"I don’t like group tours."
Well I don't blame you.
Crammed in a hot, double-decker tour bus, numbly spilling out “the next site” wearing matching ball caps or stickers with cruise ship names, fumbling with headphones and trying to catch up with your speed-walking tour guide waving a giant, yellow sunflower…bummer.
So what is OUR
small group tour philosophy?
MOBILITY - There are more ways
for your SMALL groups to access the forbidden, than there are for solo travellers or larger groups. Squeeze your way past the larger groups in longer lines, get the last few seats front and center at the Medieval jousting festival. Even the best truffle hunting doggy stays better focused when followed by 8, rather than a forest stampede of 24 newbies. When you’re just 12 travelers, you can ride with the vintner in a minivan, down a narrow country road, for lunch at the his farmhouse. Instead of riding a crowded ferry to the islands, 10 of you can crew alongside the captain as you sail sail the sunny coastlines and stop for a swim, wherever you decide. Sneak in a church’s back door or blend in the sunny piazza! Nope, no double decker bus for you.
ACCESSIBILITY - IT’S EASIER
with just a FEW of you, to join the pick up soccer game and have a panino at Fratellini in Florence. 10 is just right for a private, relaxing Apperitivo Party in the art gallery or the artisan's studio. Need to duck in the local Town hall for your great grandmother's birth certificate? No problem with a small group. Take the back road to the hidden thermal spring. Impromptu cooking class at the chef’s house if the hike is postponed for a summer shower. Of course you’ll stand shoulder to shoulder with him, smelling the fragrant rising aromas. And go ahead, quiz your local guide about Etruscan life until your heart’s content. He’s with you for lunch, and this isn’t a crowded lecture hall.
CONNECTION - YOU’RE NOT
just ANOTHER ONE in the mass of tourists and diss-jointed tourism. In a smaller group you won’t be viewed as a tourist, an outsider looking in, but you will be met as a new friend. Another benefit of good small group travel is the time and space to achieve another level of connection, not only with the world and others that surround you, but also with yourself. So come home feeling you've just shared a special journey with new friends - and also had a moment to reconnect with your oldest friend, yourself.
““A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” ”
AUTHENTIC AND "CONNECTED"
What would you consider to be an authentic experience?
In Italy we tend to flock to some of the more recognizable icons, and certainly they have their merit.
BUT, imagine for a moment stepping away from the Coliseum brimming with tourists. Stepping off the ritualistic gondola ride. Stepping beyond the illusion and the stereotypical image of checkered tablecloths, the Leaning Tower key chains and even Capri’s main Piazza, all honestly acquired, valid mental images embedded in our subconscious…
Instead, experience a day in the vineyard with Vittorio or Riccardo, collecting the bursting ripe grapes, loading the truck and then enjoying a well-deserved lunch back at the farm. Without a doubt you’ll be brought in closer, gain a more authentic understanding of this land and its people. Why not attend a local soccer game? Volunteer at an archeological site? Let’s try to spend an equal amount of time OFF the bus, feet on the ground, finding a more meaningful way to be enchanted and entwined in the beautiful riddle that is Italy. My native experience will help bring these off-the-beaten-path adventures your way, avoid the double decker and embrace some authentic moments.
WHAT and WHO is connected? Typically travelling to and in a foreign country requires a bit of sharpness, some attention to details like connections – but the term “connected” in my mission means much more…
"Logistical" connections
are usually a first concern, wondering whether you've scheduled good flight connections (at least one hour in the Paris airport?), or whether your train stops well connected (which Florence train stop- countryside Florence Campo Martire or city Florence Santa Maria Novella?). And who do you call when you arrive to no taxi drivers or empty villas? A great itinerary plan is one that is logistically supported and well connected.
"Social" connections
are the color of your journey. Most people are wonderfully open when they travel - curious, polite, patient, aware and respectful of other people and cultures. It’s the most opportune time to make new friends. I hear more stories about the vibrant, warm Italians you’ve met - the barman with his unforgettable cappuccino who shared political views and taught you an Italian card game - than I hear about what year the Pieta’ was sculpted. Are your hosts and drivers friendly? Will your guide join you for lunch? I hope so.
"Personal" connection
the highest level of connection, though a bit esoteric, retains the “cherry on top” position in my book of travel.
Have you heard of getting lost to find yourself? Travel causes transformation. It’s my ultimate wish that by facilitating your time in Italy, you’ll have a moment to dedicate and reconnect with yourself. While “off the beaten path” of your own daily habits and routines, you’ll see the world differently, see yourself in a new light, and see how many beautiful ways you fit in it. I hope all these moments will bring you joy.
“There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life”