Follow in the steps of the masters

WALKING vacation specialist “The Blue Walk” has announced the dates for a variety of #Art Walks in #France and #Italy that have proven to be a hit with solo travelers. 

Tailored to all skills levels, the tours are led by popular artist-teachers. They provide the perfect opportunity for budding novices and experienced artists to “follow in the steps of the masters” in some of Europe’s most picturesque cities and coastal towns. Tours are limited to small groups to allow for maximum one-on-one opportunities between students and art instructors.

Available tours include Art Walk Italy that incorporates watercolor and sketching lessons with artist Leslie Fehling, September 22 – 29; Watercolor Sketching in Paris with artist Laure Ferlita, October 7 – 13; and Chalk Painting in Florence, Italy with Tracy Lee Stum and Sharyn Chan, October 15 – 21.

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Tap Air Portugal, named Best Airline in Europe

TAP Air Portugal continues to expand its European network with the addition of daily service to one of Italy’s most romantic destinations, Florence, from June 10, 2018. TAP was named Best Airline in Europe, for the seventh consecutive year, on December 12 by the readers of Global Traveler Magazine. 

Florence will be TAP’s fifth Italian destination served from Lisbon, joining Rome, Bologna, Milan and Venice. Each Italian destination, along with TAP’s entire European and African route network, may be coupled with up to five days’ stopover in Portugal when flying from the United States, Canada or Brazil. 

More than half of TAP’s U.S. passenger traffic continues beyond Lisbon, on to Europe or Africa, and Italy is one of the most popular final destinations. 


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A secret dinner in a noble palace

ENJOY the most romantic dinner experience on the noble floor of a historical palazzo, with stunning view of the Duomo with Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.

The venue is kept secret, so as to preserve the privacy of this family-owned palazzo dated from the 15th century, former residence of Leonardo da Vinci said to be the place where he painted his most famous piece of art, La Gioconda, also known as the Mona Lisa.

There, on the fourth floor of this historical Renaissance building designed by Giuliano da Sangallo and located steps away from the Palazzo Vecchio in the city centre, lays a spacious dining room with the most magnificent view on the Duomo. This stunning backdrop sets the stage of the new dinner experience launched exclusively for guests of Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.

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Sleep with history

HOLIDAYMAKERS can plunge into the past with Tuscany Now & More, and have the chance to sleep with history, be it in a castle, a country residence, or an old farmhouse.  Guests can lay their heads in the homes of important historical figures and discover Italy’s history and heritage.

The agency has compiled a shortlist of some of their most historical properties:

The Historical Charm: Visentium – Steeped in history, there are stones in the walls of Visentium which were cut more than 3,000 years ago. 

The villa has a dining room for 20 and an arched loggia overlooking the swimming pool. The 10-bedroom property sleeps up to 18. From £4,784 a week.

Live like a king or queen in Castello di Tizzano – The historical home of an important Florentine family, the villa is surrounded by uninterrupted views of hills and Florence. It has a walled garden and a large swimming pool on a lower terrace with views of the Duomo. The nine-bedroom property sleeps up to 18 people. From £7,999 per week.

Villa Zambonina – Built in the early 17th century, Villa Zambonina is a manor house set on a farming estate close to Verona. The property is decorated with frescoes and trompe l’oeil paintings. It has 12 bedrooms and costs from £3,839 a week.

 www.tuscanynowandmore.com

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Florence food tours

EATING #ITALY is expanding its portfolio by launching a new #food tour in #Florence, taking visitors through the neighbourhood of Oltrano – the Florentine equivalent of the Left Bank in Paris.

Says Kenny Dunn, managing director of Eating Europe Tours, parent company of Eating Italy: ‘Florence has such a strong culinary influence that we felt it was the next logical step in our expansion in Italy.’

On the Other Side of Florence Food tour, guests will taste what makes the city’s cuisine unique in Italy, and meet the families who have been serving up the food locals have loved for generations. 

Through food and wine tastings, guests will learn how to make Italian cantucci (biscuits), sample the local salami, and experience the neighbourhood’s Bohemian vibe. Tuscany’s wine, Chianti, is part of the tour.

Tours run Monday to Saturday, 10am to 2pm. 

www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/florence/tours/oltrarno

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Picture Credit: Soppressa</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin

In the footsteps of St Francis

A GUIDEBOOK re-tracing the steps of St Francis of Assisi across #Umbria, #Italy, has been launched by Cicerone Publishing. 

Stretching over 28 days and 340 miles, ‘The Way of St Francis: From Florence to Assisi and Rome’ connects significant places and dusty paths from the life of the saint and makes them available to pilgrims and walkers seeking to follow in his footsteps.

Sandy Brown, from Seattle in the US – an ordained minister and long-distance walker – has re-traced the path of the patron saint of animals and the environment to produce a 288-page guidebook.

The walk gives travellers the opportunity to experience the places where the saint lived, prayed, and worked, as well as venturing into the green heart of Italy.

The guide highlights the region’s lifestyle and focuses on its tranquillity, history, culture, and the hospitality of its people.

Each Umbrian town, says Reverend Brown, on the route has treasures of art, history, culture, tradition, and cuisine waiting to be discovered.

‘I've walked many pilgrim trails in Europe,’ he says, ‘and none are quite as magnificent as the path from Assisi to Rome. 

When I walked this route in 2013, I knew instantly that I wanted other walkers from all over the world to share in the experience of this fascinating trail, so I took pen to paper and wrote the first English copy of The Way of St Francis.’

