Cinque Terre- Five Lands along the Sea
Gayle McKay
New Richmond, WI
Accompanied Small Group Tours of Italy
I plan and accompany clients on small group tours of Italy. I strive to provide a first class experience with a combination of private tours and free time to make your own memories. This is luxury travel with 4 and 5 star hotels or villas, privat...
I plan and accompany clients on small group tours of Italy. I strive to provide a first class experience with a combination of private tours and free time to make your own memories. This is luxury travel with 4 and 5 star hotels or villas, private transfers from the airport to the hotel, private tours and first class train travel. I limit my tours to 8 guests in order to provide personalized service. Since my group is small I can customize the trip to explore special interests of my guests and participate in activities that would not be practical for individuals or for larger groups.
- My small group tours have included Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Pisa, Pompeii, Lake Como and the Piedmont region. The exact itinerary is determined as I customize the trip for individual clients.
- Discover Italy with activities that include a cooking school or cooking class, dinner in a private home, stay in an 18th Century Villa, visit to wineries, truffle hunting with a dog, visits to artisan workshops, big game fishing in the Mediterranean, test drive of a Ferrari, boat tours , opera, gondola rides with a musician, tours of churches, ancient Rome and many more depending on the interests of the client.
- Since 2008 I have accompanied more than 100 clients on small group tours of Italy. I utilize Delta Vacations for airfare and hotels whenever possible. Transfers between cities is done by private van with a professional driver or by train.
- I am knowledgeable about Italian wines. I understand the different wine classifications--DOCG,DOC,IGT and Super Tuscan. The grape variety, the climate and the soil contribute to the wine and therefore wines are specific to each region in Italy. I accompany clients to wineries in several regions of Italy. My relationship with one winery in Tuscany has enabled me organize wine school events in Wisconsin. The winery sends a member of the family and bring the wine and clients are able to enjoy a fun evening while learning to choose and pair Italian wine.
- I have provided clients with cooking class in Florence that includes a trip to the central market to purchase ingredients.
- I arrange a cooking class in a private home with a couple who has conducted cooking classes for a cruise line. On a different night the same couple prepares a gourmet meal for us in their home.
- I book my clients in small villa in with beautiful gardens and an outdoor pizza oven. A pizza maker from Genoa comes to the villa to prepare a pizza party for us the night we arrive.
- I accompany clients to a 18th Century villa in the Piedmont region for a Culinary Vacation. An Italian family owns and operates the villa and a cooking school utilizes their venue for our accommodations and classroom for cooking classes. We enjoy home-cooked meals for breakfasts and most dinners with the Italian family who lives at the villa. We enjoy the same meal the Italian family is having and it is truly cultural immersion. Cooking classes lasts about two hours daily and the rest of the time we explore the region--wineries, cheese town, truffle hunting, and a chestnut farm.
- In Venice I accompany our clients on a Venetian Dinner cruise that features a 5 course meal with a choice of seafood or meat.
- Women who wish to travel but do not have a travel companion enjoy the companionship and security of travel with my small group.
In addition to the small group tours in Italy I have worked with clients to arrange other travel needs including trips to Maui, cruises, trips to Australia, South America, France and Indonesia.
I have also worked with university groups for learning abroad booking airfare, hotels and trains.
Can Be Reached At
1-715-268-4453
I visited the Cinque Terre the first time in 2008. Since that time I have led 7 small group tours to this unique and beautiful area. in addition I have booked several groups who chose to travel independently. Each year we find new experiences that allow us to avoid the crowds and enjoy all the Cinque Terre has to offer. More importantly I have developed friendships that make this a very personal experience for our clients. My small group tours include a train pass for the Cinque Terre that allows unlimited use of the trains between the villages of the Cinque Terre. It is a 4-5 minute ride by train to get from one village to the next.
We stay in Villa Valentina in Levanto which is run by Angelo (retired Italian fisherman) and his wife Paula. The bed and breakfast rooms are spacious and beautifully decorated. There are also apartments which are especially nice for families and can accommodate 6 persons. The villa is situated in a quiet neighborhood and its beautiful gardens make a perfect place to read a book or enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. Cooked to order breakfasts are served in the garden each morning. On the night of our arrival my friend Paula has a pizza maker from Genoa come for a pizza party in the garden- the perfect way to end the day.
Angelo takes us on a boat ride to see the Cinque Terre from the sea--no crowds on this tour. We will stop in a quiet cove for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea. Then we go for a seafood feast. Angelo pre-orders for the group and we enjoy the regional specialties served family style. This gives everyone to opportunity to try foods they may not have been brave enough to order themselves. Sometimes we take the ferry to Portovenere. We have time to walk the narrow streets and visit the old Roman fort and chapel at the mouth of the harbor. Then we take a Chris Craft style boat to the island of Palmaria for a fantastic seafood feast with a view of the harbor.
Our friends Angelo and Paula introduced us to another local couple. Daniella and Piero are excellent cooks. They have us into their home for a cooking class and lunch. On a different day they have us to their home where we enjoy a multi-course meal on their deck overlooking the sea. This very personal experience is available to our small group but it would not be available for a large bus tour with 40 people. It is also not available for the independent traveler.
Ca' DuFerra' is a small winery located north of Levanto in Bonasosola. A 5 minute train ride takes us the train station in Bonassola where the owner of the winery picks us up and takes us up, up, up to the vineyards on the steep slopes overlooking a view of Bonassola and the sea. The vineyards grow Bosco, Albarola and Vemiettino grapes but they also are working on a project to revive an ancient grape variety. Two years ago C' DuFera' reintroduced the Ruzzese white grape variety based on production according to an old-time tradition. Ruzzese is the forerunner of Sciacchetra'. After walking in the vineyards and enjoying the view we return to the farmhouse for wine tasting and snacks. Yum!
Clients are able to be as active as they choose to be. The Cinque Terre is famous for its hiking trails. The trails are strenuous and I recommend them only to clients who are fit and wear good walking/ hiking shoes. The views are spectacular.! Villa Valentina provides bicycles for use by their guests with no charge. there is a path that goes along the sea from the harbor in Levanto to Bonossola. My favorite beaches are in Monterossa and Levanto and Villa Valentina will provide beach towels and umbrellas on request. In 2019 our small group tour included an avid fisherman. I followed a recommendation from my friend Angelo and arranged a Big Game Fishing trip for blue fin tuna. I include enough free time for clients to choose their favorite activity.
Year after year this has been a favorite part of the small group tours that we bring to Italy. Sometimes I hear from others that the Cinque Terre is too crowded. That can be true when the cruise ships send there buses there for a day. It is impossible to experience all the Cinque Terre has to offer in a single day. By getting off the beaten track we avoid the crowds and enjoy the hidden gems of this area.