A couple of months ago I was contacted by a producer at KPAM Portland Radio. He wanted to know more about my favorite little region in Italy and asked if I’d be interested in talking to them about Calabria.

Me? Talk about Calabria?

Now, that’s not fun at all.

photo credit: Dave Kleinschmidt

Due to time zones and sleeping habits, we decided to do the interview once I was on American soil, so one day after my flight(s) home for Christmas, we got down to business.

Via the great telecom system of AT&T (and least on my end), I met with radio talk show anchor and host of The Azumano Travel Show, Pat Boyle.

The segment aired the day after Christmas in Portland, but for all the rest of you, it is right here.

Enjoy!

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Congratulations! You’ve saved your pennies and set a date and now you can start planning your trip to Italy. You are bubbling over with excitement and can barely pull yourself from your laptop at night to cook dinner or tend to your children-or answer your boss’s emails, for that matter.

You are in my favorite stage of travel planning-the pre-trip planning-where your options are endless and everything you do, see and eat remind you of your upcoming trip to Italy. Just don’t make these five common mistakes in the process.

photo credit: Ed Yourdon

1. Not Researching Well

If you are reading this in preparation for an upcoming trip to Italy, then this tip is akin to preaching to the proverbial choir. However, you’d be surprised how many people spend thousands of dollars-not to mention their hard-earned vacation days-on a trip they fail to properly research.

I’ll be writing more about how to prepare for and research your trip to Italy in the next few weeks, so be sure to subscribe to my feed or receive updates via email so you won’t miss that.

2. Listening to Too Many People

… but not listening to yourself.

When your friends returned home from their Italian vacation, they gushed over the sites they saw, cities they visited and museums, ruins, beaches-hey, we are Italy, so fill in the blank-of things they most enjoyed. It is natural for them to recommend you reenact their trip and is a good idea for you to take notes.

But let it end there.

Listen to what they say and let them get you even more excited about your trip-if that’s possible-but remember their personalities and preferences are likely different from yours. Plan your trip based on what you want to experience-not on what your friends did.

3. Not Allowing Enough Time in Each City

Few people travel to Italy-especially on their first trip-and decide to spend their entire vacation in one area. However, the biggest mistake you can make is believing you can visit various parts of north, central and southern Italy-all within a few days-and really enjoy it. You might get to physically “see” everything on your list, but you won’t get to explore them-and that’s where the real fun begins.

4. Over-planning Activities

This mistake is closely connected with mistake #3 and often happens when vacationers try to squeeze as much as possible into their two-week Italian trip. I understand this dilemma, really I do, but you will have a more enjoyable and memorable vacation if you slow down. Here are four tips to selecting your Italian destinations and the first five things you should when planning your trip to Italy to help you get started narrowing your options.

5. Not Believing the Experts

You’d be surprised how many people email me with questions about traveling in southern Italy, then decide they know better. As I said earlier, it is your vacation and you shouldn’t let your friends or your travel consultant encourage you to do things you aren’t interested in. However, if someone from your hotel or B&B tells you it is four hours from ABC to XYZ and Google Maps tells you it is two, you should listen to the experts. After all, they live in the area and know much more about the ins and outs of a foreign country than a search engine.

What other mistakes have you seen people make when visiting Italy?

Be sure to check out Robin’s travel tips today.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio!

It should be known I am an avid budget traveler. I advocate counting pennies, budget B&Bs and low-cost airlines and for some reason, I always seem to enjoy a trip more if I feel like it was a good deal.

That being said, Italy’s not cheap.

Yes, yes, I’ve done a Saving Euros in Italy series and highlighted ways to save on your flights, in-country travel and food and hotels. But still, a few new tips never hurt. Right?

