The post Top Travel Days of 2023, Meeting the Artisans of Florence appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>
In early November I had the privilege of traveling to Florence, Venice, and Milan with a wonderful group of travel advisors hosted by Largay Travel, our link to the upscale Virtuoso consortium. It was an extravagant week of staying at 5-star properties and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. Hey, someone has to do the research for members of ActiveTravels who will soon travel there!
We had great guides throughout our trip, touring the Duomo in Florence and the Jewish Ghetto in Venice, where you can visit two 16th-century synagogues still in use. But I really loved gaining access to local artisans, who were down narrow alleyways or streets you would never find on your own. That’s the sign of a good walking tour.
In Florence, we met a goldsmith, Nerdi Orafi, who works in the same building Salvatore Ferragamo once designed women’s shoes. She creates exquisite handmade necklaces and earrings with her husband in a small studio, their wares so exceptional that Dolce & Gabbana hired the couple to create jewelry for a fashion shoot. Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying earrings for Lisa, designed with three rings, the same symbol Michelangelo used on the marble he worked with. Just around the corner I met a 4th-generation marble paper artist and book binder, Riccardo Luci, who designs the patented peacock feather look on paper Florence is known for. He showed us his process of creating patterns and lightly applying the paper to the paint and water combination to soak up the patterns. Fascinating!
The post Top Travel Days of 2023, Meeting the Artisans of Florence appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>The post Backroads Announces New 2022 Trips Available for Booking appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>
Hiking from Italy’s Gran Paradiso to the Matterhorn, a multisport African safari in Namibia, Rhine River Cruise bike tour, and hiking in Oman are just a few of the trips Backroads will debut in 2022. The travel company also announced that they are expanding their Dolce Tempo segment with more than 100 new trips. These easygoing trips are becoming quite popular. New destinations will include the Canadian Rockies, England’s Cotswolds, as well as a Danube River Cruise E-bike tour. Please let ActiveTravels know your dates and level of activity and we’ll find the ideal trip for you!
The post Backroads Announces New 2022 Trips Available for Booking appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>The post A Millennium-Old Castle Now a Resort in Umbria, Italy appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>
When a castle dating from 1050 transforms into a magical 36-room hotel in the Umbrian hillside, it gets our stamp of approval. The ancient farmhouses that dot the 3,700 acres of pastoral countryside at Reschio have already been transformed into luxurious private homes by three generations of the Bolza family. But by the end of April 2021, the property’s crown jewel, Castello di Reschio, will finally debut. Glass-enclosed lounges and hidden libraries are all part of the upscale mystique of this estate. An added plus is the onsite Equestrian Center. Interested in traveling to Italy in 2021? Let ActiveTravels design an exciting route using our fantastic contacts in the country.
The post A Millennium-Old Castle Now a Resort in Umbria, Italy appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>The post Bucket List Travel, Slice of Europe appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>
First-time visitors to ActiveTravels often ask us what’s our expertise? That’s not an easy question to answer, because we delight in sending you to the most remote corners of the globe, whether it’s the chance to see the orangutans of Sumatra or hiking the W Trek in Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. Yes, we know New England like the back of our hand. But we also know Europe exceptionally well and wow, do we love our local suppliers, especially TFL in Italy, Madrid and Beyond in Spain, Celebrated in Scotland, Ireland, and the UK, and Original Senses in Greece. It’s easy for us to design itineraries in major cities like London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome. Yet, if you want to get a real taste of Europe away from the masses, please give us the chance to show you Puglia, Provence, and Paros, where the Europeans go on vacation. Whether you want to bike to Monet’s house in Giverny, go out on a tasty tapas tour in Madrid, hike the Dolomites, or sail to Greek’s undiscovered islands, we’ll create those lasting memories! Also consider slowing down on two wheels with Backroads, DuVine, VBT and Ciclismo Classico, biking and hiking outfitters, who know how to get you off-the-beaten-track to more isolated and scenic locales.
The post Bucket List Travel, Slice of Europe appeared first on Active Travels.
]]>