Pick Your Spritz, Pick Your Summer Trip
I no longer believe every trip has to start with a landmark.
Sometimes the better question is:
Where do I want to be at 5 p.m.?
Not in a spreadsheet way. Not in a “how many major cultural sites can we cram into one day before someone cries?” way.
I mean where do you want to be when the day starts softening around the edges? When the sun gets lower, your shoulders drop, your shoes are maybe not the right shoes but you have made peace with that, and someone places something cold and sparkling in front of you.
That, to me, is travel information.
Because the drink is rarely just the drink.
It is the terrace. The view. The breeze. The hotel you are happy to return to. The city you chose because it tastes like itself.
So in the spirit of highly scientific travel planning, I would like to propose a new method:
Pick your spritz. Pick your summer trip.
The original Fora guide that inspired this idea traces different regional spritzes across Europe, from the Aperol Spritz in Veneto to the Select Spritz in Venice, Limoncello Spritz on the Amalfi Coast, Hugo Spritz in South Tyrol, and Teranino Spritz in Croatia.
But really, this is not just about cocktails.
It is about what kind of summer you want.
The Classic Italian Summer: Aperol Spritz in Veneto
Aperol Spritz in Veneto
This is for the woman who wants piazzas, Verona, Lake Garda, sunshine, and the classic orange drink that says, “I am officially off duty.”
The Aperol Spritz is light, bright, bubbly, and shamelessly vacation-coded. It does not ask much of you except that you sit down, accept the orange slice, and stop pretending you are going to answer that email.
This is your trip if you want Italy in its golden, cinematic, “how is everyone here casually better dressed than me?” form.
Think Verona afternoons. Lake Garda views. A sunny piazza where you meant to stop for twenty minutes and somehow lost two hours.
This is not the trip where you punish yourself with twelve agenda items a day.
This is the trip where you let the afternoon become the activity.
You are probably an Aperol Spritz traveler if you want:
classic Italian summer energy
sunshine and piazzas
a beautiful hotel breakfast
slow afternoons
a drink that looks excellent in photos
the feeling of being deliciously, temporarily unavailable
The Elegant Contrarian: Select Spritz in Venice
This is for the woman who likes Venice but wants to be a little less obvious about it.
A little more bitter. A little more local. A little more old-world.
The Select Spritz is the Venetian cousin of the Aperol Spritz: deeper, more herbaceous, often served with a green olive instead of an orange slice. It has the energy of someone who knows exactly where she is going but does not need to explain herself.
This is your trip if you want Venice beyond the postcard.
Yes, you want the canals. Of course you want the canals. You are not made of stone.
But you also want side streets, old bars, quiet corners, and that specific Venetian feeling of being somewhere beautiful, impossible, and slightly haunted by its own glamour.
This is a trip for women who want atmosphere.
Not just “things to see,” but mood.
You are probably a Select Spritz traveler if you want:
old-world elegance
a little edge
Venetian bars and quiet neighborhoods
dramatic hotel interiors
history without homework energy
the feeling that your trip has a secret
The Coastal Romantic: Limoncello Spritz on the Amalfi Coast
This is for the woman who wants lemons, cliffs, linen, sea views, and the kind of golden hour that makes everyone quiet for once.
Limoncello Spritz on the Amalfi Coast
The Limoncello Spritz is bright, sweet, zesty, and completely unsubtle in the best possible way. It tastes like the Amalfi Coast looked at a regular spritz and said, “But what if we made this more dramatic?”
Which is, frankly, very on brand.
This is your trip if you want Positano stairs, Ravello terraces, cliffside lunches, painted tiles, linen dresses, and the type of view that makes you briefly believe you have never had a real problem.
The Amalfi Coast is not effortless. Let’s be honest. There are logistics. There are crowds. There are roads that make you question every life choice that brought you to the passenger seat.
But when it works, it works.
A Limoncello Spritz trip is not about efficiency.
It is about romance. Beauty. A little theatrical inconvenience. The table by the water. The terrace at sunset. The moment everyone stops talking because the view has done something ridiculous.
You are probably a Limoncello Spritz traveler if you want:
lemons and sea views
romance without needing a honeymoon
dramatic coastlines
long lunches
beautiful hotels
linen, sandals, and the fantasy version of yourself who packed correctly
The Alpine Reset: Hugo Spritz in South Tyrol
This is for the woman who wants elderflower, mint, mountain air, spa time, and a trip that feels like her nervous system took a deep breath.
The Hugo Spritz is lighter, greener, and more refreshing than its bitter orange cousins. It is made with elderflower, mint, prosecco, and soda, which makes it feel like something you should drink on a terrace while looking at mountains and pretending you are now a person who does “wellness” without resentment.
This is your trip if the beach is not calling your name right now.
Maybe you want cool air. Silence. A spa robe. Views that make you stop checking your phone. A place where Italian and Alpine cultures meet, and your biggest decision is whether to have another sauna, another walk, or another drink with mint in it.
South Tyrol is for the traveler who wants Europe, but not the obvious Europe.
It is for the woman who has realized that rest does not always mean lying by the sea. Sometimes rest looks like mountains, clean design, fresh air, and a hotel that feels like it was built specifically to lower your cortisol.
You are probably a Hugo Spritz traveler if you want:
mountain views
spa time
cooler summer air
elderflower and mint
a reset that still feels stylish
the phrase “I slept so well” to become your entire personality
The Wine Country Explorer: Teranino Spritz in Croatia
This is for the woman who wants Adriatic sunsets, Istrian wine country, olive groves, and somewhere slightly less predictable than Italy.
The Teranino Spritz comes from Croatia’s Istrian region, using Teranino, a deep red liqueur made from the native Teran grape and infused with warm spices. It is bold, aromatic, a little unexpected, and honestly, a very compelling argument for letting Croatia interrupt your Italy plans.
This is your trip if you want coastal Europe, but with a twist.
You want stone towns, waterfront cafés, wine country, olive oil, seafood, and sunsets over the Adriatic. You want somewhere beautiful and food-forward, but not the exact same itinerary everyone else is posting.
Istria has that wonderful “why didn’t I know more about this?” quality.
And that is a very powerful travel feeling.
You are probably a Teranino Spritz traveler if you want:
wine country
Adriatic views
olive groves and seafood
a less obvious European summer
a trip that feels slightly discovered
the joy of saying, “Actually, we’re thinking Croatia”
So, Which Spritz Are You?
Of course, you do not have to choose only one.
Which Spritz Are You?
I am probably a Limoncello Spritz with strong Aperol tendencies and a growing curiosity about the Hugo, because apparently my nervous system would also like to be invited on vacation.
That is the fun of this kind of travel planning.
It is not just about where you go.
It is about what you want the trip to feel like.
Do you want classic Italian sunshine? Venetian elegance? Amalfi romance? Alpine calm? Croatian wine-country discovery?
Do you want a trip that feels glamorous?
Restorative?
Romantic?
Unexpected?
Easy?
A little more you?
Planning a trip does not always have to start with the landmark. Sometimes it starts with the feeling you want at the end of the day.
And if you want help turning that feeling into an actual trip, I can help with that.
