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Italy Travel – Away from the Crowds

Italy is now very popular as a travel destination throughout the whole world. If you dislike crowds I suggest you travel in Autumn and winter as the summers are also very hot as well as very crowded in the summer holidays.

Passion for Italy has some great suggestions for you where to go to escape the heat and the crowds.

Off the beaten track is my new motto for running away from the masses of tour groups that now abound in all the major cities of Italy. We have an Amazing Hotel in Abruzzo which is Unesco heritage listed, where you can inhale the mountain air and see what it was like to live in the past.

Here you can do trekking near Grand Sasso, Abruzzo, the second highest mountain in Italy, have a picnic up on a hillside and you can feast at their restaurant which cooks slow food that is home grown and organic. In November you can also go hunting for truffles.

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A Welcoming Retreat in the Heart of Tuscany

A Welcoming Retreat in the Heart of Tuscany:

Driving up the little road to reach the Borgo, one can already feel the stress of life melting away into ancient landscapes framed in cypress trees.  Peace begins to saturate your soul.

The moment you arrive, the smiling faces of Doriana and Ditmira welcome you home in this land of unimaginable beauty.  As they personally introduce you to your apartment or villa, the neighborhood kittens purr and play, trotting happily along with you.

Open the door, and a comforting scent immediately greets you.  Centuries of warmth from the fireplace, and fresh bread baked in the kitchen.  It even smells like home.

Hand painted tiles line Tuscan kitchen walls.  A bottle of local wine and olive oil are ready on the counter, and on the table a basket of fruit out of a Caravaggio still life sits waiting to be enjoyed.

Wooden beams, tile floors, pomegranate trees and jasmine remind you that this is Tuscany, and it’s better than your dream.

Follow the spiral staircase up, pass through a walkway lined in rosemary and olive trees and you arrive at the infinity pool overlooking the breathtaking hills and valleys of the Val d’Orcia.

Come back at night with your bottle of wine and bask under the starry night sky.

In the morning light, a pink glow covers the verdant hills and reflects off the stone walls.  Everything is aglow in sunlight.

It was in the morning on our way to explore the nearby towns that we met the Contessa’s granddaughter to visit the larger villa just down the road.

She told us of her daughter’s wedding here, of the history, of the hundreds of years of love and life that have passed through these homes and lands.

We both stood with tears in our eyes overwhelmed by the beauty, history, and passion for this place. Hers instilled from birth, and mine from this very moment.

Speaking with everyone here, whether the Contessa and her family, or the incredible staff, we felt we’d gained a family in Tuscany.  And we’d found our hearts a home there.

Doriana explained to us that once people come here, they keep coming.  Her favorite part is watching children grow up as they return year after year.

When you come to this place it becomes a part of you.  A perfect home base to explore Tuscany’s infinite charms, and a welcoming retreat for a weary soul.

The entire Borgo exudes peace and contentment, kindness and love.  A healing mix of everything good in this world.  An enchanting feeling that surpasses even the majestic views.

Whether you’re searching for the perfect destination for a wedding, a relaxing honeymoon, or a charming home base in Tuscany, this place and these people will fill your heart with joy.

Contact us to book your stay!

Lindsay Sinko,

Passion for Italy Travel, USA

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Wine Tasting Lunch, Mt. Vesuvius

Wine Lunch in the Vineyards of Mt. Vesuvius: After touring Pompeii, I always find myself ready for a nice, relaxing glass of wine!  Maybe it’s because of all the pots we’ve just seen used to store the wine in ancient times, or maybe the tired feet!

Either way, there is no better way to rejuvenate the body and absorb what you’ve just seen than to treat yourself to lunch at a nearby winery.

Having witnessed the destruction caused by Mt. Vesuvius, it’s amazing to then experience the abundance of flavors produced by the same volcano.

Not far from the site, you find an enchanting winery that celebrates the volcanic soil from Vesuvius, and the ancient traditions of wine making.

The family will show you around, introduce you to their vines, and even to their new experiment using the ancient technique of aging in terracotta vats inside the ground.

