TRAVEL WITH US!

Italy’s Tuscan and Umbrian Countryside, hosted by Zoomer’s executive editor, Vivian Vassos, September 24 - October 4, 2022

Ciao, foodie fans, this one's for you! Join me as we meander our way through some of the most charming hill towns and iconic areas of Italy, from the olive-tree-lined fields of Umbria to the vineyards of Tuscany. Naturally, Italian cuisine is at the heart of this Collette Explorations trip. We’ll experience the culinary nuances of this part of Italy, from breaking bread with locals as we are invited into their homes, to a cheesemaker’s farm, to discovering the secret for making the most delicious breakfast cakes.

But that’s not all. We travel in smaller groups, so there’s room to be spontaneous. When you come with me, there’s a very good chance our local guides will go off book and share their off-the-beaten-path hidden gems, along with their knowledge of the history and the culture of the people and places we are visiting.

We’ve worked with Collette to tweak the itinerary so we spend more time in each of the places we’re staying. After a day and night in Rome, we board our coach for three nights in art- and architecturefilled Umbria, with its ancient Etruscan influences, then two nights in Pienza – a UNESCO heritage renaissance town in the Tuscan hills – and then three nights in Tuscany’s Chianti region (Wine! Food! Florence!), so it gives you an opportunity to really get a feel for what life is like in this beautiful part of the world. La dolce vita, indeed!