The Ultimate Valentine

Tens of millions of tourists see Venice each year. But hardly anyone knows about the heaven-on-Earth Prosecco Road less than one hour North.

And yet this may be the most beautiful wine country in the world, with a fantastic and wildly underappreciated culture.

While everyone is familiar with the City of Venice, the islands and lagoon, the culture of medieval Venice responsible for that city was part of the larger "Serenìsima Repùblega Vèneta," which means "Most Serene Republic of Venice" in the Venetian language. The "country" of Venice extended all the way up to the Prosecco Road to the mountains beyond.

During our incredible Prosecco Experience, we explore the wonders of Venetian culture — the incredible food, wine, architecture and history — which lasted for a thousand years.

The Prosecco Road itself connects the beautiful towns of Conegliano and Valdobbidene and all the charming villages between, winding over brilliant green vineyards and forests. The landscape is breathtaking and picture-perfect.

The castles, abbeys, historic towns and incredible beauty of the Prosecco Hills should be well known to every Europe-loving traveler. But the tourist masses haven't found this idyllic spot yet, and so the Prosecco Road is one of the last undiscovered wine countries.

Which is just how we like it. We don't do tourism. The Prosecco Experience is not a tour. It's an immersive exploration of an incredible place and wonderful culture with our brilliant and visionary local food and wine friends. (We can’t give you the details; every exclusive gathering, meal, activity and location is a secret.)

But if you guess we’ll be drinking some incredible wine — well, that’s a very good guess. The Prosecco Hills is a wine country without equal — you're always surrounded by vineyards on rolling hills. We'll wake up and go to bed surrounded by vineyards.

And while everyone is familiar with the kind of prosecco this region exports abroad, the best prosecco can be tasted only in the Prosecco Hills. This Experience will transform your relationship with prosecco. We'll also enjoy a wide range of other incredible, astonishing red and white wines made only in the region. We’ll enjoy this wine with the winemakers themselves.

And the food — the food!! — so amazing. We can’t wait to show you this magical, undiscovered gastronomic paradise.

We have just one room available for our next Prosecco Experience, which happens May 23 through 28, 2022. Book now and make it yours. You deserve this!

A glorious and surreal return to Italy

We just spent a few weeks in Italy after two years away. It was glorious. And surreal.

We spent time in Venice and the Veneto region visiting old friends and meeting new ones, exchanging stories of loss, pain, devastation, survival and the silver linings we all found in the clouds.

Wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine alleys and canals of Venice without the normal throngs of foreign tourists was like going back in time. The canals still looked pretty clean and the nights were quiet — a rare, probably once-in-a-lifetime experience.

But it didn’t last. By the time we left weeks later, Venice got crowded again with visitors from all over the world. The spike was driven both by easing or clarified travel restrictions, plus the one-two punch of a Dolce Gabbana fashion show and Venice Cinema Week.

Venice was extra festive and interesting with all the fashion and film goings-on, which attracted all kinds of celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. It felt like Venice was on the cusp of returning to its normal hustle and bustle of pre-pandemic times.

Venice was so crowded, we wore masks even outdoors in the narrow streets.

After hosting The Prosecco Experience, which just ended a week ago Saturday, we’re feeling restored, inspired and filled with hope.

More than ever, we are proud to say that The Gastronomad Experience is not only the most joyful way to travel, but also far safer than traveling on your own — with or without a pandemic.

Covid tested our resilience and turned what would have been our best year into our worst. We have mourned the loss of people and have shared the sadness of friends whose marriages ended during the stress of a horribly painful pandemic. Restaurants, bakeries and cafes we used to love have permanently gone out of business. Prices for everything have gone up, making travel more expensive than ever before.

Still, though we’re all still facing a world fractured by a devastating pandemic, it’s important to celebrate every small victory, and life itself. And there’s nothing that brings more lasting joy and happiness than sojourning in faraway lands, exploring other landscapes and eating and drinking local foods and wine.

Joy and gratitude are the best antidotes for pain and suffering and something we can all cultivate. Exploring the world, learning from other cultures, tasting local cuisines and wine at their place of origin with locals while enjoying breathtaking views in the world’s most beautiful places is good medicine for the soul. It’s what nourishes our curious minds and our wandering souls.

Above all, it’s the people who sign up for Gastronomad Experiences that renew our spirits. These are formidable people with open minds and open hearts. They trust us despite, the limited information we share about the Experience to come. (Our activities remain secret so we can surprise you every day.)

Our trip to Italy was poignant and surreal, but on balance filled with joy, hope and the happiness that always comes from great food, amazing wine, stunning landscapes and, above all, love and friendship around a table.

Wow! The scenery in the Prosecco Hills!

The Prosecco Experience isn’t just about incredible Venetian food and some of Italy’s best wine. These culinary delights take place against a backdrop of pristine rolling hills covered by cascading vineyards, hilltop villages, ancient farmhouses and heavenly skies. Only two spots left for The Prosecco Experience in May, 2022. You deserve this.

Picturing the Picture-Perfect Prosecco Experience!

You owe it to yourself to explore with us the beauty and wine and gastronomy of The Prosecco Experience. We still have room for our May and September Prosecco Experiences.

Looking forward to a Venetian Autumn

They make prosecco out of grapes that can tolerate, and in fact need, extreme weather conditions. Glera grapes love South-facing and steep slopes, very strong wind, near freezing temperatures in the Winter and heat in the summer. It's always beautiful in the Prosecco Hills, but the region gets real weather.

Autumn in Veneto, however, is extremely pleasant and beautiful -- especially so because it's a rare spot in Italy where the food, wine and scenery are magnificent, but the tourists haven't discovered it yet. (Or maybe the tour busses can't handle the narrow, winding lanes and steep hills.)

Yes, Venice itself is the poster child for overtourism. But the rest of Veneto is largely undiscovered by the Instagram set. That's one of the hundred reasons why we love hosting our Prosecco Experience.

The Italian food and wine trip of a lifetime

Tucked away in the Northeast corner of Italy is one of the most beautiful places on Earth: The stunning vineyard-covered Prosecco Hills of Veneto, just North of Venice.

This is the location of our Prosecco Gastronomad Experience.

Our Spring trip sold out quickly. So we scheduled another one that takes place June 4 - June 9, 2019.

During this magical time, we'll taste some of Italy's best wine and best prosecco. We'll make and taste cheese. Really learn to make pasta. Dine at Veneto's best restaurants. Picnic in stunning vineyards. Enjoy magical gatherings filled with music, fun, food and friendship. And many secret surprises.

If you love food and travel, but don't want to travel alone or on a "tour," then join us on this unique experience.

Our tiny group of six people will stay together in a beautiful farmhouse perched on a breathtaking hill overlooking an amazing valley of green. From there, we'll discover the exquisite hidden spots along the Prosecco Road that only the locals know about.

This adventure will sell out quickly, so send email to mike@elgan.com right away for more information and to grab your spot.