Blog - Slow Travel Tours

What A Year This Has Been For Travel

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Nedra BottieriNovember 28, 2022

What a year this has been for travel

I know the year is not over, but it is fast approaching. When I look back at the 2022 travel season in Italy, it has been incredible. People from all over the world were ready to travel, and boy did they! The merchants I talked to told me it’s been wonderful having the streets filled with people again and welcomed the much-needed business.

Village Vacations in Italy welcomed clients with fully booked tours this year that have overflowed into 2023! Our clients were excited to go out and explore and were very happy with the experiences we offered. Italy was waiting with open arms, and she did not disappoint.

Learning the process of hand-painted ceramics in Deruta

As always, there were festivals throughout the year celebrating saints days, the Chestnut Festivals, the Infiorata, where streets are lined with flower petals formed into works of art, the “Cedano Nero Sagra” (black celery), the Vendemia ( grape harvest), and of course our guests enjoyed “Grape Squishing” and the Olive Harvest with this year’s freshly pressed olive oil right from the villa as well as wine & honey. The Italians love their festivals and celebrations. The list goes on and on.

Enjoying the day in a vineyard, picking, squishing & sipping offered in late September

The Cedano Nero Festival in Trevi

The Olive Harvest for “Liquid Gold”

Celebration in Panicale

Infiorata in Spello, where the streets are lined with flower petals

Ferroaugusto on August 15, celebrating Emperor Augustus

The grapevines celebrate with bright, vivid colors before going to sleep for the winter getting ready for next year’s harvest.

If you are traveling solo or with a few friends Village Vacations in Italy offers all-inclusive tours, except airfare. No need to rent a car; we will pick you up at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport Rome; day trip transportation is included on tour, two meals a day, breakfast and dinner, and accommodations in a gorgeous villa with beautiful grounds to enjoy. Cooking class, vineyard tour with wine tasting, olive oil tasting, visit villages such as Cortona, Assisi, Deruta, and Montefalco. Sign up for our “Grape Squishing” offered at the end of September and early October.

Recap of what is included:

Accommodations in a gorgeous villa

Breakfast and Dinner Everyday

Transfers from FCO-Villa-FCO

Day Trip Transportation with Escort

Assisi-Cortona-Deruta-Perugia

Cooking Class

Vineyard Tour & Wine Tasting

Tours in 2023

April 22-29 (Sold Out)

May 3-13 (Sold Out)

May 20-27 (Sold out)

September 16-23 (Sold Out)

September 23-30 Still has openings

October 21-28 Still has openings

*If you are interested in a solo trip without joining a group or have a small group of friends or family, I can arrange that for you also*

2024 Tours will be published soon

Our philosophy is Slow Travel, Un-pack Once, and No Rush to enjoy your time in each village we take you to. This a wonderful opportunity to spend time in Umbria and Tuscany in a beautiful villa with everything arranged for you to truly enjoy and live “La Dolce Vita” for the week you are with us. I don’t walk around with a flower on a stick and you following me, I let you go off on your own to explore, sip and shop, and visit museums. It’s your day in each village we bring you to, and I escort you each day.

To find out more about our package, click here

Former flight attendant Nedra Bottieri made a life-changing trip to Italy twenty years ago to re-discover her family heritage. Now with dual citizenship, she has a second home in Umbria.

Through her company, Village Vacations in Italy, she organizes and hosts small group tours based in small villages in Umbria and Tuscany, normally customized tours for private groups. Groups have included yoga workshops, writing workshops, and groups of family and friends. Nedra draws on her extensive experience and relationships to plan special accommodations and activities to meet each group’s needs and dreams. Experience “La Dolce Vita” in Italy!

To learn more about her tours, see www.villagevacationsinitaly.com

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France and other European countries.

Slow Travel Toolbox

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Sue AranNovember 21, 2022 1

Rather than racing from Spain to France in a week, you might find some tranquility by spending a few more days in a Spanish coastal port or a medieval French village by traveling s l o w l y.

Lavardens, a medieval village in the Gers

As a tour guide I face new challenges everyday, and naturally, I prefer positive experiences over uncomfortable ones. While there may always be problems, the ability to be unflappable in the face of these is essential. Slow travel is my preferred way to see the world, but it’s not without its downsides.

