Smitten Italy Travel Co.

26/12/2022

🎄Hope your holidays are festive & cozy. Much love, Heather xo

29/10/2022

1992. St.Louis
2022.

So much fun to re-do this first photo from ’s wedding weekend while in Le Marche together last week.

We’ve been dreaming & planning this trip for literally years. Renting the farmhouse was the heart of our trip from the beginning and the perfect place to explore, unwind and reconnect.

Ashley & Jason spoiled us with delicious breakfasts, truffle hunting,cooking class, wine tasting and group feasts every night.

More details & photos coming soon…

P.S. Best decision ever- plan a trip to Italy with your besties. Bonus points if you rent the farmhouse at ! 🥰

17/10/2022

Sunday lunch in Rome.

Always on the hunt for the best roasted potatoes- (found in most restaurant’s contorni section of the menu)

These were pretty darn good. But our #1 is still in Orvieto. We’re headed there soon to see if they are as magical as we remember. 😂

16/10/2022

🇮🇹 What a dream to be here in Italy with some of my favorite people in the world.

👯‍♀️We have shared many adventures over the past 38 years, cheers to many more!

Attempting to stay present and enjoy every moment 🥰

08/10/2022

🧀Currently dreaming of…

Parmigiano-Reggiano. We are returning to Emilia-Romagna later this month and I can’t wait!

I took this photo back in 2013 when we lived in Italy- and just looking at it I can still remember the smell of the room where the giant wheels of Parmigiano- Reggiano are stored while they age. 🥰

Have you been to Modena or Bologna? Drop your favorite restaurant recs below 👇

It’s been a few years since I’ve been and I want to know your faves. 🙌

05/10/2022

Counting down the days until I meet my high school BFF’s in Italy for our belated 50th b’day bash (bet you can’t guess what kept us from the original plan in 2020 🤪)

At this point, honestly who cares about celebrating turning 50? We are just thrilled to be able to travel again and celebrate life long friendship and share some of our favorite places & experiences with them.

This is most definitely my most epic Italy itinerary I’ve built yet- looking forward to every moment, sip and bite.

P.S.- who wins for biggest early 90’s hair? (Pic from 1992, after college, Helen’s wedding weekend. Still hunting for high school pics just for funsies.)

02/10/2022

It's almost Olive Harvest time in Umbria- one of my favorite times of year in Italy.

If you are thinking a late fall trip to Italy sounds intriguing, here are some more reasons to seriously consider it! (especially if you )

-it's truffle season
-it's porcini season
-and most importantly- it's olio nuovo season!

The new oil is spicy, green & full of flavor. It's truly unlike any commercial olive oil you've ever tasted.

Combine all that deliciousness with colorful fields & vineyards, fewer crowds, sweater weather & the scent of burning wood lingering in the air.

Are you sold? Autumn is truly the most wonderful time of year in Italy. Let me know if you have any questions about trips to Italy in the fall.

21/06/2022

🌞 Ciao & happy first day of summer!

🌈 Ok, pretend you're in Italy at a gelateria- what's your go-to order?

p.s. Mine is always pistacchio, with nocciolo (hazelnut) or coffee.

10/06/2022

Starting Sunday June 12, it will no longer be required to have a negative covid test to re-enter the USA from international flights.

This is good news from a standpoint of not having to take the time to get tested while on your vacation.

Wondering how it will impact the covid spike that is already happening in parts of the USA right now?

Glad to read they will be re- evaluating in 90 days, everything is so ever changing with covid travel!

18/04/2022

First full day in Italy and we loved every. little. thing. about it. 🥰

Exploring this new (to us) corner of Umbria feels like the biggest gift ever. Everything feels new and exciting and at the same time like we never left.

📸Sellano in the background taken from Montesanto

16/04/2022

My alarm went off at 3 am and I didn’t even mind. 🤩

Call me crazy for flying on Easter weekend, but when you find a deal- you grab it and figure out the details later. 😂

See you soon (ish) Italy…

11/03/2022

Happy ! 🧀🇮🇹🥰

Super simple aperitivo spread idea- (Inspo from our “last hurrah” trip before moving home from Italy.)

Wedge of cheese
+ Spicy jam
+ Something salty & crunchy

Add your favorite thing to sip and voila!

🙌 Aperitivo in less than 3 minutes.

