It was a great year! Six tours booked with 10-12 people in each and the inclusion of a seventh tour led by my irrepressible son, Sam, made it the best year yet in the fifteen year history of Ciao Italy. Despite being the year of the Jubilee and predicted record crowds, in reality the room nights in Rome were less than last year.

The Tuscany / Italian Riviera / Lake Como tour is dear to my heart as it was the first itinerary I created. It always delivers the places and experiences that one dreams about, but what makes this tour truly special are the wonderful friendships that have grown throughout the years with the Italian people who own the beautiful accommodation we stay in; the artisans who are proud and passionate about their businesses; the talented restaurant owners who cook with the best produce in the world. There is a familiarity - a sense of feeling at home - with the staff who work in the accommodation; the drivers on our private transfers; our vespa drivers; Roberta who guides us around Siena and shares the true heart and soul of the city; Michele who is passionate about his Lake Como as he guides us on a kayak tour.

With travel exploding over recent years, I sometimes feel the need to tweak an itinerary slightly. The crazy, hectic day in Florence was replaced this year with a private transfer to three walled medieval villages quite close to Siena, our home for three days. The day is more relaxed, full of culture and history, gorgeous villages, stunning Tuscan landscape and time to indulge in a delicious long lunch.

The Matera / Amalfi Coast tour offers an incredible contrast from staying in the ancient Sassi of Matera to the glorious villages of the Amalfi Coast. As one of the most popular destinations in the world, there will always be a lot of tourists, however, we feel a little removed from the crowds by staying in Ravello for three days. There were not many people walking The Path of the Gods and three days staying in Anacapri promised stunning walks with very few people. Great weather for our private boat tour circumnavigating Capri was a highlight.

Irrespective of whether you like to cook . . . or not, Simone’s cooking class in sleepy Praiano is an entertaining few hours of laughter, singing, eating, drinking and a bit of cooking! So much fun.

The Verona / Lake Garda / Dolomites tour was only introduced in 2024. All of us last year fell head over heels in love with this one. I made a couple of changes with accommodation in Verona and Riva del Garda this year and am so happy with the changes. Without knowledge and experience the Dolomites can be overwhelming, but this year it was with confidence and purpose that we navigated the network of cablecars, gondolas and chairlifts to reach stunning valleys and walking trails.

Surrounded by majestic, soaring snowcapped mountains, we walked in temperatures in the mid twenties in awe of the indescribable beauty.

The Matera/Puglia tour was NEW this year and full of different adventures. The land of fifty million olive trees didn’t disappoint. In Puglia, we stayed in three gorgeous towns, but experienced eight places. The first time booking a new company for all of our transfers and days out exploring is unknown no matter how extensive my research has been, but I’m happy to say that our drivers were fantastic. They are already booked for next year. Our cooking class in a small village not far from Ostuni was outside, delicious and authentic. It was so much fun despite none of us mastering the art of making orecchiette. Given this was the first year, I will make a couple of small changes, but really can’t wait until next year!

The Naples/Sicily/Aeolian Islands tour has been on the tour schedule for quite a few years now, but the Aeolian Islands was only added last year and what an amazing part of the world it is.

I believe everyone needs to experience the pulsating energy of Naples and staying in the Spanish Quarter provides that! It’s gritty, abrasive, crazy busy, but Neapolitans live each day like it’s their last. After all, only twenty kilometres away Mount Vesuvius sits silently . . . for now. A day on the tiny island of Procida in the Bay of Naples for a long seaside lunch was once again a delightful reprieve.

Sicily is always stunning and although a few degrees cooler in October this year, provided great weather in Taormina, on the slopes of active Mount Etna and the island of Ortigia. The Aeolian Islands at the end of the season is quite honestly the perfect scenario. About a week left before the island shut down meant barely a tourist in sight, yet we could still enjoy good restaurants, a private boat tour circumnavigating two islands and e-bikes to ride around our island of Lipari.

And now, I am writing to you in Sam’s apartment in Bari, Puglia, as this is where he is now teaching English when he’s not leading tours around Europe. Here I will stay for a few weeks for precious time with my son whilst I continue to research places in Italy and fine-tune everything for an amazing 2026. All of the tours for next year are on the website, but more on that next week!

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb