Italy Women’s Travel (Page 6)

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 →

It’s a pleasure to connect with Catherine Faris, who turned a dream of living in Italy into a reality. Eighteen years ago she visited Puglia with her husband Brian and three children and they fell in love with it. Today the children have grown, Catherine and Brian have quit their jobs, moved to Italy, and immersed themselves into life in Martina Franca. Catherine beautifully chronicles their experiences on her Nuovastoria blog, bringing us an insider’s experience of the place, with posts such as a recent one about making a traditional Pugliese condiment: Plic e Plac.  In 2013, Catherine and Brian delved deeper into joining in with Puglia’s traditions, launching the Pascarosa company, thatRead More →

I came to know Martha Bakerjian years ago through her Italy Travel Site on About.com–a Must Click for all travelers to Italy–packed with excellent information–from maps, to guidance for well known destinations and off-the-beaten path spots, and insider’s advice for such things as Going to the Beach in Italy. It was a thrill to meet her in person last fall, when we rendezvoused for lunch in Pisa. She is a passionate Italofile, who has been traveling extensively in Italy for 30 years, and now has a home in the Lunigiana region of northern Tuscany where she spends about five months a year, using it asRead More →

As summer is approaching, we move on to Puglia, the region in Italy’s heel, home to some of Italy’s best beaches. My first visit to Puglia was many years ago, in the month of May, when cherry season was at its peak… One Golden Day I’ll always treasure was in Savelletri di Fasano,  near the forests of Fasano, south of Bari.  I stayed with my gal friend Sheila at Torre Maizza, a masseria (former farm estate) from the 16th century, that’s been luxuriously renovated with beautiful guest accommodations, gorgeous grounds, a golf course, delicious restaurants, and a spa. Taking in all the beauty on theRead More →

We’re moving on to the region of Liguria, that enchanting crescent on Italy’s northwestern shore. Last spring, I spent a few dreamy days in Portovenere. The Romans believed that this spot is where the Goddess Venus rose from the sea. In early May, before the summer tourist crowds, it was heavenly. A lovely way to get there is by ferry from La Spezia, bobbing past fishing villages on the Gulf of the Poets, and then the Portovenere harbor appears…Click here for ferry schedule–the ride is about 45 minutes. Start your day with a buon capuccino at the Bar Lamia, right at the marina, where youRead More →

Andiamo…to the island of Sicilia. We’ll begin where I was a short time ago: Catania. It’s the perfect starting point (with an easy airport) to explore places like Siracusa, Taormina, and the Aeolian Islands (all of which I am heading to on a Country Walkers trip–so stay tuned). For many years guidebooks discouraged spending time in Catania, giving it the same treatment as Naples: “ a city in decay, depressing, dangerous, etc.”  It’s now actually a vibrant, youth-filled city  (with a prestigious university), and a Baroque-a-palooza historic center, that’s recently been scrubbed up and restored. Mount Etna rising in the distance provides a dramatic backdrop. And like Naples, Catania is absolutely theatrical–with lotsRead More →

When we think of Venice and going to the beach, the first place that comes to mind is The Lido.  My friend Pamela still talks about one August when she had what she describes as “The Great Gatsby” beach experience there–all so very luxurious, with an amazing seafood lunch, a huge pool, surrounded by loads of fashionable Italians–ladies in big hats and flowing caftans, etc. Then there’s my friend Angela, a Lido native born and bred, who says, “To get away from the crowds of the Lido in the summer, we go to Sant’Erasmo.” This is the island that lies between Murano and Burano. It’s calledRead More →