Adventures by Disney: Viva Italia! About This Page:

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by Dotti Saroufim, Guest Contributor and member of the MouseEarVacations.com team

[Note: Adventures by Disney is Disney's new guided vacation travel organization, currently offering a dozen different tours in North and Central America, and Europe. To learn more, visit http://www.adventuresbydisney.com or contact your Disney Specialist travel agent. - Ed.]

Day One: Benvenuto!
Could I possibly be more excited? My last overseas trip was to Lebanon in 1993, and this trip promised to be much more fun with a lot less bombing. Even after over seven hours of sitting with my knees pushed up to my chin (I’m taller than most), I left the comfort (ha!) of Alitalia with an abundance of caffeine-induced enthusiasm and energy.

continued in next post...

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Flying in from Logan Airport in Boston made Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport seems sane and organized. The signs were plentiful and clear, and we made our way to the baggage claim without any confusion. There we were met by an Adventures by Disney representative, carrying what would soon become a very familiar sign. After claiming our bags, we were led out to the customs area, where we met our first Adventure Guide, Tina Hyatt.

Tina’s job on this day was to run around the airport looking for arrivals, tag their bags, hand out information sheets, and get them and their luggage settled into some kind of transportation and on their way to the hotel. No easy task with guests arriving at all different times, and to multiple baggage claim areas. As effortless and stress-free as she made it appear, it was just the beginning of nine days of careful planning and meticulous attention to detail that made this trip so seamless for those of us traveling.

There were eight of us on the Boston to Rome flight, Tony and I, and a wonderful family of six who we came to know and love. Rather than have us wait for them to clear customs, a private car was ordered up for us and we had our first “thrill ride” in Italy -- Mr. Giuseppe’s Wild Ride to the Westin Excelsior. “Hey, is that the Coliseum?” Whoosh! “Wow, was that the Vatican?” Whoosh! “Wait, isn’t that…?” Whoosh! In Rome, you pretty much have to do as the Romans do, and we settled back and relaxed -- all Romans drive like this!

We soon (very soon -- whoosh!) arrived at the Westin, our luggage was taken at the door, and we entered the ornately decorated front door to find ourselves in a magnificent chandeliered lobby -- what a lovely hotel! I don’t honestly know how or where we found Cinzia Orlando, our other Adventures by Disney guide, but like magic she was by our side. After excusing herself to take care of the guests who arrived shortly before us, she came over to where we had found a comfortable place to sit and wait, and told us that our room was actually ready at this early hour. It must be Disney magic! She gave us a little tour of the hotel, including a glimpse at the wonderful spa and indoor pool, and showed us where we’d be meeting for the evening events. Our “Daily Viva” noted an “Adventure Welcome” at 5:30 p.m. and a dinner at 6:30 p.m.

Our “Adventure Welcome” was the first time we’d officially meet all of our traveling companions -- 36 of us in all! “Getting to Know You” games were played, champagne flowed freely, and delicious appetizers were served. By the time we entered the private dining area for our meal, we were all fast friends. One tie that bound many of us was our love for Disney, so there was no lack of topics for conversation!

Day Two: All Roads Lead to Rome

Our day began with an amazing array of food at the breakfast buffet in the hotel’s restaurant -- and with the best coffee I may ever have tasted! I’d go back to Rome just for that. We then met up with our Adventure Guides, and also with our local guide, Fabrizio, for our walking tour of Rome. Fabrizio would be a familiar sight (and voice) for the next few days, and we became very accustomed to his, “Andiamo, my friend, andiamo,” (“Let’s go!”) as we moved from place to place. We were all given individual headsets and lanyards, so that we could hear Fabrizio from a distance -- so much better than the olden days of guides shouting to large groups of tourists, and those like me, who lagged behind to take photos, missing most of what was said. We were also handed cold water bottles and snacks to pack up and take with us -- a thoughtful touch!

