AdZENtures Presents
Michelle & Wayne
La Dolce Vita — Italy 2026
18Nights
6Destinations
Oct 14Arrival
Oct 30Departure
scroll to explore
October 14 – 16
Venice
2 nights · Cannaregio District
01
Tuesday, October 14
Arrival — Venice by Water
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Getting There
Fly into Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)
Private water taxi from airport directly to your hotel's private canal dock — the only way to arrive. Pre-booked and waiting.
Where You're Staying
Hotel Palazzo Abadessa
Calle Priuli, Cannaregio 4011, Venice
📞 +39 041 2413784 · [email protected]
www.abadessa.com
A 16th-century former Doge's residence in the quieter Cannaregio district. Frescoed ceilings, antique furnishings, a private walled garden where breakfast is served. Your water taxi arrives at the hotel's own private canal dock.
📞 +39 041 2413784 · [email protected]
www.abadessa.com
A 16th-century former Doge's residence in the quieter Cannaregio district. Frescoed ceilings, antique furnishings, a private walled garden where breakfast is served. Your water taxi arrives at the hotel's own private canal dock.
This Evening
Drop your bags, take a breath. Wander the Cannaregio fondamente — the canal-side walkways locals actually use. Find a cicchetti bar (Venetian tapas) and a Spritz Aperol. You've made it.
02
Wednesday, October 15
Venice — The Real Thing + Murano Glass
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Morning
Gondola ride — go early before the crowds arrive. The canals are quieter, the light is golden, the whole thing feels like a dream. Go early — the canals are quieter before the day crowds arrive.
Afternoon — Murano Island · Private Glass Blowing Workshop
✦ Private Glass Blowing Experience — Murano Island
Total time: ~3 hours including transfers
Getting there: Private water taxi from Hotel Palazzo Abadessa's canal dock directly to Murano Island · ~20 minutes each way · arranged through the hotel
Skip the factory showrooms. This is a private, hands-on workshop with a Murano master craftsman — you're not watching from behind a rope, you're at the furnace. One-on-one instruction in the 700-year-old art of Venetian glassblowing. You'll shape molten glass yourself and leave with a piece you made with your own hands. The kind of thing that lives on a shelf forever and always has a story.
Recommended: The Glass Cathedral (Ex Chiesa di Santa Chiara) — a former church converted into an intimate glassblowing stage, or a private workshop with master Alessandro Boscolo (20+ years experience, family heritage)
~90 minutes in the workshop · Private water taxi both ways
Getting there: Private water taxi from Hotel Palazzo Abadessa's canal dock directly to Murano Island · ~20 minutes each way · arranged through the hotel
Skip the factory showrooms. This is a private, hands-on workshop with a Murano master craftsman — you're not watching from behind a rope, you're at the furnace. One-on-one instruction in the 700-year-old art of Venetian glassblowing. You'll shape molten glass yourself and leave with a piece you made with your own hands. The kind of thing that lives on a shelf forever and always has a story.
Recommended: The Glass Cathedral (Ex Chiesa di Santa Chiara) — a former church converted into an intimate glassblowing stage, or a private workshop with master Alessandro Boscolo (20+ years experience, family heritage)
~90 minutes in the workshop · Private water taxi both ways
Late Afternoon
Wander at your pace. Dorsoduro is the neighborhood worth getting lost in — bohemian, local, fewer crowds than San Marco. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is steps from the Grand Canal if art is calling.
Dinner
Osteria Boccadoro
Campo Widmann, Cannaregio 5405/A, Venice
📞 +39 041 5211021
Intimate, local, exceptional fresh seafood. Near Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, short walk from the hotel. This is what Venetians actually eat.
📞 +39 041 5211021
Intimate, local, exceptional fresh seafood. Near Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo, short walk from the hotel. This is what Venetians actually eat.
