Flying over the Alps on Air Dolimiti from Munich to Trieste to start the tour season

Stayed at Collina delle Mignole not far from Martignacco where Valerie lived

TOUR 1: Italian Great Cities tour 28 April with Amalfi extension

(Venice, Florence, San Gimignano, Cortona, Assisi, Rome) GUESTS: Sy and Ninette, Howard and Carol, Gina and Alisa, Howard and Sandy, Martha and Richard, James and Charlotte, Richard and Kay

RIALTO FISH MARKET

This is the heart of Venice, where vendors sell fresh seafood as well as produce. It’s open every day of the week except Sunday. It’s the best way to see the city’s vibrant social life, especially on Saturday mornings when everyone comes to do their grocery shopping. Pick up some fruit to munch on and have a snack at the nearby bar, Al Merca’.

Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca' d'Oro

Ca 'd'Oro is an ancient patrician palace that dates back to the 15th century. Giovanni and Bartolomeo Bon built this building from 1442 requested by the procurator of St. Mark (San Marco) Marino Contarini. This beautiful building in Venice is a good example of the change from the Gothic to the Renaissance style. The marble traceries of the first and second floors and the parapets of the windows and the balconies clearly show elements of the late-Gothic period, while the colonnade facing the canal and the small square windows of the right wing allow to see the Renaissance forms. The cornice and cresting, with their graceful and delicate forms, follow the local Venetian taste that was later imitated. The palace is incomplete, it lacks the left wing and this produces some asymmetry of the facade. The building was purchased years later, in 1894, by Baron Giorgio Franchetti, who in 1916 donated it to the Italian state. The artistic collections of the palace were significantly increased after this donation.

Basilica di San Pietro di Castello

It served as the city's cathedral from 1451 until 1807, when Napoleon made the entirely reasonable decision that the Basilica di San Marco was a more worthy choice. St Peter's was founded in the 7th century; a rebuild nearly a thousand years later by one of Palladio's protégés resulted in the classical facade and large dome that stand today. The most intriguing piece inside the church is St Peter’s Throne, which according to legend was used by the Apostle in Antioch and once hid the Holy Grail. While the story has all the makings of a Dan Brown novel, there’s very little truth to it: the intricately carved stone back is in fact made from a scavenged Muslim tombstone that postdates the saint’s death by many centuries. Still, it seems a fitting tale for such a historic location, given that the island of San Pietro (originally known as Olivolo) was one of the first inhabited in Venice, and the original church here was the seat of a Byzantine bishopric as early as 775. The elegant campanile of white Istrian stone is older than the current church, having been designed by Codussi in the 15th century.

Castello neighborhood, another one of my favorite areas to walk around to get the true Venetian feel of the city and its people

Campo Sant'Angelo

Castello neighborhood, another one of my favorite areas to walk around to get the true Venetian feel of the city and its people. Venice started to pave public soil around 1500 and the precious map by Jacopo de Barbari dating back to 1500 confirms that. So the campo was initially a field of dirt and grass.

Rooftop dinner in Rome

Sorrento from our Hotel Minerva

Sorrento is a coastal town in southwestern Italy, facing the Bay of Naples on the Sorrentine Peninsula. Perched atop cliffs that separate the town from its busy marinas, it’s known for sweeping water views and Piazza Tasso, a cafe-lined square. The historic center is a warren of narrow alleys that's home to the Chiesa di San Francesco, a 14th-century church with a tranquil cloiste

Day on the Amalfi coast with Luigi

While exploring the villages of the Amalfi Coast, Voyagers are certain to notice that the lemons there are larger than they are used to. They are sure to come across the Sfusato lemon (about two to three times the size of a supermarket lemon) and will be further shocked when they are confronted with the giant-sized, Cedro Citron variety of lemons. They are beastly looking things, with a pebbly surface, strange shapes with a large nipple at one end, and are often as big as your head! Cedri are primarily found in Italy, from the Italian Riviera down to the Amalfi Coast, though they are occasionally spotted in France, Isreal and even exported to Britain. There are three different citron types: acidic, non-acidic and pulpless. Of the different cultivars, the acidic Diamante is more common in Italy. Cedro citrons are usually up to three to four times the length of common lemons and can measure between 10 and 15 inches in diameter. They can weight up to 3-4 pounds each. The pebbly surface ripens from green to a bright yellow--both colors can be harvested, the peak season being fall and winter. Most--about 70%--of the lemon is white pith from 2-5 inches thick with a soft texture and almost sweet lemony fragrance. In its center is a small amount of segmented pulp with a few pale seeds. This lemon is fairly dry and not used for its juice and the taste is milder than a common lemon. The pith can be eaten raw or cooked: in salads, atop bruschetta, in jams and preserves, in risotto or pickled. The rind of this citron is very aromatic and a bit sweet, and is used to produce "citron", or candied lemon (used in Italian celebration breads and cakes, like panettone). Some claim it can be a remedy for hangovers, coughs and indigestion. Since the Renaissance, the oils from the skin have also been used in perfumery and cosmetics due to their delicate and fragrant scent.

Private Tour of Pompeii

The city of Pompeii is famous because it was destroyed in 79 CE when a nearby volcano, Mount Vesuvius, erupted, covering it in at least 19 feet (6 metres) of ash and other volcanic debris. The city's quick burial preserved it for centuries before its ruins were discovered in the late 16th century