This weekend, following a costumed procession through town, teams from the eight neighborhoods [contradas] of the Italian hill town of Montepulciano will compete for glory in the “Bravio della Botti” - a race rolling wine barrels over a mile up the main street of the town to the Piazza Grande.
At Piazza Grande, be sure to visit the Contucci Winery Cellars, famous for over 300 years for producing Montepulciano’s prized “Vino Nobile.” The cellars were built in the 13th century!

How to Experience Ireland on Your Own
Here are a few ways we can help you experience Ireland on your own:
1. B&B Vouchers. We can pre-pay you at over 900 3 and 4-star B&Bs. Your daily itinerary is unstructured and you just call ahead to book your next night’s room.
2. Pre-planned itineraries. Need a little structure? We can design your itinerary and pre-arrange your B&B stay as well as day tours and admissions.
3. Not sure about driving? We can arrange a professional driver for your and your group to take you on structured daily itineraries.
4. Always felt you were manor born? We have deals for itineraries that bed you each evening in elegant Irish manor homes or castles.
Please give Go Bucket List Travel a call at 804-557-3006 for more Ireland travel information and ideas and your 2016 early booking deals.

Tonight is a Magical Night In Pisa…..This is the best week of the year to be in Pisa, Italy. Tonight Pisa will celebrate the “Luminara di San Ranieri.”
Each year on June 16th buildings, bridges, towers and churches along the entire Pisan riverfront are illuminated by small glass-enclosed candles - some say over 120,000! The reflection off the water is magical. This tremendous effort dates back to 1688 as the citizens of Pisa come together to celebrate their patron saint.
Around 10 PM the city will erupt in a wonderful fireworks display…...Tomorrow crowds will line the river to cheer their district teams on for the 2 km boat race down the Arno River with a pole climb at the end to crown the winning neighborhood rowers.

It will be all about the beer in Munich, Germany when at noon on September 19th on center stage at the 10,000 person Schottenhamel tent, the Mayor of Munich will tap the first keg of beer opening the Octoberfest celebration. The party will run through October 4th. This year Munich expects to welcome over 1.5 million visitors for Octoberfest. This year there will be 14 awesome beer tents, a wine tent and 19 smaller venues.
We are booking clients to Munich and are still finding good accommodations, air and activities. Please give us a call for more information. Don’t delay!

Meet The Copper Master of Montepulciano

When we design your trip to Italy, we outfit you with ideas and plans that will give you the best opportunity to experience Italian life at your own pace and to gain understanding through the eyes of real Italians and artisans.
Thursday is market day in the Umbrian hill-top town of Montepulciano. As you walk up Via del Poliziano from the parking lot outside of the town walls, on right will be Via dell’Opio nel Corso. As you pass shops and markets you’ll see at #64 the Bottega del Rame with its horde of wonderful handcrafted artful copper works and premium culinary products that are cherished by master chefs around the world.

Further up the hill at Via del Teatro 4 you’ll find the workshop of the coppermaster himself, Cesare Mazzetti, a third-generation coppersmith. Drop in on Signore Mazzetti and you’ll be treated to a personal tour of his workshop and museum that will leave you overwhelmed with his passion for and love of the ancient art of copper.