Event #2388

Viva Italia Letterboxing Tour!!!

Milano, Lombardy, Italy

Registered Boxes: All Traditional HH/Cootie/Flea Postal LTC Event Box Traveler Other

Starts	Wed October 24, 2012 5:00pm
Ends	Wed October 31, 2012 5:00pm
Owner	markandsuepepe
Admins	markandsuepepe
Signups	13/∞
Location	Milano, Lombardy, Italy View Map
Website	https://www.rivieratours.com/index.php/european-tours/tour/classic-italy
Add to Calendar	Google calendar ICS file (e.g. Outlook, iCal, etc.)

Description

Join Sue & me as we travel to most of the important cities and museums, churches and sites in Italy. Included cities are Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Verrazzanno, Venice, Verona, Lake Como and Milan! This 13 day guided agenda features something for everyone with plenty of free afternoons for some self exploration or letterboxing or even the Italian pastime - people watching!

Every breakfasts, 9 dinners and 1 lunch are included in base fare as well as entrance to all venues, all bus and high speed train passes, bellhops and luggage handling, tips to area tour guides and much, much more! Airfare is additional but we will secure group airfare from JFK, NY to Rome; then, from our last city, Milan to JFK.

Trip Dates are October 24 to November 6 (AQ only allows a maximum of a week to post events)

Visit the tour's Classic Italy Tour homepage on Riviera Tours website and click on the individual tabs for an overview, itinerary (including links to 4 star accommodations throughout the trip, and more!
https://www.rivieratours.com/index.php/european-tours/tour/classic-italy

Basic details can be found here: http://pineconeboxing.jigsy.com/entries/general/some-more-italy-trip-info

Hope that you can join us on this once-in-a-lifetime excursion to visit the highlight's of remarkable Italia - all while in the company of a great group of letterboxers!

A Pinecone Adventure - where you can expect the unexpected!

Jan 24, 2012: Yahoo Talk List Set up!
I know - it's way early but we have a lot to plan, right? Like the AK trip, this is protected from anyone not coming on our trip so you'll just have to identify yourselves when you join. I'll try my best to get you approved right away although there isn't much there yet but a few links.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vivaitaliaboxing

Mark

Jan 27, 2012: Airfare
Please do not buy any airfare until Riviera Tours confirms that there are a minimum of 20 travelers on their October 25th tour.

I'll take care of finding the airfare from JFK to Rome; Milan to JFK. I have a few flights in my sights now. You will be responsible for booking airfare from your home to JFK.

I'm told we're early in the process and by April they should have their minimum. If our group gets to 20, then we're all set but we're at about 6 to 10 right now.

Thanks,

Mark

Feb 20, 2012: Italy Trip Deposits
Caio!

I have the contact info for booking your Italian trip with Sue & me.

Contact: Karli Deakin
Travel Consultant
Riviera Tours
501 Kings Highway East
Suite 200
Fairfield, CT 06825

Toll Free: 888-887-9860
Fax: 888-887-9861
Open Monday through Friday only (8am to 4pm)

Tell her that you are part of Mark Pepe's Pinecone Adventures trip. A $200 deposit per person will hold your reservations. Balance is due early August.

We are still awaiting the outcome of reaching the 28 person minimum for this tour to depart on the specified dates. The $200 deposit is non-refundable UNLESS they cancel the tour date to which it is applied. Then, they will refund it.

Ask Karli any questions you might have. She knows we're arranging our own group airfare from JFK, NY to Rome and returning from Milan to JFK. She might be able to help you with reaching and returning from JFK if you'd like but that should wait until we have booked our JFK airfare so you can mesh your individual itinerary with the group's.

That's it for now. If any of you have not joined the Yahoo talk list, please do so as this will serve as our main line of communication as it did for the AK cruise.

Thanks,

Mark

Jul 27, 2012: Viva Italia Trip Update
Hi Gang,

First of all, a big thanks to our fantastic researcher, Judy/SSB, for all of her efforts. You continue to amaze us! Are you planning to carve a whole bunch of stamps like you did for Alaska?

I heard from Karli today from Riviera Tours. Our trip is sold out at it's maximum of 39 participants; including 12 of us from Pinecone Adventures.

Final payment (for those of you who haven't yet made them) is due by August 31. Karli will send out reminder emails a week before they are due.

I also learned from Karli that the airline consolidator, who matched my best internet price for air, has put us all in the same section of the plane for both trips. We're in the back! He must have spoken to our tour leader from the Alaska trip! Hopefully we won't have to hear about the advent of running water in our Italian tour director's home! :-)

As of today, according to my AQ counter, our trip begins in 89 days! It just can't come fast enough. Everyone who we speak to that has been to Italy says 2 common things: our itinerary is just perfect and we're hitting all the important places. Secondly, they all either rave about Lake Como or say it's a place they've been dying to visit. Sue has a 92 year old patient who was born in Italy and said it's his most favorite spot in the entire country. I feel more confident with the tour and its agenda with each passing day.

We look forward to joining you all on this trip. This trip has a special meaning for Sue & I and we are so pleased that you can join us on our first trip to the home of our grandparents!

Ciao!

Marco

Oct 12, 2017: New Pinecone Adventure
Hi there,

Since you joined us in the past, thought you might want to know about our latest adventure - a Hawaiian Letterboxing Cruise.

Link is https://www.atlasquest.com/showinfo.html?gEventId=3906

Sorry if you receive this multiple times.

Mark

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