President’s Message: Trade Your Inbox for Italy
Source: Chris Berleth, 
If you’re like me, your computer desktop background is probably some beautiful place you’d rather be — a mountain view, a quiet beach, maybe an old European street — except you can barely see it behind 47 open browser tabs, 12 active emails, and 2 missed voicemails.
And somewhere in that moment, while staring past the digital clutter at the tiny sliver of scenery still visible on your screen, you may find yourself thinking:
“I should be in Italy.”
Friends, we have good news.
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce our next Chamber travel opportunity: Explore Northern Italy featuring Venice, Verona, The Dolomites, & more, a 9-day trip with Collette scheduled for March 18–26, 2027.
This is a chance to trade fluorescent lights for Venetian canals, parking-lot conversations for Prosecco hills, and the phrase “circling back” for something far more romantic: “Qualcuno gradisce ancora un po’ di tiramisù?”
Translation: “Would anyone care for more tiramisu?”
The trip includes some of Northern Italy’s finest scenery, food, history, and culture. Travelers will visit Venice, Verona, the Dolomites, Asolo, and Bassano del Grappa. Along the way, participants will enjoy a glassblowing demonstration, learn the art of tiramisu, visit a Prosecco winery, and gather for a farewell dinner in a Venetian villa.
A Venetian villa. For dinner. This is not a drill.
Better yet, this tour features an “unpack once” format, which means travelers can settle in and enjoy the region without dragging a suitcase from hotel to hotel like a weary pack mule. That alone deserves a round of applause.
The trip is offered in partnership with Collette, a trusted travel provider known for guided group tours, well-planned itineraries, and experiences that let travelers enjoy the destination without having to become experts in international logistics. Our trip to Ireland last year, also in partnership with Collette, was such a success that we knew we had to keep the relationship going. The package includes 11 meals and begins at $4,199 per person.
Chamber travel programs are open to the community, so you do not need to be a Chamber member to come along. Travelers simply need curiosity, a sense of adventure, and the willingness to believe that pasta, mountain views, old-world charm, and excellent company would greatly improve March 2027.
For more information, contact Taryn Crayton at the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce at 570-784-2522.
Now is the time to dust off the passport, practice saying “Buongiorno,” and start imagining Northern Italy.
The inbox will survive.