Italy thru the Lens of Joe Mack

Don't we all wish we could travel more?

Whether it's time or money lacking, most of us have a long list of places we'd like to visit, and thanks to Joe Mack, perhaps a few of these locations will end up on YOUR "bucket list" too.

Recently I have found some great travel tools... one in particular allowed me to book two tickets from Orlando to New Orleans (and BACK) for about $200. That's $200 total... not each.

It's called SkyScanner.com and, if you are like me and are flexible about dates and locations... it's a great way to find the cheapest airfares all over the world. Just put in your city of departures but leave the date and destination BLANK. Sky Scanner will find you great deals. 
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The photo above is a bride in San Miniato Al Monte, just outside Florence.  Joe has a great eye and it looks like he stumbled upon a local young lady having some wedding pictures done and took the opportunity to capture her beauty for us to enjoy as well.
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If you'd like to add San Miniato Al Monte to your bucket list... why not use SkyScanner to find the cheapest airfare to Florence and make a day trip to enjoy the beautiful views like the one here,

I searched on flights from Orlando to Florence, even clicking "surrounding airports" to include other nearby cities and found I could fly ROUND TRIP in September for about $663 per person and NONstop on AirBerlin. That was providing I flew out on a Wednesday and returned the following Wednesday.

These tickets were quite the bargain considering that other one way flights were as much as $1000 just ONE way!

If I were going to Tuscany I'd surely want to see the vineyards. Perhaps I might engage a rental car by using the SkyScanner website. I found a great deal for a week with a compact car for about $100 American dollars.

Or perhaps I might want to hire a private tour guide... if so, we have TWO we can recommend! In fact both are contributors to our site... just click on the "My Travel in Tuscany" and ask Edoardo or Nicola about availability. They have a lot of great tools on their travel blog... sign up now to be on their newsletter so you can use those tools to plan your trip. They even have a great "checklist" you can access to make sure you bring the essentials.

​San Donato in Poggio is a Medieval Village in the heart of Chianti. Even it's alleyways are full of welcoming light and charming, flower adorned windows.

You can learn more about the area before you visit by visiting the Chianti website and checking out cozy B&B's and other places to stay and things to do.  

Are you like me... do you love the adventure of travel but don't necessarily want to be TOO surprised by, for instance, prices? Well many restaurants and cafe's post their menus right outside the door. Sometimes they will be in a frame on the wall, or sometimes just out on a table. It's nice to know you won't accidentally blow your dining budget on just one meal!

Family owned La Toppa is considered one of the best restaurants in San Donato.

Mom cooks, the son waits tables and Dad makes the wine.

Food and wine is mostly locally sourced and this is a favorite of visitors AND locals alike.

Check out their website here.