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veneto and slovenia 2023 tour

VENETO

AND SLOVENIA

$3900 Double / $4800 Single

Join us to for this easy-going exploration of the northeast corner of Italy into central Slovenia. You’ll sample sparkling and orange wines in the up-and-coming Brda region, nosh on truffles, olives and goat cheeses in the Istria region, visit a Slovenian castle with legends of a Slovenian Robin Hood, and explore a cave system that is fit for a Lord of the Rings film. Chill out, shop and people watch in coastal villages, the uber-cool capital of Ljubljana, and a slew of charming towns in Italy’s Friuli and Veneto regions. We’ll always be dining well, savoring regional specialty foods during long, chatty meals and do a deep dive into wines. This tour is perfect for anyone who prefers a slower pace, a smaller group and getting to know quiet spots that never see tourists.

Limited space is available, with a maximum group size of 12.

Tour leader: Andrew Villone

Day One

Overnight: Castelfranco, Italy

Welcome to the Veneto

Day Two

Overnight: Castelfranco, Italy

 

Day Three

Overnight: Prosecco Region, Italy

Grappa and Sparkling wines

Visit to Bassano del Grappa for a tour and grappa tasting at a distillery. Free time for lunch and exploring. Country drive to agroturismo in the Prosecco wine region, near the enchanting hamlet of Cison di Valmarino, surrounded by woods and vineyards. Enjoy a happy hour with your guides to sip Prosecco and take in the views. Gourmet dinner included to sample regional dishes.

Day Four

Overnight: Brda region, Slovenia

Flavors of Friuli and Brda

Visit Italian town of Cividale in the quiet region of Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Group lunch featuring Friuli’s best comfort food called frico, a cheese and potato fry up. Crossing the border into Slovenia’s top wine region (and perhaps most beautiful region too) of Goriska Brda, we take a tour and tasting at Slovenia’s best sparkling wine producer, Bjana, which also has the oldest cellar in the region at over 800 years old. Check into our hotel right across the street from the tiny, medieval-walled village of Smartno. Dinner on your own in Smartno.

Day Five

Overnight: Brda region, Slovenia

Cooking class and epic dinner

Tour the trenches and bunkers of a WWI museum where fierce battles raged between Italy and Austro-Hungarian/German armies. Meet with local chef for a cooking class as we make our own lunch. Chill out late afternoon before a very special five-course group dinner that is paired with wines of Kabaj Winery, often listed on the Top 100 wineries in world by Wine & Spirits magazine.

Day Six

Overnight: Izola, Slovenia

Venetian towns and organic olive oil

Depart Brda and head to Slovenia’s tiny coast line, a mere 29 miles long. Late morning tour of Piran, a scenic and charming Venetian town along the Adriatic Sea. Tour followed by a group lunch at an organic olive farm overlooking the sea and ancient salt flats. Check into hotel at Izola, a seaside town that was once an island before being connected to the mainland in 1825. Dinner on your own in Izola.

Day Seven

Overnight: Izola, Slovenia

Exploring truffles and goat cheese in Croatia

Head across the border into Croatia to explore to wonderful little hill towns. Visit to artists and artisan town of Groznjan with tastings of truffle with pasta and other local delicacies. Visit to iconic Motovun, the region’s highest standing hill town and birthplace of racing legend Mario Andretti. Special dinner/epic goat cheese feast at a farm far off the tourist grid with home cooked stews, sausages, tasty surprises and Croatia’s finest goat cheese. Return to hotel in Izola.

Day Eight

Overnight: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Caves, castles and dragons

Tour of the Skocjan caves that feature the largest subterranean cavern in Europe and give off A Lord of the Rings type of atmosphere. Afternoon visit to Predjama castle. This 16th century castle clings to limestone cliffs and has a rich history, including folklore about the Slovenian Robin Hood who once lived there. Arrival into Ljubljana, Slovenia’s uber charming but small capital (only 270,000 inhabitants). Guided walking tour of old town core where you can get many ideas of what to seek out, explore and enjoy the following day.

Day Nine

Overnight: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Charms of Ljubljana

Full day at leisure in Ljubljana. Please talk with Andrew and Sarah for recommendations on what to visit and see, where to eat, drink, shop and people watch.

Day Ten

Overnight: Ljubljana, Slovenia

Gorgeous Lake Bled

Visit with local beekeeper to learn about importance of beekeeping in Slovenia with some sweet tastings. Lunch at a farmhouse where the proprietor makes her own strudel, herbal liqueurs and beer. Her family house has a traditional black kitchen where they still smoke meats and dry fruits. Afternoon boat ride out on gorgeous Lake Bled. Visit to the 1000 year-old Bled castle overlooking the lake. Farewell group dinner at castle.

Price: $3900 (Air not included). Single Supplement is $900. We welcome singles and can try to pair you with another single to room with, but the single supplement will be required if we can’t.

Tour price includes 10 nights’ accommodation, all breakfasts, 5 dinners, 4 lunches, wine tastings, cooking class and other sights listed in itinerary, transportation within the tour, tips and taxes.

Tour begins at 4 pm in Castelfranco (Italy), 1 hour from Venice and Marco Polo Airport (VCE), 2.5 hours from Trieste Airport (TRS).

Tour ends in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Airport, Ljubljana (LJU). We can arrange transfers for an additional fee.