With that in mind, here are five new tips for saving money on your next trip to Italy.

photo credit: mauriziobalestrieri

1. Look Outside the Boot

… or at least, outside the high-priced part. Southern Italy is often less expensive than its northern counterparts for rooms and meals-and it can be just as adventurous. Instead of focusing your vacation on well-known cities, look around for lesser-known villages or coastal towns. It might pay off.

2. Get Out of Town

Whether it is your first trip or your 100th, your heart might be set on seeing the Eternal City. No problem. (I get that!) However, staying in a B&B outside of the historical center could save you €30 per night or more. Just double check public transportation routes and ask about travel distances before you book.

3. Find-and Use!-Freebies

Once you have decided where to go, Google “Free Things to Do in … “ and see where it takes you. You are likely to find posts and articles written by local experts who know where to find the freebies.

4. No, I mean REALLY Look

While you are in cheapskate mode, go ahead and search for free Wi-Fi hotspots and research attractions to see if they have free or discounted days during your trip. Also search for free tours, either guided or audio, that will complement your vacation.

5. Do the Math

I often advocate staying in a B&B or hotel that offers breakfast. However, before blindly booking a bed-do the math. Consider that a typical Italian breakfast consists of coffee or cappuccino and a croissant and usually costs just a few euros at a local bar. Make sure the room you book is really worth it.

What other tips do you have for saving money in Italy?

Let’s see what Robin has to say today.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio!

A couple of months ago Katie at TripBase started a Three Best-Kept Travel Secrets meme and it’s been floating around the blogosphere since then. Robin of My Melange tagged me and well, since I love talking about Calabria so dang much, I thought I’d give it a go.

Calabria is, herself, a well-known travel secret, virtually unknown on the international stage and enjoyed mostly by northern Italians, Germans and Calabrian descendants returning to the land of their grandfathers’ births.

Even Calabrian hotspots Tropea, Sila and Reggio’s touristy status is relative. Our coasts are lined with travel secrets that are buried in caves, hiding in medieval villages and peaking out of hidden nooks.

But still … I have my favorites.

Paola

(c) WindowWeb

Paola is home to Calabria’s patron saint, San Francesco di Paola (Saint Francis of Paola) who founded the Minimi Order in the Roman Catholic Church in the 1400s. For years the village has been a main stop for religious trekkers, who flock to Paola to visit Saint Francis’ birthplace, the monastery and any of the dozens of churches and chiesettas, but this little village really does have it all. In addition to its established place in Calabria’s religious past, Paola has clean, rocky beaches, a Norman castle, fountains and a clock tower.

Pietragrande and Caminia

Ok, so regular readers have heard of Pietragrande and Caminia-and yes, I am kinda cheating here by including them both- but these beaches rival any I’ve seen in the bel paese and thus … are worth mentioning again.

Pietragrande and Caminia are located about 15 minutes from Catanzaro Lido and overlook the Ionian Sea on the Gulf of Squillace. They feature dramatic cliffs and warm blue-green waters that kiss the numerous caves and grottos that dot their coasts. The lack of restaurant options near the beaches adds to their charm and makes visitors feel like they’ve discovered a private slice of Mediterranean. In the summer months, the beaches are filled with locals and nightclubs are open on both beaches.

Amantea

(c) Salpe

Any town whose name derives from the Greek word “lover,” can’t be too shabby, and Amantea, located in the province of Cosenza, certainly lives up to its name. In addition to its glistening Tyrrhenian Sea beaches and caves, Amantea’s imposing fortress, an ancient Byzantine castle and nearby monastery are worth a visit.

Since many of the travel bloggers I know have already been tagged, I’m going to put this back on you. What is your favorite “secret” place in southern Italy? You can either leave it in the comments or write a post about it and let me know!

Booking your northern, central or southern Italy travel can be overwhelming. Where do you go? What do you see?

Feeling stressed yet? Well, my friends, you are in luck, because here are the first five things you should do when planning a trip to Italy.

