Have you ever wanted to experience Italy and all the deliciousness they have to offer?
This post has been sponsored by Collette. All opinions, text and images are 100% my own.
We all dream of traveling the world, but sometimes planning the logistics of a trip sends us back to simply dreaming about travel, instead of experiencing the life-changing moments that only travel can bring us. And that my friends is sad.
Planning a trip should be part of the adventure and not a stressful situation. And that’s why I let my favorite travel company Collette plan my trip. It takes all the hard work and stress out of the planning my vacation and lets me enjoy each and every moment of the journey.
Who is Collette Tours?
When I talk about my experience with Collette, a lot of my friends have never heard of them. And when I was first introduced to their tour company I didn’t know a lot about them either. But you can rest assured that you can trust your vacation plans and hard earned money to Collette. This year Collette celebrated their 100th anniversary as a travel company. That’s quite an accomplishment for any business, especially in the travel industry.
How do I find Collette tours?
The easiest way would be to follow my link to Collette. Or you can Google, Collette Tours, Collette Travel, Collette Vacations or Guided by Collette. When you’ve been around for as long as they have, you’re not hard to find!
Where can I travel with Collette?
If you can find it on the map there’s a good chance that you can travel there with Collette. And if you want to experience Italy like I did, they have just the tour for you, along with many other Italian adventures to choose from.
We arrived in Milan and after a short drive to the Regina Palace Hotel in Stresa, we began our Italian adventure.
When the view from your room takes your breath away you know you’ve made the right vacation decision.
And the room you’re staying in makes you feel like you really are staying in a palace, life is good! But what else could you expect from a tour that was #GuidedbyCollette?
What will type of food will you eat on a Collette Tour?
We had a good combination of guided tours and free time on our trip. Most meals were scheduled but we did have some free nights to go out and explore on our own and find those special little restaurants to make even more delicious memories. And when you’re in Italy you eat pasta dishes every chance you get!
This homemade ravioi in a spinach sauce were indescribably delicious….sigh
And oh the places you’ll see
From Stresa, we moved on to our next stop the Hotel Vis a Vis on the Italian Riviera in Sestri Levante. And as you can see the view was spectacular. Lisa even made it down to the Baia del Silenzio (bay of silence) for a swim.
This was the perfect home base for us to visit the Cinque Terra. Rio Maggiore was simply spectacular!
I could have stayed all week at the beach in Monterosso it was such a beautiful location.
But there was more to see on our tour, including the magnificent city of Florence aka Firenze. This is a must visit city. The majesty of this fabled city is simply amazing. And let’s not forget the museums. Some of the world’s finest works of art are in the Ufizzi and the Accademia.
And when you’re in Tuscany life couldn’t be better. Especially when you’re staying in a Tuscan villa with views that just take your breath away.
The Villa Lecchi was my favorite accommodation on this trip. We found that Andrea Bocelli had stayed in the same suite we had overlooking the Tuscan landscape.
Our Collette vacation was a dream come true. We were able to visit so many of the places we’d always hoped to see. From our Tuscan villa, we were taken to the hill town of Sienna. It was a special time in Sienna as they were preparing for the Palio. Their annual horse race for bragging rights to the city. It was such a fun experience!
We also got to visit Bologna on our tour and I think this is one of the cities I would choose to live in if I moved to Italy. And I think you can see why. The markets had me thinking of all the deliciousness I could create in the kitchen.
Last but not least on our Collette Tour of Italy’s Treasure was the city of Venice. And it was glorious!
Venice is everything you’ve ever dreamed it would be. The city hasn’t changed much over the centuries and it beckons to you to explore this city of canals and bridges. Don’t worry about getting lost, no matter where you wander, you’ll always find a water taxi to get you back to your hotel.
And a trip to Venice isn’t complete without visiting the island of Murano. It’s just across the bay, just a short water taxi ride away.
On this trip we visited Murano to watched a master glass blower at work. We had front row seats for this demonstration and then toured their showroom.
Our last evening in Venice was spent at a cozy little restaurant where we were wined and dined while a movie was projected onto a wall behind us. Life just doesn’t get any better than this.
It was an amazing trip and we got to experience Italy in a way most tourists won’t. Traveling with a local tour guide our trip with Collette allowed us to travel deeper and make memories that will last a lifetime.
If you enjoyed my post about traveling through Italy please leave a comment, I love hearing from you!
You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.
Eric
Packing my bags as I read this. Wishing I had seen this early as my sister & brother in law just returned from a tour of Italy very disappointed in the tour they booked. This would have been right up their alley.
Chef Dennis Littley
Collette did a really great job with our tour, I know you would love it Eric!
Suzanne
We just missed each other! We loved our trip to Italy! What a trip you had! Collette does an unbelievable job with their tours. They make everything so easy! Love your photos and I could eat that pasta right off the page!
Jalisa
I’ve been wanting to visit Italy for quite some time so this post is prefect
Lisa
It was an amazing trip and we had the nicest people in our group!
Catherine
Italy is just breathtaking. I’d love to visit someday and experience the beautiful country. My family is from Sicily and Northern Italy so it’s definitely been on my mind to visit someday. Beautiful post, Dennis!
Becca Wilson
I have always wanted to go to Italy. This tour looks like it would be absolutely amazing and the way to explore it if I was ever able!
Shaily
Wow! What an incredible trip! I’ve never heard of Collette, but after reading your experience with them and the way they planned everything perfectly for you, I think I would love to book my next travel with them.
Lisa
It looks like you had a great time in Italy. I live there half the year, so I can totally relate to this post! Great photos too.
laura
It looks beautiful, specially the sea side x
Laura
Elizabeth
What an extraordinary trip! I’d love to see those glass blowers in action – such art! I do love Italy 🙂
Kimberly Caines
I really admires the place Italy such a beautiful spot to visit always. I also love their foods, it seemed you had a great experienced there.
Yeah Lifestyle
That looks like such an amazing trip and Collette sound fantastic – I’ll definitely be looking into booking with them!
Jasmine Hewitt
Italy is pretty high on my bucket list of travel destinations. The food alone is worth going!
Alexandra
This time last year, I was in Italy – and I simply cannot wait to return. This post only has me wanting to grab my passport even more! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Preet
Wow, such a detailed post that would be so helpful to plan a great trip to Italy. Loving the pictures so much.
Evelyn Hernandez
We love Italy, and hope to return one day.
Kristina Carmela
It seems like you had such an incredible trip! Your pictures are gorgeous & that food looks incredible! It makes me want to visit Italy again!
Christa
I love Italy, It is by far my favorite place to eat! Taking a guided tour is such a great way to ensure not only smooth travels, but also fun experiences.
Maysz
Wow what a great offer! I love to visit Milan Italy <3 great photos of you.
nicole
wow your trip looks incredible! I wish i could travel and get some of these experiences for myself, maybe someday when the kids are out of school lol
Didi Marie
You have me drooling! Italy is my favorite place in the world, and I can’t wait to go back. Does Collette do Southern Italy tours? That’s next for us… Thanks!
Lorenzo Traveller
Very helpful article! Thanks for sharing!
Chef Dennis Littley
thank you Lorenzo, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my post.