Benvenuti!

Welcome to Local Italy! A place to share ideas and stories about traveling in Italy.

I’m Michelle

and I live in NY with my Italian husband and 2 teenage kids.

I’ve never blogged before and if I am being honest, I wasn’t sure what a blog was until a couple of years ago. All I knew was that I always enjoyed sharing my experiences of traveling in Italy with my friends and family and a blog seemed like a great way to document all of these adventures.

So, here I am… after living in Italy and spending the last 20 years traveling from the Dolomites to Sicily and everywhere in between,  I am staring at my blank blog pages wondering where to start.

Becoming a local

The first thing I did on the road to starting my blog was to go through photos of the last 2o years of travel in Italy. Wow! You dont realize where you’ve been untill you sit down and look through a gazillion photos of your trips. After reliving all of the incredible moments with my born and raised Italiano hubby and beautiful kiddos, it hit me!  I realized that traveling with a local Italian changes how you see and experience your vacation. It really makes all the difference in the world!  We were never corralled on the tour path. The pace was different. Not necessarily slower (although it can be) but the movement was easier and the experience was more genuine.

This is what traveling like a  local is all about. It means sitting at an outdoor cafe with a spris cocktail in your hand and having a laugh with your loved ones. It is asking a local farmer where to buy olive oil or wine or talking to your cab driver and asking him where he takes his family to dinner. (This is a great tip because if he eats there, you will be guaranteed an authentic experience. Not a menu with pictures on it). It can be about knowing when to drive or when to take a train. Its all these little things that can add up to a memerable vacation where you return with the best stories and a feeling that you have lived “La docle Vita”!

Your dolce vita

La docle vita comes in so many forms and the experience is different for everyone. But, most importantly,  it is a feeling that is meant to be shared and I CAN’T wait to share it with you!

I hope my experiences and tips will inspire you to travel like a local and help you find your dolce vita. I am so grateful to be on this new journey with you!

Please feel free to contact me if you have ANY questions, need advice, or want to share your stories of belissima Italia!

Tante belle cose!

Michelle