1. Ask Yourself the Hard Questions

and by this, I mean you need to look deep within yourself and understand why you are longing to visit the bel paese? Is it because you’ve seen it in the movies and want to experience la dolce vita for yourself? Is it because you ache to walk the pebbled path of Julius Cesare? Is it for the food and wine? The beaches? The mountains? The history?

Determining why you want to see Italy will help you narrow down the choices of places you can visit.

2. Research the Country

Now that you know what you hope to experience in Italy, you can get down to business. Visit your local bookstore and peruse the photo books and guidebooks in the Italy Travel section. Research expat-written websites and start following Italy travel experts on Twitter and befriend them on Facebook. They are your best source for up-to-the-minute information on Italy.

3. Determine Transportation

Public transportation is a good option for many people who travel to Italy. However, some places, especially the more remote-read: less touristy places, are hard to reach by train. You might need to rent a car or hire a driver for certain areas or plan to spend extra money on taxis or room nights.

You need to determine at this point if you are willing to rent a car in Italy and plan your vacation accordingly.

4. Narrow Your Choices

Now that you have completed Steps 1, 2 and 3, you likely have a three-page list of places you want to visit. Here comes the hard part.

Start slashing.

You can’t visit every sensational site in Italy on your first trip and live to tell about it. Craft an itinerary that allows you time to enjoy la dolce vita-Italy will be here when you return.

5. Review Your Budget

Before you start booking hotels, transfers and museum tickets you need to review your budget and realistically allocate money for each part of your trip. Italy isn’t a cheap place-but the overwhelming charm and undeniable beauty is worth its weight in gold.

Here are four more tips for choosing a location for your Italian vacation.

What do you think are the first things someone should do when planning a trip to Italy?

Let’s see what tips Robin has today.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio!

Whoa. Stop right there. Don’t hit that back button or double-check the url.

You are in the right place.

Welcome, friends and blog readers to the new My Bella Vita.

It has been a long road, through logo design, color choices, font options, column width and header size and seriously, it is enough to make a girl wrap herself into a fetal position and moan html, html, html until someone snaps her glazed-over eyes into focus and forces her up again.

I mean, I’m just saying … I didn’t do that. Well, maybe once.

But in the end my friends at Kaiz Agency came through and designed a new template we feel will highlight some of the changes we have in store for this website.

Oh yes, my friends … there are changes.

In addition to the funky new logo and what will soon be a photo slide show-small technical delay, slide show’s a comin’, few tweaks, no worries-I’m expanding products and services offered here.

Custom Itineraries

We all know Calabria can be intimidating and a well-traveled Italophile once said, “Calabria is not for the faint-hearted.” But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come. Calabria has beaches, mountains, ruins and religion, a unique cuisine, good wine and warm people and it is listed as an “Italian favorite” for many people who have visited.

But it is not easy to get around Calabria and researching the area can be tough.

The custom itineraries I offer will help with that.

Based on your preferences, I’ll create a custom itinerary, complete with hotel reservations, transfers, car rental and activities for each day of your trip. You can read more about that here.

Travel Consulting

For travelers who prefer to make their own reservations, but still need recommendations on which areas to visit, what activities to book or which city or location is the best base for their southern Italy vacation, Travel Consulting is the way to go. You can read more about that here.

Tips Booklets

I recently completed my very first tips booklet, “Don’t Get Stuck With Dirty Drawers … and 64 other tips for traveling in Calabria.” More information will be available soon.

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Prizes and Fun Stuff

In conjunction with this week’s relaunch, I’ve joined forces with other Italophiles around the world to bring you some great prizes.

Check back this week to enter new drawings for prizes such as free nights at a bed and breakfast in Catanzaro, free itinerary planning and free Italy photos!

Today’s prize: A premium subscription to ItalianPod101, the award-winning website that was featured on Newsweek, PC Magazine and right here … at My Bella Vita.

All you have to do is leave a comment on *this* post between Monday, December 7 and Sunday, December 13. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 14.

