October 10, 2025 • 48 mins
Dreaming of Northern Italy? Take a virtual journey with us from Venice to Torino exploring shimmering lakes, hidden towns, food, wine, and of course the people that are preserving long held traditions. We're taking you backstage on our newest Untold Italy tours adventure to the regions that have had a life changing impact on our team.
Join us in Northern Italy in 2026 - tour details
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/294
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Editorial Information
The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke
Join us in Northern Italy in 2026 - tour details
Read the full episode show notes here > untolditaly.com/294
NEW! - the Untold Italy app - access our entire podcast history ad free and searchable - DOWNLOAD FOR iOS • DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
The app is FREE to download and check out our Milan guide and general travel content. Upgrade to PREMIUM for a one time fee to access Rome, Florence, Venice, Sorrento, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Tuscany, Lake Como, Lake Garda, Veneto, Lombardy, Campania, Lazio, Puglia, Abruzzo, Calabria, Umbria, Molise with much more to come
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Editorial Information
The Untold Italy travel podcast is an independent production. Podcast Editing, Audio Production and Website Development by Mark Hatter. Production Assistance and Content Writing by the other Katie Clarke
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Bon journo, friends, and welcome to a very special episode
of Untold Italy where we take a trip to Northern Italy,
where my Italian experiences first began and the regions that
have played a transformative role not just in terms of
how I travel, but also my life because my first
experience of Italy was on the shores of Lake Garda,
(00:22):
and it started a lifetime of adventure and eventually this podcast.
This life changing first experience of Italy was the inspiration
for our brand new tour traveling from Venice in the
east of Italy to Tourino in the west. Along the way,
we visit lakes and hidden towns, and of course meet
(00:42):
and make connections with locals who have loved this land
for generations.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Joining me today.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Is Untold Italy's Chief Experience Officer, Olivia, who has her
own special relationship with Northern Italy, now strengthened by family ties. Together,
we're going to walk you through our itinery and how
we created this tour, including the highlights and special experience
that you can expect.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So andiamo, let's go to Northern Italy.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Chawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan told Italy the travel podcast to
where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes,
hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week, your host
Katie Clark takes you on a journey in a search
of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course,
(01:38):
a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming of Italy
and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian heritage.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
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the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
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you only what you need to know. As an adult
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bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
(02:23):
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my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian and to claim an exclusive
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate. Visit Untold
(02:44):
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
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Italy dot com forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Do you want to live? Come a stay?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Yeah, Katie, month of antel.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Oh so leave.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
How are things going for you and whereabouts are you
right now?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Things are very good, Katie. We are in beautiful Piedmont
at the moment. We've been here for at least a
month with my husband's family, and yeah, just having a
beautiful time. It's in a beautiful time of year, the
end of September. Full weather is certainly upon us, crisp temperatures.
You know, there's soon to be the harvest season. So
(03:36):
it's a very nice time of you to be here.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So now, before we dive into talking about how we
designed our new tour of Northern Italy, which does incluclude
Beautiful Piedmont, obviously a lot of people know you on
the podcast and that's thanks to the wine episodes that
you do with Andrea. But today you're joining us in
your capacity as our Chief Experience Officer and Untold Italy Tours.
(04:04):
So how about you tell everyone a little bit about
what you do and how you came to be working
with me and Untold Italy.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Thanks Katie. Yeah, I think I've got an absolute dream
job because I get to bring to life some of
our amazing tours around Italy and all their regions. So
how amazing is that. I've also been a tour host before.
So we've been running the tours for three years. We're
now in our fourth year of running. And yeah, when
(04:35):
we started running Untold Italy Tours, we had two tours
in Pulia and Sicily and our very first tour in Puya.
I was also the host and then for the last
few years I've also been hosting the tours, designing the
tours with Katie and which has been a lot of fun.
I had a baby at the start of this year,
so I've stepped back at the moment from hosting and
(04:56):
concentrating on bringing together some amazing it as for our
guests with our team of very experienced and wonderful tour hosts.
So yes, I've got a really dream job.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I think we're so lucky to have you.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Of course, liv Is, she's very modest, but she has
lots of skills and if you've been on tour We'd Live,
you know just how kind and thoughtful she is and
really enthusiastic about sharing beautiful parts of Italy, not just
the scenery but also the culture and getting really into
local ways of living and meeting local people so that
(05:32):
they can share their perspectives. And this is what is
brilliant about having bilingual hosts. So Live and all of
our hosts are actually bilingual, so they can speak fluent
Italian and if you have any questions for the local
people that you meet along the way, then they're there
to really translate and connect to you with them.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
And it's a beautiful thing to watch.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Actually, and it's probably one of them inspiring the things
that really inspired me to create the tours like that
we Live. So now, just talking about creating a tour,
we have got a new one, don't we live. And
so we are heading off into northern Italy next year
and this is a really special tour, so leave.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Why don't you let everyone know why we decided to
create this tour?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
So excited about this tour, I can't tell you. So
we decided to create the Northern Italy Tour because, well,
for one, the Italian lakes are seriously bucket list worthy
and so we didn't have a tour including the lakes.
But the thing about the lakes is that they can
be quite busy and touristy, so we obviously wanted to
do it in our untold way that still feels really
(06:45):
personal and local. So we're able to offer that lake experience,
capturing Lake Como, Lake Garda Lake majorre but in a
really yeah, untold kind of more off the beaten track way.
And we're also seeing that a lot of our guests
want longer experiences, so a lot of our tours are
for around a week, and this tour is for twelve days,
(07:07):
so we're really capturing a range of different regions for
a longer amount of time. So we're able to fly
into Venice, travel along the Wine Road into Verona, around
the lakes, and then of course come into gorgeous pied Once.
So with twelve days, we're able to really have a
nice tour along northern Italy.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I'm so excited about this, and I'll tell you why,
because this region is very special to me and it
holds a very special place in my heart. Because actually,
if you've been listening for a while, you probably know
that the first place that I set foot in Italy
was actually up in the north in lake near Lake Garda,
in the little town of Manchesne, and I love this
(07:49):
region and I have a very special affinity with it.
On that trip, I also went to Verona, and this
is where my mind started to be blown because I
couldn't believe that anywhere so beautiful existed, and really the
actual vibe of the place. It's a very elegant town.
(08:09):
It's very refined. There's a beautiful piazzas, and there's a
castle up on the hill with the river Aardijer running below. Oh,
I didn't know anything about it, and let's remember, folks,
this was back in the nineteen nineties, before the Internet,
so there was no Instagram or anything looking up pictures.
(08:30):
I just heard of fair Varuna via our friend William Shakespeare,
so I really didn't really have any idea of what
to expect when I got there.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
It was very beautiful.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And then on that trip I also went to Menace
and Simeoni, which is included in this tour.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So it's a very special region to me.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
And then maybe, oh I would have been i'd say fifteen,
maybe longer, many years longer. After that, I went to
a wonderful press trip with the Italian Tourist Board out
of London when I was living in London, and we
went into the region of Lombardy. And I think that
this was the trip that really inspired everything that I
(09:15):
do with Untold Italy today, because since that first trip,
I traveled everywhere around Italy, all the major places, and
you know, I really loved my experiences in Italy, but
it wasn't until that trip that I really started seeing
the countryside and these smaller towns and cities that really
(09:37):
I love so much to this day, and they are
the untold ones.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I say.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
So this trip, this other trip, which was probably my
twentieth trip or something like that.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Really inspired me.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And what is really delightful about this tour is we've
managed to incorporate a few of the places that I
visited on that trip into this tour because I just fell.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
In love with them.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And I really just wanted to share them with all
of you. So how about you if what makes this
trip special to you?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Well, a few reasons, and I think as well, touching
on the part you were saying about the refined elegance
of northern Italy, it is really beautiful and elegant, and
I think so different to what many of us would
think of as quintessential Italian when you think of Italy,
because it's probably southern Italy you're thinking of. So I find,
you know, I'm really excited about this trip because it's
(10:31):
probably not what you first imagine of Italy, and that's
a pleasant surprise as well, because it's totally different to
what you're thinking of. And then, of course I have
to mention Piedmont. I lived in Piedmont for some years.
It's where my husband and his family are from, so
I'm very connected to this part of Italy especially, so
it's such a thrill and a joy to be able
to bring travelers to this beautiful region that it's definitely
(10:54):
lesser known than some of the other places in Italy,
like Tuscany, so for me that's a real joy.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, I guess people do know Venice and they know
Milana Lake Como, but once you start asking and digging
a little bit deeper, they may have heard of like Garda. Yeah,
but we're taking people way, way, way outside even those areas.
So we're going right into untold terri tree here and
that's the exciting thing for me too, all right, So
(11:22):
maybe I think we're being a bit of a tease
here live.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Like we haven't.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Actually, we don't actually explain the flow of the trip
and how it's going to work in a lot of details.
So how about you give everyone an overview of how
this trip's going to flow.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
So we meet in Venice, and we don't actually spend
time on the tour in Venice, So you can fly
into Venice, maybe have a couple of days in beautiful Venice,
and then we're going to pick you up, whisk you
away into the countryside. And as we head towards our
first home base, we'll be in Verona, which Katie was
talking about before, beautiful fair Verona, so we'll have a
(11:57):
lovely lunch there and time to look around the arena.
