By: Andrea Grisdale, IC Bellagio
Visitors have flocked to Italy for millennia to savor its enviable way of life and unrivaled food and wine, to revel in its rich cultural past and its trend-setting present, to bask in its marvelous landscapes and its warm welcomes – and yet many travelers rarely dip below the shiny touristy surface. We’ve put together five top tips for travel professionals to guarantee their clients experience Italy at its most authentic.
- Rely on good guides
When you book guides that have been vetted by an Italy-focused DMC, it’s like switching your TV set from black and white to technicolor. The rubble and ruins at the Roman Forum and Pompeii come alive. Masterpieces from Michelangelo and da Vinci reveal deeper meanings. And you can indulge your clients’ personal whims: visit the home of Ferrari, Ducati and Lamborghini in the Motor Valley, shop quirky boutiques and vintage stores of Milan’s backstreets and take a gastronomic tour of ‘Bologna The Fat’.
- Go enogastronomic
If the way to your heart is through your stomach, then you’ll love Italy. Liaise with in-country experts to find creative ways to experience Italy’s wine and food, like a family-friendly pizza lesson in Naples, a cellar tour and lunch with the vintners in a 15th-century manor or a master class in Italian haute cuisine in a Michelin-starred kitchen. And active types will love the grape harvest in Tuscany, the truffle-hunt in the Piedmont or cheese-making with a Sardinian shepherd.
- Choose your seasons wisely
If your clients want to hit the hottest tourist spots, the off season is your best bet. Have the Tuscan beaches all to yourself at swank Forte dei Marmi in late September. Ski at chic ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo without the lift lines in the pre-Christmas season. Bundle up for an ‘o sole mio’ gondola ride in post-carnival Venice. With the help of on-site specialists, you’ll know how to navigate the low-season, avoiding ‘ghost towns’ and taking advantage of availability at hard-to-get properties.
- Go off the beaten track
When the high season is your only option, rely on the expertise of local travel advisors to give your clients authentic experiences away from the hustle and bustle. The Dolomites offer outdoor pursuits and stunning scenery during the summer, Puglia has all the historical and culinary charms of Tuscany with fewer tour buses, and travelers can avoid the crowds in Venice, Florence and Rome to explore lesser-known gems like Parma, Bergamo and Noto.
- Live as a local
Nothing can quite compare to enjoying the hospitality and insider insight of a local host. Well-connected DMCs can reach into their little black books to give your clients a rare glimpse behind the scenes of authentic Italy. Enjoy wine and cicchetti with a Venetian family in their Grand Canal palazzo, visit the marble quarries of Carrara with a sculptor or sit down to a dinner of pizza straight from the wood-burning stove with a Lake Como family.
Founded in 2000 by British-born industry veteran Andrea Grisdale, IC Bellagio has a passion for Italian travel that goes beyond destination management — Andrea and her team are renowned for crafting custom itineraries for luxury travelers that deliver Italy at its most authentic. From rubbing shoulders with Italy’s most iconic brands to going behind the scenes with traditional artisans, and from exceptional guides who bring their destinations alive to special relationships with Italy’s best hoteliers, IC Bellagio prides itself on its outstanding connections across the country. The company is also committed to serving the local and wider community through the IC Bellagio Academy and advocacy programs like the local revitalization initiative ProLezzeno – never forgetting that at IC Bellagio “It’s All About the People.”
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