03
Thursday, October 16
Last Morning in Venice → Retreat Begins at 3pm
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Morning
One last slow morning. Coffee on the canal. A final stroll through San Marco or back through Dorsoduro — linger at the Peggy Guggenheim gardens overlooking the Grand Canal.
Departure to Retreat
Water taxi back to Marco Polo Airport — depart hotel by 12:30pm for 2:30pm airport arrival.
3:00pm — AdZENtures pickup at Venice Marco Polo Airport. Your adventure begins.
🏔️
AdZENtures
European Mountain AdZENture
Oct 16 – Oct 22
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Six days in the Italian and Slovenian Alps — yoga, wilderness, mountain food, and the kind of stillness you can't find anywhere else. All details, schedules, and logistics provided separately by AdZENtures.
Pickup: Venice Marco Polo Airport · 3:00pm · October 16
Drop-off: Mestre Train Station · ~12:00pm · October 22
Duration
6 nights / 7 days
Region
Italy & Slovenia Alps
Contact
Lindsey @ AdZENtures
Website
October 22
Florence
1 night · Oltrarno District
09
Wednesday, October 22
Retreat Ends → Florence by Train
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Travel to Florence
Drop-off at Mestre Train Station ~12:00pm · Frecciarossa to Firenze Santa Maria Novella · ~1.5–2 hrs
Where You're Staying
SoprArno Suites
Via Maggio 35, Oltrarno, Florence
www.soprarnosuites.com
13 individually designed suites in a 16th-century palazzo in Florence's most characterful neighborhood. Frescoed ceilings, roll-top baths, vintage furnishings, eclectic original art — no two rooms alike. Concierge team (ask for Brunella) — they know everything, everyone, and exactly how to make things effortless. 5-minute walk to Ponte Vecchio. Breakfast included.
www.soprarnosuites.com
13 individually designed suites in a 16th-century palazzo in Florence's most characterful neighborhood. Frescoed ceilings, roll-top baths, vintage furnishings, eclectic original art — no two rooms alike. Concierge team (ask for Brunella) — they know everything, everyone, and exactly how to make things effortless. 5-minute walk to Ponte Vecchio. Breakfast included.
Late Afternoon
Piazzale Michelangelo — Sunset
~20-minute walk or quick taxi. The panoramic overlook above Florence — the Duomo, the Arno, the hills of Chianti in the distance. Arrive 30–40 minutes before sunset.
Dinner
Antica Trattoria da Tito — "Bobo's"
Via San Gallo 112/R, Florence
📞 +39 055 472475 · www.trattoriadatito.com
Rick Steves' personal favorite in Florence. In business since 1913. Owner "Bobo" hugs guests, sings, pours generously, makes every table feel like family. Authentic Tuscan food, incredible wine, zero pretension.
📞 +39 055 472475 · www.trattoriadatito.com
Rick Steves' personal favorite in Florence. In business since 1913. Owner "Bobo" hugs guests, sings, pours generously, makes every table feel like family. Authentic Tuscan food, incredible wine, zero pretension.
October 23 – 24
Cinque Terre
2 nights · Manarola
10
Thursday, October 23
Florence Morning → Cinque Terre
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Morning in Florence
Slow morning. Walk to Ponte Vecchio before the crowds — coffee in hand, jewelers just opening their shutters. Browse Mercato Centrale for fresh food, local leather goods, and craft stalls.
Private Transfer to Cinque Terre
Private door-to-door transfer: SoprArno Suites → La Torretta Lodge, Manarola · ~2.5 hours · No luggage stress, no connections, no platform hunting. Ask your driver to pull over on the Ligurian coast road for a view — it's worth it.
Where You're Staying (2 nights)
La Torretta Lodge
Manarola, Cinque Terre
www.torrettas.com
Small, family-run, perched above Manarola with sea views. Breakfast included. Steps from the harbor.
www.torrettas.com
Small, family-run, perched above Manarola with sea views. Breakfast included. Steps from the harbor.
