Dolce Vita Adventures

07/24/2024

It's always just a matter of time, so let the fire burn out while the instagrammer's choose their next destination 😄 We can enjoy so many lovely spots while we wait for them to move on...

07/10/2024

👏👏🥰 Big shout out to ITALY and
DOLCE VITA ADVENTURES’s newest fans!
GRAZIE 💝 for your sweet support!
🇺🇸✈️ 🇮🇹 Andiamo, let’s travel! 😘

Ashlee Sumner, Annette Jacka, Ann Crabtree Cameron

06/12/2024

Awesome ORVIETO was our last stop before our final night in Rome. The colorful Medieval procession 👑was postponed due to rain - something about 🌦️ soggy wet, fur collared, crimson velvet robes and silk slippers dragging through wet streets did not appeal… jokes aside, some of these original costumes have been lovingly cared for hundreds of years! So we drowned our disappointment in Orvieto wines and perhaps the best Carbonara 👅 🍽️ of my life, explored the complex underground cave system, St Patrick’s well and of course the actual masterpiece, Orvieto’s stunning 14th century Cathedral, Luca Signorelli’s 🎨🖼️ masterpieces, the Sacred cloth and the church’s glorious golden facade. On to Rome for 1 more night of wine 🍷 tastings and pairings then we reluctantly said our goodbyes. What a trip! Definitely worth repeating - so… I’m already planning for next year’s “FOODS, FESTIVALS AND WINES of Italy” - let’s gooooo! June 15-25, 2025 💪👏👏👏🥰😆🇮🇹

06/08/2024

SPECTACULAR SPELLO is always a favorite stop, and certainly the most challenging as far as limiting the number of 📸photos… 😆 This sweet town absolutely transforms during its yearly Flower Festival in celebration of Corpus Domini. It’s a joyful collaboration, a celebration by young and old, family and friends, working together🤝🤲 from 8pm till 8am to cover the town streets in huge colorful images made entirely of FLOWER 🌷🌻🌸🌼PETALS! The ALL NIGHT preparation of this 200 year old tradition creates a palpable energy - and witnessing the event is moving 🥹 and unforgettable. The next morning, the bishop leads a procession of blessings - walking right over the carpets. The flower images dissapear as quickly as they appeared, in a matter of hours. Everyone was in awe of one image in particular - Judas’ Kiss, no surprise to later hear it was awarded 🏆 first place. Add a 5 mile hike 😅 along a Roman Acqeduct through olive groves UP to the next town and you’ll agree - SPELLO IS SPECTACULAR! 🥰, and really, takes your breath away!

06/05/2024

The Foods, Festivals and Wine journey continued as we stayed in a lovely ancient Etruscan farmhouse 🏡 to explore the area of CHIANTI. We easily walked into town and walked (and SAVOURED) our way through vineyards and wineries 🍷 to learn about local ancient grape cultivation. Have you ever tasted amphora stored wines? Sangiovese, Chianti, Syrah 🍇 ... it’s all here! We also made our pasta for a delicious cooking class in the lushest green Tuscan countryside. Stopped to stock-up on 6 month old, first-press olive oil and of course had time (dodging a spring shower) for a passeggiata and a gelato in sweet Cortona. Next stop… Umbria’s town of SPELLO!

06/01/2024

🇮🇹 Our Foods, Festivals & Wine 🍷 Adventure started with a great BANG in BOLOGNA! 😄 This is the home of Tortellini, Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, Balsamic, Mortadella, Prosciutto and more. 😋We visited some farms to learn about the origins and authenticity of genuine Italian ingredients then we tasted, tasted and tasted! Indulgence! Aside from being a foodie paradise, this intriguing medieval city has loads of art and architecture to explore. Bologna historic center, its Basilicas, Towers and Porticos are steeped in old world elegance perfectly balanced with the vibrant younger energy from Bologna’s University, the oldest in Europe. It’s easy to navigate, tourist friendly but not yet saturated by tourism, we all agreed we needed more time - but, we packed up and now we’re off to CHIANTI!