‘The Way of St Francis: From Florence to Assisi and Rome’, £16.95, is published by Cicerone – a specialist travel publishing house.

www.cicerone.co.uk www.umbriatourism.it

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15979685@N08/14333907108">Castelluccio di Norcia - Umbria, Italy</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)

Italy’s top Xmas markets

CITALIA’S travel experts have chosen their top pick of the Italian Christmas markets for an affordable pre-Christmas get-away

Italy’s #Christmas markets – ‘Mercatino di Natale’ – are smaller and more intimate than the famous German markets that make their way to the UK. Many feature elaborate nativity scenes made by local craftsmen, while hosting stalls offering regional seasonal food and drink, as well as locally made products and gift items.  

The markets often run during the advent period and some remain open right through to Epiphany, since Christmas in #Italy is traditionally celebrated from December 24 to January 6.

Milan – Piazza Castello
Milan is home to several Christmas Markets, but Oh Bej! Oh Bej! (How Beautiful! How Beautiful!) is one of the longest running, dating back to at least 1510. The market bustles with activity, as locals and tourists meander around the 350+ stalls selling handicrafts, antiques, clothing, toys, Christmas gifts, and festive foods. It runs for just one weekend at the beginning of December, this year December 4-7. December.

 Merano – River Passirio
Visit one of Citalia’s newest destinations, Merano in South Tyrol, between November 27 and January 6 to experience the town’s unique Christmas market located on the banks of the River Passirio.

Rome – Piazza Navona
Among the fountains in the Piazza Navona, the square turns into a multi-coloured Christmas Market, with stalls and booths filled with chocolates and traditional Christmas gifts. Between November 26 and January 6, there are street artists, acrobats, and Christmas music. 

Bolzano – Piazza Walther

Set against the backdrop of the Rosengarten Dolomites, Bolzano hosts Italy’s biggest Christmas Market. Wooden huts filled with traditional gifts and decorated with garlands, lamps, and candles line the streets in the medieval town. The runs from November 29 to January 6.

Florence – Piazza Santa Croce
Florence flourishes with Christmas cheer and a huge market inspired by the tradition of the German city of Heidelberg. More than 50 huts and stalls selling Italian and German delicacies, decorations, and handicrafts fill one of the most beautiful squares of the city, Santa Croce. December 2-20.

Citalia can arrange hotel packages in all of these locations – www.citalia.com

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31039095@N02/5262101186">Christmas in Florence | Natale Fiorentino 2010</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">, http://www.flickr.com/photos/87690240@N03/15481788014">Vatican city, Rome, Italy</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)

Cook in Tuscany

TUSCANY NOW, with 180 rental properties, has a concierge team which can give guests directions to local markets and set up cookery classes with local chefs.

One of the food experiences is a cooking session with Anna Bini at her school in central Florence, a short distance from many of the Tuscany Now properties. 

She has specialized in Tuscan cuisine for more than 60 years. Her course includes a visit to San Lorenzo market to buy produce and learning how to make fresh pasta from scratch.

Guests can also take part in truffle hunts in the hills south of Siena.

www.tuscanynow.

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Picture Credit: "greeneries" by Helge Høifødt - Own work via Wikimedia Commons.

Italy lights up for Xmas

 ITALIAN CITIES light up for the festive season, with Christmas markets combining Mediterranean flavours and German traditions.

Here are some of the best:

VERONA – The city hosts a Nuremberg Christmas market in the central Piazza dei Signori. The German–style market will have all the traditional huts serving specialities such as mulled wine, Stollen and Lebkuchen cakes, and bratwurst.

TRIESTE – In Trieste, you can feel the charm of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire empire in its Christmas market in Piazza Sant'Antonio and the surrounding streets. There’ll be Trieste food and wine, songs and music.

ROME – The Piazza Navona (Pictured above) is swamped by a bustling market, selling cribs, decorations and sweets.

VENICE – Christmas fairs in various piazzas. 

FLORENCE – Mercato Tedesco di Natale, Piazza Santa Croce. This market (pictured here) is inspired by the tradition of the German city of Heidelberg. Wooden huts and stalls selling Italian and German delicacies, decorations, and handicrafts.

NAPLES – Via S. Gregorio Armeno. The Christmas market in this narrow street is famous for its handcrafted nativity crib figurines, from the traditional to the most sophisticated, and for traditional Neopolitan food and cakes. 

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Picture Credit: From Top: 'Piazza Navona (Roma) - Mercato Natalizio 05' by Nicholas Gemini (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons; 'Piazza Santa Croce with german market' by Freepenguin (Own work) via Wikimedia Commons

The app for city tours

CITIES TALKING is a new way to discover your favourite cities … for less. Showcasing the best of Europe’s city culture, Cities Talking – which has been dubbed the “anti-tour guide” – has been designed to offer a solution to expensive, uninformative city tours, with the help of some famous voices.

Free to download, the app allows you to explore cities on your own schedule. Instead of regurgitating the same mundane facts on which many tour guides rely, the app uses an interactive GPS which targets your location and provides compelling facts designed to inspire, educate, amuse and entertain – whether it’s Christopher Biggins guiding you around the streets of London or comedian Gordon Kelly taking you on a tour of medieval Edinburgh.

Says Julie-Anne Uggla, founder of Cities Talking: ‘In Venice, we paid a premium for an excruciating tour of the city – it was so busy we couldn’t hear the tour guide speak, what we did hear was completely uninspiring and we couldn’t even stop for a water break in the baking heat. At that point, I thought surely there’s a cheaper, more exciting way to explore a city than this,  which is when Cities Talking was born!”.

Walks are currently available for ten cities: London, Edinburgh, Berlin, Amsterdam, Budapest, Florence, Paris, Venice, Bruges, and Prague.

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