It's not the Colisseam, but it is similar shape to
the Coli Sam And then yeah, we continue on into
Lombardy in the countryside, right on the shores of Lake Gardada,
and we settle into our first home base for five nights,
which is a beautiful hotel that Katie went too many
(12:20):
some years ago that's run by these lovely sisters and
it's just an absolutely gorgeous place to stay. So we'll
be based there for the start of our trip, and
each day we go out on different excursions to explore
the surrounding area. But actually we'll be meeting the local people,
because that's what all of our trips are about. It's
(12:40):
not just a tick list of different places to see.
It's going and meeting the locals and hearing their stories
and their connection to the land, because that's what I
think really stays with you after a trip to Italy,
or especially a trip with Untold Italy. While we're there,
we'll be going to sit to me on air. Of course,
we'll be doing some amazing boat tours perativo in hand.
(13:03):
Of course, we go and visit a local farm where
they make cheese, and we do some cheese tasting. Lombardy
is famous for their cheeses. We're talking soft cow's milk cheeses.
Normally up here absolutely delicious. We'll also be checking out
Bergomont and Brescia, so they're too, I would say, off
the beaten path towns that aren't normally on the tour radar.
(13:26):
We'll be visiting some castles, so there's a wonderful castle
that Katie loved that we had to include on this
tour for their story, which I won't spoil o Katie
might want to talk about that later. That will be
visiting wineries. Of course, we've got such amazing wine just
in this first part of the trip alone, because it's
Frenchacorta territory, So if you like sparkling wine, you may
(13:48):
no prosecon. You can have your feel in Venice, but
we'll actually be drinking French acorta and which is kind
of like you know, they brand it as Italy's answer
to Champagne, so very delicious in a nutshell. Well, and
then after our time around Lake Garda, we'll go up
and we'll be based on next basis on Lake Lake Majorda,
(14:08):
and we will take a trip into Lake Como for
a day where we'll be hopping onto some Venetian style
boats and cruising around as if we were George Clooney,
we'll go and visit a beautiful villa and yeah, just
I think really appreciating the lakes on the water is
the way to do it. It's just such stunning views
(14:30):
and relaxed vibes. And of course these will all be
private boat tours too. We'll have relaxed time as well
when we're in Lake Majorda, so that will be a
nice time to reset because this is a longer tour.
And then we go into beautiful Piedmont after we've had
our time around the lakes. And as we go into Piedmont,
we are sticking to the countryside roads and we're going
(14:50):
into the famous Unesco Heritage Lunge region, which I was
there on the weekend and it is absolutely stunning as
vines as far as eye can see, the rolling hills,
little villagers, so much charm. It's just gorgeous. So we'll
be there for the end of the trip and again
trying some of Italy's best wine, so that's where I
(15:11):
bought all the wine is made of course Barabaresco as well.
We'll be meeting the locals, so we've got an amazing
local woman who runs our cooking class for us in
her family home. You might have heard me mention on
previous episodes or if you've been on tour about her
pet pig that sometimes runs through the kitchen, So that's
always fun. And of course we'll be meeting a local
(15:36):
truffle hunter and learning about his trade and seeing him
interact with his dog. It's such an important part of
Pymontese culture. So yes, we'll be, you know, visiting a
lot of the bucketless worthy places lake Garda, da Lake Como,
Lake Majordre. But actually it'll be about meeting the locals
and hearing the stories that will really bring those places
(15:57):
to life.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Let's take a quick moment, we'll be right back. Yeah, thanks, lev.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I think one of the major things that I wanted
to bring up today was that this was probably something
that we haven't maybe done the best job of actually,
but Carolyn, one of our very special repeat guests, mentioned
this to me that she really enjoys this part of
our tours is that we do go to some of
the major places that people want to see, so we're
(16:30):
not simply going off the beaten track, fully, but when
we go to places that are very popular, like ly Como,
we're going to do it in a slightly different way,
in the way that you're going to still have that
wow experience, but it's not going to be like.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
A mass tourism experience, shall we say.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
So.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
We do a lot of work when we're designing our
tours around timing and choosing really carefully the experiences and
the perspectives that we want you to have, because you know,
these places are very very popular for a reason, and
they are incredible. Like I have to say, like Siamoni,
(17:19):
it's like this tiny little town in Lake Gado. It
is like straight out of a fairy tale. It is
so cute.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
There are swans going under the drawbridge. There is a
draw there is a drawbridge. You know, there's a moat.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I don't know, if you really wanted to be a
princess in a castle, you can actually fulfill those dreams.
But we do this and it's a very popular challenge shit,
but we do it in such a way that you
can really enjoy it and appreciate it for the reasons
why it became popular. That's what I think makes our
tours very special actually, and so each of our tours
(17:57):
has that approach. But we're talking Italy tour today, and
that's why I wanted to bring up little Semioni, which
is a super cute little town just on the shores
of Lake Garda, which you should definitely go check out
if you come with us, or if you don't, I'm
highly recommend it. Okay, now live we are also traveling
(18:18):
from east to west and what I think this really
lovely about this approach is that you're seeing a completely
different culture from A to B and it's really difficult
sometimes to explain to people why everything changes so much.
So even from province to province, you are seeing a
(18:42):
different culture, a different way of life, and still though
the same passion for the local environment. And so it
was in Lombardy where I did an olive oil tasting
and the lady who led it was so funny makes
me laugh to this day because she was like, we
make the best olive oil in Italy, but it has
(19:07):
got the best polyphenols or whatever those chemicals chemicals are,
they are extra heightened in our olive oil that you
can't get it anywhere else. And it's so because you know,
everyone has this pitch that they say, but I love this.
They're so passionate about what they do, and you can
(19:28):
see the differences in terrain which are quite significant, and
also the culture. What do you think about that travel
from east to west?
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I agree, because you're starting in the Venatore region where
there's venice and I mean you're literally on the water,
and that's the food culture as well is completely different.
A lot of seafood there, the small chichetti, the small bites,
is the prosecco or wine. And then you're traveling into
Lombardy where besides just the terrain being completely different, you're
on the lakes, so yeah, there's still water, but it
(19:59):
can letely different. The food is completely different as well,
and a lot heavier. We're talking about a lot of
butter here as well, a lot of cheeses. The wine
again is different, so we've got the frenchiacorta wine. And
then when you finally end up in Piedmont, it's different
again definitely. I mean, my husband would not like to
hears from Torino, who would not like to be confused
(20:20):
with the millionaireser because even though they're only an hour
apart on the train, completely different culture, completely different food,
completely different landscapes. So I think a good way to
think about it too, is just you know, by the
difference in the food culture across these three places that
are so on the map. They're so close together, but
completely different way of eating, a different way of living
(20:43):
as well, from Venice to Charin, it's a completely different lifestyle.
I should have mentioned before that we end this trip
in the city Urin, and so you'll see huge difference
in what looks on the map to be quite a
small distance.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I guess, yeah, absolutely, because Urine is obviously quite close
to France, so you get quite a French influence into Inn,
whereas over in Venice it's heavily influenced by their incredible
republic with they basically controlled the Mediterranean, and a very
(21:16):
Dizantine influence over there. So the contrasts just in short
distance for some of us who come from these big
countries like we do, it's quite astounding, actually so, and
I find it really exciting.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
I don't know about you live. Absolutely love it. I
love the difference in culture and such a small part
of the country.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
So the other thing that we wanted to touch on
here is the lakes. So I have a particular passion
for the Italian lakes, as I mentioned before, because this
was the first place in Italy that I really set
eyes on. And like I mentioned, there was no Instagram
or anything like that. I had no idea what I
was getting myself into. I just arrived there and I
was on a coach tour. I thought I was in
(22:00):
I don't know what was going on. So we have
huge lakes in Australia and we do not have huge mountains,
so I got the whole package. There was the mountains,
the lakes, and you know, these cute little cobblestone villages.
I thought this place was like something out of a
fairytale book. Anyway, since then, I've really gone on to
(22:21):
explore a lot of the lakes up in the north
there and I really find them so beautiful and so
different and unique. And of course on this trip we
start in Lake Gada, which a lot of people have
heard of, but we also take a little detour into
another lake which is called Lake Iszao. If people who
have been there, it's one of those if you know,
(22:41):
you know places people who have been there will just go, oh,
it's completely charming, beautiful nature and we can't wait to
show our guests that area. And of course we do
stop at Lake Homo as live mentioned, and Lake Homo
also a very special to me actually because I've spent
(23:02):
quite a bit of time there.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But it's maybe not what you expect.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Like sometimes when I go overseas, I'm really expecting a
lot of broad open spaces and a lot of nature,
with not a lot of build up of you know,
towns or dwellings or things like that, because you know
sometimes in Australia, if you want to go on a
road trip, you can be going for a long time
before you see a house or something like that. So
(23:31):
Como was it's stunning, like it's absolutely gorgeous, but it
is quite built up, especially down the Como end and
around Ballagio and the central lake area, so it's got
a different vibe completely to Lake Garda in fact, and
also completely different to is A. And then of course
we also spend time at Lake Madiority, which goes up
(23:53):
into Switzerland. We don't go into Switzerland unfortunately a little
bit too far, but where we stay around in a
lake Majiore is this beautiful town close by called Stresa,
and Austrasia this island which is called Isola Bella and
it's stunning, okay, like you've got this villa. You know,
(24:14):
gorgeous gardens, and if you're a garden lover, this is
really the area. They're beautifully manicured and they're very refined,
So that's Maggiore gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
And so these are the lakes.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
That you're going to have very different experience at all
different lakes. So I think it's really wonderful to see
the contrast not just in the landscapes of the hills
and the mountains, but also in the lakes, because yes.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Again very unique.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
And so what are experiences do you think people will
enjoy doing. I mentioned a couple live like the they
can go over to see the Bottomini Islands and on
Lake Maggiore, but what other specific lake exp variances will
they have.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So on Lake Garda, we've got a beautiful sunset boat
ride which would be very relaxing, and we start and
see me on air, so the fairytale town that Katie
was talking about before, and we sail around the lake
with the petty TiVo in hand, so nice glass of bubbles,
and we end up in Desenzano as well, which is
another beautiful lakeside town and it's at sunset, so we'll
(25:26):
have a gorgeous view as the sun setting over the
lake and all these little fairytale towns around us. So
that's a really special one. Instead, when we're in Lake Como,
we do a daytime boat trip, but we'll be in
a different kind of boat, like a Venetian style boat.
