Italy Women’s Travel

The magic of Venice expands beyond its borders, to the Veneto — a region rich with beauties and deliciousness. I admit it wasn’t easy to pull myself away from Venice and explore its surroundings. But since my first visit to Padua, over 20 years ago, I’ve been enchanted by all I’ve discovered — from breathtaking masterpieces of art and architecture to transformational spa experiences, and elegant towns that aren’t overcrowded with tourists. To add to its appeal, extraordinary tastes, beloved worldwide, originated in the Veneto — including tiramisu and prosecco. Come with me and wonderful women in June, for Extra Golden Days in the Veneto: ForRead More →

Over the past 12 years of hosting Golden Weeks in Italy, I’ve loved having Mothers and Daughters, Aunts and Nieces join in. Along with all the joys and deliciousness of Bell’Italia, when these women come along on Golden Weeks, they experience — Bonding Away from distractions of life back home, surrounded by warm Italian spirit and beauty, Golden Weeks become rich times for deepening family connections. Relaxing It’s so relaxing when details are all taken care of, there’s no stressing over “will it be okay?” and certainly no blaming mother-daughter-aunt-niece for making a travel mistake! Golden Weeks are all about having a fun-loving pro takeRead More →

Today, in Catholic tradition, is the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the day when the Angel Gabriel swept in and announced: THE DIVINE IS WITHIN YOU! Nine months later came Christmas. It’s no coincidence that both Florence and Venice chose March 25 as the date for their founding. Florence became a Republic in the 12th century, and traditionally celebrated their New Year on March 25, all the way up until the 18th century. This is still a day of grand parades and celebrations in the city. Venetians felt so connected to Mary that they chose the day to officially establish their Republic in 421AD.  TheyRead More →

It wasn’t my idea to design and host For Women Only Tours to Italy. Yes, I loved traveling there for decades, writing about Italy, going to Italy with family and girlfriends, arranging everything so we’d certainly have the most marvelous time. And I always loved meeting female travelers along the way, who, like me, were swept up in that fabulous magic Italy gives us women.All those women travelers and my own experiences inspired my first book, 100 Places in Italy Every Woman Should Go. Then came The Surprise. During my book tour, after my presentations,  hands would fly up, and woman would ask: “Can we go withRead More →

The Legend of La Befana Sweep Away the Old Year, Italian Style According to Italian tradition, La Befana flies through the night sky on January 5 to sweep away all the troubles of the old year, and clear the way for a fresh start, the Epiphany on January 6. I’ll go along for that ride! Here’s an excerpt from my book of essays, Letters from Italy, about my experience of celebrating La Befana in Rome, years ago… Postcard from Rome: The Legend of La Befana* “There is no Santa Claus in Italy,” my Nana told me when I was a kid.I had nightmares of how awfulRead More →

The Romans celebrated April as the Sacred Month of Venus, Goddess of Love, Beauty, Fertility, and Sex… Her presence is eternal…you see her all over Italy, in sculptures, paintings. You feel her spirit beckoning you to lighten up, enjoy all the flavors and pleasures…Here in the Uffizi in Florence is the Botticelli painting of her being born from the sea… The Romans believed they were the chosen descendants of this beauty. As Virgil wrote in the Aeneid, it was Venus who seduced a Greek mortal and thus became the grandmother of Romulus and Remus, those twins suckled by a she-wolf on Rome’s Palatine Hill, who founded the Eternal City.Read More →

A Conversation with Kathy McCabe, Host of PBS Dream of Italy Travel Show series… Dear Friends, My apologies for Thursday night tech probs, mucking up the Women Who Love Italy conversation on Facebook Live that I had perfectly planned (so I thought), with my dear friend Kathy McCabe. Grazie mille to you who did bear with us and joined in. Your hearts and thumbs up and comments mean so much to us. It’s ALWAYS GOLDEN to share time with friends, however it can happen. I became a fan of Kathy’s when I first came across the Dream of Italy newsletter, and our friendship began whenRead More →

Ciao Amici, I send you and yours my good thoughts and prayers during these challenging days. One of the comforts I’ve been grateful for lately has been recipes from my maternal line and from cooks I’ve met over many delicious years of traveling in Italy. Along with great flavors, they’ve wrapped me up in beautiful, rich memories, that connect me to Italy’s abundant heart and soul. I’ve collected some of my favorite Italy adventures into my latest book, Hungry for Italy. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in the flavors of the Bel Paese, with stories that range from stirring risotto in Milan, to harvestingRead More →

Ciao Amici… I’m sending good thoughts and prayers your way, wherever you are in the world, as we go through this crisis together. Today, I am reflecting at home, in my Hollywood, California bungalow… March 25, Catholics celebrate the day Mary receives a startling announcement: “The Divine is Within You!” It comes from the Angel Gabriel, who swoops in to tell this virgin she is pregnant with the Son of God…nine months before Christmas…surprising news… Pope Francis called out for prayers around the world today at noon. I filled my table with Annunciation images from Italian masters, gathered over so many years, and prayed the rosary… I’mRead More →

As more and more travelers flock to Italy, more and more big tour groups traipsing behind screaming-flag-waving guides appear…This is NOT what you want for your Italian vacation. It’s well worth paying the extra euros for a small group tour or a private guide to have an enriching experience of Italy’s world-beloved masterpieces and places.  You have lots of choices when it comes to guides, especially in the big cities. All licensed guides have gone through years of study and rigorous exams to earn their badges, but there’s a huge range of differences out there between great guides and the ones who are…well let’s be nice andRead More →