05/24/2024

Our ACQUA Adventure finished strong on gorgeous LAKE GARDA with what we voted to be our favorite historical and architectural sites of the trip - a huge 1st century BC Roman Villa complex, CATULLO, belonging to the 1st Roman emperor, set among olive groves, at the very center of the lake, bordering 3 regions. To reach it you must enter the sweet town of Sirmione, over a castle moat. From there we headed south to the gorgeous TETUCCIO Thermal Water Spa in Montecatini. Finally an up close view of my personal favorite, the beautiful Liberty Style/Art Nouveau tiled Spa! 😍
The “restorative” drinking water fountains, surrounding gardens, caffe area, art gallery shop and reading rooms are absolutely stunning. Of course the water tasted like alka-seltzer but our eyes were happy!
We wrapped up our Italian ACQUA adventure in Florence, along the Arno river. I L💝VED being with such a small and interested group! It just felt like a few good friends on a special adventure!
🥰🇮🇹 see you next time!

(Food Festivals and Wines of Italy Adventure starts in just a few days! 🥳Woohoo!)

05/23/2024

🌊ACQUA Tour continues to LAKE COMO. We loved staying in Bellagio in the center of the lake, with views of villas and snow capped mountains in the distance. We boated over to medieval Varenna, the “lover’s walk” and a hike up (“swear it’s only 20 minutes…”🤣) to the spectacular 1,000 year old VEZIO Castle - medieval, surrounded by gardens, more endless lake views and still haunted by its Queen Teodolina! 😬😆 The weather matched perfectly ☀️☔️☀️

05/20/2024

🌊 ☀️ACQUA ADVENTURE in Italy! Our WATER focused small group tour started at the LEMON🍋🍋 FESTIVAL on the beaches of Monterosso, Cinque Terre. We boated a crystal clear coastline to explore the other villages. And also enjoyed the sweet harbour town of picturesque PORTOFINO - actually -pictures cannot capture the beauty of this small coastline… and this small group is having a BIG BLAST! 🤣💝🥰🇮🇹

05/17/2024

05/17/2024

Our Sicilian adventure ended, but the memories and the island’s beauty will never fade! Our final days were filled with discovery, history, a few broadway show tunes and laughter! 😆 The Salt Pans, Favignana Island’s clear waters, e-bikes, medieval Erice, castles, Barroque art, warm Genovese cookies, Monreale’s mosaics, and vibrant, exciting Palermo created an unforgettable journey for a wonderful group of friends. 🥰 See you next year Sicily!
I’m off to Florence and our next adventure - Northern Italy’s ACQUA Tour!

05/15/2024

Doing laundry, 500 years ago.

https://cefalu.it/en/magazine-en/the-medieval-wash-house-of-cefalu/

05/13/2024

Sicily’s adventure 🇮🇹☀️ continues through time- the best preserved Greek temples outside of Greece from 2,500 years ago. The most elaborate Roman Villa mosaics from 1,700 years ago. Opera night, sweet marzipan reproductions, beach walks, chatter and laughter - timeless!
(Agrigento: Valley of the Temples and Piazza Armerina: Villa Romana del Casale)

05/08/2024

Our 2024 SICILIAN adventure started with sunshine, rain, steps, sweet cannoli, steps, rich history, salty arancini, steps and a lot of laughter! 😄 going to be a great trip! 🥰

04/08/2024

Venice? Best visitor info I’ve read yet-

The big news in Venice is a brand-new visitor registration system, which goes into effect in just a couple of weeks. If you're heading to Venice between now and mid-July, it's important to get the scoop:

For years, as the number of visitors inundating Venice has increased, local authorities have been discussing the idea of levying a fee to enter the city. (The subject of particular consternation are day trippers and those arriving by cruise ship, who pay no overnight tourist taxes.) A pilot program for that fee begins on April 25, just as the Biennale kicks off the busy season.

