Do you dream of visiting Italy? You’re not alone & for good reasons! But don't know where to start.
Right now is a planner’s equivalent of tax season. One third of my annual trips depart in the next month. Bear with me the next few weeks. 🤪🤪🤪
This picture from April on Fornillo Beach in Positano; only on the off season will you see it empty like this. The Amalfi Coast season starts up around Easter and goes till mid-to-late October.
Never quiet your dreams.
✌️ years today of Italy Even More Than I Imagined It!
💚🤍❤️
ATTENTION SPRING/SUMMER 2025 Travelers
If you have been meaning to discuss 2025 travel with me, my calendar is open to set a time to chat between now and June 23rd.
Future clients who schedule a time to talk by the 23rd and decide to move forward by June 30th will enjoy 2024 pricing for their 2025 travel.
NEW PRICING FOR 2025 GOES INTO EFFECT JULY 1ST.
October, November and December 2024 and January and February 2025 travel dates remain at 2024 pricing.
TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO CHAT >>>
https://calendly.com/italyasyouimagine/future-clients-spring-summer-2023-travel-date-clone
Picture for fun - real-life picture of what it feels like when you get home from Italy. 💚🤍❤️
#2025
ATTENTION SPRING/SUMMER 2025 Travelers
If you have been meaning to discuss 2025 travel with me, my calendar is open to set a time to chat between now and June 23rd.
Future clients who schedule a time to talk by the 23rd and decide to move forward by June 30th will enjoy 2024 pricing for their 2025 travel.
NEW PRICING FOR 2025 GOES INTO EFFECT JULY 1ST.
October, November and December 2024 and January and February 2025 travel dates remain at 2024 pricing.
TO SCHEDULE A TIME TO CHAT >>>
https://calendly.com/italyasyouimagine/future-clients-spring-summer-2023-travel-date-clone
Picture of fun - real-life picture of what it feels like when you have to come home from Italy. 💚🤍❤️
#2025
If you haven’t already heard, next year - 2025 - is a Jubilee year in Rome. It’s a call by the Vatican for Catholics to make a pilgrimage to the holy city.
While the Jubilee will be an opportunity to visit religious buildings seldom open to the public, it will also bring many more visitors to a city that is already known to be quite bustling, full and sometimes a tad chaotic.
As I always have post-trip calls with clients, I hear more and more how the Romans are bracing and preparing for the additional influx of visitors. And maybe a tad concerned about their ability to meet the demand - from accommodations, to transport to basic infrastructure.
What does that mean for people who wish to visit Rome in 2025???
1️⃣ We will need to start planning sooner than later for both availability and affordability. This will be a time where my three years of relationships will have even greater value.
And/or
2️⃣ Consider visiting the wealth of locations Italy has to offer that are not Rome. While I understand Rome’s iconic draw for the first-time visitor, I will also share that it’s usually the easiest place for clients to say goodbye to.
With that, to lighten the serious talk, here’s a favorite video of my Bohde boys’ first night in Rome enjoying a very authentic experience with the Roman children, especially the girls. 😉
A wonderful trip to Italy is 90% perfect planning and 10% client education and in turn their attitude.
I have added many new guides for my Summer 2024 clients from a language guide to what to bring back from Italy.
But this one 👇👇👇 is the one I spend the most time with educating clients.
Italy is indeed not America. In fact, nowhere outside of America is America.
So be educated, be accepting and maybe even embrace the differences. These are the more challenging ones for us to embrace.
I got to know this couple from another couple I planned for last fall.
While their adult kids had been to Italy, this was their first trip. And we created something special to reflect their interests, including
• a short visit of Rome
• a couple of nights in the wine country Val D’Orcia of the Tuscan countryside
• a few days in Florence
• and lastly four days in Positano to enjoy the Amalfi Coast.
It was hard to decide which picture to share … so there are more in the comments. Pictured here was their special day of a private charter along the coast and Capri.
Grazie Mille, Peters! 💚🤍❤️
Between three clients, I have 10 people in Italy as we start this week. By the end of the week, another 9 will join in the fun. Client testimonials will be coming fast and furious the next few months. Yet EVERY.SINGLE.ONE means the world to me.
How lucky am I to get to know people like who Melinda, who herself embodies so many of the attributes she credits me with? I truly feel blessed to really get to know my clients during the planning process. They begin to feel like friends, and nothing is better than staying connected with them along their travels on the WhatsApp I set up for each of my clients.