In bocca al lupo!

I have exciting news coming up in the next few weeks regarding My Bella Vita, Il Cedro and some new products and services that are tailor-made to southern Italy travelers. I’m excited-and I can’t wait to share. Another thing I couldn’t wait to tell you about is the overwhelming support I’ve had from friends in the blogosphere who are in the travel industry. They’ve sent me emails, brainstormed with me on Skype and offered their two centissimi that was worth much more than I could have paid them in sterling, euros or even that pitifully low dollar. And even with all of the encouragement they’ve been giving me, they are still busy as elves at Christmastime.

Photo: Haven in Paris

Megan of Bella Vita Italia recently crossed the border with her blog and wrote about a luxury apartment rental agency, Haven in Paris, that was opened by an American in 1993. Megan is also staying busy planning weddings and events in Italy and she and her husband just celebrated their wedding anniversary. Auguri!

In other Italy travel consulting news, Madeline of Italy: Beyond the Obvious recently published an article on ItalianKids.com. In her article, Madeline describes the best restaurants in Torino for tiny tots and divides them into categories based on outdoor scenery, local food, atmosphere and more. It was a great article. But, heck. Don’t take my word for it. Go read it yourself!

Speaking of reading-and cool things to do in Italy-Melanie of Italofile recently wrote a post about the top five things to do in Le Marche. She has also been busy building a social networking site for Italofiles at Italofile.Ning.com. Check it out-and tell her Cherrye sent you.

photo credit: 1la

Paula Russell from Paula’s Tour Talk and Time of Your Life Tours released the dates for their Spring and Fall 2010 Tuscan Treasures Tour. If you are interested in Tuscany-and come on, who isn’t?-then check out their website or Paula’s Tour Talk blog for more details. And I’m not the only one with changes a’coming. Paula recently announced some impending changes at her place, too.

Here is hoping the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010 bring great changes to all of my Italy travel and tourism buddies. In bocca al lupo!

Next week is my second wedding anniversary-which means we get to start celebrating this weekend. Since I’m in such a loving mood, I invite you to have a great weekend, too. Enjoy!

Little old men in southern Italy have been making homemade wines since they could walk, unfortunately, after taste-testing the different kinds of homemade wine … you can’t walk.

And that is pretty much where I was a few weeks ago when I agreed to go on an interpreting trip to Basilicata to help some fellow Calabrians communicate with long-lost American relatives.

Nice picture, eh?

Well, see that little ole man standing on the right? Let’s just say Ernest and Julio should have outsourced to Potenza, because this signore here has acres after acres of fresh grapes, sprouting on the vine, anxious to pop and share their wine-making juices with the world.

Since I was a special guest , he gave me one of his handmade baskets and let me fill it to the brim with fresh grapes.

Oh yea … those baskets are handmade. You have to be resourceful when you make this much wine.

Apparently, he used to sell most of it, but today, it is just a labor of love for him, his wife of 62 years and his children, grandchildren and special friends.

I like most homemade wines and love when the vino novello comes out each fall. What about you? Do you like homemade wines or are you more of the older-is-better type of wine connoisseur?

Last week we discussed five general Italian experiences that are crucial for travelers in the bel paese.

And today … we are getting specific.

Here are five things every traveler should do to have the full Italy experience when on vacation.

photo credit: Eugenia_y_Julian

- Climb the Duomo in Florence

Touted by many, and by that I mean my husband, as Italy’s most picturesque town, this renaissance city is a must for people who hungry for the full Italy experience. Climbing the Duomo is just icing on the cake.

And seriously, after you climb all of those stairs, you will want a piece of cake.

If you are heading to Florence and want something more than David and Duomo, then check out Florence by Katerina for sample itineraries and travel consulting.

photo credit: hslo

- Tour the Roman Forum

On my first day in the Eternal City, I raced to the Colosseum, darted to the forum and dashed up Palatine Hill.  Then, I did it again – with a tour guide.

