In a truly uber-competitive Italian DMC scenario, we pride ourselves on constantly searching for our own diversity, nurturing creativity, changing and enriching the very meaning of luxury travel with significant encounters, extraordinary (yet simple) adventures and emotional experiences.
Italy never goes out of fashion - not even in the worst over-tourism situations. Our purpose is to go beyond the obvious and ordinary and capture more of the aesthetic of the Italian lifestyle. made of simplicity, elegance and full of personality, Our connections are what we call our “heroes on the ground” and they are the people you want to meet with, talk to and spend time doing something truly extraordinary - eventually, leaving as a friend.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH SABRINA
What is your proudest business accomplishment?
‘The first thing that comes to mind is the 22 year-long history of my company: still small but thriving, a constant reminder to me that “small is beautiful.
The second, and thinking deeper, I believe I am proud of being a great team leader, being able to work with a lot of people, many of whom I trained and made them become part of this travel community. Lots of them have become long-life true friends and I believe this is the best fulfilment.’
What would your perfect holiday look like?
‘It depends a lot on the mood of the moment. Sometimes I long for solitude and remoteness, so, going sailing, which is one of my passions, or off the beaten path in the eastern and less touristic Dolomiti would work perfectly. Other times call for pure adventure, almost with no plan except for, maybe, just the final destination - a personal unpredictable, serendipitous way to discover places, meet people and explore different cultures. Two years and counting, with such serious limitations to the freedom of travelling, I feel the urgent need to cross borders and embark on an adventurous road trip somewhere distant, leading to genuine, non-contrived encounters with locals. Those contacts are the best way to build up empathy, get away from the constant cliques that hide in our mind, and ultimately experience all the magic of returning home enriched.’
Describe the most enriching family travel moment you have ever created or experienced
‘Once we had a young family, parents with two girls, around 7 and 9 years old. Dual career parents with demanding jobs, eager to spend a lot of quality time with their kids with days filled from breakfast to dinner with activities, museum visits and tours - contrary to our advice to keep a smoother schedule.
After the first two days, hot and humid as Venice can be in late June, the girls and parents were exhausted, not even able to talk to each other. Martina, our kids’ angel, soon realised there was a need for a change of pace: a pizza for the evening made the girls happy and an honest talk with parents did the rest. In the meantime, back office, we set up a simple, yet perfect, surprise for the day after: bikes were organised on Lido Island for a fun ride along the sea, while a picnic was set on the beach waiting for them. The plan was simple, nothing original, but it was probably what the family really needed: no pressure, nothing to demonstrate other than love and attention to each other. Needless to say the sea, the sun, the good food made it probably the best day in their whole trip.’
‘As a destination, Italy is on every traveller’s bucket list, and usually it ranks on top. The desire to see the beautiful sites, taste the delicious food, live the Italian lifestyle is so strong that it leads easily to the mistake of compressing as much as possible of Italy in just one trip, going often with the cliques. Our aim is to show how rich the Belpaese is in its diversity of landscape, history, language, tradition, intense flavoured food and wine, and teach the real Italian way: take it slow, enjoy the view, rub shoulders with locals and learn to enjoy the pure simple pleasures.’
– Sabrina Santi