I am also looking forward to reconnecting with Melinda soon enough as we start thinking of colleges for our boys. Helping high school families get their students into college is her passion, like Italy is mine. Check her out at https://www.facebook.com/FindYourFitCollegeAdvising
There are three things I can’t control in Italy when planning your trip.
1️⃣ The Pope’s schedule
2️⃣ The weather
3️⃣ The long history of disruptive transportation strikes.
But we can plan around all three. Let’s start with transportation.
Many may be unaware of some of the travel intricacies involved in planning the best trips to Italy.
✈️ for instance, there are certain days to avoid landing and departing to avoid being grounded by an airport strike. Meaning planes are halted in and out of the country.
🚖 this summer in particular we’ve seen a number of taxi strikes in Roma already (and I think we will continue to as negotiations heat up moving into Rome’s Jubilee next year). I’m learning more and more each day the value of my reliable Roma drivers, who most importantly do not participate in these strikes. You’ll also see in travel forums tourist talking about being stood-up by arranged drivers during the busy peak months. Also not an issue with my drivers, who I deal with daily.
🚂 trains provide a substantial mode of transportation in Italy. Accordingly, when trains strike, it’s very disruptive to trips. I monitor these strikes before and while clients are traveling to assist.
🚘 lastly there are segments in a trip where driving actually makes time and money sense. I do not recommend for urban centers like Rome or along the Amalfi Coast, but there are some spots where it’s actually necessary. Rural settings like Tuscany’s Val D’Orcia area is one example. That doesn’t mean you need a car your whole trip, but simply that portion. And really the only traffic hazard you have to worry about in that area is not hitting a slow crossing goat or losing your focus enjoying the breathtaking Tuscan vistas.
And the questions I get a lot - - -
👍 yes they drive on the same side as we do.
👍 yes you can get automatic (although I love the opportunity to drive stick.)
👎And no they don’t have the massive SUV tanks we have over here to rent. Sorry 😬
👍yes, I educate my clients on how to pay their $20 to AAA for a permit to drive in Italy.
👍yes, I have a one-page driving guide to quickly familiarize you with the road signs.
👍And yes I’ll explain in advance how they take their sweet Italian time at rental car facilities. But the freedom to explore will make up for it quickly.
Nothing makes me happier! 💚🤍❤️
These clients are on the Amalfi Coast. Specifically, in Positano!
The Amalfi Coast is perhaps the most intricate area of Italy to plan in. And the good stuff is still via relationships that do NOT start with Https://www
This area is extremely misleading on Google maps. There’s one road in and out. The towns are vertical. Google time estimates are truly irrelevant here.
It’s also rich in misguided opinions online from people who will say “Stay in Sorrento because it’s cheaper.” Unfortunately, Sorrento, while beautiful, is NOT on the Amalfi Coast!!! Literally and figuratively.
It’s like staying in New Jersey when visiting New York City. Ya, sure, Jersey is cheaper. But you’re schlepping in and out, and that costs money AND TIME too. And you’re not getting the full NYC experience.
Not to mention the other bitter comments you’ll often read online from Positano daytrippers staying in Sorrento that Positano is “overcrowded and overrated”. Of course it feels that way if you are dropped there during the time of day that all the other daytrippers are and due to the verticle nature of the area, have no idea where to go.
Because the thing is, the best of Positano is available to those staying there before the daytrippers arrive and when they go home on their overcrowded ferries and Godforbid jammed pack busses they wait hours online for. Both depart the area in the early evening. Private transfers in and out are costly and timely. Ya, I’d maybe feel Positano were overrated too if it was planned that way for me.
The “Sorrento Superstition” was made popular by travel agents because the town has large hotels where they get paid their commissions. And it’s easier for them to plan there without an in-depth knowledge of the area and the relationships necessary to plan along the real Amalfi Coast. They sell Sorrento as “cheaper and flatter” and many won’t even tell you it’s not the Amalfi Coast.
But after planning almost 80 trips in two years, I can assure you those who I have planned to stay IN POSITANO have NEVER EVER called it overrated. In fact, the only downside is it TRULY gets into your soul. You find yourself longing for a place that’s truly unique and magical. A place that can’t fully be enjoyed from a 45-minutes to an hour + away in Sorrento.
Even my budget-sensitive clients feel the very same after staying in Positano.
I feel so strongly about this that I will not accept a clients who want to stay in Sorrento to see the Amalfi Coast. If that is the case, I’m not your girl.
You can plan your trip listening to the opinions of people who have been once.
You can plan it penny wise and pound foolish.
You can plan your trip with people who are motivated by commissions and the “easy” way to plan.