Dinner
Trattoria dal Billy — Manarola
Via Rollandi 122, Manarola · 📞 +39 0187 920628
Arrive, settle in, and head straight here. Fresh anchovies, trofie al pesto, grilled seafood caught that morning. The best first dinner you could ask for after a long travel day.
Arrive, settle in, and head straight here. Fresh anchovies, trofie al pesto, grilled seafood caught that morning. The best first dinner you could ask for after a long travel day.
11
Friday, October 24
Full Day — All Five Villages
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The Five Villages
Hop between all five by train and ferry — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore. Each feels like a different world. October means thinner crowds and golden light.
Don't Miss
Focacceria Il Baretto — Vernazza
Best focaccia in Cinque Terre. Eat it standing at the harbor with a cold beer.
Gelateria Il Ciliegio — Monterosso
The gelato that ruins all other gelato. Get the pistachio.
Sciacchetrà Wine Tasting
Ask any local wine shop in Manarola or Vernazza — this rare, intensely sweet wine is made from sun-dried Cinque Terre grapes and only produced here. You cannot buy this at home. This is the one.
Sunset — This Is The Moment
Nessun Dorma — Manarola
Punta Bonfiglio headland, Manarola
Clifftop terrace on the rocks above Manarola harbor. Wine, charcuterie, and the most iconic view in Cinque Terre as the sun drops into the sea. The most iconic view in Cinque Terre as the sun drops into the sea.
Clifftop terrace on the rocks above Manarola harbor. Wine, charcuterie, and the most iconic view in Cinque Terre as the sun drops into the sea. The most iconic view in Cinque Terre as the sun drops into the sea.
October 25 – 26
Chianti
2 nights · Panzano in Chianti
12
Saturday, October 25
Cinque Terre → Panzano — Dario, Mimmo & the Road South
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Travel to Chianti
Private transfer · La Torretta Lodge → Florence SMN · ~2.5 hrs · Pre-booked · Bags loaded, no stress
Pick up rental car at Florence SMN · Drive the Chiantigiana (SR222) through vineyards to Panzano ~1 hr. This road is the whole point.
Afternoon — Check In
Rosso del Chianti B&B — Marina Cecchini
Via XX Luglio 65, Panzano in Chianti
📞 +39 055 852120
rossodelchianti.com
Run by Marina Cecchini — Dario's sister. 150 meters from the butchery. Deeply personal, deeply Tuscan. You're essentially sleeping inside the story.
📞 +39 055 852120
rossodelchianti.com
Run by Marina Cecchini — Dario's sister. 150 meters from the butchery. Deeply personal, deeply Tuscan. You're essentially sleeping inside the story.
Late Afternoon — Aperitivo
Enoteca Baldi — Mimmo's
Piazza Gastone Bucciarelli 25, Panzano in Chianti
📞 +39 055 852843 · [email protected]
www.enotecabaldi.it
Family-run wine shop and bar steps from the piazza, 1,500+ labels. Pull up a stool, let Mimmo pour something local, order a few snacks. This is Panzano at its most unhurried. You'll want to buy a bottle or three — budget extra luggage weight.
📞 +39 055 852843 · [email protected]
www.enotecabaldi.it
Family-run wine shop and bar steps from the piazza, 1,500+ labels. Pull up a stool, let Mimmo pour something local, order a few snacks. This is Panzano at its most unhurried. You'll want to buy a bottle or three — budget extra luggage weight.
Optional detour on the drive in: Greve in Chianti (10 min off route) for artisan chocolates and black truffles at the market.
Dinner
Dario Cecchini — Antica Macelleria Cecchini
Via XX Luglio 11, Panzano in Chianti
www.dariocecchini.com
Italy's most theatrical butcher — a two-minute walk from Mimmo's. AC/DC plays. Dario recites Dante between courses. Free cured meat tastings at the butchery counter before you sit down. Two experiences: Solociccia (communal set-menu, the whole table eating together) or Officina della Bistecca (the full bistecca fiorentina, cooked over fire).
www.dariocecchini.com
Italy's most theatrical butcher — a two-minute walk from Mimmo's. AC/DC plays. Dario recites Dante between courses. Free cured meat tastings at the butchery counter before you sit down. Two experiences: Solociccia (communal set-menu, the whole table eating together) or Officina della Bistecca (the full bistecca fiorentina, cooked over fire).
