February 17, 2016 In a move that we have long wished for, the authorities who govern the ultra-popular Cinque Terre national park on the gorgeous, formerly unspoiled Ligurian Coast have announced limits of 1.5 million visitors per year starting in 2016. Cruise ships and bus tours disgorge thousands and thousands of people per day onto […]
Tag Archives: italy
Giving Travelers Exactly What They Want
March 31, 2015 When Susan K. contacted us on March 24, she told us that she wanted to take her 29 year-old son on the trip of a lifetime. His goals were to see as much of the Alps in central Europe as possible. Top on his list were the Dolomites, the area around Berchtesgaden, […]
Spring Gets Us In An Italian Frame of Mind
February 28, 2015 Spring always makes us think of Italy. This is our favorite season in this beautiful land, with velvety green fields of wheat covering the landscapes of Tuscany, with brilliant sunshine on the Amalfi Coast and with temperatures comfortable and the Italians fresh and ready for the coming invasion of tourists. Restaurant owners […]
Are European Focus Private Tours a bargain? It depends on your perspective.
November 17 You’re searching for a small group tour in Europe and you’ve landed here. Thanks for stopping by! Now you may be thinking, ‘this kind of service sounds expensive.’ European Focus Private Tours are not cheap, nor are they created for someone on a shoestring budget. That’s what Globus, Trafalgar and Kontiki mass bus […]
Postcards from Tuscany
November 1 We just spent six nights in Tuscany with repeat clients Eric and Patricia from Sarasota, FL. Here are some reminders of the lovely time we had. Click on any image to get a larger view.
San Gimignano is the Medieval Manhattan of Italy
October 31 We spent three nights here recently with clients from Sarasota, Florida. San Gimignano is one of the most famous of the Tuscan hill towns. It once had 70 towers but today only 13 survive. These towers were built to show the status of various families who were usually in conflict with one another. […]
Venice Earns its Reputation as World’s Most Amazing Place
October 28 Yes there are hoards of tourists. Yes the main thoroughfares between San Marco and the Accademia and the Rialto Bridges are ridiculously crowded. Yes, Venice is slowly sinking into the mud. But my, what a wonderful, colorful, interesting place. Get away from the day-trippers who come in on huge cruise ships or by […]
Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
July 11 After a string of negative experiences we have taken the Vatican Museums and the attached Sistine Chapel (you cannot visit the Sistine without going through the maze of the museum) permanently off our list of things to see and do in Rome, until they either change things in a major way at the […]