And what a difference that made.

If you do nothing else with a tour guide in Rome … tour the forum. You’ll want an expert to help you make sense of the once-glorious rubble of the Roman Empire that now sits at your feet. Want a few other things to do when in Rome? Check out Rome Photo Blog for inspiration or NYC/Caribbean Ragazza for the scoop on eating out.

photo credit: Honza Soukup

- Walk around Venice

I have spent a grand total of six hours in Venice … two waiting for my mom to wire me money after someone ripped off my wallet, cash and cards and the other four I was, well … lost.

And I loved it.

Venice is a surreal experience, so get lost, wander the streets and buy some glass. And if you are looking for something else to do, check out Why Go Italy’s Top 10 Things to do In Venice. I hear Venice is one of Jessica’s favorite Italian cities …

photo credit: PjotrP

- Venture out of the Big Three …

and see how Italians live outside touristville. Yes, it *is* Italy, so touristy is a relative word, but how about heading to Umbria and trying some Perugia chocolate, visiting Liguria on the Italian Riviera or striking out for Naples and the Amalfi Coast for pizza and limoncello.

photo credit: kiaura83

- Keeping Coming South

Rick Steves says Italy intensifies the farther south you plunge-and although he was just referring to Naples, there is a whole other world down here in the foot of the boot most travelers never see.

In fact, most North American travelers never get south of Naples, to Basilicata, Puglia or Calabria and they miss out on what we think of as old Italy. Oh yes, my friends, old Italy is still thriving down here in the south, where few people speak English, the afternoon reposo is still sacred and you won’t be able to find a lunchtime pizza-or open pharmacy-unless you time it right.

These are just five great Italy experiences, what else would you add to the list?

Let’s see what Robin has to say today.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio!

Everyone who has ever set foot in the bel paese has their own travel tips for Italy-bound travelers. Go to Rome. See the David. Ride in a Gondola.

Yes, yes … all good things to do.

But here is my take on that.

Here are five things every traveler should do when in Italy.

1. Conduct your own Tour del Gelato

The list is made, so there is no reason why every traveler shouldn’t hop on board for the Ms. Adventures in Italy’s Tour del Gelato. Print that post before you come over and try as many of the gelaterias as possible. I recommend you eat gelato at least once a day when you are in Italy and if you see a good-lookin’ gelateria that isn’t on that list-try it anyway. That is how we rounded up all of those recommendations in the first place.

2. Vary your Italian coffee intake

It is true espresso is king in Italy, but we have a lot more going on than mini-shots and foamy caps. Jessica at Why Go Italy has created a guide for coffee-drinkers heading to Italy, check it out and try some of the fun ways we take our daily java. And be sure to let me know which ones are your new favorites.

3. Try at least one dish you’ve never heard of (in each new city or region)

Often the number one thing travelers love about Italy is the food. And surprisingly enough, that food varies greatly depending on which region or city you are visiting. Life in Italy lists Italian foods by geographic region … not a bad place to start. But when you are in Italy, ask your hotel or B&B staff about local dishes – then go out and try them!

4. Have a passeggiata … with the locals

In every city in Italy there is a place, piazza or promenade where the locals take their evening stroll. Find that place and join them. If you have time, try to sit back and watch them while they are on passeggiata … it is quite the ritual.

5. Enjoy an aperitivo

Speaking of rituals, one of my favorite Italian experiences is sharing a pre-lunch -or pre-dinner- aperitivo with friends. If you aren’t familiar with aperitivi, you can check out this Italy Mag article that gives you the rundown on this Italian tradition and recommends three aperitivo drinks to get you started. Just remember, all aperitivi are not created equally. Do you research on this so you will choose the best places worthy of your Italian aperitivo experience.

What other tips do you have for Italy-bound travelers?

Let’s see what tips Robin has today.

Until next time … Buon Viaggio!