Our walking tour began in the Villa Borghese gardens, a short stroll from our hotel. The villa was built in 1616 by a nephew of Scipio Borghese (Pope Paul V) and in 1901 the gardens became a state-owned public park. The views of these gardens, and from the gardens, were magnificent! From there, our tour took us to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain (where we all tossed coins to guarantee that we’d one day return), the Pantheon, and the nearby Piazza Navona with its beautiful statues and fountains. By now the sky had cleared considerably and was dotted with white puffy clouds -- a perfect day for walking!

After lunch, we were off to the Coliseum by motor coach. This was our first meeting with Reno, our wonderful driver, who would be with us all the way until our departure for Venice later in the week. Along with being an expert driver (those roads in Tuscany are tough!); he was a kind and patient soul, as we were a loud bunch once we got to know each other. The Coliseum was as remarkable as I expected, but even more startling to me (even though I’ve seen the photos for all of my life) is how it sits there in the middle of this bustling modern city, a huge reminder of the past and how far we’ve come, but how little we’ve progressed. (Ignore me. I was sleep-deprived.)

Back at the hotel, we showered and rested and met up soon to depart for our Roman Feast. Being somewhat jet-lagged at this point, I honestly don’t remember the name of the restaurant nor where it was located, but the food and the company was truly memorable. During our many-coursed meal, we were entertained by dancers and gladiators, depicting what life would have been like at a Roman feast of old. Tony got to participate in a sword fight (helping to make room for the next course) and we were all made honorary Roman citizens. It was a fun evening!

Back at the hotel, I was asleep in minutes, but I hear that a few of our traveling companions (and you know who you are!) went out in search of some tasty Limoncello -- an Italian liquor made from lemon rinds, sugar, and … lots of alcohol. Judging by the pained looked on their faces the next morning, they found some. “Limoncello!” became somewhat of a battle cry for the whole group as the trip progressed -- somehow these “Adventures” take on a whole new meaning without children along!

Day Three: Let’s Be Civilized

This was our day to visit the Vatican, and leaving any later would almost insure that we wouldn’t get in -- or we’d at least have to wait for many hours to do so.

After a long but enjoyable (hey, I had 35 people to talk to!) wait in line, we were allowed in. It was also a time for another one of Adventures by Disney’s little thoughtful surprises, something that kept us occupied while we waited. One of the wonderful things about being on this type of tour is that the tickets are all purchased by one of the guides while you wait; when it’s time to enter, you just go through the turnstiles. This was our third day in Rome and I hadn’t yet reached into my wallet for anything -- even the coins for the Trevi Fountain were supplied by our guides!

Once inside the Vatican, even I was so overwhelmed it kept me quiet. There are truly no words to describe it -- the Gallery of Maps, the Gallery of Tapestries, the Etruscan Museum -- ultimately leading into the Sistine Chapel where just the ceiling would take a month of study and admiration. It is so jaw-dropping, overwhelmingly beautiful. And to leave the Sistine Chapel thinking that nothing could awe me in quite that way again, and then to walk into St. Peter’s Basilica where each and every section and alter and piece of marble was a work of art -- a better writer might be able to describe the emotions that this place evoked, but I’m surely not that writer. For those who know me, just saying I was speechless should be enough.

We had a little time afterwards to explore the Basilica and the Square on our own, and to do a little shopping. We were then brought by motor coach to a lovely little restaurant near the Coliseum called Le Lanterne, where we had pre-ordered our lunches the day before. We started with a generous antipasto buffet, followed by a choice of vegetarian pasta, grilled chicken breast or Veal Saltimbocca (my choice!). Dessert was fruit salad and ice cream - yum! We then had the choice of exploring the area and wandering back to the hotel on foot, or going back via motor coach, and as stuffed as we were (and tired!), we chose the latter.

Dinner tonight was on our own, and our Adventure Guides were in the lobby for any questions or recommendations. Tony had a name of a local place, only a few blocks away, that was recommended by a friend. We were to go to the Taverna Flavia and ask for “Rocco.” After meeting up with some of our traveling companions, six of us headed there for dinner and had a wonderful meal -- albeit by questionable means. When Tony asked for Rocco (who was there, by the way), the owner came out to welcome us “back.” He brought us champagne to start the meal, an enormous selection of antipasto, only charged us for some of the wine we consumed, and also brought complimentary Limoncello after our meal! From then on, we decided that “Rocco” was a code word, and that we were likely mistaken for visiting Mafia!