As you learn about the vines and how they thrive here, notice the rose bushes planted on the end of each row.  Your guide may explain to you that these are a sort of guardian of the vines.

Roses are fragile, so if something is attacking them, the wine makers then have a warning before it gets to the vines.  Very clever!

After a brief and beautiful introduction, take your seat under a grapevine draped pergola and let the sound of the mandolin sooth your soul.

You are in Italy, there’s no forgetting it here!

Soon your majolica tile table is being covered in fresh mozzarella, pecorino, prosciutto, vegetables to make you forget you’ve ever had vegetables before, and of course the wines unique to this area.

This is: “Il Dolce Far Niente”, the sweetness of doing nothing.

It’s in moments like these where passion is born.  O Sole Mio playing softly, sunlight dancing on the grapes and in the wine, a gentle, rose scented breeze to cool and calm, and the family inviting you in, laughing, smiling, sharing.

A taste of pure joy to remember forever.

Contact us to plan your trip.

Lindsay Sinko,
Passion for Italy Travel, USA

Category: Amalfi Coast, Blog, Campania, Campi Flegrei, Capri, Cultural Tours, Naples, podcast, Sorrento Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Private Tour of Pompeii

A Private Tour of Pompeii with your own knowledgeable guide is the best way to experience the incredible archaeological site.

Meet your guide and skip the lines, then prepare yourself to dive into the history. With Mt. Vesuvius looming over head, your guide will help you to picture it the way it looked before the famous eruption in 79 AD.

Of course, the most famous eruption was not the first or the last, but from frescoed images at Pompeii we know that the volcano looked much different in those times; much taller, and one peak rather than the two we see today.

Because of earthquakes and other warning signs, most of the wealthy residents of Pompeii decided to flee before disaster struck.  Today, most of the casts of the victims we see are those of slaves.

Seeing these casts in person it is impossible not to imagine the depth of fear and despair they must have felt that day.

As your guide brings all of this to life for you, it becomes quite easy to put yourself in their shoes for a while.  Marvel at who these people were, and how brilliant their designs.

I always find it fascinating to see the white stones arranged on the paths they used to walk, ancient street lights!  The bright white would glow in the moonlight, and apparently it still does today.

On a private tour, your guide can navigate these ancient wonders and show you the most interesting parts between large tour groups to give you a closer view, better photos, and a deeper understanding of what happened there.

Without a guide, one could wander for days without half the understanding gained in 2 hours with a passionate expert.

To me, the most incredible part of the experience is how a guide is able to place us as citizens of Pompeii in 79 AD, and allow us to feel the fear they must have felt, but also the luxury they enjoyed prior to the eruption.

Opulent gardens, colored frescoes, bubbling fountains, and shops and cafes not so different from our own. Truly an experience not to be missed!

Contact us to plan your tour.

Lindsay Sinko,
Passion for Italy Travel, USA

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Getting There: Naples to the Amalfi Coast

Treat yourself to a breathtaking journey from Naples to the Amalfi Coast with your own private driver!

Getting to the Amalfi Coast from Naples can be either the most stressful part, or the most enjoyable part of your vacation.  To make sure it’s the best part, let us book you a wonderful, friendly driver and a few stops along the way.

Leaving from Naples, it takes about 30 minutes to reach Pompeii.  With a private driver, you’ll be delivered right at the entrance and picked up outside the exit… and the best part?  Your bags can remain safely in the car while you tour!

Pompeii is incredible, but can make for tired feet at the end!  A refreshing lunch and wine tasting make the perfect follow up!

During the Pompeii tour, see how Vesuvius destroyed the city raining down terror over everyone there.  However, the same volcano that destroyed the city also gives it great riches!

After seeing the dark side of the volcano, sample some of its gifts, the wines produced from grapes that thrive in this volcanic soil.

The most famous wine is the Lacryma Christi.  As the legend goes, when Satan was cast out of Heaven, he grabbed a piece of it, which fell where Mt. Vesuvius now lies.  Jesus cried in sorrow.  His tears fell down the mountain, creating the vines that produce this wine.  The vines produce grapes with incredible flavors because they were born from Christ’s Tears, Lacryma Christi.

