Diana Jones - Wellington, New Zealand

Testimonial:

My personalised tour with Shahla was one of the best holidays I have ever had.

With an unexpected chance to have three weeks in Italy, I contacted Shahla. Over dinner we planned where we would go, the special places I wanted to see, and things I wanted to do. Shahla would do all the travel and accommodation arrangements leaving me free to just enjoy each day. We began in Rome, and went to places I hadn’t been before: south to Sorrento with day trips to Napoli, Positano, Capri and Anacapri, to Ravello and Amalfi, then up to Tuscany to Grosetto then Siena, then over to Verona and Lake Garda then back to Rome for the final three days.

Shahla was the most wonderful travel companion, engaging guide and meticulous travel arranger.

Each morning breakfast would be a in a particular café chosen either for its fabulous coffee, peculiar way of serving coffee, the internal environment, a special cornetto or its location. On my trip of twenty one days, no two cornetti were the same. Now, cafes all over Italy hold a special place in my memory. Each day she would say “come, I want to show you something”, and we would wander down lanes and alleyways past roof gardens and city vignettes, to discover a tiny garden with a statue, or great sculptures embedded into buildings, the vista along the cross roads to distant spires (Quirinale) or find the café with the first coffee machine in Rome (Café Eustacce).

Each hot day saw us in a gelateria, not just any one, but the one with the best flavours in Rome, or Verona, or in Siena. The flavours were divine. With each gelati, the staff ask ‘which flavours?’ so there was a chance to try 2 or 3 flavours each time. Some of my favourites are caramelised chestnut, amaretti and pear with toffee.

Armed with a map, a sketch book, a camera and a water bottle, we discovered markets, bought sunhats, tasted lemoncello, visited churches from the 11th and 15th centuries, discovered wells and fountains, and trod the same paths of many others before us.

Unexpected highlights for me were learning to prune olive trees in Tuscany and meeting Maria, one of Shahla’s friends, who cooked us dinner and told stories of growing up in Rome close to the Spanish Steps as we walked there late one night.   Being the only estranierie (foreigners) in an evening café; seeing the lights along the Amalfi coast one evening in a bus filled with buzzing conversations. An afternoon sitting in the peaceful garden in Anacapri; experiencing deep inner peace sitting in Sante Maria di Travstevere and marvelling at the wonders of the artists, politicians and architects who collaborated to produce the majestic duomo in Siena. I enjoyed being part of the Italian food culture with traditions of centuries untainted by globalisation and whizzing along the countryside in modern speedy trains, ordering coffee in Italian and having warm, friendly, stumbling conversations with local people. Being with Shahla, who delights in drawing others in to share her passion, delight and empathy with this wonderful country and its people, I have come back to New Zealand, deeply refreshed, fitter, healthier and happier.

If you have any interest in a holiday in Italy which includes great coffee, walking, hearing stories, discovering history, practising your Italian however few or many words you begin with, good conversation, shopping, finding some of the best delis and cafes, meeting local people, staying in special private hotels and apartments, discovering unexpected delights, eating authentic Italian food, with a charming, funny, helpful, friendly and knowledgeable travel companion and guide, choose Shahla.