Italy Tours (Page 5)

When I stumbled upon the website: A House in Italy, I was intrigued to dig deeper. What were Americans doing in this remote mountain village? The search led me to Grace Cleere, and here’s how she explains it… I was working with the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Navy in Washington DC, taking middle school students around the world on navy oceanographic ships. We did oceanography while at sea, along with history and culture touring while on land. One year the ship was based in Naples, and we took the students south to Calabria to see “the real Italy.”  We met Antonio Parisi as our guide, andRead More →

I was immediately charmed when I found Lulu Bianco’s Calabrisella Mia blog. Lulu is a native of Toronto, Canada, and her dear father, who passed away five years ago, was Italian, instilling in her a love for the Bel Paese and its traditions. She picked up and moved to Cosenza a few years ago, and now writes a blog that’s a beautiful mix of her personal journey and a fascinating insider’s look at the town, including such fun things as the We Are Happy…from Cosenza You Tube video that was shot all over Cosenza and went viral! We’re so glad she’s come along with us to spread the joys ofRead More →

I’m grateful to have met Anna Lebedeva, of Green Holiday Italy. She’s a freelance journalist and passionate follower of the Slow Travel  movement, who lives in the region of Abruzzo, and travels up and down the boot in search of the best traditional food and hidden corners. Anna has a beautiful blog, www.greenholidayitaly.com, where she writes about such fascinating things as Birdwatching in Rome and the village of Cerchiara, Calabria, which was recognized by the Slow Food Movement in 2012 as having The Best Bread in Italy.   I’m so glad Anna is joining in to give her advice for a Golden Day in Civita, Calabria.   Civita is oneRead More →

I’m grateful to have connected with Domenico Russumanno, a native of Vallefiorita, (Flowering Valley), a beautiful village in the province of Catanzaro, Calabria. Domenico is part of the team who created the Made in South Italy Today website, that’s full of insider’s information about Italy’s southern regions–including fascinating history, natural landscapes, and companies that sell artisinal products–such as olive oil, sweets, pastas, and fine textiles. I’m intrigued by what I found there about Calabria, such as the clip from the 1959 movie, The Forgotten Ones, that gives new meaning to “Off the Beaten Path”–showing the rituals of a remote mountain town–from hauling up supplies overRead More →

Grazie to my dear Roman friend Gioia, who introduced me to Raffaele Ripoli, an architect from Scigliano, Calabria. Although Raffaele has also lived in Cosenza, Florence, Amsterdam, and near Rome and Milan–it’s Scigliano, in the region of Cosenza, set perfectly in the hills, between the sea and the Sila National Park, that is closest to his heart. His grandmother ran a bakery here, in a building from the 1800s, that sold bread to the whole village. Raffaele has now converted that building into Bed and Breakfast Calabria that’s beloved by travelers, where each room features an elegant, lovely design. Travelers come here to experience the soul of CalabriaRead More →

Through the miracles of the blogosphere, I have found a true adventurer: Susanne Crosetto. She is German born and married to an Italian, who is from Pizzo, Calabria. They lived in Beijing and now reside in Bangkok, but spend spring and summer in Pizzo. Susanne’s passions are writing, painting, and photography–she has beautiful photographs of Pizzo on her entertaining blog,  that documents the renovation she and her husband did of a 200 year old palazzo,transforming it into Palazzo Pizzo Residence. The residence is a gem of an accommodation, a one bedroom, beautifully designed, set on the edge of a cliff, with spectacular sunset views fromRead More →

I am grateful to have Whitney Hickey join the Golden Days in Italy team, as an excellent intern with a passion. Whitney fell madly in love with Italy in 2012 when she went to the Culturforum Italian Language School in Cefalu, on Sicily’s northern coast. She didn’t want to leave after the course ended, and happily accepted a job as a nanny with a Sicilian family for the summer. The experience completely immersed Whitney in Italian culture, including joining in with a family tradition: taking a vacation for the entire month of August, to enjoy the pleasures of Calabria. Here, Whitney shares her advice, that’s particularlyRead More →

I became a fan of Cherrye Moore’s My Bella Vita blog when she began it in 2006. The story of this adorable Texas native who fell in love with a southern Italian and left everything behind to begin a life with him (IN CALABRIA!) fascinated me. From the start Cherrye’s passion for her new home was clear, and her enthusiasm for learning new recipes, customs, and exploring new places was absolutely enchanting. It’s been gratifying to watch Cherrye’s business grow into My Bella Vita Travel, the premier genealogical travel company in southern Italy, specializing in ancestry tours to Calabria and custom vacations throughout Southern Italy. Her services, and theRead More →

Let’s move on to the region of Calabria, and make our first stop a town at the bottom of Italy’s boot: Tropea. Tropea is dramatically set above the sparkling sea,  an evocative mix of crumbling baroque buildings, Piazzas that look like opera sets, and views out to the volcanic island of Stromboli, that continuously bursts forth with glowing fireworks.  I visited Tropea a few springs ago, as a guest of In Italy Tours  The company was created by Tania Pascuzzi, a charming Australian-Italian whose parents were born in Calabria, and then emigrated to Melbourne. Tania grew up around delicious Calabrian food, moved on to work for manyRead More →

JULY 30, 2014: THIS TRIP IS SOLD OUT! Sign on to the mailing list on Susan Van Allen’s website to get news about Golden Weeks in Italy in 2015!   How about joining author Susan Van Allen for a Beautiful Italian Adventure this fall? 2014 will be her Third Annual Golden Week in Italy… Raves are in for the last two: “A wonderful Italian experience of a lifetime for all of us!!”–Gayle, from Chandler, Arizona, Golden Week guest 2013 This year we’ll discover Southern Italy, aka The Mezzogiorno… “Susan’s humor, knowledge, and surprises really made this vacation one of my very favorites!”–Lynda, Boston It will beRead More →