Like if you think of George Clooney in his boat,
that's kind of what it looks like. Check out the
website page because you can see a great photo of
(25:48):
Katie and some of our team in the boat that
I'm talking about. And it's a very glamorous kind of experience,
I guess. As we're jetting around Lake Como and we
pull in at one of the fame villas and we
have a little tour there, and then we get back
in our boat and we head off to the larger
and we have a nice lunch. So that's kind of
a really kind of like a movie star experience, I
(26:11):
guess we could say. So, yes, there's some of the
experiences you can look forward to on the lakes.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
I whish I was going Every time talk about this,
I'm like, oh, I need to go back anyway. So
when we're traveling this way, obviously everyone wants to travel differently,
but traveling in a tour might not be nothing.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's their cup of tea.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And it's really interesting because both Leave and I, I
would say, and most of our team too, I would say,
are very highly independent travelers and have traveled around the
world mostly independently, except more recently I've seen the light.
But it has to be a certain type of tour
(26:57):
that I want to go on, because the reason to
join a tour like this is well, first of all,
you get everything done for you. We look after you.
This is a big passion of ours, isn't it. We
do get this feedback often is that we do really
look after everyone in a very considered way, and we
love to make sure that people are having the best
(27:20):
time when they're in Italy. The selection of a wine
down to the dishes that they might like based on
their preferences or their dietary requirements. Like we have a
lot of attention to detail, but when we're on tour,
we are able to access experiences that you cannot have
if you're traveling independently, or you can, but you are
(27:42):
going to be paying significantly more. So I know live
you did a quite for someone who would have a
version of one of our tours, and it ended up
being I think seventy or eighty percent more expensive because
it's a private experience. So in a group context, we
can have a better value experience, shall we say so,
(28:04):
First of all, there's a cost element, and the second
part of it is also that we can't access these
things generally pendent travelers. And that's because a lot of
these people it's been the interest to open up to
like one or two people, but it is in their
interests well. They do enjoy bringing groups through to experience
(28:26):
their boats or their farm or what have you.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
So this is the reason to join a tour.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You want to have the access to these beautiful experiences,
you want to be looked after, and you want to
also meet some like minded people.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
And I think it's really amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I love seeing all the little text messages that come
about for twenty people. We have a WhatsApp group that
we get people to collaborate on while they're on tour
and sharing their photos and stories and it is so lovely,
so beautiful relationship ship's form And I think that's probably
(29:04):
the thing that I love the most, actually that people
have the experience of their time in Italy and they
have formed a bond and connection with people that they
may never have met.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
I agree, I agree, I think as well as something
that really strikes me in all of the reviews that
we get too is that when you come on tour
with us, you are able to feel like a Suedo
Italian rather than just a tourist, so to speak, because
you really do get access to people, places, stories that
you just can't have when you travel in Italy by yourself,
(29:37):
unless you speak fluent Italian, unless you've got lots of
local friends here, it's kind of impossible to have that
experience otherwise.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Yeah, and that's how these tours evolved is that I
was able to travel with live and with my husband
who speaks Italian, and the whole world opened up towards me,
and OAK was like, Wow, you missed out on all
of this stuff, and I just really wanted more of
it and I wanted to have people experience that too. Okay,
(30:07):
now I just want to take us a little bit,
just a little bit of an insight in some of
these smaller towns that we're going to visit, in some
off the beaten path areas, so I just want to
bring up one and this is another place that's very
special to me, and it's called Brescia. Now, Brescia is
a small city in Lombardy and you may not have
heard of it, except unfortunately, it was very central area
(30:31):
where COVID first.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Emerged, which was very sad.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
And if you go back into the archives of this podcast,
you can hear me talking and getting quite emotional about
the experience that I had in Brescia and how sad
I was for the people there during twenty twenty when
things were particularly bad.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
But anyway, we're going back.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
We're going there on this tour and it is absolutely
wonderful town. And the reason it is so wonderful from
my perspective is that it's like a little history of
Italy in the one spot. So it has Roman ruins,
it has Etruscan ruins, it has your churches, it has
a naissance palaces, and you can just walk around this
(31:12):
beautiful city and just have like a little Italian history experience,
I mean half a day. And not only that, but
the food is amazing and they're very very friendly people
because they don't see many visitors, so they're quite surprised.
I remember going into a little animentarity like a grosser
and we were trying to buy some cheese. Of course,
(31:34):
of course we were trying to buy some chees and
I was like, Oh, where are you from and what
are you doing here?
Speaker 2 (31:39):
And they loved it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And when you have that curiosity and that mutual curiosity,
I find it's so refreshing, especially these days when people
can be a little bit cynical, but like.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
You have these like oh what are you doing here?
What brought you here? And I just think it's it's
absolutely lovely. How about you live?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Why do you think people will fall in love with
this type of place will return in a moment with
the rest of the episode.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I think as well, because it's what we would say
is authentic, I guess, and that can mean a lot
of different things in a lot of different contexts. But
it's having an experience like what you describe where it's
not swarmed with tourists. There's still people going about their
day to day daily life. They're going to the alimentari,
they're going to the local baker, they're going to the
local butcher, and they're just getting on with their day
(32:33):
to day life. And it's an opportunity when we visit
these places to actually see how Italians live in small
in small towns. And that's not to say that in
Milan it's any less authentic. It's a different kind of
authentic up there. But on our tours, I think we
like to bring you to these small towns because they
are places that you normally wouldn't visit by yourself, whether
(32:54):
that's because it's hard to reach them transport wise, or
because maybe you need to know Italian, or simply you
might not have heard of them before, they might not
be on your radar. So it's real joy to bring
people to these smaller towns in the countryside.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Yeah, I do love pressure. I went to a food
festival there live. I might have mentioned this before a
tea teller's story quite a lot. It was a progress,
it was a slow food festival, and it was another
one of these I guess there was the lights on
moment about how different things could be if you approached
it in a different way.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And whole of Brescia was out.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
And you would go from each of these historic sites
and have a glass wine, have a local dish, and
everyone was kind of like leaning up against a fountain
or some sort of you know, Roman collar and sadly
that festival doesn't happen anymore, but it was really wonderful,
and I really hope everyone who's joining the tour will
(33:52):
actually enjoy their time in Bressia, because I certainly did. Okay,
now let's just quickly skip over to Piedmont, and we
do talk about Peered quite a lot on the podcast,
basically because Olivia is often there, like she is now,
and it is such a beautiful place, and I think
it's really coming onto the map. Noticed a lot of
(34:12):
people a lot sitting Piedmont lately. But if you could
pick like maybe two or three things that you think
are super special about Piedmont live, what would you say
makes it different from the other Italian regions And why
we wanted to include this in this tour.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I've touched on this before, but I think, especially with Piedmont,
it's the fact that it's so unexpected, so it's not
immediately what you would think of when you picture Italy.
And I really love that because it's such a pleasant surprise. Yes,
it is becoming a map, but it still feels quite untold.
They're not the hordes of tourists that you might get
in other places like Venice or Florence. So you can
(34:52):
really soak in the local culture, I feel because of this,
and you actually can really still see the local culture.
It's not you know, the same shop again and again
and again down the main streets. So that's the part
that I really love because it feels like you can
still live in the steps of the actual Piermontese people
while you're here. And I know when we've taken groups
(35:13):
in the past a Piedmont on our Piedmont tours, they
absolutely love that element about being in Piermont because it
feels really real, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.
I'll give you an example. The other day, my husband
Andre and I went to see an art exhibition in
Piedmont with work from Botticelli. And you know, if that
had have been in Florence or Venice or Rome, it
(35:34):
would have been absolutely packed. There are about four other
people there, and you know, we're seeing this art exhibit
right next to the Royal Palace in the middle of town.
So I just I love that. I think that's an
experience that, yeah, it feels very real. So I really
like that. And then obviously Piedmont. The landscape in the
countryside is absolutely stunning. It's not Unesco heritage for no reason.
(35:58):
So you know, vineyards as far as I can see,
castles as well. This was a royal region of course,
with the family the Savoyor family who were kings living here,
so there's lots of castles that they've left in their wake.
And undoubtedly the food and wine and the culture of
food and wine is so important here, So that's another
(36:20):
reason that we had to include Piedmont on this tour.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
It's a really incredible journey from start to finish, the.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Lakes, mountains, food, wine, what can you want?
