Review By Adam S. - Astoria, NY - US (June 2022)
An absolutely unforgettable week
I arrived hoping I would really get to know these parts of Italy. I left feeling like I was part of a family.
| Written By: | Adam S. |
| Rating: | |
| Location: | Astoria - NY - US |
| Review Source: | Website |
| Type of Traveler: | Solo Traveler |
| Itinerary: | Soriano - Tuscan & Umbrian Sun |
Full Review
Having never been to Italy before, I wanted to see parts of it besides what people would see on a normal tourist trip. (After spending a couple days in Rome). I was drawn to CDV because I also love to cook and I loved that that was such a big part of the experience. The website was wonderful, showing pictures of everything and laying out the itinerary in a way that left very few questions as to what the week would consist of. The only concern I had was that it was all laid out so beautifully...could it possibly be too good to be true?
From the moment I was picked up at the train station in Orte, I felt so taken care of and arriving in Soriano was like stepping into a movie set. My accommodation was gorgeous and had a gorgeous view (and a great air conditioner. It was June in Italy, so it was quite warm). From the first night, our tour guides, Maggie and Sophie set the stage for a jam packed week of sight seeing, exploring, and cooking.
Classes at the villa with Carla were an absolute blast. She made the cooking fun and simple enough that we could all understand what we were doing. And to cook in such a beautiful setting with the hazelnut trees all around us seemed surreal. Definitely not something every visitor to Italy gets to do. Needless to say, all the food was delicious and the wine flowed like water. On our trips, Maggie and Sophie really knew what they were talking about and seemed to really know all the people we met along the way at vineyards, castles, etc. They kept us on enough of a schedule for things to feel really structured without making us feel rushed or hurried. Everywhere we went was interesting and had a huge sense of history in a way we don't have in the USA. It was fascinating to see and experience everything and feel more like friendly visitors than tourists.
However, the most heartwarming thing for me was how much everyone with CDV seemed to really want to know us as well. They really listened to us and retained what we had said and let us into their own lives, so by the end of the week, it felt like we had known each other for years. There were even a couple of times where things we had talked about suddenly made an appearance. We had been talking about porchetta and how much we wanted to try it and when we had the dinner party at the villa, Carla had gone out and gotten porchetta for us, because Maggie had told her we were interested in it. A member of our group was having a birthday and had been talking all week about wanting to see a wild boar. The night of his birthday, they brought him out a cake and had gotten a little stuffed wild boar to decorate it with. It's these little things that showed us all how much we were being listened to and cared for that really made me a little emotional, particularly when it was time to say goodbye.
So much of the website and the correspondence talked about how everyone who participates in a week becomes part of the CDV family. As a cynical American, I took that with a grain of salt, but as I look back on the week, I must agree that they were absolutely right. Everyone cares so much about the work that they are doing and bringing Italy and Italian cuisine to people who are interested to see/eat it. On our final night, after making pizza at the Villa, saying goodbye honestly left me with a bit of a lump in my throat, because I honestly did feel such a connection to everyone after a week. It was truly the trip of a lifetime for me.
I would recommend CDV to anyone who wants to see an Italy that regular tourists wouldn't see. I would recommend CDV to anyone who loves food and wine, who loves to cook, and who is interested in both the home cooked AND the restaurant experience. I would recommend CDV to anyone who wants to see a lot and doesn't mind walking a lot. (Bring good walking shoes!) And mostly, I would recommend CDV to anyone who is interested in traveling to a beautiful part of the world and meeting some beautiful, wonderful people and, for at least a little while, feeling like part of a great famiglia. I don't know when I'll be able to return to Italy, but when I do, I hope to do another week with CDV. Grazie mille.
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| Sample Photo from this Itinerary |