Italy Travel Agent Specialist

I've been to Italy six times, and I've stopped counting the months at 6+ because I lost track somewhere around my first extended stint living in Florence. I've traveled this country as a tourist with two weeks and a list, and I've traveled it as someone who actually lived there for over a month at a time (two completely different ways of knowing a place!). I bring my first-hand experience to every itinerary I build.

Florence is where I've spent the most time, and it's the city I know best. I steer clients away from thinking of it as a checklist of museums and toward what it actually is: the best home base for discovering Tuscany. The historic center is stunning but gets suffocating with tourists, especially in summer, so timing and neighborhood choice matter more here than almost anywhere else in the country. 

Florence is just the gateway, the real magic happens once you get into the Tuscan countryside. Siena and Lucca are some of my favorite day trips, with none of Florence's crowds. San Gimignano and Montepulciano are my favorite hilltop towns to recommend — small, slow-paced, and exactly the kind of place where an unplanned wine tasting becomes the highlight of the trip. The Chianti region is where I send clients who want a full day of vineyard hopping, with an agriturismo stay built in when the itinerary allows. Pisa is worth a stop if you're already passing through (the town beyond the Leaning Tower is cute), but I recommend giving it a skip if you want more authentic Tuscan charm.

Rome is the city I keep returning to and still haven't finished. Every visit I find something new, and my recommendations are constantly evolving because of it. It's also, hands down, the best food city in Italy. Roman pasta (cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana) is in a league of its own, and I've eaten my way through this city enough times to know which spots are worth the wait and which are tourist traps. Rome can be chaotic and overwhelming if you don't know where you're going, which is exactly why I plan it in detail rather than leaving it to chance.

I've been to the Amalfi Coast three separate times, watching it change with each visit. My first trip there in 2016 was quieter and more affordable than what I found on my more recent visits. It's still one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, but I plan around the crowds now: timing trips for shoulder season when possible, steering clients toward well-located accommodation over overpriced beach clubs, and building in a Positano sunset because some things are worth the crowds. I also love sending people to Sorrento as an alternative base; it's cliffs and swimming platforms instead of traditional beaches, and it gives you Amalfi Coast access without the Amalfi Coast price tag.

I've also explored Cinque Terre extensively, hiking the Blue Trail that connects all five villages along the Ligurian coast. Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernazza are the standouts for photos and atmosphere, while Monterosso makes the most practical home base with its flatter terrain and real beach. The villages get flooded with day-trippers by mid-morning, so I always encourage clients to stay overnight rather than visit on a day trip. That's the only way to experience Cinque Terre after the crowds clear out.

Venice is a city I have complicated feelings about, and I use that honestly when I plan it for clients. The main tourist areas around St. Mark's Square can feel more like a theme park than the romantic city people envision. But wander into the quieter neighborhoods, stay overnight instead of day-tripping in, and go in the off-season, and you find pockets of the real Venice that make the trip worth it. I plan Venice very differently depending on whether a client wants the classic postcard experience or something quieter and more authentic.

Puglia is the part of Italy most of my clients haven't heard of yet, and it's quickly become one of my favorite regions to plan. The hilltop towns of Ostuni, Alberobello, and Locorotondo are as photogenic as anywhere in Tuscany, and the coastal towns of Polignano a Mare, Monopoli, and Gallipoli offer beaches without the Amalfi Coast crowds or price tag. It's a heavily seafood-driven region, which I factor in when I'm planning for clients who want classic pasta-forward Italian dining.

I've also spent time in Lake Garda, Verona, Naples (including Pompeii) and Capri — each offering a completely different pace and personality than the Rome-Florence-Venice triangle most first-time visitors default to. The Dolomites are my next big Italian adventure and I’ve already mentally planned the whole trip (perks of being a travel planner!).

Italy is one of the countries I return to again and again, and I plan trips here the way I'd plan my own: adventure paired with comfort, a full day of exploring followed by a long dinner and another glass of wine. Whether you want a classic itinerary or something further off the beaten path, I'd love to help you build it.