WOW trip to Italy

Summer-sky blue. And sea-deep blue. Those are the colours of the Mediterranean in May. Vibrant Majolica ceramics. Gorgeous Murano glass. Turkish-blue tiling on my favourite mosque in Istanbul.

Yes, we’re going on a summer holiday. All through Italy, via Istanbul. Just us girls!

Sumitra Senapaty, founder of Women on Wanderlust (WoW), will fly the gang out of Delhi at crack of dawn. Arriving early in Istanbul to hit the bazaar with hours to spare. (No smirking, scowling boyfriends coming between us and the shopping spree! That’s why it’s women-only, see?) A belly dance over dinner later. (Again, no possessive tugs at wandering eyeballs necessary!)

Next day, we’ll come, see, conquer Rome. Toss a coin in the Trevi fountain before admiring the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel.

Siena, Montepulciano, San Gimignano and Pisa next. Wine and cheese tasting in Tuscan farmhouses en route. Sampling cultural Florence, from Duomo to Uffizi.

A week out, we’ll wake in ‘Bologna the Fat’, to indulge purses and palates alike. And fall asleep in dreamy Venice. Doge’s palace and Basilica, a peek into the Murano factory, before drifting down in a gondola.

Reserving stamina for the grand finale: fashionable Milan.

Spin the compass. And say ‘Ciao, Italia!’

WOW in Italy: 10 days/9 nights, from 13 May, ex Delhi. Package price: Rs 1,06,000 per person (twin share), inclusive of airfares (ex Delhi, including taxes), Italian and Turkish visa fees, overnight stays, entrance fees to key attractions, and all transfers, meals and excursions listed in detailed itinerary. Transportation from other Indian cities extra. Contact: Sumitra Senapaty; ph: +91 9891655054; email: me@wowsumitra.com; www.wowsumitra.com.

Trendy readers get an exclusive discount of Rs 5,000 when making a deposit (50% of the trip costs) to hold their place by March 30th.