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The Cositutti Group
Cositutti - CosituttiMarketPlace - ItalyTasteandTravel
A Travel and Lifestyle Resource for Northern Italy, Tuscany and Umbria |
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Job Description - Traveler
> Apply Now
> Travelers vs.Tourists
> Travel Like an Italian
> Seeing and Savoring Italy Small Group Tours |
Apply Now
With the vacation season in full swing I wanted to spend some time talking about travel, in particular European travel, subset Italy. Of the 308 million-plus citizens in the United States, only 30% have passports versus 41% of Canadians and 71% of Brits. Europeans travel much more than Americans. It seems the art, architecture, food and wine of their neighbors is too good to pass up and despite the economy, 60% of Britons have been to the US.
I'll admit it took me a while to travel beyond the beltway. We all have our reasons to postpone travel; work, family, time, money and an emotional commitment to travel outside the box. In a recent Mind Over Money post, a study by Cornell University cited how we should spend our money to gain the greatest satisfaction and happiness . "If you're conflicted about whether to spend money on a material good (say, a computer) or personal experience (say, a vacation), the research says you'll get much more satisfaction,and for longer,if you choose the experience".
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The Experience Endures
Over 92% of travelers named Europe as their continent of choice for their next trip and a significant portion want to go to Italy. The iconic Tuscan landscape of art and movies, the personalities and programs of the Travel Channel, Italian top chefs and foodies all make our mouths water for"la bella vita". It seems that for many passport adverse Americans the American dream still includes a trip to Italy while those of us who have been there, sit around the table of travel like hungry little versions of Oliver Twist pounding, fork in fist, demanding "Please, sir I want more".
My first experience of Italy was by way of a road trip with my Italian cousins through Tuscany. It was the fall of 1999. Now after more than 10+ years and 10,000+ miles traveling, eating, cooking and shopping with my Italian family and friends I've come to regard Italy as a far away friend that I look forward to visiting year after year. Travelers have indelible memories, in the stories they tell and in the way it changes there lives.
It may be time to re-think your travel goals and invest in an experience. Italy is Europe's everyman with something for everyone. There shouldn't be any reason to come back from a trip to Italy boasting about the most wonderful food you ate, wine you drank and what you saw.
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Travelers vs.Tourists
"a tourist arrives confused and leaves confused"
The age of the tourist is over. Anthony Bourdain's now infamous challenge to
"be a traveler not a tourist" resonates with a new generation of travelers who want to remove the word "vacant" from vacation. Time and money well spent on a trip requires it to be more than a "show and tell" tour. Travelers look for the backstory,walking into a postcard rather than buying a postcard, taking time to see and savor the country and its people. A tourist often looks at the scene, a traveler wants to be in the scene. Travel need not be far and wide, nor expensive, nor complicated but it should be imaginative. Don't settle for the trip du jour or boxed set. That's not to say you shouldn't see the Coliseum in Rome or the Milan Duomo. It just means that travelers move slightly outside the box up on the roof of the Duomo or eating at a ristorante like "Da Pancrazio" built over the ruins of the Theatre of Pompey where Julius Caesar was murdered on the Ides of March 44 B.C.
Regrets of inaction, not taking advantage of the travel experience that was there for the taking is a decision.There will always be a new upgrade, a new model, a new version, a new perceived need to replace. There may not always be an opportunity to take a trip. It has been said that "Material things grow familiar, become obsolete or break. Memories have very long warranties". |
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Travel Like an Italian
The Italian mode of travel may be a new paradigm for some of us but the concept of soggionare, an extended stay or holiday is part of their DNA. So much so that even today many Italians traditionally take off the month of August (Ferragosto) and many shops and offices are closed. You may not be able to travel like an Italian time-wise but you can travel like an Italian in every other way.
At Italy Taste and Travel we believe there is a different way of traveling in Italy. A way that is more than just a "show and tell" tour. Our lifestyle itineraries connect you to the Italy of our Italian family and friends in a very personal way.You will experience the sights, sounds, tastes and colors of the Italian landscape with regional wines and local food you've prepared at selected cooking schools in Emilia Romagna with wine and olive oil tastings at a Medici villa in Tuscany and much more. We travel with like-minded people who are interested in Seeing and Savoring the food, wine, art, design and adventure of our Italian family and friends on a typical Italian road trip. Experiences are authentic and off the tourist radar. Both Italian and English are spoken in our travels.
Our tours are featured on the Travel Dudes.org web site. You can learn more about us with pictures and postings and visit our Seeing and Savoring Italy Small Group Tour Facebook Page to become a fan for special offers and current information about our Fall trip to Milano, the Bolgnese Hills and Tuscany. If you are interested contact us by e-mail and briefly tell us why you would like to travel on our tours, the number of people in your group and your preferred time for fall travel. Groups are now forming (maximum 6 travelers in a group). Your request will be reviewed by our travel panel and you will be notified of availability.
Cost of tour includes all accommodations, arranged meals, transportation costs in country, a cooking class, wine and olive orchard tour, tour of a medieval castle. Fully escorted with concierge attention; author of Seeing and Savoring Italy accompanies you on this trip. Does not include air transportation to and from Malpensa International Airport, Milan Italy. |
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The Cositutti Group
420 East 86th Avenue
Merrillville, Indiana 46410
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