Day Four: Etruscan Roots

This morning, we had to leave our luggage outside the door by 7:30 a.m. for our trip to Orvieto and Tuscany. At least the motor coach wouldn’t be leaving until 8:45 a.m. -- a much more civilized time! After one last wonderful breakfast and at least a pot of heavenly coffee at the Excelsior, we boarded the bus and within minutes were outside of the city and enjoying the scenery of rural Italy. Tony ended up loving Tuscany the most, as it reminded him of his country, Lebanon, with its rolling hills, farmlands, mountains, and vineyards. It was a lovely and peaceful drive, when two buses weren’t fighting for right of way on high winding roads.

Our first stop on the way to Tuscany (after a quick “pit stop” for the bathroom -- see “pot of coffee” above -- and “necessity shopping”) was to its neighboring region, Umbria, and the lovely village of Orvieto. Orvieto is perched on a 984-foot plateau, overlooks smaller towns and vineyards, and is reached by a “funicular,” a cable-car system once run by water. Tourists are drawn to this village for the Duomo, one of Italy’s greatest cathedrals, which began construction in 1290 and took over 300 years to build. With its winding cobblestone streets, beautiful views, and interesting history, this is a special village to visit.

After exploring the little side streets with its shops and restaurants, we had a lovely lunch with two of our new friends in a little out-of-the-way café that Tony found by asking one of the locals where she liked to eat. I had ravioli with a black truffle sauce that was just heavenly. Did I mention that the food was good in Italy?

When we arrived at our hotel, it was a bit misty and foggy, and the outlines of the buildings and the streetlights appeared almost mystical. Once a working hamlet, we soon discovered that each of the rooms at the Borgo de Fontebussi was uniquely different -- from simple rooms with small baths to multi-level townhouses with kitchens and sitting areas. After unpacking, Tony (since dubbed “the Mayor” by most of our group) took me on a tour, showing me where each of our group was staying. “Rick and Jan are across from us, Marc and Robbin are in that building over there, Maura and Erin are in this one to the left…” Our room was in the “main villa” where there were also a few sitting rooms if guests chose to congregate outside of their rooms.

On the motor coach earlier in the day, we had chosen our dining time and our dining companions, and eight of us were scheduled to eat in the hotel’s restaurant at 7:45 p.m. Again, we were given our choices in advance and this time I went for the fried Pecorino (incredibly tasty fried cheese) for a starter, the pasta with wild boar sauce for my first course, and the pork loin with a side of potatoes for my second course. Dessert was a choice of ricotta cake, chocolate mousse or Panna Cotta. Ahhhhh.

(Dotti and Tony’s adventures in Italy continue in the next issue of PassPorter News!)

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Day Five: Tuscan Holiday

Our Daily Viva for today says that breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., that we'd be leaving for our pasta making class and lunch at Castello Vicchiomaggio at 8:45 a.m., and our word of the day is “pasta.” I'm Italian -- that's my word of the day every day. That may be why I look like I do...

Castello Vicchiomaggio is located not far from Florence, and has been producing wine for centuries. It's situated on top of a hill overlooking the Greve Valley, affording beautiful views of the surrounding countryside. The castle itself houses wine cellars, which extend under the castle, and also guest rooms, dining areas and meeting rooms. Our pasta making class was set up in one of the private dining rooms, and our teacher, a feisty little woman of Italian and Scottish descent with lots of energy and a wonderful sense of humor, easily got us all in the pasta-making mood. In our aprons and hairnets, covered in flour and eggs, we truly were a sight to behold. I do have to admit, however, that we were much more interested in lunch once we found out that we really didn't have to eat what we created in the class!

Lunch consisted of three types of pasta and a salad, followed by very tasty biscotti and a wonderful dessert wine. We were then treated to a guided tour of the wine cellars and were free to explore the grounds for a bit before boarding the bus for our trip to Siena.

