Travel with Me: Valentine's Day in Italy!

This is a big week!  First Passports with Purpose and now...

I am excited to announce the details of my next trip to Italy, and you are invited! Travel to Florence and Rome, the most romantic places in the world, this Valentine’s Day: February 11-22, 2009. For those of you in Northern California, you will know KCRA’s former television journalists, Dave Walker and Lois Hart. They are celebrating their retirement in Michelangelo’s Italy , and there is room for just 16 people to join them.

I am particularly excited that Dave and Lois will be on this trip.  They are distinguished journalists with lots of stories to tell, and I am looking forward to getting to know them!

I will be the tour escort, as usual, and I'll reveal the stories and secrets of Italy’s most romantic cities and to uncover the passions of Italy’s most renowned artist. We will read Michelangelo’s love letters and sonnets in the cities where they were written. You will see his art through a new lens -- that of a devout and romantic creator.

Cozy up together in splendid little hotels right in the heart of each city. Linger over breakfast each morning. Experience the cobbled streets and quaint alleyways of Florence. Make Valentine’s Day unforgettable with a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or pose for a portrait together at Piazzale Michelangelo. Enjoy the bustling thoroughfares and layered history of Rome. Drink Italy’s finest wines and eat like the Medici at meals hosted by Lois Hart and Dave Walker.

This is a group tour that will not feel like a group tour! No buses.  No crummy meals.  Lots of time in each city.  And, of course, I will be with you every step of the way.

Read all about the trip on my website:  Michelangelositaly.com .  

To reserve your place, we must receive a deposit by December 29.  More details on the booking page at Michelangelositaly.com .

Questions?  Let me know!  I hope to see you all in Italy for Valentine's Day!

Ciao!

Passports with Purpose: the Prizes!

Update (Dec 2):  

Scroll to the bottom of this post to see a list of the basket's exact contents.  You'll be feeling pretty!

Just what exactly can $10 do these days?
Well, it can buy half of a flock of chicks. And that flock of chicks then can lay eggs for the family that cares for it, providing protein for the family's meals. And that flock of chicks can also lay eggs that become more chickens. And those chickens can lay eggs which the family is able to sell in the local village so that the family has money to send the children to school. And they can send that child to school with a tummy full of eggs or even some roasted chicken so that child can concentrate better in class. And then that child can grow up to raise more chickens... or to teach other children... or... well, who knows what that child might do!

Passports with Purpose
This year more than 25 travel bloggers, including me, are banding together to raise money for Heifer International , an organization dedicated to bringing flocks of chicks and other livestock to families in need. You know that saying about teaching someone to fish? Well, that's what Heifer International does. And we travel bloggers believe that is a powerful thing!

How are we raising money?
By having a raffle with fabulous prizes ! I have an amazing prize lined up, but check out the prizes page too. Here's what you do to enter:

1. The prizes are listed here . Check them out and find the one you want.
   
2. Write down the code for the prize you want.
   
3. Go to the Passports with Purpose First Giving page . For each $10 donation you make, you’ll be entered into the raffle for the prize of your choice. Be sure to enter the prize code in the comments field on the form. And please, don’t hide your email. We won’t share it, but we do need to see it to tell you if you’ve won.
   
4. Tell all your friends. Tell all of your friends. Spread the word far and wide. This isn't a secret! Tell the world! Shout it from the rooftops! Twitter about it. Blog about it. Email about it. Oh, and talk about it, too!
   
5. Cross your fingers! The drawings will be held on December 30, 2008, and winners will be notified by email.

You’ll get a receipt for your donation from First Giving . And check to see if your employer does matching contributions. If so, please provide that information when you make your donation.

And now for the grand unveiling... what did I get for the raffle?
Well, you all know that travel can be hard on the skin. Our dermis is our largest organ, and it is pretty darn important since it holds all of our insides inside. So, when I travel, I don't skimp on the skin stuff. Never! We must love our bodies whether we are relaxing on the beach in Bali or climbing Machu Picchu, right? And while the ancient Romans slathered themselves in olive oil, I don't think you will need to do that, because you could win...

An incredible gift basket from the SkinStore.com !

I will pick up the basket itself this afternoon, and I will post the exact contents here later, but the basket is valued at more than $200!  I've got it!!
Are you feeling pretty?  You will be now!  The SkinStore.com has donated a fabulous gift basket loaded with goodies to keep your skin looking, feeling, and smelling fabulous.

For your body…

• Philip B:  Chai Latte Soul & Body Wash
  
• Pevonia Botanica:  Self-Tanning Emulsion 

For your face…

• Sothys Paris:  Desquacrem (emulsion for a deeply cleansed, radiant skin)
  
• Sothys Paris:  Purifying Beauty Milk
  
• Sothys Paris:  Normalizing Lotion
  
• Canyon Ranch:  brightness eye cream 

For your hands…

• ~H20 +:  hand & nail cream
  
• SpaRitual:  nail lacquer

For your hair…

• Oscar Blandi, pronto:  dry shampoo

And you'll smell fabulous…

• Clean: eau de parfum (1 fl oz.)
  
• Clean Warm Cotton: eau de parfum (1 fl oz.)
  
• Clean Ultimate: eau de parfum (1 fl oz.)
  
• Clean Shower Fresh: eau de parfum (1 fl oz.)

All of those items are packaged in a darling basket with a bunch of SkinStore.com samples, too.

And just because I like you, I will throw in an autographed copy of my book, A Journey into Michelangelo's Rome .  It's like a spa in a basket complete with great reading material!

So, pull out your debit card and get to giving ! And thank you for supporting Passports with Purpose and Heifer International !

Just what can $10 do?  
Win a huge gift basket and help people all over the world become self-sustaining.  That's a lot!

Photo Friday: Two Nuns in a Photo Booth

It sounds like the beginning to a joke, "There were these two nuns in a photo booth..." but you see these kinds of things in Italy.  I was waiting for my train in Florence, Italy, and I sat watching two nuns (I think they were actually novitiates)  taking their photos in this booth.  They were both quite young, and they were laughing and joking around with each other -- clearly having a great time.  I suddenly thought, "Well, of course they are.  Just because they have taken on a religious vocation doesn't mean they can't have fun and enjoy friendship." It was a lovely moment there at the train station in Firenze.  Ciao!

Happy Photo Friday !