If you’re going through hell, keep going – Winston Churchill
That’s what I’m doing now, I suppose. Keeping going. Trying to put down on paper how I became Italian. Sounds funny, no? If you’ve been reading these posts over the years, this might come as a surprise. When was I not Italian? And what does “being Italian” even mean? For that, you’ll have to buy the book, she writes, sarcastically. Hopefully, later this year.
So much of my adulthood has been tied up with all things Italian — cooking, traveling, tour planning, blogging, exploring, attending travel shows, etc. But it wasn’t always that way. My WASP mother had some things to say about that. And living with her mother didn’t help, either. Nor did living with a dad and grandfather who were assimilated, to a greater or lesser degree, and who were even reluctant to talk much about Italy. My father never even went.
I had a puzzle to solve, a maze to work through, and a true heart to find at the end of it all. And eventually, I did. So I’ll keep going, and I hope you’ll enjoy the results. I am truly in the middle of it right now, hoping for a first draft of this new book before the summer arrives. My first readers have been put on notice!
But since Italy and travel are what I do when I’m not writing (abaout Italy and travel), I’ll tell you about my plans for 2019. Because they’re your plans, more or less. That is to say, I have been contacted by two different groups of people asking for two very different experiences, and I am ecstatic to oblige. While the details have to be worked out and reservations made, here, in brief, is what I’m looking at:
May 2019
Milan, Lake Como, and a Home Along the Po
We’ll spend 10 nights away – three of them in the heart of Milan, and seven of them in a glorious villa in the Po Valley.
In Milan, we’ll have an orientation tour and cruise from Como to Bellagio along the lake. We’ll eat in the lovely town of Como, and have plenty of time to explore Milan on our own. What will you see? The Duomo? La Scala? The Brera Gallery? Or go for another boat trip and garden tour, perhaps?
At our villa, we can take our time. There are bicycles and there is a pool for relaxing. We’re in the heart of a small, walkable city with restaurants, pasticcerie, and more. And we’re well positioned to visit the incredible nearby cities of Ferrara, Bologna, Verona, and Mantova. We can visit the Ferrari Museum in Maranallo . . . we can have a tour of Parma to see how the world famous parmigiana cheese and parma ham are made . . . we can buy authentic balsamico in Modena . . . we can tour the Jewish Ghetto in Ferrara. We will certainly visit Cremona, home of the violin. And Tim will take us to a gorgeous river-side restaurant where some of the recipes date back to the medieval period.
This tour will include all accommodations, breakfasts, ground transportation, tours, and at least four lunches and five dinners. We’ll fly in and out of Milan, but you are welcome to add on some time before or after. I’m happy to help you plan some additional outings.
October 2019
The Best of the Golden Mezzogiorno
We’ll spend eight nights under southern Italian skies – 3 in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Matera, in Basilicata, and 5 in various locations in exotic Puglia, which could include Lecce, the capital of the Salento region; coastal Otranto; and the white-washed old town of Ostuni.
Matera has been named the European Capital of Culture for 2019, and things will be bustling! Must-see Matera is a unique troglodyte town of prehistoric grottoes, cave churches, and Renaissance houses, all excavated into the local limestone tufa stone. The rock-cut cave dwellings known as the Sassi, date back to Byzantine times. We’ll stay in a superb cave hotel and have a guided tour of this remarkable site which has developed from the “shame of Italy” in the 1950s into a lively, sophisticated city of artists, craftspeople, and superb restaurants. We’ll visit nearby Alberobello, home of the unusual hobbit-like trulli structures — simple, beautiful dwellings with cone-shaped roofs made of local limestone — and eat and drink the native primitivo and falanghina wines.
In Puglia, we will experience the beauty of the Salice Salentino peninsula, along with cooking classes and an introduction to the unique wines of the region. Did you know that Puglia produces more wine than any other region in Italy? It’s absolutely true – and you’re in for a pleasant surprise if you’re not already familiar with them.
This tour will include all accommodations, 
breakfasts, ground transportation, tours, and at least four lunches and four dinners. We’ll fly in and out of Naples, but you are welcome to add on some time before or after. I’m happy to help you plan some additional outings.
Pricing and final itineraries for both trips will be forthcoming by summer 2018. Each trip can only take 6 people, so let me know early if you’re interested!
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
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