Hi from Rick: Bell’Italia!
I've been in Italy for the last 20 days, seasoning our program — whether it's guidebooks, TV scripts, or bus tours. And growing my beard while walking myself into great shape, I'm tuned into the good living of travel.
What makes a good TV show, guidebook, or tour in Europe? Experiences, people, laughter, and those candid little moments. And, it occurs to me, our knack for swizzling your travels is a key to our success. Here are a few moments I've been able to discover and weave into our bank of travel experiences, which may ultimately be yours:
In Orvieto, a favorite stop for many of our tour groups, I had fun lining up a montage of experiences — sensual ones. As the butcher with the handlebar moustache looked on proudly, I savored his wild-boar sausage. I giggled with the ladies in the bakery as I crunched into their hot-out-of-the-oven cookies. With my local guide, I gazed up at a fiery hell carved in marble — bishops, kings, peasants, and maidens all boiling away together in the devil's hot tub — pondering the scary preachiness of the 500-year-old church facade. And, at the far end of town, a gust of wind stirred the butterflies in my stomach, as I leaned over the wall to see how the cliffs below provided a formidable natural defense for this town (which medieval popes considered their safest refuge when Rome was threatened by invaders).
Then, a few days later — going from small town to big city — it was time for lunch in Naples. I tested my ability to slip into any back-lane deli to have a sandwich made to order, garnished with memories. I have no idea the name of the deli, but I'll remember it as Nonna's (Grandma's). I asked, "Panino?" and Grandma sprang into action.
Just like I hoped she would, she set about not only making me a sandwich…but making me a lifelong memory. Step-by-step, she demonstrated her art with joy and pride: confirming the freshness of her rolls with a tender squeeze, laying a careful pavement of salami, gently bringing over the fragile mozzarella ball as if she were performing a kidney transplant, slicing a tomato with rapid-fire precision, and lovingly pitting the olives by hand and then hanging them like little green paintings on a tasty wall. Nonna finished it all off with a celebratory drizzle of what she promised me was Italy's finest olive oil.
These are just the sorts of moments that make our Rick Steves tours special. Sure, we've reserved thousands of tickets for the Uffizi Gallery to see the Botticellis, and we've booked our buses and our wonderful drivers, and we've reserved our favorite hotels in our favorite towns for our 2025 tour groups. But what I'm excited most about over these last three weeks of research is not the "bricks" of a great trip, but the "mortar"…the gooey, sticky, critical magic mix that holds it all together.
In this month's Tour News we're celebrating Italy from tip to toe — the charming hill towns, cliff-hugging villages, urban delights — and the food. Mamma mia! You'll find slideshows of our Best of Italy and our southern Italy tours, an at-a-glance comparison of our nine unique Italy itineraries, an interview with Italy tour guide Sarah Corfield, a relaxing stroll through Sorrento, and a Monday Night Travel video feast featuring a delicious look at Italian food.
I hope all of this reminds you that those little slice-of-life experiences far from home help make the world's distant corners our friends. Join us as we get intimate with the Europe we love.
Keep on travelin'!
Rick