Perhaps you’ve followed our previous two blogs, “Villa hopping in Italy” and “Savoring the good Life in Sorrento,” We came to Italy last April to search for the perfect villa for our guests next May. Renting a villa in Italy to savor the Italian lifestyle is one thing. Yes, you must select your villa very carefully to avoid surprises. We spent a week last April inspecting villas, speaking with the owners, looking into every room to ensure what we booked was indeed what we wanted. After inspecting a number of villas, we were successful in finding the right villa, the right location and an owner who would work closely with us to ensure all of our needs were met (and we had a lot of requirements). Alas, we could check that part of the equation off of our list.

Once the villa was selected, we began work on a ten day program that would not only show our guests the region’s incredible beauty but would also immerse ourselves into the Italian way of life (and have a little fun along the way). This is not an easy task. If you have been to beautiful Sorrento, you know that as charming as it is, the city’s streets are filled with souvenir shops and almost as many Americans as we find at home. Though it’s fun to wander the narrow lanes filled with ceramics, limoncello, the region’s famed inlaid wooden boxes and other souvenirs a time or two, we want more from our visit.

The farmer, his wife and their neighbors welcomed us warmly under the arbor outside their rural home. “Buon giorno! Welcome to our farm”. This family grows the region’s iconic lemons (large, like oranges, but shaped more like a football), olives and an extensive array of vegetables. This charming couple is planning to welcome our guests next May at their hillside farm near Massa Lebrense (just outside Sorrento.)

As we walked along the pathway to a grove of olive trees we realized that to farm this mountainous region requires some ingenious planning. “These olives are now ready for the mill. The nets you see spread out on the ground beneath the trees will collect the olives when we begin to shake the trees.” His neighbors had come to assist him and he would help them with their harvest on another day.

The lemons in the beautiful groves are the size of small grapefruit and the sweetest we have ever tasted. Used to make limoncello – that delicious drink enjoyed by Italians (and us) everywhere — the lemons are so sweet that the woman of the house cut them into thin slices, sprinkled a bit of sugar on top and we popped them in our mouth, rind and all! Fantastico.

After glasses of freshly-squeezed lemonade, we departed to visit another home nearby. There the family bakes the region’s traditional bread in a wood-fired oven. On it went throughout our day; visiting homes, talking with the locals and getting a glimpse into their lifestyle in this region, Campagnia.

When Paul and I arrived earlier in Rome, we rented a car to drive to Sorrento (about 3 ½ hours with luck). Paul was trying to be a polite, defensive driver. Here, however, you need tunnel vision and guts to survive. We did manage to get through our week without incident except for scraping one outside mirror along an old stone wall – I consider that well done.

We arranged to stay at the very villa we planned to use for 2011. I needed to “feel” the home, taking note of what I would need to add to ensure it would be comfortable and pleasant for our guests next year.

Shortly after our arrival, Giuseppe Masa, our local partner, came to the Villa to meet with us. Giuseppe was born in Capri and grew up in Sorrento. His mother still lives there on her own at 86 years. Giuseppe was planning to show us some hidden treasures and experiences we might wish to incorporate into our program.

Over the next five days our program began to really take shape. We found a historic palace, just outside Ravello, that was never open to the public. The owner, who lived there with his housekeeper, had begun to restore it, room by room, to its original grandeur. We were delighted when he invited all of us to have dinner with him one evening. Outside, a couple of streets away, we met with a man who planned to open an outlet store for cashmere sweaters. Cashmere, of course, comes from India but who better to design and create magnificent sweaters than the Italians. His sweaters, created for Italy’s fine designers, retail for 450 euro or more but through our contact, our guests would have the opportunity to see the factory and purchase items at as much as two thirds less.

Ceramics play a large part in Italian design and function and we wanted to add a twist to it. So through our contacts, we stopped just outside Sorrento at a ceramic factory that actually makes and sells its ceramics to the tourist shops in the peninsula. Our guests would have the opportunity to see these ceramics in production and purchase them at an attractive savings before they ever reached the shops.

We dined at a different ristoranti or trattoria for lunch and dinner every day during this week (such a hardship!). We found that some restaurants, though well rated, were so filled with tourists you had trouble feeling you were in Italy at all. We searched for restaurants where locals dine – simple but delicious – after all, that’s the essence of Italian cuisine.

Our program is still a work on progress. But we’re delighted with our progress and feel this will be a very special experience in one of Europe’s most beautiful places.

Ciao for now,

Christine & Paul

PS – To view our complete villa brochure, go to www.finevoyages.com/signaturejourneys. Scroll down to our “Savoring the Good Life in Italy”.