Q & A
The most asked questions are below. I try to anticipate them by answering them here, but do contact me if you have more. I am happy to talk with you about personally. Contact me via my contact form or email anytime! (Alice@DivoraDestinations.com)
How many travelers?
Divora tours are meant to be intimate and small. You won’t experience a big tourist bus hauling you around a city to see touristy sites while being forced to wear a laniard ;) We are like family when we are together. A minimum of 2 people and a maximum of 10 only. Usually, a group of friends travels together to celebrate a milestone birthday, or a full family wanting an family-friendly organized experience, or a handful of couples who know each other well, or a couple wanting to travel for their honeymoon… If you’d like to join one of my culinary tours but don’t have others to join you, I will continue to offer your specific tour to other potential travelers. You will make life-long travel friends!
What time of year Are the tours?
Shoulder season in Italy is the best time to visit. My main tours, that happen year after year, are during the months of May and October, always! Each tour lasts at least one week, so I end up having 2 fabulous tours in May and 2 in October, allowing me to rest and reorganize between each tour. When I have special tours planned (those that are co-hosted by my trusty local friends or very special tours such as my Michelin Star of Rome), I always choose Late September, March or June. The special tours vary year to year. Examples of my special tours are our June week on the island of Naxos Greece, our late September week in Coastal Tuscany, and our 10 days in Romania. Other than these special tours, we have our regular - but no less special ;) - tours in May and October every single year. These include Rome, Sicily, Umbria and Puglia. Join us!
Do you offer custom dates and tours?
Absolutely YES. As a travel expert for Italy, I am more than happy to create custom tours on your desired dates. The catch is that I may not be available personally to tour you around (it all depends on whether your chosen dates are available to me, personally), but this does not mean I cannot plan and organize a perfect culinary tour for you to experience on your own. Whether on your own or with me, custom tours on custom dates are always welcome. This is especially useful if you have specific vacation days or if you would like an organized honeymoon (for example). My family of vendors and colleagues in Italy are trusted and always ready to meet you and have you experience cooking classes and more, even in my absence. Ideally, I’d be there with you for a complete custom tour! All we have to do is talk about it and organize.
What about my specific dietary needs?
I am often asked about being able to accommodate dietary restrictions on my culinary tours. Legitimate concerns! I am totally aware of the various needs of many of you to control what is eaten. I, myself, do not eat aged cheeses (yes to fresh cheese but no to aged cheese). So you see… I get it! ;) I absolutely can accommodate vegetarian diets, gluten free diets, pescatarian diets, and dairy free diets on any of my tours. Italian food misconceptions point to ALL pasta and ALL bread. ALL the time… This is totally untrue, as real authentic Italian food in Italy differs drastically from the Italian-American foods you may be used to in the USA. Authentic real Italian for in Italy is very varied. The Mediterranean diet is filled with vegetable dishes, and dishes that have nothing to do with pastas and breads. Delicious and elaborate salads are part of our diet, so are rice, potato and vegetable dishes, many of our dishes no not call for cheese, and all of our dishes are comprised of fresh local in-season ingredients that are only available in specific regions and at specific times of the year (making our dishes wholesome and farm-to-table). I always as each of my travelers for any dietary restrictions ahead of time, so I know how to organize for you.
I will be traveling through Rome on my own. Do you offer hourly Food & Wine experiences too?
YES! Divora’s in-house Sommelier is Alex. He is a full time resident of Rome, works at a prestigious restaurant in the historic center of Rome (one of our favorites!) and is a talented and passionate Sommelier. Through us, he offers one on one Food & Wine Tasting/Pairing Experiences for travelers passing through or traveling on their own. The Food & Wine tastings are catered to any level of wine expert, simply let us know if you are new to the world of wine or if you are an enthusiast looking to learn about small producers (and anything in between). We offer 3 options (please see the dedicated page for more details): a walk around central Rome for wine and food tasting/pairing and lesson, a private car to a nearby vineyard for a wine and food experience with an actual producer, a private wine and food tasting in your own rented home or apartment in Rome. Cheers!