Italy evokes images of rolling green Tuscan hillsides, dramatic coastlines, blue lapping waves, fascinating history, and incredible food & wine. We sat down with Peter Gee ahead of his 2019 tour of Italy to discuss what he loves about this amazing destination.
Why do you love travelling?
Travelling has helped make me the person I am. If you’re happy to take a narrow view of all things then don’t go out your front door. But if you want to develop some understanding of the world and your place in it then you must go beyond the horizon.
Mark Twain said it best, “Travel is fatal …… to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness.”
You have just returned from your own trip of Italy – what was your highlight?
It’s hard to chose one, but if pressed I’d have to say it was sitting out in our private terrace courtyard overlooking Positano on a balmy evening on the Amalfi Coast. The moon was peeping out from
behind the clouds and reflecting off the Tyrrhenian Sea and I was drinking an excellent local beer while streaming the musical sound track of my life on my portable Bluetooth speaker. Bliss!
What are you most looking forward to for your 2019 tour?
I’m actually looking forward to seeing and hearing the reactions of the group to what we’re seeing and experiencing and to what we’re learning from the local tour managers and guides.
What draws you to Italy as a destination?
As someone who always wanted to be an archaeologist I’d have to say it’s history. The Italian renaissance was easily my favourite topic of study in high school and as an even younger child the plaster casts of Pompeiians in the moment of their death captured my imagination.
Tell us a bit about what to expect on a tour escorted by Peter Gee!
We’ll have a lot of fun and share plenty of laughs. I love a good quiz so bone up on your Italian culture, music, movie stars etc. and you could come home with the plaster Coliseum trophy as 2019 Italian Tour quiz champion.