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The Culinary Tour JournalThe Culinary Tour Journal

  • Home
  • Small Group Travel
  • Luxury Travel
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Culture & Lifestyle

Unveiling the World of Luxury Experiential Travel


Luxury experiential travel focuses on providing unique and immersive experiences for travelers, allowing them to engage with local cultures and environments in a more meaningful way (National Geographic). And so… it’s time to totally redefine what luxury travel means in travel, moving beyond traditional opulence to...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • March 26, 2025
  • 1
Luxury Travel

Why Small-Group Travel is the Ultimate Luxury Experience


What is “Luxury of Experience” in Small-Group Travel? Luxury of experience is a travel approach that prioritizes authentic connections, unhurried time, and exclusive access through personal relationships rather than traditional luxury amenities. Unlike conventional luxury focused on material comforts, this...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • March 12, 2025
  • 2
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 13: “Two Guys and a TuTu”


As with every post in this series, if you are jumping in here, it is like jumping into the middle of a movie. Please start with Part 1, or this will make absolutely no sense. It’s been a while since I posted an article in this series!  Sorry about that! But to get you in the mood of 1984 and where my...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • April 21, 2023
  • 9
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 12: “Bury The Mice In The Ground… Slowly.”


12th part in a series of the story of an American moving to small town Italy in the 1980's, learning the culture and finding a lifetime love.

  • Michael Kovnick
  • August 5, 2020
  • 9
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 11: “Winter is Coming”


If you are just jumping in here, please start with Part 1. It is January 1985 now, and the weather has been in the mid 70’s in L.A. Now I know many people reading this think OMG! Mid 70’s in January, but I am an L.A. native, and you just have to understand things in context. To me, when the daytime...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • July 17, 2020
  • 16
Personal

My Life in Italy, Part 10: “Paola Meets The Megalopolis”


In Part 10 of the My Life in City series, we are back in Los Angeles. But this time, it is Paola's first time in the United States, and me showing her MY world.

  • Michael Kovnick
  • June 30, 2020
  • 3
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Culture
Culture

What To Expect From Italy in August


As you might know, August is an off month for us, we don’t usually offer tours during August for a few reasons. Kids and Teachers are out of school and the idea of vacation is on everyone’s mind, lots of...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • August 5, 2017
  • 3
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Culture
Culture

The Tuscan Connection to Groundhog Day & Punxsutawney Phil


Groundhog Day in Italy?   Well, not really, but let’s say Punxsutawney Phil may just have a long lost ancestor in Tuscany.   Every year, Phil gets taken out in a bug celebration for what we, in America...

  • Michael Kovnick
  • February 2, 2017
  • 2
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Culture
Culture

Italian Christmas Cookies: Brutti ma Buoni


Total Time: 55 min Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 40 min Yield: 2 pounds of cookies Ingredients 1 pound sliced almonds, lightly toasted 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 7 large egg whites 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon ground...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • December 20, 2016
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Culture
Culture

Italy’s Earthquake- Questions Answered


What Happened? As I’m sure everyone knows by now, central Italy got hit pretty hard with a 6.2 magnitude earthquake. For those that did not grow up in a very earthquake prone area, that may not mean much, so here is a breakdown...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • August 26, 2016
  • 3
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Culture
Culture

How To Do Rome in 2 Days


So you don’t have tons of time in Rome, that’s okay! You definitely can’t see Rome in a day, but you can get a good amount of Rome checked off your list in two. -Day One- First things first, you can’t...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • June 2, 2016
  • 6
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Culture
Culture

The Medieval Chestnut Festival of Soriano nel Cimino


Each year, the town of Soriano nel Cimino holds a huge festival called “Sagra Delle Castagne” or the Chestnut Festival. The town is well known for its top of the line Chestnuts and there is no shortage of them....

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • February 19, 2016
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Culture
Culture

25 Tips For Traveling In Italy


With all the experience the CDV staff has collected from living and working in Italy, we thought it would be nice to share some of the things we have learned that make visiting Italy, that much easier on you. Most of these...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • January 11, 2016
  • 3
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Culture
Culture

Tuscan Pumpkin Soup


  Pumpkin everything isn’t only a big deal in the United States of Starbucks, Italy loves their fair share of pumpkin recipes as well, here is Carla’s delicious pumpkin soup that she makes during our fall Soriano...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • December 8, 2015
  • 4
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Culture
Culture

Italy: Where Even The Graffiti Is Romantic


If you’ve been to Italy, you may or may not have realized the very real graffiti problem. Such a beautiful country, with historic and significant buildings, covered in graffiti. It drives me insane, you can find some form...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • October 27, 2015
  • 1
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Culture
Culture

The Best Tuscan Bean Recipe Ever


On Thursdays in Soriano we go to a winery and olive mill and learn how their exceptional extra virgin olive oil is made. After a tour of their olive mill, Serena (the owner) treats us to some home made food out on the terrace,...

  • Alyssa Saltzman
  • October 12, 2015
  • 1
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Culture Discovery Vacations
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Authentic culinary experiences with Culture Discovery Vacations

Experience the true meaning of luxury travel with Culture Discovery Vacations - the leading small-group culinary tour operator, offering immersive experiences that go beyond traditional opulence.

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  • abdessamed gtumsila on My Life in Italy, Part 13: “Two Guys and a TuTu”
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  • My Life in Italy, Part 5: “If feathers are floating, It’s chicken for dinner” - The Culinary Tour Journal on My Life in Italy, Part 3: “Scratch Your Balls 13 Times and never make eye contact with the Witch”

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