the bottom there is a pebbly, grey beach and the town’s church decorated with a pretty tiled dome like many others along the coast. Positano is situated in a splendid gorge, which gradually widens out as it moves towards the ocean. The entire built-up area is surrounded by green palm and citrus groves, which makes it particularly delightful.
Amalfi
This miniscule village once had a population of 80,000. Most of the Old Town simply slid into the sea during a storm and earthquake in 1343.The earthquake completed Amalfi’s decline, but what is left of the place today – with its 5,000 or so people is beautiful almost to excess. Above the little square above the harbor, a conspicuous inscription brags, “Judgment Day, for the Amalfitani who go to Heaven, will be a day like any other day.” The square is called Piazza Flavio Giola from here an arch under the building leads to the centre of town, the Piazza del Duomo with a long flight of steps up to what may be the loveliest cathedral in the south of Italy (9th-12th centuries)
Marietta Wine Market Napa Valley Wine and Food Tour
August 29th - Sep. 3rd, 2012 - Labour Day Weekend
6 days
More Information to come in the future.