A 5 Star Tour to Florence Tuscany and Rome

Dates:  April 2 - 10 2016

Dreaming of Italy?  Join Gourmet Getaways on a food and wine 5 star holiday!

Price Includes: 

• 4 nights at a 4  star hotel in Florence  and 3 nights at a 5 star hotel in Rome - Classic room category
• Breakfast each morning
• Private transfers
• Hotel city taxes
• visit The Accademia, Vasari Corridor and Santa Croce in Florence
• Tours of Tuscany to include:  Colle Val d'Elsa, Siena, Montalcino and Cortona
• Private English Speaking Guides
• Welcome lunch in Florence with wine
• Farewell dinner in Rome with wine at the prestigious Michelin Star Restaurant - Mirabella -with beautiful views of Rome
• Tour of Castell Gandolfo and the Papal Gardens
• Lunch and wine tasting outside of Rome
• Private buffet brunch and wine tasting at Castello Banfi
• Private transfer back to the Rome airport
• Tips for guides and private bus drivers

Not Included: 

• Airfare
• Travel insurance - highly recommended
• Personal expenses at the hotels
• Meals not mentioned in the detailed itinerary
• If you wish a private tour of the Vatican there will be an extra charge
• For those wishing to extend their stay in Rome at the end of the tour that can easily be arranged at an extra charge.

Costs:

$4025.oo per person based on Double occupancy  

$500.00 single occupancy supplement

If you wish to upgrade your room category there is an extra charge!

Space is limited!

So mail your $300.00 non refundable deposit to:

Gourmet Getaways, 45 Eagle Nest Road, Morristown, NJ 07960

Early Registration: 

July 15, 2015 and receive a $100.00 per person credit.

Be Prepareed for Easter in Rome.

Are you headed to Rome for Easter?  I hope you have your itinerary planned as it is a very busy time of the year to be in Rome.  It can be very exciting despite the crowds!

By the time Holy Week begins there should be a new Pope in place.  If you are in Rome during this time enjoy the excitement when the new Pope is selected.

Sunday March 24 is Palm Sunday and Passion of the Lord.  This is the start of the Holy Week with a mass at St. Peter’s Square in the morning.  This mass is a very long mass and can last about three hours. In Italy the Easter tradition of palm is replaced with olive tree branches.

Holy Thursday is celebrated with two masses in Rome.  This first is at St. Peter’s Basilica in the morning and the second mass is at St. John Lateran in the evening.  Both masses can last more than two hours.

On Good Friday there is another mass at St. Peters in the evening with the Stations of the Cross.  Later in the evening about 9:15pm there is the Way of the Cross, where the Pope traces the Stations of the Cross from the Coliseum to Palatine Hill.

Easter Vigil on Saturday begins at 9pm at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Easter Sunday Mass is celebrated in St. Peter’s Square at about 10:15am.

Tip:   Tickets are necessary so I hope you have planned ahead to get yours.

For more information go to this site:  http://www.papalaudience.org/papal-mass

Enjoy and write me when you return!

The Sistine Chapel is closed. Now What?

I recently had a conversation with one of my suppliers and we were talking about the fact that many travelers are upset that they cannot take the complete Vatican – Sistine Chapel tour as the Sistine Chapel is closed and they would like a refund.

Get a grip people!  This is Italy and all of the tour guides in Rome can manage changes like this.  You must be flexible when you travel.  You will be in Rome during the making of history!

I remember taking a small group to Italy and the day we left for Italy the pope died.  I knew there would be changes along the way but it did not bother me.  I was thrilled to be in Rome during this event.  And an event it was!    We arrived in Rome on the day of his funeral.  The private bus had to leave us two blocks from the hotel which was located on the Vatican side of Rome.  We dragged our bags along the cobblestone streets and when we entered the hotel we left our bags and joined the crowds.  We still remember the experience and still talk about to this day.  We also were scheduled to see the Sistine Chapel on our tour but it was closed!

What did we do?  We continued with your plans and enjoyed  the rest of the tour which included the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Enjoy Rome people! Be a better traveler by immersing yourself in the local culture rather than being a tourist!

Any of you readers experience changes in your itinerary while in Italy?  What was the outcome?  Did you still enjoy yourself?

A Favorite Restaurant in Rome – L’Asino D’Oro

Whenever I go to Italy I always like to try new restaurants.  This fall when Gourmet Getaways brought 15 eager travelers to Italy I knew had to try some new restaurants when we arrived in Rome.  Br. Paul Diveny, from Delbarton School, and I knew that we would have some followers for dinner one evening.  I had been doing a lot of research before leaving the states and knew that I wanted to try L’Asino d’ Oro. There were six of us that evening.  Since we were staying at the Palazzo Manfredi it was not a difficult walk from the hotel but I would suggest you take a cab.

Lucio Sforza, the chef, is originally from Orvieto so his cuisine is Umbrian.  He is very adventurous in mixing his ingredients.  His creations are over the top.  There was so much to choose from that it was very difficult to make a decision.  We all decided that we were going to order as many different dishes as we could and none of us were disappointed!

He has an extensive wine list that will not break the bank.  Everyone had an appetizer and main dish.  Of course we were very thrilled with the entire meal, including desserts.

If you are going with a small group I suggest you make a reservation.  Go a little early as the locals will fill up the restaurant later in the evening.

As we were leaving the restaurant I noticed the jar of biscotti.  The manager offered me two which I gladly took.  I  never refuse biscotti.  They were delicious and I wish I could have had more!  Crunchy and full of flavor!

I highly recommend this restaurant.  When I return to Rome I will definitely go back here!  Go with an appetite and be daring in your selection.  You will not be disappointed.

L’Asino d’Oro on Via del  Boschetto – go there on your next visit.  Maybe I will see you there!

Ostia Antica - an easy visit from Rome

About 30 minutes from Rome lies Ostia Antica!  During our stay in Rome I arranged for a morning tour of this ancient site.  It was a clear day with mild temperatures so it was perfect day to tour this ancient park.  We met our guide at the hotel and drove 30 minutes to Ostia Antica.  I highly recommend having a guide so that they can tell you about the history of this ancient port. Ostica Antica was an ancient port for Rome located right  on the mouth of the Tiber River.  It was founded in the 4^th BC by rich businessmen, merchants, sailors and slaves.  There are many parts to this ancient ruin including: Decumanus Maximus ( the main city street), the Forum, the theatre, Capitolium, an elaborate bath complex,  which still contain beautiful mosaics.  These are just a few mentioned features of this ancient park.

The entire park is quite extensive and can take you up to three hours to explore so wear comfortable shoes!  The entrance fee is 4 euros, and accessible by subway from Rome.  Well worth the visit to see how the people of Rome lived many years ago!  Rome’s answer to Pompeii – only older!