The Tarot Garden

Artist Nikki de Sainte Phalle has a world class reputation for her "gaudi-esque" sculptures. Balboa Park in San Diego as well as the city of Escondido boast several of her pieces, which are phenomenal examples of the use of mosaics in contemporary art.

Many are unaware that she also had a sculpture garden in Italy, in the Grossetto area, that represents her interpretation of the Tarot in oversized, multi-colored mosaic statuary. One of the pieces was so large that she and her husband lived in it for about 7 years and it is complete with kitchen, bathroom, loft bedroom, most of which are covered with mosaic mirror pieces. One way to study the "fractured Self" I guess.

On my last trip in May I make a pilgrimage to the ancient Mosaics in Ravenna, which were magnificent. The town itself is lovely, with wide streets where everyone rides their bikes to get around and no cars are allowed in the center of the city.

In an interesting, opposing juxtaposition (redundant)?, I went to the other side of the country to visit the Tarot Garden. All in all a good look at the spectrum that mosaic art has to offer. Traveling in Italy in this "slow" way, so as to make it a study, makes it far more dimensional than hopping on and off a bus for two weeks.

Check out our slow travel, small group tours for Sept '09, May '10 (Venice or Orvieto), Oct '10 (Piedmonte).......we'll be tasting the art of each region, along with the wines and food that vary from place to place. I think you will be pleased with the subject matter and the prices.

Ciao,
Cheryl

Wine Camp and Venice

We're adding new themes and places to visit on our Italian excursions. Next spring look for our tour of Venice with Shannon Essa of Chow Venice! fame. No one knows Venice and its many secrets like Shannon.

And you haven't been to camp until you've been to "sideways wine camp" in Italy. Visit a winery a day in the Umbria, Tuscany and Lazio regions. Along with the different regional wines, different regional foods are paired. Varieties of grapes you may never have encountered.

Both tours also include the magnificent art and historical sites that keep us coming back for more. Both tours are designed to give travelers a true taste of slow travel in Italy.

Hope to see you there.
Ciao,
Cheryl

It's a new day!

Salve, tutti! It seems the travelers are beginning to travel again. Our September trip to Italy is almost full and the excitement of my upcoming trip in May has me very Spring feverish! There are a couple of spaces left for the September trip if anyone is interested. Airfare is at an unheard low even from the west coast of the US. Now is the time to start traveling again.

I've got lots of exciting things to do already set up and am leaving in just 10 days. I'll be going to check on my property in Bagnoregio; check out some new villas for future stays in the Todi area; meeting with new chefs for cooking classes. And apparently there is horse back riding in the countryside outside of Civita Castellana.

The best part of returning to Italy again and again is finding the new places and activities that I was unaware of previously. It adds to our already long list of places to see "off the beaten track." And don't forget to check out the slowtraveltours.com website. We have a variety of interesting small group tours that are not limited to Italy.

So, ciao for now. Hope to see you in Italy!
Cheryl

Recession discounts for Italy travel

It looks as though we are deep into our U.S./Global recession and it will take some maneuvering to get out of it. From what I hear the economists say, we have to do a couple of basic things, which are contradictory to say the least: SPEND and SAVE!

So, how do we do that? Obviously, those who have lost jobs will have to do the least spending. And I think those of us who are still working and have some security around our work or retirement need to do our part in the process. In order to support our friends and neighbors who need the economy moving so they can get back to work we must carry on with life as usual. We might have to "pare it down" a bit but we can't stop doing all of the things we are used to doing that incur expense. After all, life is short. If we don't travel while we can, especially while we are in good health, then we may miss out later. And we want to be good friends and neighbors, don't we?

Do I sound like I'm trying to whip up some enthusiasm for a trip to Italy? That's exactly what I'm doing. I don't want to miss my annual Spring trip to Italy and that means I need your help! If you join me for one of my week long tours in the countryside I can share my knowledge and love of Italy with you, your family or friends AND we will be boosting the Global economy, which needs so much support right now.

Take a look at some of the airfares. They are the lowest they've been in years. I'm passing along the savings from my vendors in Italy who are discounting their services, too. Ask me what kind of a discount you qualify for and I bet you'll be surprised by the answer. I'm serious about getting to Italy this Spring so contact me about the May tour. Italianexcursion small group tours are fun, enlightening, relaxed and an unforgettable way to experience Italy.

I look forward to getting your emails and phone calls........
aparnaca@gmail.com or 760 753 5028

Ciao,

Cheryl

busy, so busy!

Hey, it's been too long since I last posted but I've been having a great time throughout the holidays, my birthday and the new presidency that was ushered in this month. I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted so I guess I'd better catch up!

I've added some new dates/tours to the website and am excited about them. It seemed best to move the Pilates trip to the Fall so we've done that. I'm really looking forward to traveling to the Piemonte region, with the villa that has the Pilates studio and cooking classes.

Noticing that folks are still sort of "holding their breath" about spending money on travel, I'm offering global recession discounts for groups of a certain number. Check with me about those if you're interested in traveling this Spring. Not sure we'll have to keep those discounts through the Fall if the economy moves ahead any. We already try to be as budget minded as possible so people can continue to travel and enjoy Italy. I've noticed there are incredible discounts in Italy for lodging and the like.

So, now is probably a good time to travel there. The dollar is holding its own but as I've mentioned before if you travel in certain areas of Italy, staying out of the big cities mostly, you'll find some incredible deals.......And I found some fabulous, low cost airline tickets for Spring from the West Coast right into Florence! I prefer flying into the smaller airports when I can as Rome airport can sometimes be a zoo to navigate if it's busy.

Just received a couple of bottles of this year's first pressed olive oil from a friend in southern Tuscany. WOW it was fantastic! when it's just newly pressed it has a real peppery bite to it and I just love it!!! We are considering whether or not we want to sell it here in the US. Will let you know what we decide......

So, ciao for now. More later,

Cheryl

Pilates in Italy!

I'm a great fan of Pilates and use it as my main source of exercise. It fits nicely with the yoga I've been doing for the last few decades. And so, when a friend told me about a week she spent near Torino with a group doing Pilates and cooking, I had to explore for myself. What I discovered was a wonderful villa in the countryside of Piemonte, a northern region of Italy, near the borders of France and Switzerland, that is fully equipped with a Pilates studio, organic vineyards and gardens and an on site Italian chef!

My own Pilates instructor, Natalie Walker (http://www.ehfpilates.com/ehfpilatesexcurs.html) was very excited to hear about this place so we decided to gather a group and go! The trip is set for late April and has space for only 9 guests. There are wonderful places to visit within a stone's throw of the villa and we're bringing our own Pilates expert. The best of both worlds is truly when you can eat fabulous Italian food, drink the best Italian wines (organic, nonetheless) and not worry about gaining weight as there will be Pilates classes daily! And let's not forget the bike rides into town, long walks in the countryside, day trips into Asti, Alba and Torino, museums, shopping, local colors and flavors... There are still a few spots left and maybe the best part is the cost which includes, lodging, ground transportation, 5 cooking classes, 5 Pilates classes, all meals, airfare if traveling with the group, etc. ($3,550)!!!

Hope to see you there! Happy New year, all!

Ciao,

Cheryl

Yes, you can!

I know travelers are freaking out about the state of the economy and thinking about canceling their planned trips but I say, KEEP TRAVELING. My last trip in Sept/Oct was one of the most inexpensive trips I've ever taken and did not feel deprived. It was relaxing and fun, less crowded and prices were reduced from last Spring's trip.

There are many bargains if you look for them, especially renting vacation homes or at hotels. I stayed two weeks in a small hill town called Todi and attended the language school there. They gave me a discounted price for the lessons which also included my own apartment, amounting to about $60 US per day. My biggest expense was a car rental and I probably could have done without that.

Because I had an apartment equipped with full kitchen, I did some cooking, which I enjoy, and didn't eat out all of the time. Found a fabulous pizza place and one night 2 of my friends and I ate pizza, salad (with everything in it), dessert and wine for less than $20 US! And the pizza was not just ordinary; asparagus, truffle and veggie............scrumptious.

I did use FF miles which saved me flight costs but after going through my receipts, etc., found that I'd spend just under $1000 per week. That is vacation money well spent. And while I was there the dollar got much stronger, which certainly helped.

So, don't be discouraged and don't stay home. This was one of my best, most relaxing trips. Made new friends, saw old ones, found some new, exciting places to go back and visit. Can't wait for my Spring trip. More later,

ciao,

Cheryl