WHAT TYPE OF TRAVELER ARE YOU?
Do you prefer larger tour companies with a cookie cutter approach to travel? Are they Italian natives?

Do you think the anonymous person answering your long distance queries can give you a detailed description of your destination, the Italian villa, or the tiny deli next door?

Do you like to travel with a company that offers the same itineraries year in and year out, with absolutely no consideration or flexibility in regards to the actual people on the trip?

How about the "uh-oh" feeling when you realize the company's services basically stop after they receive your final payment?

Share a large bus with 40 strangers? Stay at impersonal hotels outside of town requiring a taxi ride just for a cappuccino? Wake up at 6 am for a 3 hour drive to 4 different cities? Pay additional hidden fees and surprise tips? Be herded around the city wearing matching baseball caps, trying to keep up with the other 40 being led on a field trip by a jogging woman waving a multi-scarved umbrella?

We didn't think so...that's why you should be traveling with Dolce Vita Adventures.
WHAT MAKES "DOLCE VITA" SO SPECIAL?

PERSONAL ATTENTION and
CUSTOMIZED SERVICE
from me to you, from beginning to end.
My COMMITMENT and ACCOUNTABILITY
from the first mile to the last smile,
and of course, going the extra mile.

In 2005 with Dolce Vita Adventures,
you'll float on the lagoons of Venice in your own gondola, search for traces of Titian and rise with the sun to shop in the colorful bustle of the vegetable and fish market. From enthusiastic waiters you'll collect 12 different versions of the perfect Venetian Bellini cocktail. Visit Veneto and grade some Valpolicella wines. In Verona you'll pose under Romeo and Juliet's Balcony and imitate opera in the ancient amphitheater. You'll live in a Villa "Under the Tuscan Sun". Rest in alabaster monasteries peacefully listening to blissful Gregorian Chants. You'll taste your way through the smaller Tuscan towns, the oils of an olive farm and the wines of a Chianti estate. Walk through medieval cobblestone streets lined with boutiques and geranium pots, filled with aromas of fresh baked bread and the sounds of children playing soccer. Linger on the warm tranquil lakes of Como and explore bellissima Bellagio under snow-capped mountains. Some of you will paraglide or kayak down the hills, others will stroll slow enough to register every wild flower imaginable. You'll pack salty focaccia and hike the Cinque Terre village cliffs poised on shelves above the ocean. Take a horse and carriage ride to Florence's greatest Renaissance museums and stand in awe in front of Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Venus. You'll be hypnotized by Ravello, squeeze the lemons of Capri. And on the warm shores of Positano, collect smooth stones softened by a thousand summers. You'll study history through Paestum, Pompeii's remnants and the Archeological richness of beautiful Naples. Of course you'll eat the best pizza ever. You'll journey to Sicily, stunning Taormina, and cable car up Mt. Etna. You'll sail and swim around the tiny volcanic islands of Lipari and Stromboli and feast on the freshest fare the sea can offer. You'll visit busy Palermo and the magnificent Monrealle cathedral, sharing centuries of legacies. You'll stand inspired under the Sistine Chapel, and throw coins in the Trevi fountain like millions of others before… yet you'll come back a little bit different, "re-spirited", with your own set of unforgettable memories of new friends and special places.

You've visualized these places before; now come travel with Dolce Vita Adventures to find those same postcard scenes and more. We offer you balanced itineraries to see Italy's most beloved sites but DVA's experience will also help you discover the gems off the beaten track… moments that will make this adventure uniquely yours. Trattorias with no other tourists, cliff sights at sunset, your personal swimming rock, picnics under olive trees, your own villa and dinners with the locals… Begin your experience here, meet your fellow DVA travelers at local get-togethers, receive plenty of pre-trip info, then enjoy personalized attention and service throughout your bellissima aventura! CHOOSE ONE OF OUR 3 SMALL GROUP TOURS OFFERED FOR 2005, OR LET DVA HELP YOU CUSTOM PLAN A MOST EXTRAORDINARY FAMILY OR FRIENDS REUNION, OR EVEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WEDDING IMAGINABLE.

ITALIAN TRAVEL UPDATE

Dear Dolce Vita Adventures Amici,

So what's new in the DVA travel department? Plenty-

We're continuing to alter our trips based on new findings, your reviews, & suggestions. For next year we've added the Lakes region & Bellagio. We also changed cooking class locations and added Veneto vineyard visits (Valpolicella).A boat trip around the beautiful volcanic Aeolian Islands in Sicily was added.

We've also been "forced" to extend our days in 5 Terre and Venice, as no one can ever get enough. We still haven't been able to squeeze in Milano, seems the timing's never right and we can only find accommodations close to the airport, instead of city center as we're used to. Maybe next year…?

Meanwhile, 2006 adventures under construction are "Sardegna: Boats and Beaches" and "Spa Week with Cooking Classes: Tuscany or Ischia Island", and Curtis and April's wedding!

Buon Viaggio!

DISCOUNTS

Continuing our dedication to clients, better yet our loyalty to old friends, DVA is happy to present a new status for you, "D.V.A. D.O.C"

By now, those who frequently travel to Italia know the significance of D.O.C. ~ top shelf, inspected, guaranteed authentic & of superior quality (Dolce Vita Adventures ~ Denominazione d'Origine Controlata). Friends on their 3rd trip with DVA will receive $50 off their trip price. Friends on their 4th trip, & any trip after, will receive $75 off their trip price. We hope to see you again and again…!


FLIGHTS & INSURANCE

Our group needs still can't beat the individual fares found at www.orbitz.com, www.travelocity.com, and www.expedia.com so we encourage you to take advantage of their low prices, convenience and your own accumulated mileage points. We will advise and assist along the way. Also still finding great satisfaction on sites such as www.insuremytrip.com for temporary travel insurance. Anything from lost baggage to more serious medical needs can be covered with one time fees starting from only $75.

 


TRAVEL TO ITALY WITH DOLCE VITA
Italian travel made simple, beautiful and unforgettable