Andiamo! Citalia Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

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A Day in the Life of a Personal Travel Planner Lucia Burletson explains exactly what her role as a Personal Travel Planner involves and what guests can expect when planning a tailor-made holiday with Citalia. I’ve been working for Citalia for over six years now and so intimately know not only Italy, but the ins and outs of what makes for a great personalised holiday in this incredible country. Except for repeat guests who have travelled with me before, my role always begins with a phone call, or receiving a quote request through the Citalia website. Then I’ll make the introduction and start getting to know our new guest. Myself and all the team are very flexible about when we can speak to our guests - evenings and weekends are naturally a popular time. Crafting a tailor-made holiday is so much more than just asking about the duration, dates, and number of travellers, it's about intimately getting to know interests and desires. I tend to ask exactly what three things you would expect or wish for in a holiday, and this usually helps get the conversation flowing. The most common question I get asked is do we offer excursions and the answer is, of course! Thanks to our long-standing on-the-ground presence, we’re able to arrange queue-skipping for popular attractions like the Vatican in Rome or the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I’ve had a guest ask to spend a night at the opera in Venice, while another wanted me to book a special Andrea Bocelli concert in Tuscany as tickets were hard to come by, but I did successfully secure them for her! I’ve had guests who request a private English-speaking guide and chauffeur to take them to multiple historic sites, such as Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, which we can always organise quite quickly. No itinerary is ever the same. We can arrange very specific requests even before you’ve confirmed your trip. For example, if you’re scared of heights and want to ensure you’re on a lower floor in your accommodation then we can do what’s called a condition of booking and receive a guarantee in writing from our hotel partners prior to you even paying your deposit. 16 Citalia.com
I frequently book special occasions like honeymoons or special birthdays, particularly to Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast, and I always try to arrange special treats and extras for such occasions with our Italian partners. Even if someone doesn’t know exactly what they want or where they want to go - which is quite common - it’s my job to pick up on the little details and make specific recommendations for both destinations and accommodation accordingly. This is where all the product knowledge that I’ve gained over the years comes in handy. Unlike other travel companies that have thousands and thousands of hotels in their collection, which can be quite overwhelming to choose from, we hand-select all our hotels. Most of these are excellent fouror five- star hotels, with the odd three-star boutique family-run hotel in the city, which are up to our high standards and usually do the job for guests who intend to be out and about exploring a lot. We usually give a couple of options within your specified budget. What Citalia is really good at is arranging holidays that hop around from place to place and offer variety - perhaps the lakes and a city, or the beach with the countryside. Italy is so diverse, and we can help you piece it all together. We can create numerous iterations of your itinerary, obligation-free, until you are completely happy with our suggestions. We can also include a variety of travel options, including rail and selfdrive, and we always include transfers throughout our itineraries as standard. It’s so much easier for us to sort it all for you, so you don’t have to worry about organising all the small little elements separately. What’s more, your trip is fully protected through ATOL and there’s always support along the way should you need it - either by emailing us or contacting our out-of-hours emergency number, should you have any difficulties, be it leaving your wallet in a taxi or your phone charger in one of the hotels! Our operations team are really on it - and good at identifying and fixing issues, such as a cancelled flight, even before our guests realise there’s been any problems. We have a lot of guests who have never been to Italy before. Some choose to book one of our escorted small group tours, which are completely exclusive to Citalia. I’ve noticed that first-timers in Italy often like to combine a city break with the countryside, be that Florence with the Tuscan countryside, or Rome with Sorrento. What’s popular now are the Italian lakes - often combining Lake Como with Lake Maggiore, while Lake Garda is the current favourite destination for family holidays. The first work trip I ever went on was to Lake Garda, and I went on a day trip over to Venice, which I didn’t realise you could do. It was such a great idea for guests who only want to unpack their suitcase once, that this has since become one of my favourite tips for guests travelling to this region! A destination that I’d say is overlooked is Calabria, due to the fact there are less flights going there, which is a real shame as it’s not as crowded and has a much more traditional Italian spirit. My ultimate Italian destination, hands-down, is Sorrento. I prefer to visit in October when it’s quieter but still really warm, and when there’s a beautiful light - in fact I’m planning to get married there myself next year! Having said that, I’m quite biased as my grandparents come from a town just outside of Naples, so Sorrento is in my blood! It’s quite common for guests who are travelling on business in the area to arrange an extended trip for family members, and I love the logistics of bringing these types of holidays together. The largest group I have booked a holiday for was a family of 14, all of whom were flying from different airports and on different days. They ended up staying at Forte Village in Sardinia on my recommendation, as it had something for all their different ages and interests! I get a real buzz out of receiving feedback from guests after they have returned from their holidays, and it’s such a sweet gesture when they specifically phone up to tell me how their trip went - it makes my job feel really worthwhile to be helping create holidays of a lifetime. One of the kindest words came from a guest who travels with us every year with her family of triplets. She was taking a holiday in Australia last year and she said, “I wish I had a ‘Lucia’ to organise my Australia trip too!” Interested in a Citalia holiday? Speak to Lucia or one of her fellow Personal Travel Planners on 01293 765061 Spring/Summer 2023 Andiamo!
Page 1 and 2: Spring/Summer 2023 Andiamo! Indiana
Page 3 and 4: WELCOME Andiamo! The Explorer Hello
Page 5 and 6: CONTENTS 36 The Magic of Lake Maggi
Page 7 and 8: INSIDE ITALY TRENTINO- ALTO ADIGE F
Page 9 and 10: COVER STORY Parco Archeologico dell
Page 11 and 12: INDIANA JONES IN SICILY Trapani The
Page 13 and 14: Ravello Arguably the most romantic
Page 15: TREASURES OF THE COAST Capri Capri
Page 19 and 20: Hotel Covo dei Saraceni Embrace the
Page 21 and 22: ITALY'S LUXURIOUS RESORTS Excelsior
Page 23 and 24: ADVERTORIAL Days 1-3 Palermo Start
Page 25 and 26: The Big Dig: Paestum The stories of
Page 27 and 28: Have you heard of the Basilicata ca
Page 29 and 30: THE LOST FOODS OF ITALY Finding Loc
Page 31 and 32: Rome Beginning in Rome, to truly ge
Page 33 and 34: UNEARTHING ROME & TUSCANY Toscana R
Page 35 and 36: A 7 night holiday in Calabria, stay
Page 37 and 38: Lake Orta To the west of Lake Maggi
Page 39 and 40: THE MAGIC OF LAKE ORTA & LAKE MAGGI
Page 41 and 42: I absolutely loved the Sansevero Ch
Page 43 and 44: Have you heard of the poetry cave o
Page 45 and 46: Laveno Mombello | Lake Maggiore Bru
Page 47 and 48: UP, UP & AWAY Monte Solaro | Capri
Page 49 and 50: With its impressive untamed coastli
Page 51 and 52: Discover the Real Italy "Knowledgea

Andiamo! Citalia Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

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