Get to know this wine, and several others accompanied by excellent local food (again, more on this in a later blog).  And then enjoy the rest of your journey down the coast with your driver.

A knowledgeable driver will be able to show you all the points of interest along the way, and even let you stop for some beautiful photographs of the iconic coastline and sea sparkling below.

It is an unforgettable day!  But, my favourite thing about hiring a driver is not the convenience, or the information, or even the beauty, but the feeling that you’ve begun your day as a tourist, and ended it as a friend.

Take the opportunity to get to know your driver.  Before you know it, in the same moment he’s telling you on your right is the Isle of Capri, and what he’s having for dinner with his wife and kids later that evening.  You get a little glimpse of life there, today, and the people that make this place so special.

We’ve just returned.  Our driver was Emilio.  Along the way, we were exchanging family photos, chatting about what each of our families did for fun, and then he’d say, “Oh, over there you see Positano! Let’s stop for a photo!”

During a day like this, you learn about the history, the legends, the products, but a true passion for the place cannot come from that alone.  It comes from the people who welcome you with open arms and offer you a taste of what it’s like not only to visit, but to belong.

Contact us to plan your trip!

Lindsay Sinko,

Passion for Italy Travel, USA

Category: Amalfi Coast, Blog, Campania, Capri, Day Tours, Naples, podcast, Travel in Italy Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Passion, Italy

Part of moving to a new city and getting to know people is telling them what you do, and in some cases why you do it.  When asked that question, I say simply because it’s My Passion, Italy.

But, it’s bigger than that.  When I was four years old my mom began taking me to Europe with her school groups.  I wasn’t nearly appreciative enough.  Until we went to Italy, that is.  Thank Heaven for Dante Alighieri!

After Summer upon Summer England, a few in Paris or Lucerne mixed in, I suggested that we might try somewhere warmer, Mediterranean perhaps.  She agreed and said, “Well, I do teach Dante…” And so, my passion and another of hers was born.

It was love at first sight with Italy and me.  Still in the air, I began to fall in love.  I’d been baptized the week before, knowing that something old inside me was dying, and something new being born. I was shy then, before I met Italy.

Somewhere between falling in a giant hole of sand dug by Venetians, and being asked a hundred times if I was Brittney Spears by Roman gladiators, my shyness was replaced with so much passion for the country and the fun its people showed me how to have that I didn’t have a care in the world what anyone back home thought of me.

That trip changed my life.  Italy changed me.  I have my mother to thank for sharing this world with me.  For letting me go, and explore, and be changed.

Is there a greater gift on this earth than being able to bestow the gift that changed your life onto others so it can change theirs?

Cancer ripped Mom away from me so quickly it still makes my head spin.  Among her last words were “fish fountain”.  She wanted the painting of the fountain in Piazza di Spagna that I’d brought home for her from Rome.  She always called it “my fish fountain, at the foot of Keats’ house”.

It was hers, as it is all of ours.  People from all over the world still gather around its cooling water.  I just adore the accessibility of Rome.

After planning trips professionally now for a couple of years, my answer for why I do this is becoming deeper with each client.

A trip to Italy for most of us is not just a random whim, it’s a celebration.  A celebration of life, of love, of family, babies being born, health being restored, children’s graduations.

Many of the students who my mom and I took to Europe became more like family to us.  And my clients become more than customers to me.

At PFI, we care so deeply about our clients’ experiences there in the place we love so dearly.  We know the effect that country can have on so many lives.

When you come to Passion for Italy Travel, you are coming to people who, yes, know Italy very well, but you are also coming to people who have personal relationships with it.  Who want to get to know you so that we can gently introduce you to its beauty and charm in ways tailored for you alone.

If you are looking for the right people to help you plan your trip, contact us.  We’d love to meet you, and help you find your own passion for Italy.

Lindsay Sinko,

Passion for Italy Travel, USA

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