Culture Discovery Vacations

04/23/2025

(From Marta)
🇪🇸

I discover “I’m Flamengo”!
But first, one fun fact about me and Spain. I guess you that know me, knows that I speak very low. And why? I have my theses! When I was young everyone uses to call me “ grulha” or “ galega” because I used to speak so laud. Grulha means lumpy and “Galega” is a person from Northern Spain, from Galicia, and as we saw during our Madrid week, Spanish people can talk laud. So, I guess with time I manage to talk, lower and lower, because no Portuguese wants to be called “Spanish”. Turns out that I’ve discover some more things about me during this Madrid Tour. For those who were there, you may remember the explanation we were given about Flamengo. Besides all that we have been told about the origine of this dancing, that in the end is not only from the south of Spain, but it is a trip of lots of people, Gipsy, Arabic, Jewish, that came from Africa and later had influence from Chile and Brazil, rhythms from all over the southern hemisphere. But what left a mark on me was one single explanation that our Flamengo teacher told us, Flamengo is a reborn, meaning even when you come down you will come alive, again, the day after, hopefully stronger. Now about me, most of the time, when I have a problem, I talk with my father, sometimes I can even cry, while explaining my problems. The day after, Zé asks me “how are you?” and me- “I’m fine, why?” and my father starts explaining me why he haven’t slept the night before. He was thinking about my problems. Most of times my answer is “ah… that!” I gues I fall asleep and I “Flamengo”.
This was something I discover in this tour, I’m a little bit from all over the world, and I always reborn! I guess I will return next September to discover if I can dance Flamengo, at least I will train! Guess my problem is that I’m only Flamengo in my heart, not in my feet!

04/22/2025

(From Daniele) Madrid, Madrid, Madrid…what I have to say about Madrid? I was back from our launch in Spain, 10 days ago. A lot to catch up, then Easter, Family and some days of rest.
Do I want to tell you that it was a great vacations? that we met a lot of great people? that we did a lot of great experiences?! Oh yes, I could say that but this post is to give you my prospective, my emotions and my feeling about that.

You know I am Italian, I am part of CDV since we were operating only in Italy with only 2 destinations. At that time a trip in Bologna was a “dream” (Imagine Spain 😁), and we were starting working little by little to that dream… we got it. We opened Bologna in 2016 and then a lot of other destinations even out of Italy. You know this story, I don’t want you to read always the same things.

So what about me and Madrid Vacations we just ended up? I don’t know how to describe the feeling I have. We can do more and more and open new destinations without losing our soul and what CDV is. I am now sure about it!! 1000%

As usual, the inauguration week is, for alumni only, including some travelling with us since the beginning of CDV. With some of them I had some conversations and they asked me, please never lose what CDV is while you are growing. I promised them that we will never lose it, I told them that this is our goal and we are not losing the road. Portugal was an example, and later Croatia…new places where the style never changed, new places were our guests -and we - founded new friends.

Then talking with our guests I realised that, again, in a new country we got it! But first of all I understand that I am not alone anymore in doing this.

It was the first trip for me, where I was not fully involved in the development or the operations, despite some visits and calls at the beginning but it was all on Marta and the great team we now have in Portugal. At the same time will be the same with Uruguay and Maggie, Catalogna with Maggie, new Projects with Nikola and Chiara and so on…

Often our guests ask us: “how can you grow without losing your style”? I always explain that is about having people that think like us and embrace what we like and, I can add often, they do better than us.

But sometimes we also need to be brave in our decision and I will tell you a quick story about our trip in Spain. Especially the first time not everything can be perfect, we know this. Even if we visit a place, we set all the details, explain in what we are different it is not easy have people understand and not always things come out at the way we want.

Everything was over any expectations, some menus to improves, maybe less Tapas 🙂 but at a certain moment we did an experience that didn’t come out at the way we love. With the eyes of a regular tour operator it was perfect. Great setting, great food but something was not fitting what I think CDV needs. Again it was perfect!! For others but not for us.
At the end of the day when we were on the bus, I took the microphone and I told to all the guests that we were not happy. Some of the guests were super surprised about that. I spent time to explain them, but when the next day we did something much more in our style they got what I meant on the bus.

Well, I feel that we maintain the promise that we do to our guests and we did also with guests that travelled with us a lot over the past years!!

