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The Culinary Tour JournalThe Culinary Tour Journal

  • Home
  • Small Group Travel
  • Luxury Travel
  • Experiential Travel
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • More
    • Personal
    • Destinations
    • Travel Tips
    • Tours & Vacations
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Search
  • Home
  • Small Group Travel
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Culture & Lifestyle

Unveiling the World of Luxury Experiential Travel


Luxury experiential travel focuses on providing unique and immersive experiences for travelers, allowing them to engage with local cultures and environments in a more meaningful way (National Geographic). And so… it’s time to totally redefine what luxury travel means in travel, moving beyond traditional opulence to...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • March 26, 2025
  • 1
Luxury Travel

Why Small-Group Travel is the Ultimate Luxury Experience


What is “Luxury of Experience” in Small-Group Travel? Luxury of experience is a travel approach that prioritizes authentic connections, unhurried time, and exclusive access through personal relationships rather than traditional luxury amenities. Unlike conventional luxury focused on material comforts, this...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • March 12, 2025
  • 2
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 13: “Two Guys and a TuTu”


As with every post in this series, if you are jumping in here, it is like jumping into the middle of a movie. Please start with Part 1, or this will make absolutely no sense. It’s been a while since I posted an article in this series!  Sorry about that! But to get you in the mood of 1984 and where my...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • April 21, 2023
  • 9
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 12: “Bury The Mice In The Ground… Slowly.”


12th part in a series of the story of an American moving to small town Italy in the 1980's, learning the culture and finding a lifetime love.

  • Michael Kovnick
  • August 5, 2020
  • 9
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 11: “Winter is Coming”


If you are just jumping in here, please start with Part 1. It is January 1985 now, and the weather has been in the mid 70’s in L.A. Now I know many people reading this think OMG! Mid 70’s in January, but I am an L.A. native, and you just have to understand things in context. To me, when the daytime...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • July 17, 2020
  • 16
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 10: “Paola Meets The Megalopolis”


In Part 10 of the My Life in City series, we are back in Los Angeles. But this time, it is Paola's first time in the United States, and me showing her MY world.

  • Michael Kovnick
  • June 30, 2020
  • 3
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Destinations
Destinations

My Favorite Culture Discovery Location – Alyssa


Does a parent love every kid equally? Or does Mom have one favorite kid and Dad possibly have another favorite? Maybe you just have more in common, or vibe better with one than the others? I don’t know, I only have one kid...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • June 13, 2019
  • 3
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Personal
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 2: Where are the Walls? and How do I Flush?


So… I left off in Part 1 on my first full day in Italy in 1983. I am at the tip of the boot in Reggio Calabria, suffering severe jet lag, having walked miles and miles for an awful cafeteria meal, and now I am boarding a...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • June 13, 2019
  • 23
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Culinary Experiences
Culinary Experiences

What to Expect on a Culture Discovery Vacation


What makes Culture Discovery Vacations different? You see it all over our website. Family, Family, Family. This is not a marketing term for us. It is the way we operate. It may sound like just a word to some, but it is what makes...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • June 6, 2019
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Travel Tips
Travel Tips

Rome Fiumicino Airport: 5 Things to do When You Land


I love Italy, the people, the culture, the food, the coffee, it’s my very favorite country. One thing I will fault Italy for though, is the Rome airport, this airport is not user friendly and nobody is in a hurry to move...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • June 4, 2019
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Culture & Lifestyle
Culture & Lifestyle

Why Pizza is the Best Food


I’ve been trying to think of a blog post to write all day long, and no matter what I did, all I could come up with was one word: Pizza. How do I write a blog post on pizza? Pizza is the best food in the world! Do a I write...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • May 29, 2019
  • 4
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Personal
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 1: “The Warm Table”


“The Warm Table” For years, people have asked me to tell the story of how I ended up with my dual US-Italy life. The reality is that it was a series of somewhat unrelated events that all came together to create an...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • May 16, 2019
  • 28
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Personal
Personal

Starbucks digs its claws into Italy, and why that saddens me.


With its massive global expansion, Starbucks has always left Italy alone. After all, how do you open a store in the country you copied your model from?

  • Michael Kovnick
  • May 10, 2019
  • 2
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Culture & Lifestyle
Culture & Lifestyle

Italian Coffee – What and How to Order


Italian Coffee Protocol There are many things that Italians hold dear, coffee being one of the big ones. But there are unspoken rules about how to order Italian coffee, and if you do it wrong, every Italian will judge you, even...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • May 6, 2019
  • 3
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Destinations
Destinations

Our Amalfi Coast Vacation in 13 Gorgeous Photos


Our Amalfi Coast Vacation is one of our best selling tours. The dramatic coastlines, the perfect towns built into the cliffs, it is absolutely stunning from every angle. The Amalfi Coast was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • May 3, 2019
  • 3
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Travel Tips
Travel Tips

10 Tips for New Travelers


These are great tips for new travelers, but also useful for seasoned travelers or people who haven’t traveled in a while. It can be scary to travel to a new country, especially when there is a different currency and...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • April 30, 2019
  • 0
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Small Groups
Culture Discovery Vacations
Leading Luxury Food & Wine Tour Operator
Authentic culinary experiences with Culture Discovery Vacations

Experience the true meaning of luxury travel with Culture Discovery Vacations - the leading small-group culinary tour operator, offering immersive experiences that go beyond traditional opulence.

  • Hands-on cooking classes with local families
  • Authentic all-inclusive pricing with no hidden costs
  • Boutique accommodations with character
  • Exclusive access to family vineyards
★★★★★
5.0/5 from 384+ reviews on TripAdvisor
"We didn't feel like tourists—we felt like family. The cooking classes changed how I think about food."
— Mark S., Tuscany Tour
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Italy • Portugal • Spain • Croatia

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  • abdessamed gtumsila on My Life in Italy, Part 13: “Two Guys and a TuTu”
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  • My Life in Italy, Part 10: “Paola Meets The Megalopolis” - The Culinary Tour Journal on My Life in Italy, Part 11: “Winter is Coming”
  • My Life in Italy, Part 5: “If feathers are floating, It’s chicken for dinner” - The Culinary Tour Journal on My Life in Italy, Part 3: “Scratch Your Balls 13 Times and never make eye contact with the Witch”

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