Custom Italian Travel Planning for Unforgettable Moments

Ciao!

Tech problems have been resolved. 🙌 Regular content is back! 🥳 But…. I'm hitting send a day late.  You can't win 'em all!

 

And yet, I did manage to send out a special edition on Monday with details about a holiday gift package.  It's the perfect gift for the traveler on your list.  Better yet, be bold and forward the email on to let someone know what YOU want for the holidays this year.

 

Speaking of travel planning, Travel Tuesday is coming up after Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and you know what that means: deals being thrown around like confetti. If there's a specific destination or hotel you've been eyeing for 2026, hit reply to this email and let me know what I can keep an eye out for. 

 

My own 2026 travels will definitely be taking me to Sardegna! I've just accepted a May FAM invitation, and I'm beyond pumped to finally experience it firsthand.  I've somehow never made it to this stunning island despite years of Italy travel.  

 

But now - Tuscany!

If you've ever fantasized about living in a 12th-century Tuscan castle surrounded by vineyards but with, you know, actual plumbing and air conditioning, COMO Castello del Nero delivers exactly that. 

 

This restored medieval castle sits on 740 acres of Chianti perfection, perfectly positioned between Florence and Siena for when you need your Renaissance art fix with a complimentary shuttle to take you, but between wine tastings in the historic cellar, truffle hunting, cooking classes, the Shambala spa and hiking through olive groves, you'll have plenty of excuses if you want to just stay on property instead. 

Fun fact: the island of Elba is actually part of Tuscany. 

 

It's most famous for being Napoleon's exile destination. Interesting choice if you ask me, since it doesn't really look like much of a punishment.  Nonetheless, he spent less than a year here before escaping back to France (clearly not a beach person I guess).

 

One visit if you ARE a beach person, and you'll want to stay much longer. 

 

The island offers it all:  a dramatic coastline, charming fishing villages, a rich history, beaches, hiking trails, good wine, fresh seafood, a mountainous interior, and a visit free from crowds.  

What's something that's educational and fun?  Exploring the buchette del vino, or wine windows around Florence.

 

During the plague, these tiny openings in palazzo walls allowed customers to buy wine from wine merchants without any direct contact, sliding coins in and receiving a glass of wine back out. Pandemic innovation at its finest, really.

 

Fast forward to today, and these historic wine windows are making a comeback. You can wander Florence's streets spotting these small arched openings, many still operational, serving everything from local Chianti to Aperol spritzes through centuries-old stone walls.

 

Is it as delightfully entertaining as you imagine it might be? 100%, Yes.

Finocchiona, the Tuscan salami that is pronounced the same way as everyone's favorite wooden puppet, but with an extra “na” on the end.  Pinocchio / Finocchio-na.

 

This fennel-studded cured meat has been a Tuscan staple since the Renaissance, when clever butchers discovered that wild fennel seeds could mask the taste of lower-quality pork while adding incredible flavor. Finocchiona is softer and fattier than most Italian salamis, with a distinctly sweet and fennel flavor that makes it dangerously easy to eat way too much of it in one sitting.

 

And as hard as I'm trying to tie in another reference to Pinocchio here, I think it's best that I don't.

No proper Tuscan meal should end without a glass of Vin Santo and cantucci (Tuscan biscotti) appearing at your table. Dunk these twice-baked almond cookies directly into your glass with flourish and ceremony and feel like a child again, but without the milk moustache.

 

Some say Vin Santo is called holy wine because it was once used in religious ceremonies. I say it's because a good glass can make you believe in the divinity of the humble grape.