Even if, it was a perfect experience for anyone else, we didn’t take advantage, because if we do one time we could do more losing what we are. We prefer being transparent.

So for the rest OMG! Mireia private house, cooking a real Paella - and was the first time for me too -, Discover much more about bull fights traditions escaping from a complete wrong ideas, meet a Torero and Bulls Farmers having dinner with them and the family, dance traditional Spanish dances, blowing glasses, enjoy the vibrant Madrid with a lot fo great food but at the same time escape from it to discover nature, mountains and traditions at few miles from one of the most famous destinations in Europe…

So, Do we want to wait another year for all this? ~To meet again all those friends?
Do we have them to wait one year to meet the amazing CDV’s Guests?

No no!! So we are adding a new date for 2025!! 6/13 September 📆🥳
Hold on, something more…this week has also a potential super surprise.

If you want to come, don’t wait too long. As usual we are transparent, if we don’t get guests interested soon we will close the booking and look forward to 2026.

What do you think???

04/20/2025

In case you are wondering how our amazing Sicilian adventure continued… here are our pictures from the last part of our trip :)

We moved from the Ragusano countryside to the beautiful vineyards of Menfi. Staying in a Wine Resort has its perks… not only the astonishing landscape that sorrounds us but also all the constantly flowing amazing wines! Planeta Estate welcomed us with open arms to their resort, their kitchen and their wineries.

We also travelled back to greek times in the incredible Temple Valley, had a lot of fun preparing our own sausages in Valderice and got our feet wet at the Marsala Salt Flats!

What an amazing way to experience Sicily!

04/20/2025

04/16/2025

( From Michael ) - OK, so I am going to write one of these posts I write when I get emotional, ok? Don't like it? Tough... don't read ;-)

I'm sitting here in Florida, just looked at our recent Facebook and Instagram posts. I've been crazy busy writing code, and Paola and I are hopping across the pond at the end of this week. Looking at the photos from our Spain launch, the CDV host get-together in Soriano, and the first Sicily group of the year... not gonna lie, I'm feeling a little FOMO. OK, A LOT of FOMO!

But there was something bigger. For sure, seeing everything in Spain with Daniele, Marta, Inês, Mislav, Mireia, and so many dear guests... Well, EPIC! And seriously, I think I gained 5 pounds just looking at the pics!

Then I watched that video of all our hosts at the villa in Soriano... AGAIN. And something just swept over me. Go back, LOOK AT IT! What feels like 5 minutes ago, CDV was basically me and Paola with a crazy idea. But now I see this amazing extended family! Daniele used to be that really cool guy in Norcia. Then he became a dear friend, started working for CDV, and now is the most amazing co-owner of CDV in the world. Just before Covid, Marta was that person we met in Portugal when we were thinking maybe to expand outside of Italy, and there she is... a full partner in CDV now.... FAMILY!

But so much more than that! Look at that kitchen and all of those people. You're seeing our family from Italy, Croatia, and Portugal all in one place. The team all together, bonding effortlessly. FRIENDS. Loving what they're doing. LAUGHING.

And all of this right after Paola and I returned from Argentina and Uruguay, where there's an entirely new family ready to become part of this thing we created. And yeah, some are heading to Italy THIS YEAR.

Next time this happens, we'll have our Spain team there as well. It's not that WE are growing... our family is growing. I mean it. FAMILY! Go watch that video again! FAMILY!!!!

And breaking news: Already on our calendar, people from Iceland and France are coming this year, because that's actually in the works!

Back to this emotional feeling... I know some of you reading this remember when some of those people were little kids. Imagine how that feels for us! And to see all of those people in our kitchen, bonding like that... OMG! If I close my eyes and could go back to 2006 with me and Paola sitting at a little cafe at the beach in Porto Santo Stefano and show myself THAT video, I never would have believed it!!!

You see, until then I had two lives that were in constant conflict. Professionally, I had owned a very successful software company based in Los Angeles. It was a very cold and corporate life. And to be honest, I was a miserable person with a very impressive bank account and very expensive toys. We were part of the dot com boom in the 90's and early 2000's, and we had just sold the company. IT and software was all I knew, and I was going through something of a professional crisis. You know, I was 41... not exactly wanting to retire, but what now?

