Florence and Venice by private jet
An exceptional behind-the-scenes eight-day tour of Tuscany and Venice, arranged for a Robb Report reader and guest by
TCS World Travel, a private jet-expedition specialist, begins with a helicopter tour of the Brunello di Montalcino wine region, followed by lunch at Michelin-star restaurant Silene.
During a three-night stay at Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, a 2,023-hectare country estate founded by Massimo and Chiara Ferragamo of the famed fashion house, enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Tuscan olive groves and villages from a hot-air balloon, followed by a Prosecco and pecorino breakfast. Learn how to prepare traditional Tuscan dishes using seasonal produce from the hotel kitchen’s garden and ride a vintage Vespa into Siena for dinner.
Next, choose an Italian sports car, such as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini, stop at a local farmhouse for a picnic in the vineyard or another pretty spot on the grounds and drive on to Florence. Enjoy dinner by the Arno after dropping your bags at the Four Seasons, with its 15th-century garden. In Florence, you’ll learn leather-working at the Scuola del Cuoio (School of Leather) inside Santa Croce Basilica, concoct your own eau de parfum at Aquaflor Firenze, visit a 13th-century goldsmith’s atelier on the Ponte Vecchio, collaborate with a fashion designer from Dolce&Gabbana to create your own piece of custom clothing, visit the Gucci Museum and enjoy lunch at Gucci Osteria by Massimo Bottura, and to top it all off, listen to Andrea Bocelli performing for you alone, in the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons.
After a private jet transfer to Venice, where you’ll stay on the Grand Canal at the St Regis, attend the Doge’s Ball, a Venetian masquerade party, after choosing historical costumes from an atelier with over 1,500 creations. A team of personal fitters, make-up artists and hairdressers will be at your service. The ball takes place during Carnival in February; if attending in September, guests can instead walk the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, travelling via private water taxi, with tickets to VIP screenings and an after-party.
At other times of the year, you might take a jaunt to Milan Fashion Week or the Verona Opera Festival, for two examples, but whatever the season, plan on ending your adventure with a unique dinner for two inside the clock tower on Piazza San Marco, after it has closed to visitors for the day.
From US$353,300 for two, excluding round-trip flights to Italy, some events and activities subject to availability; guestrelations@tcsworldtravel.com, +1-866-875-5238
This pioneering itinerary is strictly for thrill seekers. The 12-day Water and Ice adventure, designed exclusively for Robb Report readers by Extraordinary Journeys, starts in Cape Town during December or January, the southern hemisphere’s summer. Here you’ll stay at the Silo hotel on the Atlantic waterfront and spend two days training to freedive with South African record holder Hanli Prinsloo, exploring the kelp forests of Hout Bay and swimming with sea lions and dolphins.
On your fourth day, a Gulfstream 500 will take you soaring over thousands of icebergs on a five-hour flight across the Southern Ocean to Antarctica for a sevenday exploration of the frozen continent. From your base at the luxurious Wolf’s Fang Explorer Camp, you’ll take a two-hour scenic flight above Antarctica’s mountain ranges and coastline before landing at Atka Bay, home to a 28,000-strong colony of emperor penguins.
Later, you’ll travel by foot and snowmobile over glaciers and around nunataks (mountain peaks poking through the ice) to the Drygalski Mountains. After camping on the glacier, you’ll take advantage of the 24hour sunlight and trek into the mountains to scale a virgin peak and try your hand at ice climbing before returning to a champagne celebration at base camp. During your final days in Antarctica, a Basler BT-67 aircraft will whisk you to the Polar Plateau, where you’ll visit the South Pole and get your passport stamped.
On your return to Cape Town, you’ll take a private tour of the South African Winelands and enjoy a picnic lunch in the idyllic landscape.
US$1.2 million for a buyout for 12 people; Jamie Mehrotra, jamie@ejafrica.com, +1-212-226-7331