Welcome to Off the Beaten Strada! I m Pamela Haack and this blog is for those who love Italy, enjoy

At the risk of offending those who have taken bus tours in Italy  or those who are going to take them I ve decided to share a few of the reasons why we don t and why we rarely recommend them. By bus tours, I mean the large coaches that transport tourists from Italy s major cities and ports into the countryside for day trips .
In truth, I was compelled to write this post after talking england travel tour to a very nice American woman the other day in Montepulciano. She had joined up with the group that I was hosting for the afternoon (a friend of a friend sort of thing) and, while we enjoyed our leisurely lunch at a family run farm and restaurant, england travel tour she told me how she d spent the previous day on a bus tour seeing Tuscany .
The bus tour had started in Rome and after a more than 2-hour drive into Tuscany the 50+ people aboard were finally able to get out for a brisk walk and few minutes of quick shopping in Montalcino. That s all they had time for (in this spectacular medieval hill town) because they had to hurry to hear the monks chant in the Abbey of Sant Antimo, a few kilometers england travel tour away. No time to waste there either, as they had to zip off to lunch at a nearby winery where they were served (I m cringing as I write this) bruschetta with aioli sauce. (Note: Aioli is a French, mayonnaise-like sauce and is definitely NOT something Italians eat on bruschetta. Ever.) After lunch, the group was whisked off to the charming Renaissance town of Pienza to grab a quick gelato (I was told 10 minutes) before re-boarding the bus for the long ride back to Rome.
Instead of riding and rushing she was now strolling england travel tour and savoring. Instead of catching superficial glimpses of Italian life, she was taking part in it up close and in-depth. And instead of having contrived, canned encounters with locals, she was being welcomed and embraced (sincerely, I might add) like long a lost friend like family, really. Toss in the spectacular panoramas, private cantina tour and walk through the family s herb garden and you have a truly special day in Tuscany unforgettable, really.
Of course, day trip bus tours aren t all bad, and they certainly started out as an affordable, convenient way for tourists england travel tour to visit the spectacular hill towns and historic sites in Italy s breath-taking countryside. The problem (and glaring irony) is that too many bus tours today are superficial, offering participants barely a glimpse of rural Italy. And many, let s just admit, are not based in good intentions, but operate solely to make money for the company behind them. They have, in effect, sold out.
I ve discovered over the years that this is precisely why so many wonderful local guides, inn keepers, historians, writers, artists and, yes, even small tour operators like myself, are so deeply committed to preserving and honoring Italy s treasures, and why we are so passionate about sharing them with visitors in a sincere, in-depth england travel tour way. It s a form of reverence.
Pienza in 10 minutes? Never. Heck, I could spend 10 minutes just photographing one cobbled alleyway in that gorgeous Tuscan town (or a blue bicycle leaning on a stone wall), and I, along with a growing number of others, wouldn t have it any other way.
Pamela Haack is the founder of Off the Beaten Strada , where she creates and hosts small group tours that are a combination of the very best of Italy: the exciting and the peaceful, the popular and the secret, the talked about and the never-heard-of-before. From art experts and operettas to authentic cooking classes and ancient Etruscans, Pamela helps visitors experience the spectacularly england travel tour beautiful, endlessly interesting cities and countryside of Italy in an up-close and personal way .
Oh how this reminds me of my one and only bus tour in Rome! We were spending one night in Rome before taking a tour to Capri and decided to take a Rome by night tour. What a disappointment! We were not even allowed to stop and take photos from the top of the hill where the bus took us to see the view of the city. Then we were rushed down to Trevi fountain to cast in our requisite england travel tour penny. Never again! That s also why I have passed on your details to friends england travel tour planning to visit Italy. Fortunately, now that I live here, I can do my own day trips. england travel tour Regards, england travel tour Margaret
Welcome to Off the Beaten Strada! I m Pamela Haack and this blog is for those who love Italy, enjoy active vacations and appreciate exploring places where there are fewer tourists in sight. If you d like to know more, just click above on the word about . Hope to see you soon in Italy!