The other side of my life was in Italy, where we spent our summers. Everything we loved was part of THAT life. It was strange because when we were in L.A., we had all the trappings of success, I drove that "OMG" car, had the private planes, yada yada yada. But when we were in Italy, we had this SUPER simple life (No, the villa in Soriano did NOT look the way it does now), had a very basic little car, and we just "lived" life. But the thing is that we were always full of joy when we were there, and every single time we came back to L.A. it felt terrible.

And we had this stupid idea back then to start this little business almost as a hobby. Just to try to give people part of what "OUR" Italy was. Looking back, every year I am more and more amazed! And when I look at that video, all of THESE photos, and think that that little feeling we wanted to share is now in four countries and about to be in seven countries just blows my mind!

Here's the thing. Yeah, we've grown. And not gonna lie, CDV has similar success compared to our software company. But at least for ME, the real success is when I look at all of those faces, look at all of the lives we have been able to touch... look at all of the people that have touched OUR lives, and see that we created something that truly combines heart and soul with stuff that really matters... WOW! Just WOW!!!! People always say you should do what you love, right? I was VERY successful in software, and I was VERY good at it. But this? This I LOVE!!!

04/15/2025

What is our group up to in Sicily? We have left behind the fiery lands of Etna and Taormina and headed east towards Massimo’s beloved Ragusano. This area is well known for the beautiful baroque architecture of its towns and cities, as well as for the peaceful countryside where many cows roam… if you don’t trust us, just ask Chiara!

But is not all just landscape and culture… there is the food! We learn the mysteries behind the unique chocolate of Modica with Graziella, we prepare traditional scacce with Silvia, we make (and eat!) our own ricotta and provola with Giovanni in his dairy farm, and so much more!

And guess what? The adventure is not over yet! We’re now heading to our third destination in the island…

04/14/2025

(From Marta)
Madrid!

It was so intense that I came back home sick! ☺️
This first week in Madrid, happened after lots of scouting, with my partners and also with my friends, perhaps that is why it was so easy to come to this result! We have planed the first scouting trip tp April, and I invited some friends to spend the weekend in Madrid, Monday morning they left and we stay behind to “work”. In the endo of the scouting and after having “ some Copas” we decided let’s do it next year this same week!
This week was super easy for 3 reasons, in my opinion, first the group- was truly amazing! Easy going always ready to go to another adventure, and the only complain when we didn’t have a glass of wine before 12am. ☺️
Secondly we have part of the Portugal team with us, Inês was there and she knows pretty much every one, and Vitor, he was with us, and once again he was not only the driver, you can see by the pictures and videos, that he had fun!! And finally, Mireia blessed us with lots of immersive experiences. Of course that in the Scouting we have already tried all of them, but she understood what we were looking for.
Not everything was easy and in the beginning I dindt agreed in include the bulls or bull fights, but Michael and Daniele make their point – Bulls are one of the essences of Spain, along with Flamengo and Sevillanas, and we have it all! Just in the first visit to the “ finca” where the bulls were living their life freely and respectfully, I understood they were right and guess what, this turned to be one of the best experiences of the week!
Next thought is going to Mireia, that since the begging show us the experiences 100% CDV. I say it because I know form personal experience, it is not easy, when I did the frist week in Portugal, my feeling was that “ it all makes sense in my personal life style, but not in my professional experience, meaning I live CDV but worked in a different style. I guess in the end i´m too easy because the connection between CDV and me was pretty easy ☺️. And I believe it turns out to be the same with Mireia. The cooking classes at Mireia’s mother home were unbelievable, not only the food but the ambience was really amazing, as usually we cooked, and drunk and danced, we had parties, with great food and wine.
We also get an excellent hotel, with top location, near Gran Via, where everything happens but far enough to don’t hear the noise. The staff was really sweet and professional, guess the liked us as well, and they are waiting for our next time!

