Guest post by Alessandra Bianchi who enjoys the mountain life and writes on travel blogs.
Many people head to the major cities like Rome, Florence and Venice when they visit Italy on holiday. Others travel down the Italian coast, which is another popular option. However, I’d like to tell you about the place where I live, which is still unknown to many tourists and can therefore provide you with an experience unlike any of the classic holidays in Italy. Read more
I love working with Women and Travel, and I love coming across stories such as that of Alex Hai – First Female Gondolier in Venice. I have just added her to our Women Travel website where we list accommodation, tours, retreats and local guides – mostly they are women, all over a special welcome in some way to women travelers.
Alex offers a special offer for independent single travelers: 70€ 60 min daytime tours – which is great for those of us who travel on her own. She is the only Gondolier to offer this
Every now and again someone comes up with a tour that hits the spot. 
- Do you love horse-riding, or would you like to learn?
- Do you have a passion for creative writing?
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Would you like to spend a week in Tuscany?
If you answered yes to all those questions, read on – this trip is definately for you!
The Writing Horse
I have heard so much about Cinque Terre, but I have never made it there myself. While I love the pictures and the idea, I wonder if my body is up to it. This snippet from Ruth who did a trip with other women on a Bushwise Women Tour, made me think, maybe I can! Next time! Read more
Chiara Sernisi writes for Women Travel Blog
about her Tuscan Enterprises
- weddings and tours with a very local flavourBorn and raised in Florence, Chiara Sernesi has worked in marketing and planning corporate events for most of her career. her partner Francesco was born and raised in a small village of the Tuscan countryside, close to Florence, Francesco Fantini has a passion for Tuscan traditions & literature. Read more
The Gables is a guest house on the Banks Peninsula near Christchurch New Zealand. For many years Chris and Lyn have welcomed people to this fabulous historic house.
Previously they owned a leading Christchurch restaurant, they bring a sense of pure joy to the culinary arts, and they have for 12 years been leading TOURS IN TUSCANY, PUGLIA and PIEDMONT as well as running “The Gables”.
Here is their latest newsletter:
We have just returned to New Zealand after another fantastic summer, the 12th, hosting our Italian tours. Once again the beauty of Tuscany amazed our guests with picture-postcard views in all directions. The concerts and festivals added extra magic to the ancient hilltowns.
Our groups continue to fall under the charm of the people, the food, the architecture and the landscapes of Puglia. They were interested to see the major renovations underway at the trullo that we purchased last year and we hope to be able to prepare a meal there for each group next year.
After researching Piedmont for three years we were thrilled that all of our groups loved the majesty of Turin, the beauty of the vineyard draped rolling hills of the Langhe, the quaint villages and the commanding castles……not to mention the food and the wine.
We are delighted to release the 2013 dates for the same regions
See the dates of their tours here
Dolce Amore
Chique Secrets of Dolce Amore by Barbara Conelli
Kindle Edition
When we talk about “the city of love”, most of us immediately think of Paris, Venice, Rome or another famous metropolis whose romantic stories we know from movies and novels. But to Barbara Conelli, none of them are the real city of love.
To her, love doesn’t mean passionate gestures, big promises of eternal devotion, ardent embraces, torrid kisses, or stormy arguments followed by even stormier reconciliations. To her, love means something completely different and much simpler…
The smell of morning cappuccino and fresh pannetone at Pasticceria Marchesi. A brisk stroll through the awakening city and sensual curves of gold shadows on the wet paving of Via della Spiga. Joyful shouts of bohemian artists and their graceful muses at Fornace Curti. A crispy panzerotto savored in the company of cantankerous pigeons on the piazzetta of San Fedele.
Old furniture stores in narrow streets and adorable trinkets she can never resist. Remote nooks and crannies whose secrets have been revealed only to her and the few ghosts with aristocratic hearts who appear in them from time to time. Visionary dreams, inextinguishable hopes, the desire to live, the courage to create, the strength to grow.
Join Barbara Conelli and submerge yourself in the secrets of this magical city that has been breathing love for centuries.
Love that is dignified, childish, creative, treacherous, passionate, painful, forgiving, crazy, insane, unbridled, endless, fleeting, unfaithful, platonic, carnal, hateful, desperate, volatile, conceited, and divine. The kind of love whose chalice you quickly drain, so that on the next corner, you can reach for another one, even more delicious and intoxicating.
About the Author:
Barbara Conelli is an internationally published bestselling author, seasoned travel writer specializing in Italy, and Chiquenist on the mission to bring Fantastic Fearless Feminine Fun into women’s lives.
In her charming, delightful and humorous Chique Books filled with Italian passion, Barb invites women to explore Italy from the comfort of their home with elegance, grace and style, encouraging them to live their own Dolce Vita no matter where they are in the world.
An entertaining storyteller, Barb has a unique ability to capture the magical atmosphere of the places she writes about. Through the pages of her books, Barb takes your hand and guides you through the irresistible beauty, captivating secrets, unrepeatable spell and fugitive moments of Italy. She makes them come alive easily and spontaneously, and her writing is like a magic carpet that carries you to Italy and back in the blink of an eye. She introduces you to fascinating women who have created the face of Italy, lifts the shroud of their mysteries, and reveals adorable places off the beaten track where the authentic Italian heart hasn’t stopped beating.
Monarch’s new routes to Italy have been commemorated with an extraordinary project. To celebrate the launching of new flights to Milan, Rome, Verona and Venice, Monarch unveiled some spectacular 3D artwork on its Gatwick runway.
The artwork, a big hit amongst passengers and onlookers, features a display of Roman gladiators, opera singers and Venice’s famed gondolas. Monarch’s new routes to Italy’s finest cities are the next step in the company’s plan to become Britain’s premier affordable airline service. So what can these new destinations offer travellers in search of the perfect city break? Read more
Join Susan Van Allen, author of 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go,
for an inspiring adventure in the Tuscan countryside. 3-10 November 2012 MORE
Immerse yourself in breathtaking surroundings, celebrate the olive harvest, indulge your taste buds with delicious traditional food and wine, stroll through hilltop villages, stand awestruck before world famous masterpieces, shop for artisan treasures, relax in natural thermal springs.
This Golden Week is a Harvest Gift of La Dolce Vita=the Sweet Life, custom-designed by Susan so that women can fully experience the rejuvenating pleasures of bell’Italia.
You’ll join in with a small group of kindred spirits, settle into an idyllic villa south of Florence, wake up to bird songs, and each day Susan will lead you off to experience Tuscan splendors.
Guest Blog by Jennifer Williams:
Spending time in the Eternal City alone does not mean you cannot have as much fun as when you traveled to Rome with your former spouse in times past. Rome is city full of wonders for single, divorced and married alike.
When in Rome what should you do? Here are five ideas that will add up to a memorable Roman Holiday for any divorcee. Read more