You know, there are a lot of evidence to a tour,
and when we're building a tour, we're not just thinking
about logistics, and I think this is really really important
to get across. We are thinking about how you're going
to connect with this part of Italy when you go there.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
And I think sometimes.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Travel can be a little bit transactional, or we're going
to go here there, we've got to get the logistics
in order. But for us on our tour, this is
a really important aspect. What we're trying to create is
that you have an emotional response to the area that
you're visiting and the experiences that you have, And can
you maybe.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Expand on that a little bit because you've actually.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Seen this many times in real life and in fact,
and so it's a very special experience for us to
have to know that we're achieving this goal.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
I agree, you know, just to give you a little
insight into previous tours that we've run around the country,
I've had guests in tiers, you know, happy tears, of course.
I've had guests absolutely embracing locals with big hugs as
if they're long lost sisters or long lost relatives. So
there are some huge emotional reactions that our guess can
(37:49):
have as well as just feeling simply, you know, moved
by the different stories. So I think what's important about
our tours is that it's the human side of travel.
So it's not, as you know, we keep saying, it's
not just ticking off a list of places. So even
when we go to and visit a winery, it's not
just that we're going and we're tasting a Barolla wine
and oh that's very nice, isn't it. But it's actually
(38:11):
who you meet behind the wine because we sit down
with the wine maker and get to know his story
about his family and what they were doing in the
land for generations, and his you know, different challenges and
highs and lows of his day to day life. When
we're eating pasta, we're not just having a delicious ball
of pasta, but we're learning the story behind it and
why they eat pasta with this sauce at this moment
(38:33):
at this time, and the stories behind all of that.
So that also, you know, allows our guests, I think,
to really understand the places that we visit in a
more holistic way. And of course the truffle hunt as well.
That's always a really emotional experience, I think, because it's
(38:54):
so unique to see how the truffle hunt I interacts
with his trusty dog and talks to the dog in
their dialect, not even in Italian, but their dialect of
where they're from, and there are lots of dialects within
a region. So that's so special to witness too, because
you're seeing a really micro, hyper local moment of culture
(39:16):
that you just I think can't see if you're not
with us or with friends in Italy that are Italian.
So all of these experiences, I think, really do allow
for a huge range of emotions to sweep you up into.
I know when we've been at different festivals and events
in Italy, it really can bring you to tears. I
(39:38):
have been like that myself, and because you just get
swept up in the emotions of everyone around you and
feel the community spirit and the pride and joy in
these long traditions that they have. So yeah, it is
quite emotional in a very good way.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
This is the ultimate escape and I feel so very
lucky and I'm I'm so grateful that I have this
job and I get to work with people like Olivia
and our tour hosts, And if you've met Manuel and
Julia and Silvia and Hannah and Sarah, you will know
that they all share this really beautiful spirit and passion
for Italy and Italian culture in the way that lives
(40:18):
just described, and it is an emotional experience, and it
just reminds you.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
How life actually can be if we choose it to be.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
And for me, having that regular reminder is something that
really keeps me grounded and appreciative of not only what
I have here, but also what I can experience and
I always try and take a little bit back of
that lifestyle when I come home, just and piano piano slower, slower,
(40:49):
and appreciate.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Those little things.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
So before we wrap up live, maybe you can share
who you think this trip is best suited for, because
something might not be sure is the trip for you
in terms of who's going to be on the tour,
And of course we keep the groups very small to
twelve people or less, and.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
It's a beautiful convivial group.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Maybe she can share some of the people that have
really trips in the past.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
So certainly we get a lot of couples on our trips,
but we also get solo travelers, we get sisters. In fact,
we're welcoming one of our return guests back next year
and she's bringing her sister along for the ride this time.
And we even get moms and daughters or parents with
their daughters normally, So you know, it's suited for a
(41:38):
lot of different people. I think this trip in particular
would be great for a first time traveler, but also
a return traveler to someone who wants to dig deeper.
Maybe you've been to the main cities and you want
to go and explore the countryside or some of these
more off the beaten path places, or maybe it's your
first trip and you're looking for a really immersive experience
(42:00):
across the north of Italy. So I think this trip
could suit a lot of different personalities. And you know,
if you like good food, if you like wine, if
you want to feel like a real Italian, but you know,
be led along the way with care and expert guidance
by our lovely tour host, and this is the trip
for you, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
And I think what really unites the guests that come
on our tour is that they're a little bit curious.
You know, if you're a curious person and you've got
an open mind about how things could be a little
bit different, and you want to understand a little bit
more about a different culture, then these are the type
of people that come along. Usually they've got a very
strong appreciation of food, not always wine, because we have
(42:43):
had people on the tours that don't drink wine, and
that's one hundred percent fine. But I think when they
experience the wineries, it's not just about wine.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
It's actually about.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
Nature and understanding seasons and how when they're in the
winemaking process, it relates back to the land and a
whole lot of cultural implications that you may not expect.
So if you're not a wine drinker, you won't feel
left out. In fact, no, not at all.
Speaker 4 (43:16):
In fact, one of our return guests who's been on
about oh five or six tours with us, he is
not a wine drinker at all, and he really enjoys
our visits to the wineries because, as you say, it's
about the people behind them, the stories behind them, and
often they have a very interesting philosophy on life that
this guest in particular, always really enjoys hearing.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Amazing. Thank you, liv thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
We can talk about tours a lot Live and I
we are very good at talkers and very good talkers
about tours, but this one is very special because it
is something that we wanted to create for a while
and it touches some places that are very very important
to both of us, and we know that we can
show people a different side of this part of Italy
(44:00):
that they may not have expected in a very beautiful,
locally enhanced way, and so we're really thrilled to be
bringing it to everyone. So Live, before we wrap up completely,
maybe you want to let everyone know when the tour
dates are next year, because we've got one running next year.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Yes, Katie are we sure do want to let everyone
know when we're running this tour for twenty twenty six,
So we're going to be visiting in September, so the
dates are September twenty one to October two. I think
this is the perfect time of year to be in
this region. It's beautiful temperatures while we're on the lakes,
and then we're getting right into full season by the
time we get to Piedmont, which means truffles, it means
(44:43):
grape wine, means harvest season for chuiney mushrooms. So yes,
it's a really nice time of year to be in
this part of Italy.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
And we already have some bookings for this tour dome
from our wonderful repeat guests. So if you're thinking about
it and you think like you might be interested, do
reach out to info at Untold Italytours dot com and
if you'd like some more information, we can definitely send
you the full itinery and all the details of the
hotels and places that we're going to be staying at.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
We'd love to do that for you.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Oh so I hope everyone's enjoyed this peak into our
tour and the way we design it and the philosophy
that we put behind the tours. And if you are
inspired to join us, we'd love to have you along
and share this really special part of untold Italy with you.
Speaker 4 (45:32):
Oh wait to take everyone there. Thanks Katie, Thanks liv Yeah,
choo choo.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Everyone. When I said that I had no idea what
to expect when I arrived in Italy, it really took
me by surprise and made me think, and it sent
me back in.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
A little bit of a time machine.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I remember those days on Lake Garda, and I just
remember how in awe I was of the beauty and
the culture and the history all around me that I
had no way of anticipating, simply because we had no Internet.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Now it's very.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Sad in a way that we think that we know
what to expect when we visit places all over the world,
to where we eat, and even how to get a
photo that we've seen on Instagram. We've almost lost the
ability to go into a place unseen and let it
surprise and delight us. But you know, with our tours,
we really hope to ignite that spirit of adventure and
(46:25):
feeling of wonder. Olivia and I both feel very strongly
connected to Northern Italy for different reasons, and for both
of us the landscapes and culture pulled us in, but
in the end, it was the people that we met
along the way that cemented our passion for this part.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
Of Northern Italy.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
So if today's episode sparked your curiosity about exploring beyond
the usual tourist trail and discovering the food, wine, history
and stories that make Northern Italy so enchanting, why not
check out the show notes at Untold Italy dot com
forward slash two ninety four and there you're going to
find all the details about the tour, the places that
we mentioned, and ways that you can connect with us
(47:05):
to learn more or join us on this unforgettable adventure.
Before I go, you know, we absolutely love hearing your
feedback and reviews. It's what keeps Untold Italy growing and
it helps more Italy loving travelers just like you find us.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
If you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 1 (47:21):
Please think about leaving us a rating or review in
your favorite podcast app, And if you'd like to go deeper,
our Untold Italy premium app has added free episodes plus
curated travel guides to inspire your next Italian adventure. Next week,
we're exploring more of our wonderful Untold Italy and I
can't wait to share it with you.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
But until then, it's chow for now.
Speaker 5 (47:45):
The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
audio production and website development by Mark Hatter, Production assistance
and content writing by the Are they KD?
Speaker 4 (47:56):
Clark?
Speaker 5 (47:57):
Yes, there are two of us. For more information about
Untold Italy, please visit Untold Italy dot com
Bon journo, friends, and welcome to a very special episode
of Untold Italy where we take a trip to Northern Italy,
where my Italian experiences first began and the regions that
have played a transformative role not just in terms of
how I travel, but also my life because my first
experience of Italy was on the shores of Lake Garda,
(00:22):
and it started a lifetime of adventure and eventually this podcast.