Bessides the cooking classes we had amazing food, eat like trully Madrillenos, we did Sangria, tried Vermute, and Madrid wines in a small winery. A liquid I like the most was Chinchon ( bless you!- private joke 😉)
Being there with Danieele was unbalivable but we missed a lot Paola and Michael.
One of the days I give my “ hello! “ to Michael, in the heat of the moment, but I guess he is not crazy by my “ hello’s”. I wanted to tell him that we miss them and that was the moment when I understood that we had a CVD week and that I understood what he feels, we go to places that no one goes!
Now whenever I go to our social media I watch and re watch the “awful “videos that Mislav made (everyday late in the evening!!), and I miss already the days we spent together!
So… I final thank you to all the loved ones that were involved in this first tour, Partners, team and friends!

04/14/2025

How to put into words the emotions we live in an inaugural trip? A reunion with old friends, the discovery of a new destination and all it has to offer… learning, exploring, experiencing a new country, new traditions and making new friends! España has opened its heart to us and we are happy to dive into its beautiful culture and people.

GRACIAS to all our wonderful alumni for sharing an incredible week with us. GRACIAS Marta & Daniele for creating and discovering this new destination that will be the home of great CDV adventures to come. GRACIAS Mireia for opening the doors of your home and your family.

CDV España 2026 here we go! 🇪🇸

04/10/2025

Espera, espera un poquito… Sicily is not the only place where our guests are having a great time - what about CDV Madrid that is happening right now?? WAIT - Did we say MADRID? As in SPAIN? SI!! CDV has landed in yet another country - España!!

Are you curious about what our new trip in Madrid is like? De p**a madre! The beautiful Spanish capital is our home for this incredible week of fun, friends, food and culture! Our dear friend Mireia has opened her home to us and shared her family’s recipes, where we not only cooked delicious traditional dishes but also painted our own botijo with Mireia’s niece, visited the medieval city of Toledo (check out the drone shots Mislav took! WOW) and to top it off we went to a glass blowing factory and blew our own glass!! Once-in-a-lifetime!

This is just a sneak peek… I’m pretty sure that from our stories you’ve seen that there is so much more going on! We will keep on sharing our amazing inaugural trip, stay tuned!

04/09/2025

WE ARE BACK!!! The 2025 Season has officially begun! And we cannot be more excited about a year that promises to be amazing!

Sicily is the first Italian location to welcome our wonderful guests - and we couldn’t have less than a troop of hosts there! Recognize some familiar faces? Chiara, Claudia, Linda and Maggie have invaded Massimo’s territory - they couldn’t wait a few weeks for Soriano, Amalfi or Bologna to start… so blessed Massimo amongst these crazy and wonderful women! 🤣🫣

What have we been up to down in this great island? We paid a visit to our beloved Etna 🌋, explored the gorgeous Taormina and turned green from all the pistachios in Bronte 💚

Stay tuned, this is just the start of a great Sicilian adventure!

PS: yes, that last one is a pic of Linda explaining how to “do something” 🤣 The result was pretty cool!

04/08/2025

( from Michael) - And so... T-minus 11 days until Paola and I are on a cruise ship headed to Italy for another 6 months on the other side of the pond! Not gonna lie... I'm bouncing off the walls with excitement right now!!!

So what's happening? Well, we've got some EPIC stuff lined up for this season. The locations are all locked & loaded, the magic cellar is stocked (Duh), and our amazing family is gearing up to create those pure CDV moments.

While Paola and I are still stuck in Florida for the next 11 days, CDV is already in FULL SWING! We have an amazing group experiencing Sicily right now, and our inaugural Spain trip is happening as we speak! Seriously, we are SO bummed we couldn't be there for Spain... but between the scouting we just did in Argentina & Uruguay, wrapping up last-minute stuff before 6 months in Europe, and prepping for this transatlantic cruise... well, we had to draw SOME lines not to kill ourselves, right?

And seriously, this season is gonna be INSANE! We've fine-tuned some of our experiences based on your feedback (which we seriously LOVE getting), and our incredible team has discovered some new secret spots that'll literally make you go 🤯 when you see them!

Remember those moments around the table, glass of wine in hand, laughing with people who were strangers just days ago? THAT is what STILL gets me on that over there every single time. Creating those genuine connections is everything!!!

(Side note: Packing for 6 months is absolutely ridiculous... currently staring at way too many suitcases and wondering how I'm gonna get all this on the ship. Some things never change! Hahahahah)

For those joining us this season... Paola and I CANNOT WAIT to see as many of you as possible! We'll be moving between locations but hope to connect with so many of you! For everyone else, well... we're gonna share all the behind-the-scenes moments so you can travel along with us virtually until you can join us in person!