Upon arrival in Siena, we were met by our local guide, Nicoletta, who was prompted to tell us about the rivalry between Siena and Florence, and why we should never mention the name Florence in her presence. Nicoletta was a very informative, humorous, and passionate guide, and to have someone lead this tour that actually lives, works in, and loves her hometown, made it immensely enjoyable.

In Siena, we toured the Piazza del Campo, where the famous Palio, a bareback horse race first recorded in 1283, is held twice each summer. Jockeys from each of Siena's contrade (neighborhoods) compete for this highest honor, with festivals that last for weeks afterwards. A visit to one of the contrade museums, and a video of the actual race, made this event much more imaginable. Our visit to Siena also included a wine tasting at the Grand Hotel Continental, which included a nice assortment of appetizers -- likely provided so that we could navigate back to the bus later in the day. Dinner was on our own that night, and Tony and I opted for a pizza at one of the cafes lining the piazza. Heading back on the motor coach, we watched "Roman Holiday,” an old favorite of mine with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, and were able to relive some of our own Roman holiday!

Day Six: Romance and Renaissance

Another early start, today to board the motor coach to Florence. On the way, we made a surprise stop at what Walt Disney World would call a "Kodak Picture Spot," but what Adventures by Disney has given over to Hewlett Packard, based on the "HP Photo Tips" on the back of the Daily Viva. The view from this area of Ponte Vecchio, the Arno, and Florence in the distance was just magnificent!

We arrived in Florence and made the long (but scenic!) trek from the motor coach parking area to the actual city. Elena was our local guide, and again with headphones and lanyards attached, we covered a lot of space in a little bit of time. One highlight was the Piazza della Signoria, where Michelangelo's David stood until 1873, and where a copy now resides. Another highlight, of course, was seeing the real thing in the Galleria dell' Accademia! The Duomo, Europe's fourth largest church and one of Florence's oldest buildings (and the tallest), was even more magnificent than how I imagined it to be.

After a nice lunch of pizza and lasagna with two of our, by now, quite good friends, we explored the city's shopping areas -- the leather is quite beautiful, and the silk scarves are stunning -- but my most exciting find was the Disney Store, where I bought a Firenze sweatshirt and T-shirt! And with this group of travelers, you know that this purchase was a big hit on the way back! At the straw market, we kept running into others from our group at every turn ("Hey! I know you!") and many of us brought multiple shopping bags back with us.

We boarded the motor coach for our last night at the Borgo, and watched the remainder of "Roman Holiday" on the way back. Our dinner on this final night was a "Tuscan BBQ" and we all agreed to bring our collective bottles of wine and Limoncello to share -- and share we did! It's probably a good thing that we took up most of the rooms at this beautiful hotel because sitting on the outside patio of the restaurant, we weren't the quietest of guests...


(Read the final installment of Dotti and Tony's adventures in Italy in the next issue of PassPorter News!)

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Day Seven: Venetian Fantasy

Ouch. My turn for the pained expression in the morning, but I deserved it. Poor Tony -- I made him talk very, very quietly. Our luggage was to be outside our door at 7:30 a.m. to be picked up and transported to Venice, and our motor coach pickup was at 8 a.m. for the ride back to Florence and the train station. I don’t know what I expected, but I was surprised to see our luggage being loaded onto a truck. This, of course, meant stress-free traveling for us - for our first-class Eurostar train ride to Venice, we only had to worry about our backpacks and our bagged lunches, thoughtfully prepared by the hotel chef. Our luggage would be waiting at our hotel when we arrived!

I have taken many, many train trips from Boston to New York City. I don’t know how trains in the rest of our country compare, but I have to say that the Eurostar ROCKS! Smooth, quiet and fast, this three-hour train ride passed by in no time at all. Our first class seating was luxurious - very large, comfortable seats with loads of legroom and with push button controls to recline. I felt like I was in a spa rather than a vehicle speeding through the countryside at 200 mph. We were fortunate enough to be seated with Beth and her husband, Mike, the “other” troublemaker of the group. I say that with great affection, since his partner-in-crime was my husband. We spent some of the trip reminiscing on the Italian words we learned while growing up. Funny how many of those words were the same - and most we wouldn’t dare say in front of Cinzia!

