Food & Wine News South Africa

Bride-to-be wins Italian holiday

Linda Green, of Sunninghill, Johannsburg, has won the Col' Cacchio pizzeria, Old Khaki and Club Travel competition giving her a trip to Italy worth R60 000. Now she her fiancé Ryan Dent, who are getting married next year, will be able to have a honeymoon.

This magnificent eight-day Italian Dream getaway includes time in Rome, Florence and Venice, with flights courtesy of Trafalgar and Ethiad Airways.

Why not?

Linda was sitting in her local Col'Cacchio pizzeria a couple of months ago providing a sympathetic ear to a heart-broken friend. "She went to the bathroom and there on the table was the competition information. I thought "I'm half Italian, so why not?" and I sent an SMS to the number. Then when Mike (Terespolsky) from Col'Cacchio pizzeria called me to say I'd won, it took 15 minutes of convincing before I started thinking that perhaps it might not be my best friend pulling a prank on me, maybe it was genuine."

The tour includes hotel accommodation, buffet breakfast daily, selected dinners, touring by luxury coach, services of a tour director and local guides, all hotel service chargers, tips, baggage handling fees and local taxes, stylish wallet with tour documents, return airport transfers and sightseeing in:

  • Rome: Including St Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and views of the Forum and Colosseum;
  • Venice: Canal cruise by vaporetto. The Bridge of Sighs, St Mark's Basilica and more. Visit to a traditional glass-blowing factory;
  • Verona: The Roman Arena and Juliet's balcony;
  • Florence: The Baptistry, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Basilica of Santa Croce; and
  • Assisi: Orientation seeing St. Francis' Basilica and the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels.

Linda plans to use some of the R10 000 spending money to find her dream wedding dress, because they will be travelling before the big day. They will also be taking a "roving" Col'Cacchio pizzeria menu with them, which Linda says she'll photograph in front of every historic landmark they visit.

Burns unit

Col'Cacchio pizzeria director Michael Terespolsky said he was delighted that the Italian Dream Getaway had been won by someone in Linda's position. "It's the philosophy that steers Col'Cacchio; to provide fun and joy to all our customers, and to reach out to communities through our Social Responsibility Programmes, such as the Celebrity Chef Series that will directly benefit Red Cross Children's Hospital's planned burns unit.

"We wish Linda and Ryan a wonderful pre-wedding honeymoon and down the line look forward to seeing all the photographs of where they have travelled."

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