Let's Go Italy

24/10/2018

Ciao e Tutti,

This year for the first time we are doing two Let’s Go Italy tours in November to explore and celebrate the olive oil, chestnut, white truffle and new wines harvest! I am so excited to learn more about these processes and enjoy the fall weather and foods in Italy. Some experienced Italian guides say it is their favorite season in Italy, but I must say my favorite season is the one I am there for, whenever that may be!

So, before I leave on November 1, I would like to announce the 2019 Let’s Go Italy Tours. The dates are very flexible and the themes can be set by the assembled groups. The past several years I have had more groups of friends and families joining us. We have been able to totally customize the tours to allow each group to focus on the area of their interests. Here is a short list of the themes we can easily address, but some of our best experiences have been when someone has a request beyond the list and we have explored to find it, such as wood working, antiques, and architecture, so do not limit your imagination.

Here are some themes in no particular order:

· Textiles: weaving, natural dyes, felting, lace making, embroidery, h**p

· Food &/or Cooking: olive oil, truffles, natural grains, organic and biodynamic farming, cheese, saffron

· Wine: there are several major regions within an hour drive of our farm, the Upper Tiber Valley of Umbria, Montefalco, Orvieto, Cortona Syrah, Chianti, Montepulciano, Monticino Brunello, plus more

· History and Art – everywhere!

· Architecture – Etrucan, Roman, Medieval structures, everywhere!

· Umbrain Hill Cities

· Umbrian local crafts – ceramics, glass blowing, honey making, weaving, etc.

· This year we did a Yoga retreat, and we could do writers, painters, photographers, etc.

· Or of course a combination of it all!

We would like to organize one or two spring tours for late April or anytime in May and again one or two groups in late September and anytime October. I will let you know how our November tour goes, and maybe we can do that again as well

If you are thinking of joining us on a tour in 2019, please reach out to me. I would like to first plan around your interests, and then later I can announce our open groups you might like to join.

By the way, our November tour starting November 10 to November 19 still has room for one more person, and the second group is now full!

More later,

Ciao,

Linda

Let’s Go Italy

24/08/2018

My new office mate! Looking for a cool floor for an afternoon nap!

21/08/2018

Finally I returned to Umbria. I’m preparing for our next tour beginning August 30! This will be a textile tour with a felting workshop. A first for us and should be great fun. Pictures of all our adventures will be shared! Stay tuned

15/10/2017

An amazing visit to Ravenna to see the mosaics

04/09/2017

04/09/2017

A beautiful day in Florence with friends. Getting ready to go to Venice for several days!

02/08/2017

Time to Plan for 2018 Trips!

Caio e Tutti,

Time to plan for your 2018 travel to Italy! So many of you have told me you want to do this tour but it seems to get pushed out year by year, but this is the year it must happen. I’m not sure how many more years I will be doing these tours. It finally occurred to me last year, not only am I getting older, but our hosts in Italy are getting older too. Without them, I cannot possible do these tours, so for now, it’s year by year and tour by tour. Do it now while we can all travel and we have amazing hosts in Italy!

Let’s Go Italy Tours are customizable because we are always small groups (typically 6-8 people). I spend lots of time getting to know your interests before we ever get to Italy so we can visit sites of your interest. Also, since I drive a private 9 person van, we have additional flexibility to tailor our tour as we go. This year the Fall Tours are both a private groups and are we have totally customized the tour to their desired plans. The scheduled 2018 tours posted are also very flexible to the itineraries and can be customized for the sign-up groups. I suggest you visit the website and see what the typical itineraries have been and you will get a good idea to the content of the tours we lead.

We begin and end all our tours in Florence, where I will pick you up at a hotel near the airport on the morning of Day 1 and return you there late afternoon early evening on Day 10. All expenses are covered from the point I pick you up until I drop you off, except of course any incidentals you may buy along the way and if you have time on your own, such as visiting a museum or buying a gelato or coffee while you are exploring. We eat all our breakfasts at home in our well stocked kitchens, most mid-day meals out (our large meal of the day) and many evenings are light meals at home enjoying our lovely surrounds.

We will lodge for the 9 nights at a working alpaca farm, called an agroturismo. We will live in a beautiful restored 17th century house, where we will have all the comforts of home and have a spectacular view of the Niccone Valley spanning Umbria to Tucany! (see photos on the web site www.letsgoitaly.com)

Here are the dates and themes of proposed 2018 tours:

Spring 2018
April 11 – April 20 Open for a Custom Tour
April 25 – May 4 Textile Tour (focus will depend upon the groups interest)
May 9 – May 18 Food and Wine of Umbria and Tuscany
May 23 – June 1 Dolce Vita Tour – Yoga with Zohra Campbell

Fall 2018
August 30 – Sept 8 Textiles – Felting workshop
Sept 13 – Sept 22 Textiles – Handwork of Umbria Embroidery and Lacemaking
Sept 27 – October 6 Food and Wine

Offered for the first time ever!