13
Sunday, October 26
Bikes, Pasta & the Open Road
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Morning — Cypress Roads by E-Bike
✦ Self-Guided E-Bike Ride — Chianti Countryside
Bikes delivered to Marina's door Saturday evening — they'll be waiting for you when you wake up.
Set off into the back roads of Chianti at your own pace: cypress-lined lanes, vineyard gates, the occasional dog who thinks he owns the road. The e-bikes handle the hills so you can handle the views. No guide, no group, no schedule — just the two of you and one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
The route takes you naturally toward Radda in Chianti — which means you can ride directly to Giorgia's cooking class and arrive a little wind-blown and happy. About 9km through the vines. Best arrival ever.
Set off into the back roads of Chianti at your own pace: cypress-lined lanes, vineyard gates, the occasional dog who thinks he owns the road. The e-bikes handle the hills so you can handle the views. No guide, no group, no schedule — just the two of you and one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.
The route takes you naturally toward Radda in Chianti — which means you can ride directly to Giorgia's cooking class and arrive a little wind-blown and happy. About 9km through the vines. Best arrival ever.
Late Morning — Tuscan Farmhouse Cooking Class
✦ Private Cooking Class with Giorgia — Radda in Chianti
Radda in Chianti · ~20 min from Panzano · via Traveling Spoon
Meet Giorgia and Luigi at their farmhouse overlooking the Chianti Classico vineyards. Giorgia is a professional chef, sommelier, and former restaurant owner of 20+ years — she cooks the way Italian grandmothers wish they could. You'll make fresh pasta from scratch, a rich Tuscan ragù, and her legendary tiramisu from family recipes passed through generations, then sit down together for a long lunch with local Chianti wine and views across the olive groves.
This isn't a cooking demonstration. It's cooking in someone's home, at someone's table, with someone who genuinely loves feeding people. The lunch at the end is one of those meals that resets what you think food can taste like.
~3–4 hours total
Meet Giorgia and Luigi at their farmhouse overlooking the Chianti Classico vineyards. Giorgia is a professional chef, sommelier, and former restaurant owner of 20+ years — she cooks the way Italian grandmothers wish they could. You'll make fresh pasta from scratch, a rich Tuscan ragù, and her legendary tiramisu from family recipes passed through generations, then sit down together for a long lunch with local Chianti wine and views across the olive groves.
This isn't a cooking demonstration. It's cooking in someone's home, at someone's table, with someone who genuinely loves feeding people. The lunch at the end is one of those meals that resets what you think food can taste like.
~3–4 hours total
Afternoon — Your Call
Drive to Siena · or · Keep Riding Through Chianti
Two very good problems to have after a long lunch in the vines.
Option A — Siena (~45 min drive): One of Italy's most perfectly preserved medieval cities — the fan-shaped Piazza del Campo, the striped Duomo, ancient alleys that haven't changed in 600 years. Easy afternoon on foot.
Option B — Keep the bikes going: Follow the Chiantigiana south at your own pace. Pull over at Castello di Volpaia, Fontodi, or Badia a Passignano for an estate tasting. Bikes get picked up from Marina's Monday — so there's no rush to return them.
Option A — Siena (~45 min drive): One of Italy's most perfectly preserved medieval cities — the fan-shaped Piazza del Campo, the striped Duomo, ancient alleys that haven't changed in 600 years. Easy afternoon on foot.
Option B — Keep the bikes going: Follow the Chiantigiana south at your own pace. Pull over at Castello di Volpaia, Fontodi, or Badia a Passignano for an estate tasting. Bikes get picked up from Marina's Monday — so there's no rush to return them.
