If someone had told me that it would take two years just to get my telephone installed, I might have reconsidered my decision,'' quips Anita about launching the enterprise. But after the phone was hooked up, she started getting business calls in the middle of the night from North America. To handle the inquires it was decided a company rep was needed on this side of the Atlantic and Marie, who has lived in Edmonton since 1984, was the natural choice. For the 2001 season, The Italian Connection has 35 scheduled trips with about a dozen different itineraries. Walking past a vineyard in the morning and then tasting that wine in the afternoon is quite a special experience,'' says Marie, a native of Washington, D.C., and a veteran of 20 years in the travel industry.
Tours range in duration from five to nine days, excluding travel time.
Trip locations are peppered throughout Italy, from the Dolomites in the north to southern Italy and Sicily. All of the walking tours serve up the best of each region's cuisine. Accommodations run from cozy country inns to luxury palazzi. Italian Connections' Anita Iaconangelo with tour guide Peter Blackman. Walking through the beautiful Tuscan countryside near Brolio Castle.