Or you can plan your Amalfi Coast adventure with someone who truly knows the area and has developed the relationships that will give you an experience nowhere near overrated.
Everyone is thinking about summer, but NOW is the time to be thinking about Italy for the holidays. There’s a reason their flag is red and green. It’s a wonderful spot for Christmastime, complete with New Years Eve fireworks out over the Grand Canal in Venice. 🇮🇹
The weather is fairly temperate, as you can see my kids are wearing sweatshirts last Christmas. And while never empty, less crowds than the summer.
As with most of my clients in 2024, this family was a referral. One of the coolest things in what I do is meeting new people, and I am grateful to now know this family who live in the same town as me.
They were a blast to work with and tested a new Vespa tour through Tuscany out of Florence for me. They gave it rave reviews, and I look forward to sharing the experience with more clients in the future.
Hope to see you again soon on the baseball fields, Stanford family!
It’s 10 days out from my starting Italy As You Imagine two years ago, and I find myself reminiscing back to the trip that inspired it all…the first time I took my kids over after the pandemic.
I knew then that it was no longer a place I could simply visit here and there. Instead, it was somewhere I need to be - either physically or planning - every day. Last year, I woke up in Italy one of every ten days. And there were not many days off from planning.
I take immense pride and feel so dang fortunate to share this country with so many. I feel like a wish-granter daily.
Italy has become far more than even I imagined.
Booked this week - - - Duomo apartment in Firenze is perfect for a couple in September. 1 bedroom, 1 bath, can accommodate up to 5 with pull-outs. $400/night in the heart of the city center in the Florence's prettiest month. But really...it's that view!
Lovely pictures of Roma blooming in May from a recent traveler. Many from the magnificent Trastevere area where I place my clients. 🌺
Everyday I have the joy of pinch me moments. Having clients stay in Firenze’s Hotel Brunelleschi is one.
I work with all budgets, and this beautiful hotel provides options for many price points - from a rooftop penthouse with a terraced whirlpool bath looking right onto Florence’s gorgeous dome…to more budget friendly, yet still stunning options.
And how tickled do I get when my clients on a strict budget get upgraded to accommodations with a view?!?
There my clients enjoy
• A guaranteed room upgrade & early check in/late check out, based on availability.
• Welcome amenity upgrade, including a bottle of Prosecco D.O.C. (or fresh flowers or cookies and juices for families traveling with children) in the room.
Hotel Brunelleschi is a boutique hotel in the very heart of center city Florence and mere steps from Duomo, while at the same time in a tiny piazza, free of through traffic, providing refuge from the crowds. The hotel has 96 rooms and suites inside the oldest tower of the city of Florence in a medieval church. It is literally 10 yards from the apartment I stay in when in Florence. THE perfect location!
I feel so lucky to share it with my clients!
Okay Swifties! Eat your eras hearts out!
Delivering a dream-come-true, first trip to Italy to my clients, two mamas and their very lucky teen daughters. Taylor in San Siro, ballet at La Scala with a side of Florence for a day.
And I’m so very excited to now have my own driver in Milano, like I do in Roma, Tuscany, the Amalfi Caost. He’ll be safely delivering my Taylor fans to and fro San Siro for the show.
See the details in my story!
🩰 🦋 🩰🦋🩰🦋🩰🦋🩰🦋🩰🦋🩰🦋🩰🦋
We’ve come a long way baby! My 2022-23 clients would not even recognize the custom itineraries my client enjoy now. All from almost two years of FAQs and learning from mine and my clients’ Italy adventures.
Most recently a client in Italy asked what things and qualities they can bring back…and an itinerary page was added! I already have a guide to recovering the 22% Italian VAT tax. This is the perfect compliment.
There is so much on the internet these days - some too much information and some simply wrong. I love providing my clients with a straightforward overview of the facts with a side of practical tips.
Seven months ago I landed my third time in Italy for 2023 with an ankle still healing after sporting chronic sprains since high school.
After arriving in Capri, getting into the unicorn BLUE GROTTO, enjoying again the ANACAPRI CHAIRLIFT and its truly incredible views…I sprained my second ankle before ferrying over to Positano, perhaps the most steep area of Italy outside of the Dolomites.
Good thing I was staying with not only an Italian contact but now a dear friend in his BnB, as he and his staff took great care of me. From his terrace of my room, as I iced and elevated, I called my talented surgeon.
She promised me that while I’d had to take a break from travel, she’d have me dancing again in heels in Italy! 💃👠❤️
Music to my ears. And I had surgery on ankle #1 a month later.
