Welcome to Sprit of Italy Tours, a boutique travel company offering small groups of travelers intimate journeys to Tuscany.

My name is Vicky Gray-Clark and I’m what is affectionately known as an Italophile, one who loves all things Italian. When I traveled to Italy for the first time as a college student and stepped onto Italian soil I had a strange physical sensation as though I had been there before. This déjà vu experience was profound and seeded an intense love affair with the country. Italy continues to have a spiritual pull on my soul which remains to this day. In short, io sono inammorata (I am in love with) the people, the language, the food (bread, cheese, pasta, coffee and chocolate), the art, the music, the history, the forward fashion sense, the architecture, the indescribably lush landscape and most of all the Italian’s appreciation of beauty which permeates every facet of their culture and daily life.

During that first trip I traveled to the Tuscan countryside and became enamored with the sights and the quality of the golden light that shines on the olive trees and grape vines that dot the sloping hillsides. And, ever since, I have harbored a dream to live in an old Italian farmhouse. Today, restoring farmhouses has become quite common, even fashionable, and these establishments are now designated travel destinations called agriturismo’s (farm house holiday’s) where tourists can discover the flavors of Italian life in the countryside. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to return to Italy many times for both business and pleasure. Recent trips to the country allowed me specifically to explore the Valdarno region of Tuscany in the Autumn, a time where the leaves are changing color and the grapes and olives are ready for harvest. Olive picking was a highlight of several of our trips.

Harvest Italia 2013 is the culmination of my myriad experiences traveling in Tuscany. The essence of the tour is focused around picking olives, a fun, relaxing and family friendly activity.

Plans for the boutique tour started nearly three years ago as a labor of love with visits to the region to scope out lodging and restaurant establishments as well as off-the-beaten track destinations that would give guests a snap-shot of life during the harvest season.

Harvest Italia 2013 is geared to individuals, couples, or families (an ideal family reunion activity) as a way to not only experience the olive harvest but to explore the bellissima Italian countryside in a low-key, slower paced way. It affords guests the security and time-saving options of a planned schedule of events, but also allows people to explore at their own pace, as desired. To insure that we can travel more authentically the tour size will be small, limited to no more than 12 adults (plus children).

Please browse the site and check out the itinerary and tour description for additional specific details. I will be frequently updating information on the site, so please stop back. In addition, I invite you to check out, iTravelscapes.net, our full-service Internet-based travel agency where you can book airline tickets, and more.

It is with the deepest pleasure that I invite you to join me for Harvest Italia 2013 in what promises to be a rich, magical and rewarding experience. And, please remember — bring your enthusiasm!

Grazie e Andiamo!

Vicky Gray-Clark
Founder & Referring Travel Agent
Spirit of Italy Tours
www.spiritofitalytours.com