It wasn’t my idea to design and host For Women Only Tours to Italy. Yes, I loved traveling there for decades, writing about Italy, going to Italy with family and girlfriends, arranging everything so we’d certainly have the most marvelous time. And I always loved meeting female travelers along the way, who, like me, were swept up in that fabulous magic Italy gives us women.
All those women travelers and my own experiences inspired my first book, 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go.
Then came The Surprise. During my book tour, after my presentations, hands would fly up, and woman would ask: “Can we go with you?”.
My first answer was, “I write books, stories…I don’t lead tours.”
And then I’d launch into giving these women all kinds of advice for their trips, just as I’d been doing with girlfriends for years, making lists that strung together my Golden Days in Italy into an itinerary that would make their Italian dream vacation come true.
With every presentation, and more books, more hands flew into the air, till finally I said “Yes” to the inspiration — THANK YOU WONDERFUL WOMEN! In 2012 the first Golden Week was launched…with three guests!
I design Golden Weeks exactly the way I love to travel with girlfriends. The itinerary mixes culture, history, art, great food, fabulous wine, artisan shopping, and activities (cooking and craft classes) so we LIVE Italian traditions. There’s a balance of group time and free time to discover on our own, lots of meetings with Italian friends who have come into my life over these decades of travel, and we always stay in a beautiful location and hotel where we can comfortably immerse ourselves for an authentic Italian experience.
AND everything is female-focused, with thanks to my fabulous local guide/girlfriends who love customizing their museum and walking tours so we discover Italian heroines of the past and present, and art that glorifies females.
These past 13 years have been filled with amazing experiences. It’s been an absolute joy to introduce women to places I’ve long loved, sharing discoveries together, seeing Italy through their eyes.
And again and again I’m inspired to watch the transformation — how in one week women are refreshed and enlightened by the pleasures of Italy, and how they form friendships that last well beyond our time together.
Since 2012, Golden Week locations have expanded from northern Tuscany to Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast, the Italian Riviera and Florence, the Italian Lakes, Sicily, Venice, Umbria and Rome, and another Golden Week in Tuscany based in Lucca. And because many women have wanted the trips to be longer, I’ve added Extra Golden Days in the Veneto and Extra Golden Days in Ischia to the offerings.
Women from all over the USA and Canada have joined in, bonding over a range of life experiences. We’ve celebrated milestone birthdays, and reunions between sisters and friends.
Many women have come solo, traveling on their own for the first time, taking a leap into the unknown, and experienced great happiness. I’ve been deeply moved by the courage of recent widows who made the choice to travel and found the Golden Week in Italy to be profoundly healing.
The small groups (max 14), have ranged in ages from 23 to 86, with mothers and daughters, sisters, girlfriends, and solo travelers all becoming one wonderful famiglia for the week. I’m thrilled that in recent years there have been so many returnees–women who have loved Golden Weeks so much, they come back for more! (Click to read the raves)
I’m forever grateful for those hands raised many years ago at book launch events, that became hands raised in happy celebration in Bell’ Italia!
Grazie Wonderful Women! I toast you for your Golden Idea!
I so look forward to more of you joining me for a week that will become an inspiration for a lifetime!
Click for Upcoming Golden Week Details…I hope to see you in Italia soon!