July Dates to be set Three Arts Festivals – Umbrian International Film Festival, Umbrian Jazz Festival and the Spoleto Two Worlds Festival
Nov 20 – 28 Harvest Festival Time in Umbria! Time to press our olives and celebrate our harvest!

I love talking about Italy and our tours, so do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or details you may have about a tour. Several of the tours have some folks already signed up, so do not wait too long to let me know about your interest in a tour. A deposit will hold your space.

Please feel free to share this message with friends and families!

Gracie,
Linda

PS: I am departing on August 27 for the fall tours and will not return until the end of October. I will have email access, facetime, WhatsAp, and Skype. We have good Wi-Fi at the house.

Let’s Go Italy
www.letsgoitaly.com
650-520-4664

11/05/2017

I Love Tuscany

04/05/2017

27/04/2017

Visiting Cantina Blasi in Umbertide, Umbria today! An amazing wine cella, great wine and food!

24/04/2017

Spring wisteria in Umbria. Our spring tour will begin in two days. I hope the blooms lady as few more days for our guests.

24/04/2017

Castello Bufalini in San Guistino

15/12/2016

Subject: Ten days of "La Dolce Vita" in Umbria!
La Dolce Vita: noun, Italian. 1. sweet life; the good life perceived as one of physical pleasure and self-indulgence.

A 10 day tour of Umbria and bits of Tuscany combined with a deeply restorative yoga practice. Experience all “La Dolce Vita” Italy is famous for while nourishing your spirit with a week of deeply restorative, Yin and Yoga Nidra-deep yogic relaxation. What better way to decompress and soak in all the beauty that is Umbria!
We will be spending 9 nights on an Umbrian hillside in the incredible setting of our Agriturismo: a working alpaca farm with a spectacular view across the Nicone Valley, spanning the valley and mountains, Umbria to Tuscany. From this home base, “our villa”, we explore will this beautiful region to experience the local medieval hill cities, enjoy Italian food, lunch at an olive orchard in the countryside, visit the local 0 KM farmers and their farmer’s markets, take a cooking class from the local nonna, taste local wines, olive oils, truffles, and cheeses!
Each day begins with gentle ‘wake up and stretch’ yoga before a leisurely breakfast in our own kitchens, then we will take off on one of our daily excursions to explore the foods, hill cities and crafts of the local area. We will travel in our own van, giving us lots of flexibility to stop for photo ops and espresso as we drive the Italian countryside. In the evenings, we relax at our villa, have a light snack, and a enjoy a soothing restorative or deep Yoga Nidra practice with Zohra.

Immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita for your body, your spirit...and all your senses!

Details for this wonderful all-inclusive package:

Price $3,000 per person
Included:
• 10 full days, 9 nights lodging
• All food and beverages
• Yoga, Stretching & Restorative Sessions with Zohra
• Tastings, Cooking class, Museum fees
• Van transportation for the 10 days

Not Included: Airfare Travel Insurance (required)

22/07/2016

Ciao Tutti!

Hope you are all having a great summer. It sure looks like it has been a nice summer so far in Umbria, so I’m hoping it will be a warm and sunny fall while we are there this September, as most falls are in Italy.

I’m writing to let you know we do have a lovely small group going to Umbria and Tuscany this September 19-28. This tour will be a general tour of local culture, food/wine/truffles/oil, and visiting small hill cities. We still have room for a couple more people in the group. If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about joining us, please contact me as soon as possible, as I am starting to make our final plans.

For those of you who need to plan further out in the future, I do plan to have two groups next spring, one focused on textiles and another a more general tour like this falls tour or a wine tour. The spring trips all typically in late April and May. Drop me a line and let me know if you are thinking of joining us on one of the spring tours.

As always, you can visit the website for pictures and more details about our tours.

Hope to see you in Italy!

Linda

04/05/2016

New Fall Wine Tour September 19 - 26, 2016

Join us in our hill top villa for 10 days of fabulous Italian wines, home cooked local handmade food, local cheeses, olive oil, truffles and much more. We will visit local wineries, small, medium and large, where we will see ancient wine caves and wine making methods as well as new modern methods. We will sit around their lovely terraces and tasting rooms and sip their wines, taste their olive oils and munch on local appitizers. When we do our cooking class we will cook with local Nonnas (grandmothers) who will share their Umbian and Tuscan recipes that are generations old. We will be using fresh, local ingredients from farms and outdoor markets we will be visiting. We will be visiting a variety of neighboring villages and small cities all within a 30 - 40 minute drive from our mountain top villa. We will explore these walled cities, winding our way through their winding narrow streets and enjoy the views, historical sites and each of their unique local crafts and foods. Since we will be traveling in our private van, we will be free to adjust our schedule as we please, to linger, make stop for photos, or if we like, get home to our amazing views and sip wine watching the sun set.

Call me for details 650-520-4664

Ciao,
Linda
www.letsgoitaly.com