Italy.

 

The mere mention fires the imagination:

Gondolas in the canals of Venice, the Vatican and Trevi Fountain in Rome, the Ponte Vecchio and Michaelangelo’s David in Florence. All amazing. All beautiful. All familiar – even if you’ve never been there. You have a clear expectation. The same expectation as the hordes of tourists you’ll compete with … Europeans, Russians, Chinese, Brazilians, Americans …

But what if you “discovered” a part of Italy that is unspoiled by mass tourism?

• What if you slept overnight in a cave that was carved in to soft volcanic stone by prehistoric settlers, now transformed into a one-of-a-kind hotel?

  

  Making Orecchiette (“Little Ears”) with Mama Julia

• What if you learned to make orecchiette pasta (“little ears”) side-by-side with Mama Julia who speaks not a word of English?

• What if you picnicked under 1,000-year-old olive trees?

• What if you were able to photograph a UNESCO World Heritage site without an invasion of tour buses?

• What if you went back to your room every night after dinner to find an artfully-wrapped gift on your pillow?

• What if you explored an ancient, whitewashed hill-town with streets barely wide enough for a Fiat, waving to a lady hanging laundry from her balcony?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, wouldn’t you love to enjoy these experiences with a small group of interesting, fun-loving, curious travelers who took a vow to be considerate, prompt and to never, ever complain? Wouldn’t you love it if every detail was thought through by a masterful travel planner with decades of experience – so that you didn’t have to spend any time researching and wondering which hotel to choose or which excursion to book?

Sound like a plan?

If this kind of a journey appeals to you, then you’re invited to join the WOW! Travel Club journey to southern Italy. We’ll visit four incredible places you have perhaps never heard of before. As for Rome, Florence and Venice? Well, they’ve been “tourist traps” for several hundred years … they can wait!

Come with me to Sorrento, Matera and Puglia! Dates are May 30 – June 7, 2014.

 

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Not so long ago, tourism was about visiting places and crossing them off your “list” of places to go. These days it’s about living and experiencing the destination, and the experience begins with the authenticity of the place. My criteria for WOW! Travel Club destinations has always included authenticity. And, we mostly visit places that are untrodden and off-the-beaten-path for American travelers.

 

National Geographic Traveler magazine – in this month’s issue – is featuring The Best Trips for 2014. Their criteria? Sustainable, culturally minded, authentic, superlative and timely.

Puglia is on the list!

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Curious about the other 19 places on their list? Here they are!

Nyungwe Forest National Park, Rwanda

Northern Territory, Australia

New Orleans, Louisiana

Puglia, Italy

Córdoba, Argentina

Cape Verde

Ranthambore National Park, India

Arbil, Iraq

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Cathar Country, France

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Sochi, Russia

John Muir Way, Scotland

Nahanni National Park, Canada

Cacao Trail, Ecuador

Riga, Latvia

Liechtenstein

Guyana

Alentejo, Portugal

Bolaven Plateau, Laos

Derawan Islands, Indonesia (Readers’ Choice Winner)