Seriously, after almost 20 years of doing this, I still get butterflies before heading back to Italy... it never gets old. The food, the people, those magical little moments that just happen when you slow down and truly experience a place rather than just visit it. T minus 11 before I head back to my happy place :-)

Onward & Upward! 🙌🔥❤️

04/03/2025

( From Michael ) - OMG!!! 🤯 - I mean, Seriously!!! THIS is what I'm talking about when I say our Argentina & Uruguay trip is going to be NEXT LEVEL IMMERSIVE!!! Yep, that's a chicken getting a bath in the middle of a field, and YES... we're going to be doing this too!!! 🐔💦. OK, this pic is funny, but we will be doing the real deal.

And this isn't just ANY chicken bath - we'll be helping Maggie's ( ) brother Jorgito ( ) with his PRIZED chickens at his ACTUAL gaucho ranch! Yeah, he is a gaucho :-). This is the REAL DEAL, not some tourist stuff (Duh!) We'll also be herding cattle on horseback, grilling up the most EPIC asado you've ever tasted, and making empanadas that will literally change your life!!! And so. much. more.

This is all happening WINTER 2026!!! (Well, OUR winter - it'll be beautiful SUMMER down there!) We're talking WARM weather while experiencing the most authentic Argentina & Uruguay adventure ever created!!!

Seriously, this is pure CDV. Not visiting... we will become PART of the family and do the things that NO tourist would EVER get to experience! Paola and I fell in love with the people, the places... and yes, THE STEAK!!!! This is pure LIFE EXPERIENCES with real local families in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Punta del Este and DEEP in the Gaucho lands of Paysandú! Paysan - who? Paysandú, where Maggie was born and raided... where her family is! And trust me, it is off the beaten path, but it is where Paola and I wanted to be the whole time! I will NEVER forget those sunsets!!

After scouting and getting to know Maggie's family and friends, I can honestly say this might be our most immersive CDV trip EVER!!! Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Punta del Este, and experiences SO real we are still pinching ourselves!

And wait till you hear about the Carnaval celebrations WITH THE LOCALS!!! 🎭✨. You know, Mardis Gras, Argentina & Uruguay style... not watching, BEING.

Not gonna lie... I get emotional thinking about how Maggie's opened her heart, family and culture to create something that NOBODY who has ever visited these countries has experienced before.

This is what CDV is all about - REAL CONNECTIONS that go beyond tourism!

So who's ready for chicken baths and gaucho life?!? 🐔🤠

Onward & Upward!!! 🙌

03/25/2025

(From Daniele) WOW! What a week that was! 🤩🤩
After an amazing event Marta and I attended in Rome (we’ll tell you all about that soon!), from Friday to Sunday, we hosted our very first Host Reunion in Soriano! We brought together all of our incredible team members—the people who take care of you during your vacations—all in one place.

What an experience, what an event, what a blast!
I can’t even begin to describe the satisfaction and gratitude I feel for these amazing people who allow us to grow
and who truly embrace our philosophy… and if you’ve met them before, you know how true this is!

Huge thanks to Linda, Massimo, Larisa, Marika, Chiara, Claudia, Tomas, Camilla from Amalfi, Valeria from Naples, Lorenzo and Mattia from Tuscany, Mislav and Nikola from Croatia, Inês and Renata from Portugal, Luca and Elena from our Soriano office for being there. We brought together different nationalities in one place, but most importantly, people who share our same vision and passion for CDV.

Unfortunately, Michael and Paola couldn’t be with us in person as they are still (but not for much longer!) in Tampa. But Marta, Stefania and I were there, soaking up the incredible energy—and all the noise! Lol!😆

And a special thank you to Maggie—the one you email with, the host you may meet during your vacations, the person behind so many of the communications you receive, and much more! This time, she took a simple idea and turned it into an unforgettable event. Thank you!!

And of course, thank you to Carla, Katia, Rosaria, and Clementina, who—as always—worked tirelessly to make these two days absolutely unforgettable for all of us.