This life changing first experience of Italy was the inspiration
for our brand new tour traveling from Venice in the
east of Italy to Tourino in the west. Along the way,
we visit lakes and hidden towns, and of course meet
(00:42):
and make connections with locals who have loved this land
for generations.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
Joining me today.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Is Untold Italy's Chief Experience Officer, Olivia, who has her
own special relationship with Northern Italy, now strengthened by family ties. Together,
we're going to walk you through our itinery and how
we created this tour, including the highlights and special experience
that you can expect.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So andiamo, let's go to Northern Italy.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Chawatuti and Benvenuti Tuan told Italy the travel podcast to
where you go to the towns and villages, mountains and lakes,
hills and coastlines of Bela, Italia. Each week, your host
Katie Clark takes you on a journey in a search
of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and of course,
(01:38):
a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming of Italy
and planning future adventures there, you've come to the right place.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you. Whether you want to connect with your Italian heritage.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
A partner, or you want to live in Italy, finding
the right tools to match your learning style is important.
My friend Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach
to learning Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching
you only what you need to know. As an adult
learner herself with Italian heritage, she really knows how to
bridge the gap between English and Italian. As Angela from
(02:23):
Australia said, I put my inability to learn down to
my senior stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian it
seems to just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian
can help you learn Italian and to claim an exclusive
twenty dollars coupon code that you can use on any
of Michelle's online courses from beginner to intermediate. Visit Untold
(02:44):
Italy dot com, forward slash Italian or visit the link
in the show notes. As a bonus, you'll also get
a downloadable travel phrase guide absolutely free, So visit untold
Italy dot com forward slash Italian to accelerate your Italian.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Do you want to live? Come a stay?
Speaker 4 (03:02):
Yeah, Katie, month of antel.
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Oh so leave.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
How are things going for you and whereabouts are you
right now?
Speaker 4 (03:14):
Things are very good, Katie. We are in beautiful Piedmont
at the moment. We've been here for at least a
month with my husband's family, and yeah, just having a
beautiful time. It's in a beautiful time of year, the
end of September. Full weather is certainly upon us, crisp temperatures.
You know, there's soon to be the harvest season. So
(03:36):
it's a very nice time of you to be here.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Gorgeous.
Speaker 1 (03:39):
So now, before we dive into talking about how we
designed our new tour of Northern Italy, which does incluclude
Beautiful Piedmont, obviously a lot of people know you on
the podcast and that's thanks to the wine episodes that
you do with Andrea. But today you're joining us in
your capacity as our Chief Experience Officer and Untold Italy Tours.
(04:04):
So how about you tell everyone a little bit about
what you do and how you came to be working
with me and Untold Italy.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Thanks Katie. Yeah, I think I've got an absolute dream
job because I get to bring to life some of
our amazing tours around Italy and all their regions. So
how amazing is that. I've also been a tour host before.
So we've been running the tours for three years. We're
now in our fourth year of running. And yeah, when
(04:35):
we started running Untold Italy Tours, we had two tours
in Pulia and Sicily and our very first tour in Puya.
I was also the host and then for the last
few years I've also been hosting the tours, designing the
tours with Katie and which has been a lot of fun.
I had a baby at the start of this year,
so I've stepped back at the moment from hosting and
(04:56):
concentrating on bringing together some amazing it as for our
guests with our team of very experienced and wonderful tour hosts.
So yes, I've got a really dream job.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
I think we're so lucky to have you.
Speaker 1 (05:10):
Of course, liv Is, she's very modest, but she has
lots of skills and if you've been on tour We'd Live,
you know just how kind and thoughtful she is and
really enthusiastic about sharing beautiful parts of Italy, not just
the scenery but also the culture and getting really into
local ways of living and meeting local people so that
(05:32):
they can share their perspectives. And this is what is
brilliant about having bilingual hosts. So Live and all of
our hosts are actually bilingual, so they can speak fluent
Italian and if you have any questions for the local
people that you meet along the way, then they're there
to really translate and connect to you with them.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
And it's a beautiful thing to watch.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
Actually, and it's probably one of them inspiring the things
that really inspired me to create the tours like that
we Live. So now, just talking about creating a tour,
we have got a new one, don't we live. And
so we are heading off into northern Italy next year
and this is a really special tour, so leave.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
Why don't you let everyone know why we decided to
create this tour?
Speaker 4 (06:23):
So excited about this tour, I can't tell you. So
we decided to create the Northern Italy Tour because, well,
for one, the Italian lakes are seriously bucket list worthy
and so we didn't have a tour including the lakes.
But the thing about the lakes is that they can
be quite busy and touristy, so we obviously wanted to
do it in our untold way that still feels really
(06:45):
personal and local. So we're able to offer that lake experience,
capturing Lake Como, Lake Garda Lake majorre but in a
really yeah, untold kind of more off the beaten track way.
And we're also seeing that a lot of our guests
want longer experiences, so a lot of our tours are
for around a week, and this tour is for twelve days,
(07:07):
so we're really capturing a range of different regions for
a longer amount of time. So we're able to fly
into Venice, travel along the Wine Road into Verona, around
the lakes, and then of course come into gorgeous pied Once.
So with twelve days, we're able to really have a
nice tour along northern Italy.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
I'm so excited about this, and I'll tell you why,
because this region is very special to me and it
holds a very special place in my heart. Because actually,
if you've been listening for a while, you probably know
that the first place that I set foot in Italy
was actually up in the north in lake near Lake Garda,
in the little town of Manchesne, and I love this
(07:49):
region and I have a very special affinity with it.
On that trip, I also went to Verona, and this
is where my mind started to be blown because I
couldn't believe that anywhere so beautiful existed, and really the
actual vibe of the place. It's a very elegant town.
(08:09):
It's very refined. There's a beautiful piazzas, and there's a
castle up on the hill with the river Aardijer running below. Oh,
I didn't know anything about it, and let's remember, folks,
this was back in the nineteen nineties, before the Internet,
so there was no Instagram or anything looking up pictures.
(08:30):
I just heard of fair Varuna via our friend William Shakespeare,
so I really didn't really have any idea of what
to expect when I got there.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
It was very beautiful.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
And then on that trip I also went to Menace
and Simeoni, which is included in this tour.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
So it's a very special region to me.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
And then maybe, oh I would have been i'd say fifteen,
maybe longer, many years longer. After that, I went to
a wonderful press trip with the Italian Tourist Board out
of London when I was living in London, and we
went into the region of Lombardy. And I think that
this was the trip that really inspired everything that I
(09:15):
do with Untold Italy today, because since that first trip,
I traveled everywhere around Italy, all the major places, and
you know, I really loved my experiences in Italy, but
it wasn't until that trip that I really started seeing
the countryside and these smaller towns and cities that really
(09:37):
I love so much to this day, and they are
the untold ones.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
I say.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
So this trip, this other trip, which was probably my
twentieth trip or something like that.
Speaker 2 (09:48):
Really inspired me.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
And what is really delightful about this tour is we've
managed to incorporate a few of the places that I
visited on that trip into this tour because I just fell.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
In love with them.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
And I really just wanted to share them with all
of you. So how about you if what makes this
trip special to you?
Speaker 4 (10:09):
Well, a few reasons, and I think as well, touching
on the part you were saying about the refined elegance
of northern Italy, it is really beautiful and elegant, and
I think so different to what many of us would
think of as quintessential Italian when you think of Italy,
because it's probably southern Italy you're thinking of. So I find,
you know, I'm really excited about this trip because it's
(10:31):
probably not what you first imagine of Italy, and that's
a pleasant surprise as well, because it's totally different to
what you're thinking of. And then, of course I have
to mention Piedmont. I lived in Piedmont for some years.
It's where my husband and his family are from, so
I'm very connected to this part of Italy especially, so
it's such a thrill and a joy to be able
to bring travelers to this beautiful region that it's definitely
(10:54):
lesser known than some of the other places in Italy,
like Tuscany, so for me that's a real joy.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
Yeah, I guess people do know Venice and they know
Milana Lake Como, but once you start asking and digging
a little bit deeper, they may have heard of like Garda. Yeah,
but we're taking people way, way, way outside even those areas.
So we're going right into untold terri tree here and
that's the exciting thing for me too, all right, So
(11:22):
maybe I think we're being a bit of a tease
here live.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Like we haven't.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Actually, we don't actually explain the flow of the trip
and how it's going to work in a lot of details.
So how about you give everyone an overview of how
this trip's going to flow.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
So we meet in Venice, and we don't actually spend
time on the tour in Venice, So you can fly
into Venice, maybe have a couple of days in beautiful Venice,
and then we're going to pick you up, whisk you
away into the countryside. And as we head towards our
first home base, we'll be in Verona, which Katie was
talking about before, beautiful fair Verona, so we'll have a
(11:57):
lovely lunch there and time to look around the arena.
It's not the Colisseam, but it is similar shape to
the Coli Sam And then yeah, we continue on into
Lombardy in the countryside, right on the shores of Lake Gardada,
and we settle into our first home base for five nights,
which is a beautiful hotel that Katie went too many
(12:20):
some years ago that's run by these lovely sisters and
it's just an absolutely gorgeous place to stay. So we'll
be based there for the start of our trip, and
each day we go out on different excursions to explore
the surrounding area. But actually we'll be meeting the local people,
because that's what all of our trips are about. It's
(12:40):
not just a tick list of different places to see.