Fisherman’s chapel above Saint Jean-de-Luz, Pays Basque

Travel issues such as flight cancellations, missed trains, and medical emergencies bring the whole experience into sharper focus, especially when confined to the length of a tour. Sometimes everything that can go wrong does; restaurants suddenly shutter for an unexpected vacation, public toilets are locked, someone falls asleep on the train and misses their stop, a nearby river overflows, your favorite bakery closes, or it simply rains cats and dogs.

Shuttered restaurant in Mirepoix, Occitanie

L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue flood, Vaucluse

Closed bakery in St. Remy de Provence

Raining in Bordeaux, Gironde

Without a doubt the most favorable outcome of a tour often rests with the members of the group getting along well. On a tour everyone is opening up to people they don’t know, and to places they know nothing about: not the food, the culture nor the language. Traveling with strangers can be complex: ego clashes, different travel styles and interests will increase tensions within a small group. Friends who have never traveled before can turn into foes, infecting everyone’s sense of well-being.

Friends or foes (?) in Aigues Mortes, Gard

Above and beyond all other consideration, the well-being of a tour guide is key to the success of the tour. Long days, physical activity, and daily people management skills require a great deal of energy. In order to remain equanimous I carry a prescription for staying sane within my spiritual toolbox because if I’m happy my clients are happy too.

Nourish patience.
Don’t take things personally.
Focus on solutions.
Cultivate a good sense of humor.

Remember everything is temporary.

Tour in Ménerbes, Vaucluse

Sue Aran lives in the Gers department of southwest France. She is the owner of French Country Adventures, which provides private, personally-guided, small-group, slow travel tours into Gascony, the Pays Basque, Provence and beyond. She writes a monthly blog about her life in France and is a contributor to Bonjour Paris and France Today magazines.

Slow Travel Tours is an affiliation of small-group tour operators who offer personalized trips in Italy, France, England and other European countries.

Have an Italian Adventure in 2023

Posted on November 13, 2022 by Michelle LogueNovember 13, 2022

adventures-in-italy-blog-gather-together-again

Here at Adventures in Italy, we have a full range of tours on offer for 2023. We only travel in spring and fall, the “shoulder season” where there are fewer tourists and less extreme weather. Have an Adventure in Italy in 2023! Let’s take a peek at who you might travel with next year. All classes are open to all levels of artist.

First up in April is Mindy Veissid. Mindy first taught with Adventures in Italy just this past September, and couldn’t wait to return. Mindy teaches the Art of Intuitive Photography. Trust your intuition and up your photo game with Mindy’s guidance. All levels and cameras welcome, even cell phones!

Michelle Schratz is next with mixed media art journaling. Michelle first came to Orvieto as a student and is now back to lead this class in painting, stitching and sketching with all kinds of materials. You’ll come away with a beautiful keepsake journal of your time.

New to Adventures in Italy is our next artist, Kecia Deveney. Hand stitch your very own art doll from found and shared items from your time in Orvieto. These adorable little dolls are the perfect memento of your trip.

Finishing out our spring tours is Andrea Matus and Michael deMeng. Originally scheduled for May 2020, this duo is finally getting to share their project with artists! Travel to an antique market to find items to use in your shrine of Heaven and Hell.

If you prefer to travel in the fall, we pick back up again after Labor Day with Sue Spargo. Sue has taught with Adventures in Italy more times than any other artist! Create a tote with applique pieces inspired by Orvieto. The tote has a leather base and handles provided by our friends Federico and Hannah Badia.

Leslie Wood is up next, creating an amazing Leporello of Orvieto. This is Leslie’s first time teaching with Adventures in Italy, and she’s done her homework in creating this concertina book of landmark buildings of the town.

Back for a second time is Lorraine Bell. Paint and sketch your way through your Travel Journal under Lorraine’s expert guidance and gentle teaching style.

Our last artist of the 2023 season is Misty Mawn. Misty has taught with Adventures in Italy before, but under the previous owners. Join her to create a painting based on your experiences in Orvieto.

There truly is something for every artist. Come have an Adventure in Italy in 2023. Which one excites you the most? Mention this blog post and receive 10% off your 2023 Adventure until Dec 31, 2022.