Recently with ITALY WITH NELLA

I've just returned from a month in Italy accompanying three women on a true journey. I called it "The Antipasto Italiano" because we had an appetising taste of what Italy has to offer. Two of the women had been previously but not for decades. The other was an initiate to Italy although thanks to her husbands Italian roots, she knew a lot already: especially about Calabrian food and the infamous Italian testa dura.

 We began in Tuscany, staying at a beautiful villa about 20 minutes from Florence that is the quintessential Tuscan experience. You can actually sit on a loggia designed in the Renaissance sipping Prosecco and glimpsing the Duomo of Florence in the distance through the olive grove. Tuscany merits an entire Italian sojourn just for herself and we got a good feel for things in Florence, Siena, Vinci and with a private wine tasting and cooking class. 

From there, my clients travelled to Naples on the first class Eurostar for a bit of adventure and a fun lunch watching the Tuscan, Umbrian and Lazian countryside pass by.  Naples is tricky as almost everyone is ready to take advantage where possible. There's something funny about it though and each time I called them on their rip-off attempts, they would smile and wink as if it was all a great joke.  The highlight for me in Naples (a city I call the NYC of Italy and that I adore) was having a pizza margherita. Pizza in Naples is unmatched. It's perfect. It should have it's own name.

Calabria came next - a real trek into the remote areas of the hills near Cosenza in search of some long lost relatives (and they do actually whisper when they talk about the mafia - or as it's called there, the "'ndrangheta"). We managed to find lots of family links, lots of amazing people and enjoyed a true off-the-beaten path experience. The stories abound - some to make you cry from the tenderness of the past and others to make you cry from the humour of the present. 

After Calabria we headed to the Amalfi Coast to a stunning hotel in Positano, my favourite spot on the Amalfi. There were still lots of tourists even though it was coming up on mid-October but we didn't feel it too much in our wonderful haven. The Mediterranean was still lovely and warm and I immediately went down to the beach for a swim. We had the luck to be there on one night when they celebrated a religious festival by producing a long and elaborate fireworks display right in front of our hotel. We sat sipping something delicious watching from our private balconies. We also spent a day on Capri (which is pronounced CApri, not CaprI, in case you are wondering...) riding around in a convertible under the perfect temperature of a sunny island in the Mediterranean. Capri is so chic it's hard to describe but I must say the shopping really is great. I found a store with discounted shoes and I promise I would have bought every single pair if they had stocked enough in my (big!) size!  

We left the tranquility of the Amalfi Coast for Rome, passing through Pompeii for a privately guided tour with an expert. It was fantastic and fascinating. It is really worth it to have a specialised guide but you need to know which one (not usually the ones hawking themselves at the entrance, alas.)

Rome was packed with people. It must be the most international city on the planet. The first night after everyone called it a night, I took a stroll to the Trevi Fountain. At first, I admit, I was slightly horrified by the sheer numbers of tourists crowded around this showy fountain but then I started to look into the faces of the individuals. There are certainly pros and cons to this smaller, more easily accessible world we live in and that night I felt the pro. These people, many of them young-ish as it was close to midnight, have taken time away from their busy lives full of technology, schedules, familial duties and such to make the effort to come to Italy to see the marvels of Rome. It gives me faith in the human being and in the future of our planet that so many people make it a priority in their lives. (I do still wish I could have private viewings of everything but then, I'm a bit difficult about that kind of thing.) 

Again private guides compensate for the impossibility of private viewings. In Africa, I'm used to insisting that my clients and I watch animals completely alone - one vehicle only - us! In Italy, my Ph.D. in Italian Literature can cover many bases on art, history and culture but to know the intricate details of Pompeii, the Vatican, the Uffizi, the Sistine Chapel... well, it just doesn't get any better than having a specialist on specifically that city or site. In Rome, our excellent guide took us around by car and on foot. We could have picked his brain for weeks more. 

And perhaps we will - for this was just an Antipasto, a Starter. The appetite is stimulated now and there is more Italy to come undoubtedly!