t's been a little over a month – real-time, not virtual – since I was aboard Insight Vacations' motorcoach, reclined in my business-class legroom seat, rolling through Umbria and Tuscany wondering what I'd see, smell and taste next.

Part of a group of international media, 23 travel writers and photographers, I was invited along this premium-escorted journey to sample firsthand a portion of one of Insights "Country Roads of Italy" itineraries and was pampered every kilometer of the way with a healthy dose of the three Cs: culture, cuisine and [wine] corks.

Traveling on Insight's euro, not mine, I was "drafted" to experience what paying guests get for their money, and it's quite a lot: five-star luxury hotels, fine dining, expert art-history local guides, arrival and departure transfers, all local transportation, baggage handling, surprising "signature moments" when you least expect them, and, most importantly, one sterling tour director-slash-storyteller, named Belinda, who kept our band of merry media on schedule and well-informed with her flawless narrative.

A subsidiary of The Travel Corporation USA, Insight lived up to its billing of giving its guests a taste of what it's like to travel in style around the Bel Paese.

You have to be pretty proud of your brand and bold enough to invite the press along, whose job it is to criticize, good or bad, the services you're promoting. And from the invited scribes and lens crafters aboard this eight-day journey, it looks like thumbs-up all around for Insight.

With over 35 years of experience in the travel industry, Insight seamlessly took care of everything, from first arrival to final departure, with nary a hiccup in between. You really are in good hands with Insight.

So, how much does this "traveling in style" cost, you ask? Well, luxury doesn't come cheap, but John Boulding, Insights' Global CEO, who was along for the ride part of the way, explained that when you break the total per-person price down to a per-day cost, the journey's an excellent bargain at only 220€. Still not convinced? One of the gold-level properties we stayed in charges between 900-1,500€ per night for a standard room, and that's obscenely higher than Insight's quoted per-diem rate for an entire 24-hour journey experience.

For those of you who tagged along with me virtually, you already know how much fun I had. But, for those of you who didn't, here's what you missed.

My band of merry media experienced Rome by night; received the VIP treatment in the Vatican Museums; learned how to make homemade tagliatelle with the Etruscan Chef; touched the colorful sky in Orvieto; went underground in Perugia; toured saintly Assisi; found a real virgin in an olive grove; whiled away an entire afternoon-into-evening around la tavola in Spello; meandered under the Tuscan sun in Cortona; visited a world-renowned Chianti winery; and, lunched with an Italian nobleman and toured his "humble" abode.

But, wait, there's more!

We went back in time to Medieval Manhattan; were humored by a world champion gelato maker; tasted superlative grape and ate just like the locals during a dark and foodie night; fell in love with a bevy of redheads in Maranello; walked underneath the porticos of La Rossa; were mesmerized by La Serenissima; witnessed glass turned into works of art; dodged the infamous acqua alta; and, glided through a narrow riello and into the sunset on a gondola.

For detailed information on Insight's 12 Italian premium and luxury-escorted itineraries – complete with surprising, behind-the-scenes "signature" moments – and over 100 journeys throughout Europe, just click HERE, or call toll-free (888) 680-1241, or contact your travel agent.

This was my very first experience as an imbedded journalist and it could not have gone better, thanks, in large part, to having Insight as my "patron" – similar to Michelangelo and the Medici – for the maiden trip.

Look, someone has to tag along, document the experience, write about it and let the paying public know. And, those duties might as well fall into the lap of this independently minded wordsmith rather than somebody else's, don't you think?

I look forward to receiving my next invitational travel letter from Insight Vacations, or any one of the other travel brands of The Travel Corporation USA, that, collectively, operate in 60 countries out of 35+ offices with more than 10,000 experienced team members at the disposal of 1.5 million+ guests annually.

Hey, my bags are already packed. I'm ready to go. Just put me back on that motorcoach. PLEASE?

Related Articles:
La Rua: Vicenza's Wheel of Fortune; Piazza dei Signori, Vicenza; The Little Village Atop the Hill (Castelluccio di Norcia); Norcia, Umbria