The train arrived at the Santa Lucia station on the Grand Canal and it was just a short walk to where we would embark on our gondola tour of Venice. We paused for a group photo, waited a few minutes for Tina and Cinzia to work their magic, and soon we boarded our gondolas in groups of six.

I don’t know how best to describe Venice without sounding trite. It was like a dream. A fairytale land set on water. There are no cars, no motorbikes, no trucks, and no “street noise” other than the sound of people walking and talking. The only motors you hear are those of the waterbuses ferrying people between stops, or the barges delivering goods. To see this incredible city, hundreds of canals and tiny islands amid the tidal waters of the Adriatic Sea, was more moving to me than any cathedral or work of art -- this whole city is a work of the art of man. I could live in Venice. If someone gave me a ticket to anywhere on this planet at this moment, it would be to the Marco Polo airport.

Our gondola tour ended at Piazza Sant’Angelo, where our walking tour began. There we met Laura (pronounced L-ow-ra), who expertly guided us through the streets, over bridges, and up and down stairs to ultimately turn a corner into Piazza San Marco for our first view of the breathtaking beauty of Basilica di San Marco and Palazzo Ducale. And at least one million pigeons, maybe more. There were so many pigeons; they virtually carpeted the entire piazza. If you walked too fast, you’d step on them as they rarely moved too quickly. (Don’t ask me how I know.)

Those of us who opted to were led into the Basilica for a tour with Laura, while others were free to head to the hotel, only a three minute walk away. Once adequately bedazzled by the amazing mosaics (and this structure deserves a long visit, as there is just too much to be taken in!), we made our way to the Bauer Venezia to pick up our keys and to sadly unpack for the final time in Italy.

The entryway to the Bauer is situated in a little square with a beautiful small church (relatively speaking) off to its side called Chiesa de San Moisè, and many designer shops across from its door. One can shop and then pray for a way to pay, or as our friends Mike and Dennis did, just pray that their wives found the shops only after they closed. The hotel itself is situated right on the Grand Canal and has its own water taxi stop. The views from the restaurant at breakfast were nothing less than stunning. Our room was in a second, older building next door, and was comprised of two separate areas, one with our bed and huge marble bath, and the other a sitting area with sofa, desk, table and two chairs. It also had a tiny kitchen area with sink, mini-fridge and microwave - quite nice and so much larger than we expected! One of the families on our tour had the room down the hall, which actually had an ornate winding metal staircase leading up to a loft.

I was on a mission to find the Venice Disney Store, and I’m happy to report that I now own a Venezia Mickey T-shirt. Searching for the store was a fun way to see other parts of the city, including the Rialto Bridge and the surrounding areas.

Since we didn’t know where the name “Rocco” would find us a good meal, we wandered the streets, peering into windows to see if we could find Italians enjoying their food. We lucked upon a wonderful restaurant where we filled up on salad, pizza, pasta, and wine for a total of 15 Euro each - the bargain of the trip! We strolled along afterwards, finally making our way into Piazza San Marco (with not one pigeon to be seen in the evening!) to listen to the music at the outdoor cafes, and then back out again in search of gelato and coffee. We sipped our coffees and ate our dessert while listening to a street performer singing an aria – an experience unlike any other.

Day Eight: Carnevale!

We awoke to a gorgeous warm and sunny day, and the breakfast buffet, and wonderful coffee, were enjoyed and appreciated. We weren’t scheduled to depart that morning for our next adventure until 9 a.m. - a late morning! Good thing I was still half on Boston time or I never would have survived these wake-up calls. We met in the hotel lobby for our trip to Tragicomica, the mask store and workshop, where we would be making our own Carnevale masks.

