THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Polipo and Pinguino's Italian Adventure

In June of 2025, two stuffed animals embarked on the trip of lifetime. They saw picturesque canals in Venice, historic art in Florence, and beheld the beauty of the eternal city of Rome.

They are excited to share their trip with you!

Want to follow in their footsteps? Follow the link below to the Rick Steves' tour!

Link to Tour

We are Chris and Sasha from Fort Atkinson, WI. In 2025, in celebration of our 10th anniversary, we fulfilled Sasha's life-long dream of taking a Rick Steve's tour of Italy and Chris' dream of eating as much pasta as he could "pasta-bly" handle.

I grew up watching Rick Steves' Europe on PBS and delighting in his honest, earnest, and accessible approach to travel. It's not Christmas if I haven't watched the European Christmas Special! Rick's Italian episodes always inspired wanderlust in me with each (of many) viewings. I knew a Rick Steves' tour was the only way to undertake my first overseas trip and I knew leaving the bulk of the planning to him would allow me to (mostly) relax and enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime trip. I believe at our meet-and-greet mixer on the first night of the tour I told someone "I just want to walk where Rick Steves walked" and really that was the truth! this calm and cheerful figure from my childhood continues to inspire and encourage me to "Keep on traveling".

Buongiorno a tutti

Sasha's Story

Chris' Story

It was not often that I needed to travel for work - typically just once a year to attend my company's yearly sales conference. In April, 2023, our conference was in San Diego, and it just so happened to be a year where I had won a major award. A perk of having won this award was having Sasha join me, meaning both Mommy and Daddy were going to be leaving on a trip, and I wanted a way to connect with my daughter (5) while we were away.
Before we left, I had my daughter pick out a little stuffie to join me and keep me company. So began the Adventure of Little Octopus, aka Polip (PO - Lee- po). Now, every time I travel, Polipo joins me.

As my son got older, he also wanted representation, and he chose Little Penguin, aka Pinguino (pen- GWEE - no).

When it came time to pack our bags for Italy, Polipo and Pinguino were the first in line.

Please allow us to share with you the Adventures of Polipo and Pinginuo through Venice, Florence, and Rome.

Venetian Serenity

The Floating City

Florentine Art

Renaissance Heart

The Eternal City