It's going and meeting the locals and hearing their stories
and their connection to the land, because that's what I
think really stays with you after a trip to Italy,
or especially a trip with Untold Italy. While we're there,
we'll be going to sit to me on air. Of course,
we'll be doing some amazing boat tours perativo in hand.
(13:03):
Of course, we go and visit a local farm where
they make cheese, and we do some cheese tasting. Lombardy
is famous for their cheeses. We're talking soft cow's milk cheeses.
Normally up here absolutely delicious. We'll also be checking out
Bergomont and Brescia, so they're too, I would say, off
the beaten path towns that aren't normally on the tour radar.
(13:26):
We'll be visiting some castles, so there's a wonderful castle
that Katie loved that we had to include on this
tour for their story, which I won't spoil o Katie
might want to talk about that later. That will be
visiting wineries. Of course, we've got such amazing wine just
in this first part of the trip alone, because it's
Frenchacorta territory, So if you like sparkling wine, you may
(13:48):
no prosecon. You can have your feel in Venice, but
we'll actually be drinking French acorta and which is kind
of like you know, they brand it as Italy's answer
to Champagne, so very delicious in a nutshell. Well, and
then after our time around Lake Garda, we'll go up
and we'll be based on next basis on Lake Lake Majorda,
(14:08):
and we will take a trip into Lake Como for
a day where we'll be hopping onto some Venetian style
boats and cruising around as if we were George Clooney,
we'll go and visit a beautiful villa and yeah, just
I think really appreciating the lakes on the water is
the way to do it. It's just such stunning views
(14:30):
and relaxed vibes. And of course these will all be
private boat tours too. We'll have relaxed time as well
when we're in Lake Majorda, so that will be a
nice time to reset because this is a longer tour.
And then we go into beautiful Piedmont after we've had
our time around the lakes. And as we go into Piedmont,
we are sticking to the countryside roads and we're going
(14:50):
into the famous Unesco Heritage Lunge region, which I was
there on the weekend and it is absolutely stunning as
vines as far as eye can see, the rolling hills,
little villagers, so much charm. It's just gorgeous. So we'll
be there for the end of the trip and again
trying some of Italy's best wine, so that's where I
(15:11):
bought all the wine is made of course Barabaresco as well.
We'll be meeting the locals, so we've got an amazing
local woman who runs our cooking class for us in
her family home. You might have heard me mention on
previous episodes or if you've been on tour about her
pet pig that sometimes runs through the kitchen, So that's
always fun. And of course we'll be meeting a local
(15:36):
truffle hunter and learning about his trade and seeing him
interact with his dog. It's such an important part of
Pymontese culture. So yes, we'll be, you know, visiting a
lot of the bucketless worthy places lake Garda, da Lake Como,
Lake Majordre. But actually it'll be about meeting the locals
and hearing the stories that will really bring those places
(15:57):
to life.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Let's take a quick moment, we'll be right back. Yeah, thanks, lev.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I think one of the major things that I wanted
to bring up today was that this was probably something
that we haven't maybe done the best job of actually,
but Carolyn, one of our very special repeat guests, mentioned
this to me that she really enjoys this part of
our tours is that we do go to some of
the major places that people want to see, so we're
(16:30):
not simply going off the beaten track, fully, but when
we go to places that are very popular, like ly Como,
we're going to do it in a slightly different way,
in the way that you're going to still have that
wow experience, but it's not going to be like.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
A mass tourism experience, shall we say.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
So.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
We do a lot of work when we're designing our
tours around timing and choosing really carefully the experiences and
the perspectives that we want you to have, because you know,
these places are very very popular for a reason, and
they are incredible. Like I have to say, like Siamoni,
(17:19):
it's like this tiny little town in Lake Gado. It
is like straight out of a fairy tale. It is
so cute.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
There are swans going under the drawbridge. There is a
draw there is a drawbridge. You know, there's a moat.
Speaker 1 (17:34):
I don't know, if you really wanted to be a
princess in a castle, you can actually fulfill those dreams.
But we do this and it's a very popular challenge shit,
but we do it in such a way that you
can really enjoy it and appreciate it for the reasons
why it became popular. That's what I think makes our
tours very special actually, and so each of our tours
(17:57):
has that approach. But we're talking Italy tour today, and
that's why I wanted to bring up little Semioni, which
is a super cute little town just on the shores
of Lake Garda, which you should definitely go check out
if you come with us, or if you don't, I'm
highly recommend it. Okay, now live we are also traveling
(18:18):
from east to west and what I think this really
lovely about this approach is that you're seeing a completely
different culture from A to B and it's really difficult
sometimes to explain to people why everything changes so much.
So even from province to province, you are seeing a
(18:42):
different culture, a different way of life, and still though
the same passion for the local environment. And so it
was in Lombardy where I did an olive oil tasting
and the lady who led it was so funny makes
me laugh to this day because she was like, we
make the best olive oil in Italy, but it has
(19:07):
got the best polyphenols or whatever those chemicals chemicals are,
they are extra heightened in our olive oil that you
can't get it anywhere else. And it's so because you know,
everyone has this pitch that they say, but I love this.
They're so passionate about what they do, and you can
(19:28):
see the differences in terrain which are quite significant, and
also the culture. What do you think about that travel
from east to west?
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I agree, because you're starting in the Venatore region where
there's venice and I mean you're literally on the water,
and that's the food culture as well is completely different.
A lot of seafood there, the small chichetti, the small bites,
is the prosecco or wine. And then you're traveling into
Lombardy where besides just the terrain being completely different, you're
on the lakes, so yeah, there's still water, but it
(19:59):
can letely different. The food is completely different as well,
and a lot heavier. We're talking about a lot of
butter here as well, a lot of cheeses. The wine
again is different, so we've got the frenchiacorta wine. And
then when you finally end up in Piedmont, it's different
again definitely. I mean, my husband would not like to
hears from Torino, who would not like to be confused
(20:20):
with the millionaireser because even though they're only an hour
apart on the train, completely different culture, completely different food,
completely different landscapes. So I think a good way to
think about it too, is just you know, by the
difference in the food culture across these three places that
are so on the map. They're so close together, but
completely different way of eating, a different way of living
(20:43):
as well, from Venice to Charin, it's a completely different lifestyle.
I should have mentioned before that we end this trip
in the city Urin, and so you'll see huge difference
in what looks on the map to be quite a
small distance.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
I guess, yeah, absolutely, because Urine is obviously quite close
to France, so you get quite a French influence into Inn,
whereas over in Venice it's heavily influenced by their incredible
republic with they basically controlled the Mediterranean, and a very
(21:16):
Dizantine influence over there. So the contrasts just in short
distance for some of us who come from these big
countries like we do, it's quite astounding, actually so, and
I find it really exciting.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
I don't know about you live. Absolutely love it. I
love the difference in culture and such a small part
of the country.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
So the other thing that we wanted to touch on
here is the lakes. So I have a particular passion
for the Italian lakes, as I mentioned before, because this
was the first place in Italy that I really set
eyes on. And like I mentioned, there was no Instagram
or anything like that. I had no idea what I
was getting myself into. I just arrived there and I
was on a coach tour. I thought I was in
(22:00):
I don't know what was going on. So we have
huge lakes in Australia and we do not have huge mountains,
so I got the whole package. There was the mountains,
the lakes, and you know, these cute little cobblestone villages.
I thought this place was like something out of a
fairytale book. Anyway, since then, I've really gone on to
(22:21):
explore a lot of the lakes up in the north
there and I really find them so beautiful and so
different and unique. And of course on this trip we
start in Lake Gada, which a lot of people have
heard of, but we also take a little detour into
another lake which is called Lake Iszao. If people who
have been there, it's one of those if you know,
(22:41):
you know places people who have been there will just go, oh,
it's completely charming, beautiful nature and we can't wait to
show our guests that area. And of course we do
stop at Lake Homo as live mentioned, and Lake Homo
also a very special to me actually because I've spent
(23:02):
quite a bit of time there.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
But it's maybe not what you expect.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Like sometimes when I go overseas, I'm really expecting a
lot of broad open spaces and a lot of nature,
with not a lot of build up of you know,
towns or dwellings or things like that, because you know
sometimes in Australia, if you want to go on a
road trip, you can be going for a long time
before you see a house or something like that. So
(23:31):
Como was it's stunning, like it's absolutely gorgeous, but it
is quite built up, especially down the Como end and
around Ballagio and the central lake area, so it's got
a different vibe completely to Lake Garda in fact, and
also completely different to is A. And then of course
we also spend time at Lake Madiority, which goes up
(23:53):
into Switzerland. We don't go into Switzerland unfortunately a little
bit too far, but where we stay around in a
lake Majiore is this beautiful town close by called Stresa,
and Austrasia this island which is called Isola Bella and
it's stunning, okay, like you've got this villa. You know,
(24:14):
gorgeous gardens, and if you're a garden lover, this is
really the area. They're beautifully manicured and they're very refined,
So that's Maggiore gorgeous.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
And so these are the lakes.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
That you're going to have very different experience at all
different lakes. So I think it's really wonderful to see
the contrast not just in the landscapes of the hills
and the mountains, but also in the lakes, because yes.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Again very unique.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
And so what are experiences do you think people will
enjoy doing. I mentioned a couple live like the they
can go over to see the Bottomini Islands and on
Lake Maggiore, but what other specific lake exp variances will
they have.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
So on Lake Garda, we've got a beautiful sunset boat
ride which would be very relaxing, and we start and
see me on air, so the fairytale town that Katie
was talking about before, and we sail around the lake
with the petty TiVo in hand, so nice glass of bubbles,
and we end up in Desenzano as well, which is
another beautiful lakeside town and it's at sunset, so we'll
(25:26):
have a gorgeous view as the sun setting over the
lake and all these little fairytale towns around us. So
that's a really special one. Instead, when we're in Lake Como,
we do a daytime boat trip, but we'll be in
a different kind of boat, like a Venetian style boat.