I have to say that this morning was one of the highlights of the entire trip. Visiting the store alone would have been fascinating, but to be brought into the workshop and supervised by a master mask maker and her assistants in the creation of our own masks was great fun! We were asked to choose from a number of pre-made mask styles - the initial Plaster of Paris process had already been performed for us. Masks chosen, we were asked to think of an original design for our masks and sketch it out, if possible, on the paper supplied. From there, we were to choose colors, both for the base and for decoration, and also the glitter, jewels, or other embellishments that we might want added.

Our teacher and her assistants were always close by to give advice, supply the paints, blow-dry our creations, and give a hand in any way needed. What we all came up with was indeed both creative and clever, and this was quite the “souvenir” to take back home! Since our next stop was a water taxi for our trip to the island of Murano, the masks were packaged up and sent back to our hotel, and were in our rooms when we returned later that evening.

Our busy day continued with a tour of the Marco Polo Glass Factory on the beautiful island of Murano. We watched glass being blown and then were able to see the many elaborate creations made in the factory. We then had lunch at an outdoor trattoria, the Busa alla Torre, where we met the owner - a large, jovial man who visits the states often and gives much of his time and energy to raise scholarship money for orphans of fireman who perished in the 9/11 tragedy. He was deservedly given a rousing round of applause, both for his generosity and for his very good food!

We headed back to our hotel with a few free hours before our farewell dinner, and we decided to take one last walk around the city. We weren’t looking for anything special but managed to buy some Limoncello to take home, and some delicious biscotti and chocolate to eat on our voyage back.

At 6:15 p.m., we met in the hotel lobby for the walk to dinner, this one held on a 16-galleon pirate ship! We were met by pirates as we boarded the ship, while music from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie soundtrack played in the background. Well, what did I expect? Drinks were passed around (champagne, wine, Bellini), hors d’oeuvres were served, and everyone got into the party mood - for this bunch, it didn’t take long at all. Dinner was as delicious as expected, more wine was consumed, and even more surprises were unveiled. It was a bittersweet evening - everyone saying their goodbyes as we sailed up and down the Grand Canal, the sun setting in the distance. All said they could not imagine a more perfect ending to a perfect trip.

Day Nine: Arrivederci
Based on our flight times, each of us had a different meeting time to take the water taxi to the airport. (A few wiser travelers added on a day or two in Venice or Rome!) In true Disney fashion, one of our guides (Tina) was putting us and our luggage into the taxi at the hotel, while the other (Cinzia) was waiting for us at the airport to send us in the right direction. From start to finish, there was not one stressful moment for us on this trip -- they truly thought of every little thing.

We had our final breakfast on the patio overlooking Santa Maria della Salute, and sadly bid farewell to our new friends enjoying breakfast on the patio. Four of us had the same flight time, so we boarded our water taxi together. As we pulled away from the dock and began our trip to the airport, we looked back at the patio - and one by one, we saw them all stand up - Beth and Mike, Marilyn and Dennis, Robbin and Marc, Kathy and Amy and Len, and more - and there they stayed, standing and waving, until we were only small specks in the distance.

Until we meet again….

Final Thoughts:

Our Adventure Guides: I cannot say enough about Tina and Cinzia, and how they looked after us for nine wonderful days. They were not only highly efficient and capable, but were truly caring, patient and compassionate people. And they were fun! That the 36 of us became such a “famiglia” during this trip was due in large part to the personalities of our guides.

Our Group: We ranged in age from mid-30’s to one incredibly energetic woman of 85! (Katie, our collective hats were all off to you -- you are one amazing “young woman!”) We had doctors, lawyers, teachers, business analysts, nurses, real-estate agents, CIO’s, CEO’s, stay-at-home parents, a chaplain, and a travel agent who writes trip reports that are way too long, among others. The majority were big enough fans of Disney that they didn’t laugh when I found a Hidden Mickey in the Pantheon. Over 30 of our group have exchanged email addresses and are sharing stories and photos. As I said at our farewell dinner, there isn’t one person in this group who I wouldn’t eagerly share another trip with.

Would I recommend this tour to others? Well, yeah… y’think? In all seriousness, when Tony and I first signed on, we were a little wary of the price. When we finished, we said that we got our money’s worth and so much more. I’m more than ready for my next Adventure by Disney!