Today I am back to my passion work of planning after ankle #2. I am grounded the next 10 days to bed and am enjoying getting caught up. If I missed an email or text the past few days, I’m on it.
And I have 14 weeks to recover and rehab with an amazing deadline of returning to Italy at the end of August.
Ankle #2 is going a lot better. Thanks to those who have reached out and for those who have had patience with me.
As we head into another busy week of preparing clients for their trips, here are some pictures from clients this past week from Roma.
Easter in Florence is perfecto!
‼️WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND‼️
Episode 1 - Massimo Bottura, of the famed slow food / fast car mid-sized Italian town of Modena (in the Emilia Romano region of Italy). 🍝 🏎️
I was pumped to book his heralded restaurant for a client again today.
https://www.netflix.com/us/title/80007945?s=i&trkid=254567369&vlang=en&clip=80168225
In this Emmy-nominated series, meet culinary stars around the world who are redefining gourmet food with innovative dishes and tantalizing desserts.
From scrolling social media, it may seem like everyone is or has visited Italy over the past few years.
And most I have planned for long to go back.
But Italy is actually the 5th most visited country!
France
Spain
United States
China
are ahead of Italy.
While I definitely don’t feel it in the demand for my custom planning services, many of my Italian contacts from Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast are reporting lower numbers as their peak season begins.
Italy will always be in massive demand for so many reasons. Rome will always be bustling 365 days a year. But hopefully clients will enjoy it a tad less inundated than we saw last year.
Most all the pictures on my page are either from my camera (iPhone) or from client’s. In this day and age of IA and strong editing tools, this is very important to me for the authenticity of the experiences I create for my client.
These pictures were taken yesterday by my client at their hotel.
I don’t know about you, but my clients agree after staying here - Why would one ever opt to stay too close to the busy tourist sites in the urban areas at an “American” hotel where you’re targeted by the unsavory pickpockets and migrant solicitors who want to give you “free” flowers and bracelets?
Instead this hotel is in one of the best areas of Rome, known for its cobblestone, ivy on buildings, limited car traffic, exceptional restaurants and lively authenticity. It was once a monastery and comes at a ridiculously reasonable price (even though considered a 4 star), especially after my discount (and I do not build in commissions as travel agents do). The price includes breakfast - check out those gardens where you can enjoy it. And has a wonderful rooftop. It is part of an eight piece Italian collective ( I’ve stayed at four of them) from Venice to Sicily.
Clients love this location for its tranquility after a busy day seeing the hectic sites of Roma.
And my clients have a dear friend to thank for bringing this hidden gem to me to bring to them for the past year and a half…with nothing but raving reviews.
Mahwah, NJ
07430
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If you haven’t already heard, next year - 2025 - is a Jubilee year in Rome. It’s a call by the Vatican for Catholics to make a pilgrimage to the holy city. While the Jubilee will be an opportunity to visit religious buildings seldom open to the public, it will also bring many more visitors to a city that is already known to be quite bustling, full and sometimes a tad chaotic. As I always have post-trip calls with clients, I hear more and more how the Romans are bracing and preparing for the additional influx of visitors. And maybe a tad concerned about their ability to meet the demand - from accommodations, to transport to basic infrastructure. What does that mean for people who wish to visit Rome in 2025??? 1️⃣ We will need to start planning sooner than later for both availability and affordability. This will be a time where my three years of relationships will have even greater value. And/or 2️⃣ Consider visiting the wealth of locations Italy has to offer that are not Rome. While I understand Rome’s iconic draw for the first-time visitor, I will also share that it’s usually the easiest place for clients to say goodbye to. With that, to lighten the serious talk, here’s a favorite video of my Bohde boys’ first night in Rome enjoying a very authentic experience with the Roman children, especially the girls. 😉 #italy #rome #jubilee #italyasyouimagine
Castile stay in Asti 💚🤍❤️
My family has celebrated both Easter and Christmas masses in Italy. Each breathtaking. Here is Easter in Firenze’s Duomo. Both Easter and Christmas are perfecto times to visit Italy. And this year Easter will be later, allowing for wonderful spring temps. #italy #florence #easter #pasqua #italyasyouimagine
Easter is one of the most special times to visit Italy! This year it falls on the calendar about as early as possible, but next year it will fall about as late as possible on April 20. The difference in the few weeks can make a coastal leg of your holiday possible. Here is a video of Florence’s very unique IL SCOPPIO DEL CARRO, followed by Easter mass in the most beautiful Duomo (see 2nd video in first comment.) I enjoyed with my family in 2022 and have helped half a dozen clients do the same in the past two years. #italy #firenze #easter #pasque #italyasyouimagine