Just a few more days before we kick off the 2025 season in Spain and Sicily! Another spectacular year awaits, and our team is fired up and ready to go!
How exciting!!! 🚀✨

03/12/2025

What is "Luxury of Experience" in Small-Group Travel? Luxury of experience is a travel approach that prioritizes authentic connections, unhurried time, and exclusive access through personal relationships rather than traditional luxury amenities. Unlike conventional luxury focused on material comforts, this approach delivers unique opportunities to engage with local culture in ways that money alone cannot buy. The Moment Everything Changed: A True CDV Story…...

What is “Luxury of Experience” in Small-Group Travel? Luxury of experience is a travel approach that prioritizes authentic connections, unhurried time, and exclusive access through personal relationships rather than traditional luxury amenities. Unlike conventional luxury focused on material com...

03/11/2025

( From Michael ) - Wow! Finding the time to write here has been harder and harder, but this is where I always like to let go, so here we go!

So Paola and I just returned from a two-week trip to Argentina and Uruguay. Let's start with how this came to be! Last year (or was it the year before?) Maggie had been home with her family. She is from Uruguay. When she came back to Italy, I picked her up. I think I may have jokingly said "So do we have a trip ready?" Anyway, she was SUPER excited, and said she had been looking around and thinking how incredibly CDV this would be. And she started talking to all of her family... and and and. Well, she said she was sure she could put something amazing together. AND SHE DID.

This past 2024 season we spoke about it frequently, and Maggie worked on it when she had time. Before we knew it, this thing was a full on "GO" for scouting. Paola and I bought our tickets, Maggie kept planning, and away we went. We were super excited as well, because we finally got to meet Maggie's mom last autumn in Soriano, and absolutely adore her!

So we embarked on our flight to Montevideo, which sits right across the river from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Maggie picked us up with her friend Sofía. Yeah, VERY COOL!!!! Love her! And we went to dinner. Now, for some reason my phone didn't change from eastern time, so I really had no idea we were sitting down at dinner at midnight, but the steak was awesome and the place was so cool! I really had no idea what to expect for Montevideo, but wow! I kinda felt like we were in Italy. Really nice city for sure!

After dinner, MUST SLEEP. Maggie and Sofia brought us to our hotel (Very nice). I am not going to lie... this was my first time below the equator, so I had to see for myself that the water drains counter-clockwise. Check!

Then I fell asleep in about 2.4 seconds. Did I mention how good the steak was? I mean, it is Uruguay, right?

The next morning we were picked up by Maggie and Jorgito, and we started our drive out of the city for the drive to Paysandú, the town Maggie grew up in. Lots of Mate on the way and I quickly became happy we brought our own portable chagrining espresso machine. Love Mate, but dude! Coffee is life!

So Paysandú... Small, rural... and very "pinch yourself, because I know there are no tourists here". It is a small city, mostly agrarian. We got checked into our hotel. Not as nice as the one in Montevideo, but Nice. Clean. Simple. Small town, right? Still, the bed was awesome, the room was beautiful, and the air conditioning worked very well. Did I mention February is full summer there. Yeah, that!

Next we were told that we were invited to a wedding. HUH? Sure, Maggie's cousin was getting married and we were absolutely expected to be at the wedding. We had been in South America for less than 24 hours, and we were at a wedding. Like, seriously! It was done at Maggie's uncle's house (Gordo), and I learned that this was more of a pre-wedding wedding. The big one was happening weeks later, so there were only about 60 or 70 of Maggie's closest family at THIS one.

Gordo's place is a ranch (Yes, he is a Gaucho), and the property looked like something plucked straight out of a dream world. The landscape was breathtaking, the people were laughing, and... oh, look at those wild horses running over there! And then the sunset. It was like something on special order for an artist to paint the most beautiful sunset in the world!

And just over there was a fire with a huge grill on it, flames roaring and oh so much meat. The family was having an "Asado". Do I need to say more? If I do, you may fly down there right now!

And then the DJ started up, and the dancing began. LOTS of it, and it was obvious that this was going to be an all-nighter! Some of Maggie's cousins got me and Paola on the dance floor as we jammed away to modern Uruguayan dance music (Very good!!), and they quickly learned what an awful dancer I am! But then there was tons of conversation as we met everyone, and we fell in love with the whole family! But alas, a little jet lagged, we did need some sleep so Maggie dropped us off before returning for the all-nighter.