Like if you think of George Clooney in his boat,
that's kind of what it looks like. Check out the
website page because you can see a great photo of
(25:48):
Katie and some of our team in the boat that
I'm talking about. And it's a very glamorous kind of experience,
I guess. As we're jetting around Lake Como and we
pull in at one of the fame villas and we
have a little tour there, and then we get back
in our boat and we head off to the larger
and we have a nice lunch. So that's kind of
a really kind of like a movie star experience, I
(26:11):
guess we could say. So, yes, there's some of the
experiences you can look forward to on the lakes.
Speaker 1 (26:17):
I whish I was going Every time talk about this,
I'm like, oh, I need to go back anyway. So
when we're traveling this way, obviously everyone wants to travel differently,
but traveling in a tour might not be nothing.
Speaker 2 (26:34):
That's their cup of tea.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And it's really interesting because both Leave and I, I
would say, and most of our team too, I would say,
are very highly independent travelers and have traveled around the
world mostly independently, except more recently I've seen the light.
But it has to be a certain type of tour
(26:57):
that I want to go on, because the reason to
join a tour like this is well, first of all,
you get everything done for you. We look after you.
This is a big passion of ours, isn't it. We
do get this feedback often is that we do really
look after everyone in a very considered way, and we
love to make sure that people are having the best
(27:20):
time when they're in Italy. The selection of a wine
down to the dishes that they might like based on
their preferences or their dietary requirements. Like we have a
lot of attention to detail, but when we're on tour,
we are able to access experiences that you cannot have
if you're traveling independently, or you can, but you are
(27:42):
going to be paying significantly more. So I know live
you did a quite for someone who would have a
version of one of our tours, and it ended up
being I think seventy or eighty percent more expensive because
it's a private experience. So in a group context, we
can have a better value experience, shall we say so,
(28:04):
First of all, there's a cost element, and the second
part of it is also that we can't access these
things generally pendent travelers. And that's because a lot of
these people it's been the interest to open up to
like one or two people, but it is in their
interests well. They do enjoy bringing groups through to experience
(28:26):
their boats or their farm or what have you.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
So this is the reason to join a tour.
Speaker 1 (28:32):
You want to have the access to these beautiful experiences,
you want to be looked after, and you want to
also meet some like minded people.
Speaker 2 (28:40):
And I think it's really amazing.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
I love seeing all the little text messages that come
about for twenty people. We have a WhatsApp group that
we get people to collaborate on while they're on tour
and sharing their photos and stories and it is so lovely,
so beautiful relationship ship's form And I think that's probably
(29:04):
the thing that I love the most, actually that people
have the experience of their time in Italy and they
have formed a bond and connection with people that they
may never have met.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
I agree, I agree, I think as well as something
that really strikes me in all of the reviews that
we get too is that when you come on tour
with us, you are able to feel like a Suedo
Italian rather than just a tourist, so to speak, because
you really do get access to people, places, stories that
you just can't have when you travel in Italy by yourself,
(29:37):
unless you speak fluent Italian, unless you've got lots of
local friends here, it's kind of impossible to have that
experience otherwise.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
Yeah, and that's how these tours evolved is that I
was able to travel with live and with my husband
who speaks Italian, and the whole world opened up towards me,
and OAK was like, Wow, you missed out on all
of this stuff, and I just really wanted more of
it and I wanted to have people experience that too. Okay,
(30:07):
now I just want to take us a little bit,
just a little bit of an insight in some of
these smaller towns that we're going to visit, in some
off the beaten path areas, so I just want to
bring up one and this is another place that's very
special to me, and it's called Brescia. Now, Brescia is
a small city in Lombardy and you may not have
heard of it, except unfortunately, it was very central area
(30:31):
where COVID first.
Speaker 2 (30:33):
Emerged, which was very sad.
Speaker 1 (30:34):
And if you go back into the archives of this podcast,
you can hear me talking and getting quite emotional about
the experience that I had in Brescia and how sad
I was for the people there during twenty twenty when
things were particularly bad.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
But anyway, we're going back.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
We're going there on this tour and it is absolutely
wonderful town. And the reason it is so wonderful from
my perspective is that it's like a little history of
Italy in the one spot. So it has Roman ruins,
it has Etruscan ruins, it has your churches, it has
a naissance palaces, and you can just walk around this
(31:12):
beautiful city and just have like a little Italian history experience,
I mean half a day. And not only that, but
the food is amazing and they're very very friendly people
because they don't see many visitors, so they're quite surprised.
I remember going into a little animentarity like a grosser
and we were trying to buy some cheese. Of course,
(31:34):
of course we were trying to buy some chees and
I was like, Oh, where are you from and what
are you doing here?
Speaker 2 (31:39):
And they loved it.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And when you have that curiosity and that mutual curiosity,
I find it's so refreshing, especially these days when people
can be a little bit cynical, but like.
Speaker 2 (31:52):
You have these like oh what are you doing here?
What brought you here? And I just think it's it's
absolutely lovely. How about you live?
Speaker 1 (31:59):
Why do you think people will fall in love with
this type of place will return in a moment with
the rest of the episode.
Speaker 4 (32:11):
I think as well, because it's what we would say
is authentic, I guess, and that can mean a lot
of different things in a lot of different contexts. But
it's having an experience like what you describe where it's
not swarmed with tourists. There's still people going about their
day to day daily life. They're going to the alimentari,
they're going to the local baker, they're going to the
local butcher, and they're just getting on with their day
(32:33):
to day life. And it's an opportunity when we visit
these places to actually see how Italians live in small
in small towns. And that's not to say that in
Milan it's any less authentic. It's a different kind of
authentic up there. But on our tours, I think we
like to bring you to these small towns because they
are places that you normally wouldn't visit by yourself, whether
(32:54):
that's because it's hard to reach them transport wise, or
because maybe you need to know Italian, or simply you
might not have heard of them before, they might not
be on your radar. So it's real joy to bring
people to these smaller towns in the countryside.
Speaker 1 (33:07):
Yeah, I do love pressure. I went to a food
festival there live. I might have mentioned this before a
tea teller's story quite a lot. It was a progress,
it was a slow food festival, and it was another
one of these I guess there was the lights on
moment about how different things could be if you approached
it in a different way.
Speaker 2 (33:26):
And whole of Brescia was out.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
And you would go from each of these historic sites
and have a glass wine, have a local dish, and
everyone was kind of like leaning up against a fountain
or some sort of you know, Roman collar and sadly
that festival doesn't happen anymore, but it was really wonderful,
and I really hope everyone who's joining the tour will
(33:52):
actually enjoy their time in Bressia, because I certainly did. Okay,
now let's just quickly skip over to Piedmont, and we
do talk about Peered quite a lot on the podcast,
basically because Olivia is often there, like she is now,
and it is such a beautiful place, and I think
it's really coming onto the map. Noticed a lot of
(34:12):
people a lot sitting Piedmont lately. But if you could
pick like maybe two or three things that you think
are super special about Piedmont live, what would you say
makes it different from the other Italian regions And why
we wanted to include this in this tour.
Speaker 4 (34:30):
I've touched on this before, but I think, especially with Piedmont,
it's the fact that it's so unexpected, so it's not
immediately what you would think of when you picture Italy.
And I really love that because it's such a pleasant surprise. Yes,
it is becoming a map, but it still feels quite untold.
They're not the hordes of tourists that you might get
in other places like Venice or Florence. So you can
(34:52):
really soak in the local culture, I feel because of this,
and you actually can really still see the local culture.
It's not you know, the same shop again and again
and again down the main streets. So that's the part
that I really love because it feels like you can
still live in the steps of the actual Piermontese people
while you're here. And I know when we've taken groups
(35:13):
in the past a Piedmont on our Piedmont tours, they
absolutely love that element about being in Piermont because it
feels really real, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.
I'll give you an example. The other day, my husband
Andre and I went to see an art exhibition in
Piedmont with work from Botticelli. And you know, if that
had have been in Florence or Venice or Rome, it
(35:34):
would have been absolutely packed. There are about four other
people there, and you know, we're seeing this art exhibit
right next to the Royal Palace in the middle of town.
So I just I love that. I think that's an
experience that, yeah, it feels very real. So I really
like that. And then obviously Piedmont. The landscape in the
countryside is absolutely stunning. It's not Unesco heritage for no reason.
(35:58):
So you know, vineyards as far as I can see,
castles as well. This was a royal region of course,
with the family the Savoyor family who were kings living here,
so there's lots of castles that they've left in their wake.
And undoubtedly the food and wine and the culture of
food and wine is so important here, So that's another
(36:20):
reason that we had to include Piedmont on this tour.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
It's a really incredible journey from start to finish, the.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Veneto, Lombardy, Piedmont, Lakes, mountains, food, wine, what can you want?