I have been visiting friends and showing them my photos from the Piemonte tour. I was telling them how great it was to become immersed in this area and see things you would not normally have the opportunity to do or know about. Having a caring and inquisitive guide who delights in sharing where she lives brings so much to the experience. Go visit Piemonte with Lisa- you will have such an amazing time and fond memories to share and relish!

Patricia Eaganafter a tour in Piedmont, Italy with Lisa

I have had the joy of traveling with Adventures with Sarah many times, from Thailand, to Turkey, and many places in between. I choose to book with AWS because I can rely on a tour that is paced well, varied in activities, with great food and even greater guides. As a frequent traveler to Europe, I really enjoy AWS tours due to a small group size and the opportunity to go in depth into a region and really experience the culture of the area I’m visiting. And every time, with every group, I meet fellow travelers who are now friends. Adventures with Sarah is a tour company that I would recommend without hesitation. In fact, I have 3 tours booked for this year!

Betsy McGregorafter multiple tours with Adventures with Sarah

Fantastic look at more "out of the way" spots and wonderful experiences of food and wine. No crowds, just the Sicilian countryside and lovely towns. Traveling in April was fantastic with all the wildflowers. And walking on Mama Etna's shoulders was a highlight!

Barbara B.Sicily Pleasures tour

It really was a wonderful trip. This was our first group trip, and the size was just right. We all got along well which was a bonus. Everything was smooth, and Sarah had picked out some really wonderful things for us to do. I felt like we were getting "sneak peeks" of special things regular tourists don't get to do. We were willing participants for her to try out new things on this trip. The hotels were lovely, and the wine lunches perfect! There was a good balance of planned activities and free time which I appreciated. I will definitely be looking for more trips to go on with Adventures with Sarah!

Leslie P.Sicily Pleasures tour

Good accommodations in the heart of all important areas. Food experience was excellent with incentive to try new foods. Sarah is very personable and has each tour member's concerns and needs in mind. Love the small groups.

Larry C.Sicily Highlights tour

We had a great time! Perfect mix of free time and planned group excursions/tours. The food was amazing! Our accommodation was comfortable and our views were unforgettable! I would book another trip with this company.

Jen R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

My husband and I had a great time touring Dalmatia with Sarah and the local guides that joined us. A favorite activity was sailing on a traditional sail boat from the island of Vis. Lovely group of travelers and many memories made!

Dawn R.Dalmatian Staycation tour

Food and wine blitz in beautiful areas of Slovenia and Croatia. You will appreciate it most if you are a true wine lover. Meetings with young enthusiastic, creative winemakers were the highlight.

Betsy W.Harvest tour

We had a wonderful trip with no issues at all. Gorgeous area, plenty of delicious food, perfect weather and knowledgeable guide!

John G.Harvest tour

What a perfect way to get back into European travel. It was obvious from the start that Trish had put her heart and soul into the planning of the Hidden Paris tour. It was a great mix of adventures and I throughly enjoyed my travel group, who became like family, and it was obvious to see why most had traveled with adventures with Sarah before, Our local guide, Julian, was excellent and it was fun finally getting to also meet Sarah and sons. Merci beaucoup, Trish for this great time and I hope to travel with you again in the future.

Leslie A.Paris Staycation tour

A thoroughly enjoyable trip. George, our leader, was super-knowledgeable, helpful, energetic, and fun. His knowledge of people and places gave us experiences we couldn't have duplicated on our own. The itinerary was great - I thought the pace was good and we had a variety of experiences. The only thing I didn't like was that the weather in late April was rather chilly and often wet, more so than I expected. However, traveling later in the spring would have meant missing Orthodox Easter, which was the highlight of the trip for me. We spent it in a rural village, and participating in the villagers' traditions was a rare privilege that I'll never forget. So take an umbrella and some warm clothes and prepare for a special experience. Maybe you'll get the sunshine that we mostly didn't get!

Melissa M.Romania tour

Our guide Susanna was both professional and thoughtful. She cared for our health and happiness! I had some health issues and was treated with kindness and help! Our accommodations were both comfortable and clean. The bus driver was fearless and professional. I will travel with Susanna again!

Melva O.Sicily Pleasures tour

This was a wonderful trip! Susanna was such a wonderful tour guide, thoughtful, funny, informative. I can’t imagine a better guide for this trip! Our accommodations were wonderful as were all the varied activities and dining experiences. I enjoyed the other travelers in our group and felt as if we were family. I have made new friends that I will keep in touch with. Thank you!

Anne B.Sicily Pleasures tour

We had a wonderful tour with our guide Susanna and fellow travelers. The tour was well planned out touching on most all the main destinations in Sicily. Susanna was super well organized, kind and considerate and a lot of fun to travel with. She was a great communicator before, during and after the tour and was helpful with day to day needs like finding laundry service, restaurants and transport to the airport. The local guides, meals, accommodations, etc were all top notch. We had a great small group of 7 travelers that all got on very well. The spacious van we used for traveling was very comfortable and the driver Giuseppe was highly skilled at driving the chaotic streets in Sicily’s cities and towns. We highly recommend booking a tour with Adventures with Sarah and especially with Susanna Perrucchini!!

Randal D.Sicily Highlights tour

In short, we will travel with AWS again and would highly recommend them! Oh!! We also felt that we received far more in value and experience than the price for the tour.

Veneto Slovenia tour