Evening
Back to Panzano. Ask Marina for her recommendation, or pick up a bottle from Mimmo's and sit on the terrace. No schedule. This is it.
Early start tomorrow — leave Panzano by 8:45am to return the rental car at Florence SMN and catch the 10am Frecciarossa.
October 27 – 29
Amalfi Coast
3 nights · Amalfi Town
14
Monday, October 27
Chianti → Florence → Pompeii → Amalfi
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Early Morning
Depart Panzano 8:45am · Drive to Florence SMN ~1 hr · Return rental car · Board 10am Frecciarossa
Florence → Naples
Frecciarossa Florence SMN → Napoli Centrale · Depart 10:00am · Arrive ~1:15pm · Sit back, have a coffee, watch Tuscany give way to Campania.
Naples → Pompeii (en route)
Private transfer picks you up at Napoli Centrale · Bags stay safely in the vehicle the entire time · Driver takes you directly to Pompeii Scavi · ~45 min · Arrive ~2pm
Pompeii Scavi
The Roman city frozen by Vesuvius in 79AD — streets, bakeries, theatres, homes, all perfectly preserved under the ash. Last entry 3:30pm in October · Allow ~2 hours to explore the highlights.
Don't miss: the Forum, the amphitheatre, the Villa of the Mysteries frescoes, and the Garden of the Fugitives — where the plaster casts of the victims are. Pick up an audio guide at the gate, it transforms everything you're looking at.
Don't miss: the Forum, the amphitheatre, the Villa of the Mysteries frescoes, and the Garden of the Fugitives — where the plaster casts of the victims are. Pick up an audio guide at the gate, it transforms everything you're looking at.
Pompeii → Amalfi
Driver waiting · Bags loaded · Pompeii → Hotel Santa Caterina · ~45 min · Arrive ~5:30pm
Where You're Staying (3 nights)
Hotel Santa Caterina
SS Amalfitana 9, Amalfi
📞 +39 089 871012
www.hotelsantacaterina.it
Clifftop Art Nouveau villa above Amalfi. Private beach via glass-enclosed lifts cut through the cliff. Sea-view terrace restaurant. The most beautiful place to wake up on the entire coast.
📞 +39 089 871012
www.hotelsantacaterina.it
Clifftop Art Nouveau villa above Amalfi. Private beach via glass-enclosed lifts cut through the cliff. Sea-view terrace restaurant. The most beautiful place to wake up on the entire coast.
Evening
Arrive, check in, exhale. Drink on the terrace watching the lights come on across the coast. Dinner at the hotel's casual Al Mare restaurant or in Amalfi town — tonight is about arriving. Save the best for last.
15
Tuesday, October 28
Scooter Day — The Coast Road
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The Best Way to Do the Coast
Rent a 125cc scooter in Amalfi and drive the SS163 coast road. Pull over anywhere, park anywhere, stop at every viewpoint. Amalfi → Ravello (hilltop gardens, Villa Cimbrone) → back to the coast → your choice from there.
Option A — Positano Lunch
Park the scooter, walk the famous steps down to the beach, and find a table for spaghetti alle vongole. Positano at midday is loud and beautiful and worth every minute. Swim if the weather allows, then ride back to Amalfi for sunset from the terrace.
Option B — Push All the Way to Nerano
For the adventurous: keep riding past Positano to Marina del Cantone, Nerano — the tiny fishing village where spaghetti alla Nerano (zucchini, basil, provolone del Monaco) was invented. Lunch at Lo Cantinone or Taverna del Capitano right on the water. This is a full-day mission — ~1.5 hrs each way on the coast road — and one of the great scooter rides in Italy. Leave early.
October weather is generally 18–22°C / 65–72°F but can be unpredictable. Ferry is the backup plan if the road conditions change.