For this initial program, authorities have designated 29 days between late April and mid-July, mostly for those first two weeks of the Biennale, and then weekends after that. On those days, any non-resident visiting Venice is required to pre-register online. Day-trippers and cruisers will pay a €5 fee, but even those spending the night must go through the registration process and apply for an "exemption." In short, anyone visiting Venice on those days must have an official QR code. (On other days during this period, you don’t have to register.)

Here's how it works: Go to https://cda.ve.it/en/ and check the dates of your visit. If registration is required, either click "Exemptions" (if you're staying overnight) or "Payment of the fee" (if you're day-tripping, including from a cruise ship). Each individual must register separately (though children under age 14 are exempt).

The interface is workable...but it could be easier. The website is, in a word, janky — confusing in parts, and far from user-friendly.

After filling out some basic information and selecting your accommodations from a dop-down list, you'll enter the mobile number of the phone you'll use to receive your QR code. (Even just finding your country telephone code among the infinite list of flags is a chore. Pro tip: The Stars and Stripes are about three-quarters of the way down.) And then, to finalize registration, you will have 60 seconds to place a call to an Italian phone number, using the device you registered. Only then will you receive your QR code by email (mine took about 15 minutes to arrive) — or you can download it directly from the website.

[UPDATE, 4/25/24: As of the day this is going into effect, they have now added a second option: Instead of calling the Italian number, you can submit your email address to be sent a confirmation code. This is a much easier option for international travelers.]

Some hotels and tour operators (including Rick Steves tours) can help you with registration, or even do it for you; others leave it entirely up to you.

How, exactly, will this be enforced? It's hard to know. In theory, you can be stopped at any point in Venice and asked to show your QR code. There's talk of having control officers posted at the train station and other entry points on busy days to process arrivals. But the newness of the system, the likelihood that many visitors won't even know about it before arriving, and the massive crowds expected during those first couple of weeks could complicate implementation.

To top it all off, the Pope is coming. A papal visit, including Mass on St. Mark's Square, is scheduled for April 28 — just a few days after registration begins, and just as the Biennele is kicking into high gear. It's almost as if local authorities have conspired to make the rollout of their new system as challenging as possible. If you are in Venice the last week of April, be prepared for chaos. (Come si dice "pandemonium"?)

While all of this sounds stressful, ultimately it's just a tedious bureaucratic chore that should take no more than a few minutes — a hurdle well worth clearing for the joy of visiting Venice. This is being characterized as an "experiment," and presumably authorities will re-evaluate the system to decide whether it continues through the second half of the summer, and into next year and beyond.

The larger question is why Venice feels this cumbersome system is necessary. Being here this past week, I can understand it. Even at this relatively quiet time, the city is jammed with visitors. It's unsustainable, and locals are understandably grouchy and desperate. Is a registration requirement, and a fee for day trippers, the best solution? Or is there a more thoughtful approach to tame the crowds? Time will tell.

If you've made any discoveries about this new system as you plan your trip, please share your observations in the Comments. And good luck to everyone!

03/02/2024

He rises! One of my favorite Italian architectural sites is in SICILY. So excited this gorgeous giant has been restored. I'll see you in May!🥰 Valley of the Temples

The 26-foot Telamon stone giant that once supported the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Sicily's Valley of the Temples rose again after a 20-year restoration. ...

02/29/2024

🇮🇹🥰Hello friends and THANK YOU! 2024 adventures posted last November filled so quickly. Late to register? Don't despair! Contact me, I'll send you a "Pre-Drop" Info sheet for all the 2025 Tours! Food Festivals and Wines of Italy, Provence and Tuscany Week, Foodies Taste of Italy, Greece, Puglia and MORE! Ciao!

https://www.dolcevitaadventures.com/2024-small-group-tours

02/14/2024

I wish Valentine’s Day was every day, and love was shared generously. 🥰🌎

01/03/2024

Plan ahead! ✈️🌎🧳

A post-pandemic travel surge has inundated destinations with visitors at the height of summer. Here’s what you need to know enjoy crowd-free vacations in 2024.