You know, there are a lot of evidence to a tour,
and when we're building a tour, we're not just thinking
about logistics, and I think this is really really important
to get across. We are thinking about how you're going
to connect with this part of Italy when you go there.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
And I think sometimes.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Travel can be a little bit transactional, or we're going
to go here there, we've got to get the logistics
in order. But for us on our tour, this is
a really important aspect. What we're trying to create is
that you have an emotional response to the area that
you're visiting and the experiences that you have, And can
you maybe.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Expand on that a little bit because you've actually.
Speaker 1 (37:16):
Seen this many times in real life and in fact,
and so it's a very special experience for us to
have to know that we're achieving this goal.
Speaker 4 (37:27):
I agree, you know, just to give you a little
insight into previous tours that we've run around the country,
I've had guests in tiers, you know, happy tears, of course.
I've had guests absolutely embracing locals with big hugs as
if they're long lost sisters or long lost relatives. So
there are some huge emotional reactions that our guess can
(37:49):
have as well as just feeling simply, you know, moved
by the different stories. So I think what's important about
our tours is that it's the human side of travel.
So it's not, as you know, we keep saying, it's
not just ticking off a list of places. So even
when we go to and visit a winery, it's not
just that we're going and we're tasting a Barolla wine
and oh that's very nice, isn't it. But it's actually
(38:11):
who you meet behind the wine because we sit down
with the wine maker and get to know his story
about his family and what they were doing in the
land for generations, and his you know, different challenges and
highs and lows of his day to day life. When
we're eating pasta, we're not just having a delicious ball
of pasta, but we're learning the story behind it and
why they eat pasta with this sauce at this moment
(38:33):
at this time, and the stories behind all of that.
So that also, you know, allows our guests, I think,
to really understand the places that we visit in a
more holistic way. And of course the truffle hunt as well.
That's always a really emotional experience, I think, because it's
(38:54):
so unique to see how the truffle hunt I interacts
with his trusty dog and talks to the dog in
their dialect, not even in Italian, but their dialect of
where they're from, and there are lots of dialects within
a region. So that's so special to witness too, because
you're seeing a really micro, hyper local moment of culture
(39:16):
that you just I think can't see if you're not
with us or with friends in Italy that are Italian.
So all of these experiences, I think, really do allow
for a huge range of emotions to sweep you up into.
I know when we've been at different festivals and events
in Italy, it really can bring you to tears. I
(39:38):
have been like that myself, and because you just get
swept up in the emotions of everyone around you and
feel the community spirit and the pride and joy in
these long traditions that they have. So yeah, it is
quite emotional in a very good way.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
This is the ultimate escape and I feel so very
lucky and I'm I'm so grateful that I have this
job and I get to work with people like Olivia
and our tour hosts, And if you've met Manuel and
Julia and Silvia and Hannah and Sarah, you will know
that they all share this really beautiful spirit and passion
for Italy and Italian culture in the way that lives
(40:18):
just described, and it is an emotional experience, and it
just reminds you.
Speaker 2 (40:24):
How life actually can be if we choose it to be.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
And for me, having that regular reminder is something that
really keeps me grounded and appreciative of not only what
I have here, but also what I can experience and
I always try and take a little bit back of
that lifestyle when I come home, just and piano piano slower, slower,
(40:49):
and appreciate.
Speaker 2 (40:50):
Those little things.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
So before we wrap up live, maybe you can share
who you think this trip is best suited for, because
something might not be sure is the trip for you
in terms of who's going to be on the tour,
And of course we keep the groups very small to
twelve people or less, and.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
It's a beautiful convivial group.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
Maybe she can share some of the people that have
really trips in the past.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
So certainly we get a lot of couples on our trips,
but we also get solo travelers, we get sisters. In fact,
we're welcoming one of our return guests back next year
and she's bringing her sister along for the ride this time.
And we even get moms and daughters or parents with
their daughters normally, So you know, it's suited for a
(41:38):
lot of different people. I think this trip in particular
would be great for a first time traveler, but also
a return traveler to someone who wants to dig deeper.
Maybe you've been to the main cities and you want
to go and explore the countryside or some of these
more off the beaten path places, or maybe it's your
first trip and you're looking for a really immersive experience
(42:00):
across the north of Italy. So I think this trip
could suit a lot of different personalities. And you know,
if you like good food, if you like wine, if
you want to feel like a real Italian, but you know,
be led along the way with care and expert guidance
by our lovely tour host, and this is the trip
for you, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
And I think what really unites the guests that come
on our tour is that they're a little bit curious.
You know, if you're a curious person and you've got
an open mind about how things could be a little
bit different, and you want to understand a little bit
more about a different culture, then these are the type
of people that come along. Usually they've got a very
strong appreciation of food, not always wine, because we have
(42:43):
had people on the tours that don't drink wine, and
that's one hundred percent fine. But I think when they
experience the wineries, it's not just about wine.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
It's actually about.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
Nature and understanding seasons and how when they're in the
winemaking process, it relates back to the land and a
whole lot of cultural implications that you may not expect.
So if you're not a wine drinker, you won't feel
left out. In fact, no, not at all.
Speaker 4 (43:16):
In fact, one of our return guests who's been on
about oh five or six tours with us, he is
not a wine drinker at all, and he really enjoys
our visits to the wineries because, as you say, it's
about the people behind them, the stories behind them, and
often they have a very interesting philosophy on life that
this guest in particular, always really enjoys hearing.
Speaker 2 (43:36):
Amazing. Thank you, liv thank you.
Speaker 1 (43:38):
We can talk about tours a lot Live and I
we are very good at talkers and very good talkers
about tours, but this one is very special because it
is something that we wanted to create for a while
and it touches some places that are very very important
to both of us, and we know that we can
show people a different side of this part of Italy
(44:00):
that they may not have expected in a very beautiful,
locally enhanced way, and so we're really thrilled to be
bringing it to everyone. So Live, before we wrap up completely,
maybe you want to let everyone know when the tour
dates are next year, because we've got one running next year.
Speaker 4 (44:20):
Yes, Katie are we sure do want to let everyone
know when we're running this tour for twenty twenty six,
So we're going to be visiting in September, so the
dates are September twenty one to October two. I think
this is the perfect time of year to be in
this region. It's beautiful temperatures while we're on the lakes,
and then we're getting right into full season by the
time we get to Piedmont, which means truffles, it means
(44:43):
grape wine, means harvest season for chuiney mushrooms. So yes,
it's a really nice time of year to be in
this part of Italy.
Speaker 1 (44:51):
And we already have some bookings for this tour dome
from our wonderful repeat guests. So if you're thinking about
it and you think like you might be interested, do
reach out to info at Untold Italytours dot com and
if you'd like some more information, we can definitely send
you the full itinery and all the details of the
hotels and places that we're going to be staying at.
Speaker 2 (45:12):
We'd love to do that for you.
Speaker 1 (45:14):
Oh so I hope everyone's enjoyed this peak into our
tour and the way we design it and the philosophy
that we put behind the tours. And if you are
inspired to join us, we'd love to have you along
and share this really special part of untold Italy with you.
Speaker 4 (45:32):
Oh wait to take everyone there. Thanks Katie, Thanks liv Yeah,
choo choo.
Speaker 1 (45:41):
Everyone. When I said that I had no idea what
to expect when I arrived in Italy, it really took
me by surprise and made me think, and it sent
me back in.
Speaker 2 (45:49):
A little bit of a time machine.
Speaker 1 (45:51):
I remember those days on Lake Garda, and I just
remember how in awe I was of the beauty and
the culture and the history all around me that I
had no way of anticipating, simply because we had no Internet.
Speaker 2 (46:03):
Now it's very.
Speaker 1 (46:04):
Sad in a way that we think that we know
what to expect when we visit places all over the world,
to where we eat, and even how to get a
photo that we've seen on Instagram. We've almost lost the
ability to go into a place unseen and let it
surprise and delight us. But you know, with our tours,
we really hope to ignite that spirit of adventure and
(46:25):
feeling of wonder. Olivia and I both feel very strongly
connected to Northern Italy for different reasons, and for both
of us the landscapes and culture pulled us in, but
in the end, it was the people that we met
along the way that cemented our passion for this part.
Speaker 2 (46:41):
Of Northern Italy.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
So if today's episode sparked your curiosity about exploring beyond
the usual tourist trail and discovering the food, wine, history
and stories that make Northern Italy so enchanting, why not
check out the show notes at Untold Italy dot com
forward slash two ninety four and there you're going to
find all the details about the tour, the places that
we mentioned, and ways that you can connect with us
(47:05):
to learn more or join us on this unforgettable adventure.
Before I go, you know, we absolutely love hearing your
feedback and reviews. It's what keeps Untold Italy growing and
it helps more Italy loving travelers just like you find us.
Speaker 2 (47:20):
If you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker 1 (47:21):
Please think about leaving us a rating or review in
your favorite podcast app, And if you'd like to go deeper,
our Untold Italy premium app has added free episodes plus
curated travel guides to inspire your next Italian adventure. Next week,
we're exploring more of our wonderful Untold Italy and I
can't wait to share it with you.
Speaker 2 (47:41):
But until then, it's chow for now.
Speaker 5 (47:45):
The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production podcast editing,
audio production and website development by Mark Hatter, Production assistance
and content writing by the Are they KD?
Speaker 4 (47:56):
Clark?
Speaker 5 (47:57):
Yes, there are two of us. For more information about
Untold Italy, please visit Untold Italy dot com
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