This looks like great fun to me! Traveling to Italy and tasting olive oil...
Ah, this would be my dream trip!
The Passionate Olive Announces Return of
Be Italian for a Week Adventure Tour
This marks the sixth Be Italian for a Week Adventure Tour, as guests travel to the beautiful countryside of Italy to experience olive oil, wine, cooking, artwork, history, festivals, and fun.
LOS GATOS, Calif. - March 3, 2016 -- The Passionate Olive is officially announcing the return of the sixth Be Italian for a Week Adventure Tour in Italy. Guest openings are available to join the seven-day tour of Italy hosted by Olive Oil Sommelier Carol Firenze.
“There is so much to do in Italy and we’ve created such a dynamic itinerary,” Firenze said. “Guests fly to Rome or Florence beginning their Italian adventure tour at the beautiful Villa Gioianna in Umbria, where they will stay for seven nights. Most meals are included, featuring six dinners and Italian cooking lessons offered by the Villa’s chef. The robust taste of fresh olive oil highlights a range of Italian dishes including entrées and desserts.”
As part of the tour, guests learn about the many health benefits of olive oil and how to Taste Like an Expert. “Olive oil is the gold standard of all oils, and the cornerstone of the healthy Mediterranean Diet is extra virgin olive oil,” Firenze explained. “By the end of the tour, guests are immersed in the unwritten rules of Italian life. They quickly learn that olive oil is used to enhance flavors and in Italy, we don’t dip the bread in olive oil, we drizzle it on.”
Guests are invited to help prepare meals and they learn how to make pasta from scratch. Nearly every recipe uses olive oil. In fact, olive oil is a favorite ingredient of the locals in Umbria and Tuscany, as the tour features the entire process of making olive oil from the tree to the table.
“Guests on the tour handpick olives, witness the olive pressing process, taste fresh olive oil, and attend an annual Italian Olive Harvest Festival. There is no other tour like this, as it is tailored to experience the best of Italy with olive oil tastings, private wine tastings, an exclusive eco-winery tour, and visits to a White Truffle Festival or the EuroChocolate Festival,” Firenze said. “Tour groups also travel to Assisi, Deruta, Montepulciano, Cortona, Panicale, and Castiglione del Lago. The Be Italian for a Week Adventure Tour offers a very hearty itinerary.”
During the tour, guests enjoy visiting historical locations and ancient cities, while there’s also the opportunity to talk to the older residents who lived through challenging times in history.
“We’ve met all kinds of people and characters during the tour. We once met a woman in Assisi who survived World War II as one of 300 Jewish refugees. She disguised herself as a nun and was hidden in basements and protected by local residents,” Firenze shared. “Everyone has a story in Italy.”
Tours include individuals from the United States and Europe creating an opportunity to learn about other cultures. “Meeting people from around the world is a gift. It would be fun if 10 to 15 members of a group or family joined us for the next tour. The previous tours sold-out and it’s always fun if everyone knows each other. If you don’t know anyone, everyone bonds because it’s a tour filled with delicious food, delightful activities, fun travel, a romantic environment, and extraordinary experiences.”
2016 Tour Dates Available:
Tour 1: October 24 – October 31
Tour 2: November 1 – November 8
Tour 3: November 9 – November 16
Carol Firenze:
Carol Firenze, founder of The Passionate Olive and an olive oil expert, has served in leadership roles in the olive oil industry. She earned her Olive Oil Sommelier Certificate from IRVEA in Tuscany and Olive Oil Consultant Certificate from the Italian Culinary Institute in New York. She also holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco.
About The Passionate Olive:
Carol Firenze is the author of The Passionate Olive: 101 Things to do with Olive Oil, which is now in its 10th printing with Ballantine Books, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House.
Related Link:
Olive Harvest Adventure Tour Video
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