The Blissful Adventurer returns to Italy on May 7, 2012 for a 24 day run of blissful, wine-soaked, photo-laden, pursuits of new experiences to share with all of you.
Our trip this year is partly vacation and also important research for upcoming writing and photo projects.
While on our journey I will be enlisting the services of some very fine guest bloggers on TBA as well as posting updates from abroad. Before we leave our new website will be fully functional (I hope) and I am even more hopeful that our first book will be released. Blissful Adventures - The First 5 Years in Pictures
For today I am listing our itinerary which is as much a labor of love as it is a bit grueling. I would not recommend such an undertaking to an unseasoned Italian traveler.
May 7 - Depart Denver for Venice (this will be Juliet's first trip to Venice)
May 8 - arrive Venice and explore all day with a Venice expert. Dinner likely at Al Covo (a place I have longed to try)
May 9 - Venice relaxing and exploration with a long Ventian lunch before boarding a train for Le Marche and the town of Ascoli Piceno
May 10 - Intense day of exploration in Le Marche with a foremost expert on the region, Mariano Pallottini. We will be exploring vineyards, the sea, olives, and especially the food of the region.
May 11- A busy photography morning in Le Marche and a long regional lunch followed by a little more time near the sea before heading to one of our many places we call home: Puglia
May 12-15 We will be in our beloved Puglia with our newest cameras seeking new dining experiences along the way. We have some American friends who will be there at the time and of course our very dear friends Antonello and Laura who own and operate my former company Southern Visions Travel.
May 15-17 ROME! Home to Rome to see our dear friends Katie Parla and Peter Blute. We are hoping to explore the vineyards at The University of Dallas campus at Due Santi for a little photo work and article I would like to write on the lovely wines being produced there. We will finally make it to Hostaria Glass after all these times missing it.
May 17 - We travel north to Verona to spend time with our dear friend Nicolas Emery and to finally meet his lovely ragazza Giulia Laveto. On our way will stop near Parma to dine at the world-class Antica Corte Pallavicina
May 18-19 - Running around the Veneto with our venerable foursome. We are hoping to meet some of the more exotic winemakers doing things naturally and perhaps a little off the beaten track (or a lot)
May 19-22 Friuli Venezia Giulia - Finally after so many years I will make it to Friuli to explore the region's amazing wines (I believe Friuli is at forefront of white wine making in Europe) and to research a bit about the coffee trade in the region. The four of us will celebrate Juliet's birthday with an amazing lunch in Trieste on the 22nd
May 22nd-31st Sicily here we come! At long last I return to Sicily, a place I swore my allegiance in 2006. This time we will be running around with our favorite Sicilian winemaker - Marilena Barbera who will show us how to live life like a local. At the end of the trip we will hike and explore the amazing vineyards on Mt Etna for a photo and wine experience like none I have ever experienced. Our Etna journey will be hosted by the amazing Thomas Schuster of Quincunx. In Sicily we plan to explore Trapani, Erice, Marsala, Segesta, Palermo, Menfi, Ragusa, Taormina, and vineyards strewn about the largest island in the Mediterranean,
May 31 - We fly from Catania to Milan to DC to Denver (ugh!)
Any suggestions about food, people, or places we should see along this amazing journey please let us know. This is a very brief synopsis and there will be more details down the road.
Cheers!