Italy with Odysseys Unlimited
Having made several trips to Italy, I was looking for something new. I discovered the tour “Northern Italy” from Odysseys Unlimited (85 Main St., Ste. 101, Watertown, MA 02473; 888/370-6765, www.odysseys-unlimited.com). From Miami, my 14-day trip, May 24-June 6, 2006, cost $3,695 plus a single supplement of $595.
On most tours I have taken, I usually claim my baggage, clear Customs dragging my bags and look for the escort. I was surprised when I got to the luggage carousel to find a porter with a baggage trolley holding a sign with the name of the company on it. He escorted us out to meet Ingrid Jerebica, our tour escort.
Ingrid would prove to be a perfect guide. She was informative, knowledgeable, friendly, organized and resourceful. When we were in cities, she always supplied us with individual maps showing where the local guide would take us, leave us and where, after independent activities, we would meet. When leaving us, the local guide would again go over the route we would take back to the bus and point out which street to use.
The tour included 12 breakfasts and nine dinners. For nonincluded meals, Ingrid would make suggestions of where to eat, ranging from inexpensive to expensive places. She often would let us know what specialties of the area to order.
The tour was designed with stays in four cities and daily side trips. The shortest stay was two nights in Venice, and in the other cities we had 3- and 4-night stays. All the meals on the tour were wonderful, often featuring local wines and often consisting of local specialties. Most meals were four courses, and there was no repeating of dishes during our tour.
Transferring from Milan, we stayed at Hotel La Palma for three nights. It is located on the promenade of Lake Maggiore and about five minutes from the center of town.
During our stay in Stresa we motored to nearby Ascona, an artists’ colony on the Swiss side of the lake. We also took a private boat trip to the 15th-century Castello Borromeo on Isola Bella. After a tour of the castle we visited the gardens, which were an explosion of color and extravagantly landscaped. We dined on the island.
From Santa Margherita we took a day trip by boat to the Cinque Terre, sailing down the coast to where the vineyards and houses adhere to the cliffs soaring high above the sea. The towns are nestled in tiny coves. With no real docks, it was hard getting on and off the boat as we stopped to walk around the towns of Monterosso and Vernazza.
We also took a boat trip to one of my favorite places, Portofino.
In Pisa a local guide took us through the 11th-century Duomo Baptistry. Then I climbed the 293 steps to the top of the campanile, or Leaning Tower. After five visits to Pisa, I had finally been able to get into the tower! (Note: the Leaning Tower was closed to tourists from January 1990 to December 2001 for reconstruction.) The view from the top was wonderful. Going down was somewhat hard, as the steps have been worn smooth and have a curve to them.
In the village of Castellina, we spent four nights at Villa Godenano, a family-run villa. It can accommodate up to 30 people at a time, so our group of 23 took over the place. It was like staying in a private home rather than a hotel. The meals all were home-cooked. Day excursions from this Tuscany villa included Siena, Florence, Volterra and San Gimignano.
The tour ended with two nights in Venice.
I was delighted with this tour, so delighted that I booked a tour for Peru with Odysseys Unlimited.
PHILIP A. SHART
Tamarac, FL