As customers on this tour, we want to say a big thank you to our very knowledgeable garden expert Robert for sharing his passion for Italian gardens with us. Special thanks also to Beniamino for his company and sharing his knowledge and love of Italian culture. We saw some amazing places in the comp...

While visiting the northern area of Lazio, home of the Etruscans, we came across some amazing archaeological finds. The first was the great Necropolis Etrusca del Cerveteri, which is the largest ancient necropolis in the Mediterranean area. This huge Etruscan burial ground covering 400 hectares date...

 Our tours in May/June this year showed us some of Italy’s most splendid gardens, ranging from the Renaissance splendour of Villa Lante to the exotic Argentinian abandon of La Mortella. We were absolutely delighted to have Christchurch-based landscape architect Robert Watson with us. As predicted, h...

The food in Italy this year was as good as ever. A simple plate of pasta topped with exactly the right local cheese was transformed into a luscious culinary delight reflecting the exacting traditions of the region we were visiting.

We tried some new dishes not for the faint-hearted – octopus was one...

Readers of my previous blogs will recall that in 2017, a Connectitalia-NZ tour visited Aliano, a remote town in Basilicata, where Carlo Levi, a political activist from prosperous Turin, was exiled for two years by the Fascist Government in the 1930’s. This year, we returned to Aliano and were deligh...

When we visit Sirmione, we are walking in the footsteps of the great and the famous, including the Roman poet Catullus and the 20th Century diva, Maria Callas. It is not difficult to understand the attraction of this picturesque town nestling on the southern shores of the magnificent Lago di Garda i...

In May 2019, Connectitalia-NZ is running an exclusive small group tour to the region of Lazio, where some of Italy’s most outstanding gardens are located. The eight-day tour will be led by Robert Watson, an award-winning New Zealand landscape architect and the company’s founder, author, teacher and...

To end my long visit in Italy, I have decided to spend some time in Lake Como, a treasure trove of spectacular landscapes where centuries of Italian history come to life.

Tucked away in the foothills of the northern Italian Alps lies a small sliver of paradise called Lake Como. With plunging mountain...

Situated in the south of Italy in the ‘instep’ of the boot, with the Ionian Sea to the south and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west, the region of Basilicata is a land of mountains, valleys and forests. Strategically located and not easily penetrated because of its terrain, Basilicata is one of the very...

Visitors to Italy cannot fail to be impressed by the history and art all around them. The experience is sometimes so overwhelming that it can be tempting to simply shut one’s eyes and focus on consuming a gelato. There is a place for that of course but visiting magnificent historical sites and viewi...