The next few days were really all about family and this amazing Uruguayan countryside lifestyle. Surely when you think of the word "Gaucho" you think of a steakhouse. But a Gaucho is essentially an Argentine or Uruguayan cowboy... but with their own unique traditions. Did I mention that Jorgito is a Gaucho (and a vet) and has a ranch with countless wild horses, cattle, chicken, etc? Oh, did I mention that Jorge, Maggie's dad is ALSO a Gaucho (and a doctor) with his ranch full of wild horses, cartel, chicken, sheep, etc.)?

We spent a great deal of time with the whole family. Took a horseback ride on one of the TAME horses, did another Asado at Maggie's dad's house, herded some cattle and sheep with Jorgito, did ANOTHR Asado at Jorgito's house, and one day made empanadas with Gladys at Jorge's house --- Literally the most wonderful and sweet abuela you will ever meet. And those empanadas? Let's just say I have never in my life tasted such amazing empanadas!

It was Carnaval time, and here it was all about a pared of "candombe" (Afro-Uruguayan drumming and dance). It was amazing to see how a smaller city does this, and really come together. The costumes were wonderful, the drumming was loud, and the dancing... unique :-)

There is so much more I could go on forever, but after few days we needed to leave. But aside from the beauty and wonder of WHERE we were, the hospitality and warmth of Maggie's family was enchanting. Everything I so love about Italy, but in Spanish.

Not gonna lie... I did NOT want to leave Paysandú, but we needed to move on. Off to Buenos Aires with Maggie and Jorgito. We made our way there for a few days, met MORE friends, and got the Buenos Aires experience. Various neighborhoods were so uniquely beautiful, but then others I would have sworn I was in Rome. Aside from the stuff that everyone does there,

I think the highlight for me was the Milonga. Look at it this way: If you do a tour in Buenos Aires, you can pretty much be guaranteed you will have a Tango show in the mix. Did we go to a Tango show? Of course not! In reality, Tango is just something people "do". They go to a Milonga (a dance hall where people gather to dance tango). These are generally small local places with tables arranged around a central dance floor, all all understand the etiquette of tango culture). Nt a show, the actual local culture. And of course Maggie has a friend who tried to tech me to tango (Epic fail), but oh so amazing!!!!

My other highlights were the food, the street culture and the markets. The street food in Boca was especially amazing!!!

Again, I cannot even begin to go through it all, but AWESOME! I was still missing Paysandú.

Finally we made our way back to Montevideo, and even more of Maggie's friends AND HER MOM!!!! We just fell in love with Montevideo! It is such a great city, and best of all, it was still Carnaval time there. Carnaval (Like Mardis Gras) in Uruguay is a celebration that lasts 40 days, making it the longest Carnaval in the world. At its heart are "murgas", dynamic performing group who blend powerful choral singing with theatrical elements and percussion... and SO MUCH COLOR! Murgas are at the heart of the Uruguayan spirit. Just so fun!!!!

We met with some of them, and I was so enchanted by their performances. Apparently the songs and comedy were quite political, but I have yet to involve myself in Uruguayan politics :-).

One day we made our way to Punta del Este. Basically this is the Saint Tropez of South America. Beautiful, upscale and different. Most notably, we made our way to a breathtaking beach there that advertised the most beautiful sunset in the world. So for sure when we do trips here we will have some sunset cocktails... and yes, the sunset was breathtaking, but nothing compared to the sunsets we had at Gordo's ranch!

And on the final day we chose where we will stay in Montevideo with groups, and all I can say it... O - M - G !

In the end, we were absolutely enchanted with Argentina and Uruguay, most of all... the people!

So is CDV going to do this? Oh yeah! This is locked in! It is going to be an amazing experience. We are thinking 13 days to do this right. And it is going to be an emotional roller coaster. One day you will be in Ana amazing historic upscale hotel on the beach, and the next day you will be in a simple countryside inn. One day you will be dining in one of the best steak houses in Argentina, and the next you will be grilling up an Asado on a remote ranch. One day you will be learning Tango in a Milonga, and another day we will be traveling to performances with a local murgas group... and one day we will be making empanadas in a country home, and yet another we will be making "alfajores" with amazing dulce de leche in the city. And all along, with Maggie and her AMAZING family!!!!

When? Carnaval! Late January to Mid February.