And no matter where you are, taking the time to connect over something delicious at the end of the day just might make you feel like you are on vacation, with a side of La dolce vita. 🥰

03/02/2022

Umbria is one of my favorite places in the world and I've been lucky enough to have taken & planned many trips there.

🇮🇹 Trip Idea:

Explore the hilltowns, but keep Bevagna in your back pocket for a day when your legs are worn out. Bevagna sits on the plains and is very charming but flat compared to many of the other towns in the area.

Parking is easy, and Bevagna makes a lovely stop for lunch or dinner depending on what else you have going on that day.

🙌 Don't miss these spots in Bevagna:

Dining at Antiche Sere
Seeing the mosaics at Terme Romane
Visiting the Teatro Francesco Torti

31/01/2022

🙋‍♀️ Who else loves maps?

🌍 I've always been obsessed with maps, and have quite a few custom google maps for you (20 and counting) inside the Smitten Italy Travel HQ- including this one which has all the UNESCO world heritage sites in Italy marked & organized.

My husband loves visiting Unesco sites when we travel, and we often plan day trips around ones that are near where we are visiting. I have no doubt we will be visiting some new ones on our travels later this year. 😍

👀 How to get your eyeballs on these maps? Sign up for access to all the free travel planning tools inside the Smitten Italy HQ (link in bio) also at smittenitaly.co/sign-up

30/01/2022

Cheers to the weekend, friends!

Photo story: One of my favorite places for Aperitivo in Milan when we were living there was Piccolo Teatro. Right in the heart of the city but a quiet spot away from the hubbub right off via Dante.

23/01/2022

👋 Ciao! Hi! Hello!

I’m officially very late to the happy new year party (I’m totally blaming it on the covid I got over Christmas break…) but HAPPY NEW YEAR friends!

Just for fun, I’m trying something a bit different today.
A personal intro post of sorts that’s more about who I am, & how I got here. Are you in?

Ciao- I’m Heather. I'm a wife, mom of 2 college age kids & crazy dog lady.

I love learning about other cultures through food & wine, and have been obsessed with food & cooking since I was old enough to plug in my easy bake oven back in the early 70's.

I got my degree in social work and sociology and for years worked with seniors and their families as a grief counselor. I’ve also worked in restaurants, at summer camp, as a nanny, in non-profit radio, and survived one summer of being an Olan Mills telemarketer when I was 16.

Like many of you, I dreamed of Italy for years before I finally made my first trip. Our first trip (in 2008) was planned with what felt like decades of research, many trips to the library and our local Barnes & Noble and getting tips from friends and family.

We had an excellent first trip to Italy- with many things learned and a few bumps along the way. (I’ll share more about that first trip later) Each trip after that got easier as we learned a little Italian, figured out how to navigate not only public transportation but also the culture.

Later we moved our family (and dogs!) to Italy for a few years on an expat assignment. That is when we fell in love with Milan, gained a whole new appreciation for the Italian culture, people and customs and enjoyed taking a deeper dive into the food and wine culture of Italy every change we could.

When we returned to the USA I knew I wanted to help others plan trips full of meaning, connection and delicious adventures. And Smitten Italy Travel was born.

(continued in comments)

28/11/2021

Some of my favorite people in the world are small business owners. Today (and everyday) I'm celebrating them and cheering them on!

Special shout out to who creates amazing experiences in Italy but also gourmet gift boxes shipped directly to your home.

Earlier this year I ordered one of Coral's cheese boxes, and it literally made me weep with joy when I unboxed it. It was such a treat to have cheese & nibbles directly from Italy and we loved each item she chose for us. I highly recommend treating yourself or someone you love with one of 's expertly curated gourmet boxes.

Here are some more favorite friends who are experts at creating and offering delicious ways to connect with Italy- whether you’re cooking & eating at home or planning your next trip.











I’m so proud to be a small business owner and LOVE to share & support other small, women owned businesses. So tag your fave small businesses below so I can support them too!

10/03/2021

In the Necessary Defense of Dry-Ass Italian Toast

"Fette biscottate are like dry, hard, crusty cardboard, yet I adore them" funny & all too true article from Eater & Kelly Green.

______________________________

Toppings are key- but I don't love them. I'd rather use my carbs for focaccia & pasta ;) Have you tried them?

Italian breakfast rusks are all about the toppings, but that gets lost in translation