I realized recently I woke in Italy more than 1 out of every 10 days last year. (By the way, I’m still mind blown 🤯 hard to believe this is real. So grateful!) With that, clients often say “I’m not too concerned about our room; we’ll be out a lot anyway.” And I agree…to a degree. BUT what I firmly believe DOES MATTER is the location of where you’re staying. And I spend a lot of time with perfecting this for my clients. One of my favorite things about waking up in Italy is opening the door to my terrace or drawing the curtains of my window and seeing the locals in their nature habitat and smelling the amazing aromas, and hearing all the authentic sounds. One of my favorite sounds kicks off this video. Sit back and enjoy some of the scenes from my mornings last year. #Italy #italyasyouimagine
I spy a little White Lotus hotel. 🪷 Note NOT on the beach as somewhat portrayed on the HBO show (although there are wonderful resorts on the beach; I stayed at two). My next stop will be where the beach scenes were filmed…a small coastal town as few hours away that I fell madly in love with! #italy #whitelotus #taormina #sicily #italyasyouimagine
Cin cin to the weekend in Taormina from Italy As You Imagine
Always adding to the extra advice I share in my client itineraries. 🍦 #italy #gelato #italyasyouimagine
I often find myself thinking, if you want America, you should probably stay in America when vacationing. Italy is an ancient country, with customs that date back far longer than our country’s history of just two and a half centuries. Those who enjoy Italy most while visiting embrace their la dolce vita way of life: “the sweet life” of easygoing and enjoying life’s simple pleasures to the fullest. I think it is fair to say Italians enjoy a slower pace than we often live in the hustle and bustle of our American lifestyle. And not understanding some of their cultural norms can cause Americans frustration and confusion. Dining can be one such example. The Italian cuisine is lauded around the globe for a reason and is often better than you even imagine. And in that, they savor the culinary experience; meals aren’t rushed. And dining reservations taken very seriously. There are no “turning tables” in Italy. You are considered their guests, and they take great pride in serving you their exquisite culinary delights. Accordingly, Italians consider it rude to rush their dining guests by dropping the check before it is requested. I help educate my clients on this, and other cultural practices, so not to confuse it with poor service. Unless eating in a very touristy restaurant (which is generally not my recommendation), you will likely need to use this phrase when you're ready to pay: “Il conto, per favore."—The check, please. #italy #italianphrases #italiancustoms #italyasyouimagine
In two weeks, Italy will host the Ryder Cup for the first time EVER. A few days later, my clients will enjoy a round on Italy’s ONLY private golf club. Right in the heart ♥️ of beautiful Brunello 🍷 country. That’s Italy as they imagined it! Check out this quick clip of the course as I exited the Brunello winery, which is part of the resort where they’ll stay. #italy #tuscany #rydercup #rydercup2023 #golf #golfinitaly #italyasyouimagine
Festivals, fairs, community events, even political rallies can be a very cool way to experience Italian culture. One of the last things I do in completing a client’s itinerary is to add in local events they can chose to check out during their adventure. Here is an annual event in my family’s hometown of Pescia (in Tuscany), which I will be attending next year. #italy #festivals #tuscany #italyasyouimagine
A little update! Any guess on where?!? 💚🤍❤️
Italy shouldn’t be just tours! It should also include what I call structured leisure! My itineraries also includes tips for exploring the best each location has to offer. #italyasyouimagine
Christmastime in Italy is magical! #italyasyouimagine
Finishing fall trips this week and moving into spring and summer 2024! 😳 But not to be forgotten - Christmas is a wonderful time to visit Italy. #italy #christmas #christmasinitaly #italyasyouimagine
This week in Italy planning - - - I am utterly thrilled to have scored Swan 🦢 Lake tickets at the famous La Scala for a client, a professional musician, who wanted the surprise trip for his wife this fall to be as artistically planned as possible. There was nothing more exciting than when I experienced La Scala over Christmas. And not so much the opera we attended but more so the experience of that theater, which is truly incredible! We also have planned for him: 🎶 a visit to a music conservatory in Montepulciano 🎶 a night at a famous jazz club in Rome 🎶 a performance of Puccini & Verdi at a church in Lucca Every one of my clients imagines Italy differently, and I love brining that to life for them. Here is a little clip from our magical night at La Scala. #italy #milan #lascala #italyasyouimagine
