Italian Great Escapes Gail's Great Escapes LLC 2011
Finding your personal Great Escape in Italy is simple.Take a map, close your eyes, drop your finger.Anywhere you land is a feast for your senses.Italy’s diversity is legendary and its treasures easy to discover, with a little help along the way. Escape with us and we'll be your guide.
Italy is delightfully complex.Every region has layers of history, cultural differences, food specialties, wine to steal your heart, artisans beyond compare, and a glorious landscape to take your breath away.
Escape with us and experience a country with traditional Mediterranean values and a pace of life reminiscent of the past.We’ll visit small wineries, ancient abbeys and cathedrals, charming hill towns, archeological sites, wild sandy beaches, markets, festivals….tours as diverse as Italy itself.
Hosting small group tours in Italy for the past ten years gives me a unique perspective, and a base of knowledge and experience that only comes with time and discovery.I would like to share with you the places, the people, and the passion I feel for this country that has changed my life.I believe its siren song will sing its way into your soul and you, too, will be forever changed.
Great Escapes in 2011 will include the sister regions of Umbria and Tuscany.
Our Umbrian escape in early May, Assisi, Artisans & Artichokes, will find us in a lovely agriturismo on a mountainside overlooking the town of Italy’s Saint Francis of Assisi. The week will include a cooking class with Letizia Mattiacci; visits to ceramics and textile workshops; a winery and art tour with my fabulous guide Pino; a stroll through picturesque Spello; the medieval costume parade of the Calendimaggio festival in Assisi; and, oh yes, a tour of a chocolate factory!This week is for women only, so grab your girlfriends, mothers, sisters and daughters, and join us.We’re going to have some great fun!
At the end of May, our Tuscan Escapewill take us to the rolling countryside of the Val D’Orcia, near Pienza, the jewel-like Renaissance village.We’ll stay in an elegantly restored historic 13th century villa on a 72 acre estate, including twelve acres of vineyards and twelve acres of olive trees.
Situated along a renowned wine road, the villa is ideally located for exploring the lovely Tuscan towns of Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Montefollonico, San Quirico d'Orcia, Bagno Vignoni and Radicofani, all close by and steeped in history.And for those of you who have toured with me before, it’s only 15 minutes from Montisi!
Your week will include tasting the famous Brunello wine of Montalcino, the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and the wonderful Chianti DOCG of the villa’s first vintage.We’ll visit a pecorino cheese farm and see ricotta being made; take a day tour with Pino, my tour guide of 10 years; enjoy a casual, fun-filled art class with Montisi artist, Elizabeth Cochrane; learn a thing or three in a cooking class in the beautiful villa kitchen; and have optional opportunities for ballooning, cycling, and many other activities.
My tour philosophy is different from most. You will not be herded around like the sheep you will see in the meadows. Your Escape, your activities, will be personalized to your interests. If you would like to sit by the pool with a book and a glass of wine, listening to the sounds of the sheep, the cuckoos, and the church bells in the distance, that’s fine.If you want to shop till you drop, we will tell you the best places to go with a smile.
Everywhere you look is inspiration for creativity and relaxation. We will provide the suggestions, the guidance, and the opportunities, and you will have the week of your choice. No stress. No schedule but the one you make for yourself.
Rest assured, on a Great Escape you will be in a breathtaking setting, in a gentle, beautiful place of history, with kind people helping you discover and explore.