11/28/2023

In case you haven't heard - the ETIAS authorization travelers needed to enter Europe in 2024 has been "postponed" again! Now to 2025, maybe? Anyway - one more barrier removed, so start planning planning your 2024!

The European Union has recently revised the introduction of the ETIAS.

09/24/2023

Limoncello class, Pompeii walks and winery , Roman history, Trastevere’s Cacio e Pepe and gelato in front of the Pantheon with these great women. Only bad part of this adventure was that it had to end! 💝 We probably broke some DVA walking records! (I think I say that every time? 😆) Grazie “Signorine”’ 🥰😘

09/20/2023

The FUN and laughs 😄continues with these women! Some of these friendships started in kindergarten - what a blessing! 🥰 Dolce Vita Adventures Private Customized Tours in Italy, in Positano, not for the faint hearted! 😅

09/20/2023

Another FABULOUS DVA tour! In great company with these women celebrating their birthdays and friendships on the Amalfi Coast! 🇮🇹 Ciao Bella! 🥰

07/19/2023

... WHY EAT GELATO?
https://www.tasteatlas.com/gelato-is-not-just-a-fancy-word-for-ice-cream---heres-the-difference?fbclid=IwAR13097hPiLTr2vnrKOIGAZki7npfQd23noLO-U5ZiOgt7BCKUM9DZl4YYc

Outside Italy, many think that "gelato" is just another word for ice cream, mostly used by people who want to seem "more worldly," to put it politely. Although Italians use the word gelato to describe any sort of ice cream, in English-speaking countries, the two terms do not describe the same thing.

07/02/2023

A great question for a horrid problem: what’s the excuse? Entitlement, ignorance, notoriety, anonymity…? Pick a poison. I always ask myself if this would be acceptable back home. Then I remember people soaking their feet in the WW2 memorial here in DC… 🥺

Driving down the Spanish Steps, defacing the Colosseum, riding a moped around Pompeii and smashing sculptures in the Vatican. Tourist bad behavior is focused on Italy this year, say experts. Experts say there’s a reason:

06/27/2023

Absolutely my favorite Italian festival - SPELLO’s Flower Festival! 🌸 Begining months before, planting, then harvesting, separating petals and stems, drawing and designing, submitting designs for each category - and finally, Saturday evening they begin to lay down the first petal on what will be an all night process to create a multitude of flower carpets along the town’s medieval streets, an explosion of color and composition! The entire town, young and old, family, friends and neighbors put on a display of love, dedication and collaboration that can only be described as beautiful magic. Each year I fear they will not finish in time before the Bishop passes over them - yet each year, bleary eyed, exhausted and satisfied -they do! Dawn breaks and the town is absolutely transformed! It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and am so happy each year I’m able to share this with my fellow travellers! This was 2023, I’ll be there again in 2024.

06/27/2023

Day 6 of our adventure was a a 3 hour hike through the olive groves and poppy fields outside of Spello. That evening we joined and enjoyed the entire town as it absolutely hummed and buzzed preparing for their beautiful Flower Festival - needs its own album though pictures will never do it justice! Truly spectacular! 🌸🌻

06/12/2023

Day 5, of Food, Festivals and Wine, meant leaving 🍷Chianti, and heading to 🌸Spello, Umbria for the Flower Festival with a stop at an old favorite -La Pievuccia Vineyards. Some of our old DVA travellers surely remember Riccardo… now a wonderful American couple -Stephen and Jennifer, have purchased it and are doing such an incredible 🤩 job! We also stopped in an Olive Oil press to learn about the process, then canned to bring home our own!

06/08/2023

Wine lessons are always fascinating. Cheers! 🍷

06/08/2023

Day 4 Food Festivals and Wine, Relaxing Day, Chianti, a castle and the countryside. Tuscany will steal your 💝!