While some aspect of life this year feel like they are dragging, my tour season seems to be flying by at warp speed, and writing has not been my priority. Life has been filled with travels, and recovering in between. I am getting older, sporting a new hip, and my body likes to be nurtured more than it did in the past. I have been plagued by sciatica and other back issues for a few years and am still trying to get it under control with PT, meds and massages. The latter is the best! If you have never had sciatica, consider yourself lucky. It is most unpleasant for those of us who spend a lot of time on our feet! My husband has also had a health scare and my baby, who has grown into a beautiful young man is getting ready to graduate high school which takes 5 years in Italy. I may soon have an empty nest!

The last few years have been filled with positive personal challenges as I have tried to expand the types of tours I work on. I started working on new tours when I turned 50 and Covid threw a monkey wrench into that plan. All that seems like ancient history now. 

I moved to Italy in 1997 thinking I would stay for a year or two, learn the language, and return to Seattle to open an Italian restaurant. At the age of 27, I had already worked in food & beverage for 10 years and loved it.  (I really just like meeting and connecting with people in general.) One of my students (we were both adults) asked me on a date and 29 years later, I am still in Italy, happily married to Mauro with two beautiful boys, Filippo and Emanuele. They are starting to make me feel old since they both tower over me, and the oldest is out of the house and finding his happy path back in the States.

Finding my dream job as a guide was serendipitous when I was given the opportunity to interview at Rick Steves’ Europe in 1998. Back then it was Europe Through the Back Door. I already knew about the company and had bought a rail pass and hostel sleep sheet from them before my first trip to Europe in 1993…I wonder whatever became of that sheet?

I met Steve Smith (he is in most of Rick’s videos on France) when I went to dinner at my Grandpa’s house while back in Seattle for a few months, contemplating marrying Mauro. Steve encouraged me to send in my resume and called me a few weeks later for an interview. The rest as they say, is history! 2026 is my 27th year of guiding for Rick Steves Europe and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given and for a career path I had never imagined.

Beyond working for RSE, working with Adventures with Sarah for the last few years has allowed me to expand my horizons and create and collaborate on new itineraries starting with The Pleasures of Piemonte, where I get to share my corner of Italy. It’s slower-paced and includes things that I love about the region I call home and is fairly unknown to North American travelers.

Other tours I do for Sarah are Naples, and the Amalfi Coast, Puglia, Sardegna, Venice (not this year) and the Italy Harvest Tour. Do I have a favorite you ask?

Not really. Italy is so varied from region to region that each one is different and I thrive on change and variety. I like to push myself to learn new things and transmit cultural differences in addition to sharing history, art, architecture, delicious food, and wine. Never forget the food and wine! Travel and understanding the differences and similarities wherever you go, make our world a better place. And as I already said, I like people which is why guiding is still my dream job.

So far this year I have led two Rome City tours and just finished a tour of Venice, Florence and Rome. Every group has been a delight and I think that many people have been happily surprised that there is no animosity towards them, despite the political chaos/roller coaster we are living with these days. I am also very excited about my upcoming tours. For my fall tours, there are still a few spots left these and these small group tours (see below) will be no larger than 14 fabulous people.

June 2-14 Rick Steves’ Best of Village Italy

September 6-14 Heart of Italy with Rick Steves

Italy Harvest Tour September 14-23, 2026 with Adventures with Sarah

The Pleasures of Peimonte September 30 – October 10, 2026 with Adventures with Sarah

Naples and the Amalfi Coast October 13-21, 2026 with Adventures with Sarah.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am sharing some of my favorites and hope they inspire you to join me in Italy. And if you have any destinations you would like to visit, I am always thinking about new itineraries, especially if they are off the beaten path so let me know!

Buon Viaggio!