16
Wednesday, October 29
The Perfect Last Day
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Morning — Absolutely Nothing Required
Breakfast on the terrace. The glass lift down to the private beach. A swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea. A book. A second coffee. No agenda, no itinerary. Just the sound of the water and the knowledge that tonight is going to be something special.
Afternoon — Something Unforgettable ✦
✦ A Surprise Awaits — 3:30pm
All you need to know: be ready at 3:30pm.
Something has been arranged for you on the Amalfi Coast that you won't see coming and won't forget. The only instruction is to be ready at the hotel at 3:30 in the afternoon. Everything else is taken care of.
Something has been arranged for you on the Amalfi Coast that you won't see coming and won't forget. The only instruction is to be ready at the hotel at 3:30 in the afternoon. Everything else is taken care of.
Evening — Freshen Up, Then Dinner
Head up to your room and take your time getting ready. Gentlemen will need long trousers and a long-sleeved shirt for the restaurant. Dinner is at 8pm.
Il Glicine — Hotel Santa Caterina
1 Michelin Star · Dinner only · Panoramic terrace above the sea
Chef Giuseppe "Peppe" Stanzione brings Campanian flavors together with international technique — think local tuna with sake and soy, cuttlefish tagliatellina with salted lemon, desserts that arrive looking like lemons and starfish. À la carte or the tasting menu. A pianist plays every night. The lit cliffs, the dark sea, the candlelight — the perfect last dinner of the trip.
Chef Giuseppe "Peppe" Stanzione brings Campanian flavors together with international technique — think local tuna with sake and soy, cuttlefish tagliatellina with salted lemon, desserts that arrive looking like lemons and starfish. À la carte or the tasting menu. A pianist plays every night. The lit cliffs, the dark sea, the candlelight — the perfect last dinner of the trip.
17
Thursday, October 30
Departure — Naples Airport
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Transfer to Naples Airport
Pre-booked private transfer · Hotel Santa Caterina → Naples Airport (NAP) · ~1.5 hrs · Pre-booked · Allow 3 hours before your flight.
Fly home from Naples (NAP) — direct US connections on Delta, United, and American. Far easier than a Rome transfer.
Until Next Time
18 nights. Venice by water taxi. Six days in the Alps. Bobo singing in Florence. Cliff-side sunset in Cinque Terre. Dario's theater in Panzano. The scooter coast road. Pompeii at golden hour. Not bad at all.
Your Guide
Questions, changes, anything at all
Reservations Checklist
Everything Has Been Arranged
✦ Hotel Palazzo Abadessa — Venice
✦ Osteria Boccadoro — Venice
✦ Murano glass workshop — Venice
✦ SoprArno Suites — Florence
✦ Antica Trattoria da Tito "Bobo's" — Florence
✦ La Torretta Lodge — Manarola
✦ Trattoria dal Billy — Manarola
✦ Nessun Dorma — Manarola
✦ Rosso del Chianti B&B (Marina Cecchini) — Panzano
✦ Dario Cecchini — Panzano
✦ Cooking class with Giorgia — Radda in Chianti
✦ Hotel Santa Caterina — Amalfi
✦ Private transfers throughout
✦ The Amalfi surprise — details arranged
✦ Il Glicine dinner — Amalfi
✦ Hotel Palazzo Abadessa — Venice
✦ Osteria Boccadoro — Venice
✦ Murano glass workshop — Venice
✦ SoprArno Suites — Florence
✦ Antica Trattoria da Tito "Bobo's" — Florence
✦ La Torretta Lodge — Manarola
✦ Trattoria dal Billy — Manarola
✦ Nessun Dorma — Manarola
✦ Rosso del Chianti B&B (Marina Cecchini) — Panzano
✦ Dario Cecchini — Panzano
✦ Cooking class with Giorgia — Radda in Chianti
✦ Hotel Santa Caterina — Amalfi
✦ Private transfers throughout
✦ The Amalfi surprise — details arranged
✦ Il Glicine dinner — Amalfi