To everything, there is a season. And now is the time for farewell. In late 2020, we decided to close La Dolce Vita Wine Tours after 21 years.
A confluence of factors led us to this point. Covid-19 was one, gutting our business last year, as it did to the travel industry as a whole. Burn-out was another factor. And don’t get me started on Google algorithms, which disadvantage small companies like ours.
When we founded La Dolce Vita Wine Tours in 1999, Claudio and I had no business plan, just a desire to have feet in both Italy and the U.S. We did that with much success. From 2000 to 2020, we expanded from a modest four tours in Piedmont and Tuscany, to 21 itineraries throughout Italy—from the Alps to Sicily—plus Spain and Portugal to boot.
We aren’t leading tours anymore—except on rare occasions for past clients. If you’re traveling to Tuscany or Piedmont, we’ll put you in touch with our freelance guides
Meanwhile, I’ll keep writing about wine, both for magazines and our blog, Living La Dolce Vita. I encourage you to subscribe; sign up on the right sidebar here. My magazine stories reside on my author website, www.PatriciaThomson.net.
You can also stay in touch through social media:
Twitter @dolcetours
Instagram @dolcetours
and our personal Facebook pages: Claudio Bisio and Pat Thomson
So goodbye, and thanks for the memories.
Pat & Claudio
