Italy As You Imagine

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Italy As You Imagine Do you dream of Italy? You’re not alone & for good reasons! But you don't know where to start. Well, you're at the right place.

We help bring you Italy As You Imagine, customized to your desires and budget. We only plan in Italy, as it is our passion.

Today’s Monday. Let’s share some Marvelous things in Italy starting with the letter M. Two pics for each of: • Monte Arg...
10/12/2026

Today’s Monday. Let’s share some Marvelous things in Italy starting with the letter M. Two pics for each of:

• Monte Argentario, once an island, it is now attached to the mainland by two natural sandbars to form a peninsula-of-sorts off the coast of Tuscany. It includes Porta Ercole and Porta Santo Stefano and is perfect for those who want quiet, coastal elegance with the exceptional Tuscan cuisine and w**es…and, wait for it, GOLF, as its home to Italy's only PGA-licensed golf facility, designated as the PGA National Italy.

• Montepulciano will always be at the top of my list for M’s! Also in Tuscany, it’s a fairytale-like hilltop town in the the area of Val d’orcia and home to Vino Nobile di Montepulciano w**e.

• Moving immediately north of the Tuscan region is the region of Emilia-Romagna and the mid-sized Italian town of Modena. It’s called the Valley of Fast Cars and Slow Food, home to Ferrari, Maserati and other sport cars, as well as famed restauranteur Massimo Bottura (another M!), not to mention balsamic vinegar and Pavarotti!

• Back to Tuscany and another hilltop town quite literally towering over the vineyards producing Italy’s famed Brunello w**e. Montalcino is conveniently located next door to Montepulciano and both harvest the Sangiovese grape to produce the w**es each are world famous for.

• Mastrojanni is a w**ery producing DOCG and DOC w**es, including Brunello, in Montalcino. We have clients there tomorrow and again next week for a lovely tasting, tour and epic venue for an incredible Tuscan meal. The family who owns and runs it is also famous for another beverage, Illy Caffe.

• Matera, just outside of the region of Puglia. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this is perhaps the most missed spot in Italy to visit. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and world-famous for its prehistoric cave dwellings known as the Sassi…and also host to a famous Bond scene.

• Martina Franca. Speaking of Puglia, this one of my most favorite hilltop towns to visit in this region. While many know the region of Puglia for its coastline, you don’t want to miss the towns of its magnificent Itria Valley!

• And last but not least, my friend and our associate in Italy, Martina Martinelli. One pic of her joining all the ladies of Italy As You in New Jersey and another of me showing her her own country on her first climb of Florence’s duomo, and my tenth! Martina assists us in organizing in Tuscany and specifically handles wedding and special events for us as Sogno Toscano - Weddings & Experiences.



Post-trip calls are also part of our process of planning. In each, we ask “what surprised you in Italy that we didn’t ed...
10/10/2026

Post-trip calls are also part of our process of planning. In each, we ask “what surprised you in Italy that we didn’t educate you on in advance that would be helpful for future clients to know?”

This is no gratuitous question. The answers become action to better the series of guides we have written to educate our clients about the cultural differences in our country and Italy.

On a recent call, the client thanked us for our perhaps over-guidance on the need to pack light. We have a guide to assist in this necessity of preparing for your trip.

They also brought up two items we’ve now also incorporated in.

1️⃣ Hotels are legally required to take a photo of your passport upon check-in. American are often taken aback. Not a scam, but instead a cultural difference solidified in Italian law. This tidbit is now added as a note in the informational page we use with clients in understanding the official things they’ll need to travel to Italy.

2️⃣ Windows, built for ventilation in the ancient country, operate very differently than windows in the U.S. This client, as have others in the past, was concerned theirs was broken as a storm approached. We think Italy should be an adventure but not in how to use the windows. So we now have a page for that!

We’ve been ironing out our itineraries with all the common mistakes/pitfalls/items to know to best experience Italy for more than four years…and still always striving to improve Italy As You Imagine for our clients.

We so appreciate the time our clients make to share their kind testimonials, as well as these invaluable perspectives of first-time visitors.


As we finish up 2026 itineraries and turn the page into 2027, our Christmas/Winter Break availability will close on Octo...
10/08/2026

As we finish up 2026 itineraries and turn the page into 2027, our Christmas/Winter Break availability will close on October 25th. It’s not too late for what I will strongly attest - both personally and professionally - just may be THE MOST UNDERRATED TIME TO VISIT ITALY!

1. 🥵 No complaints on heat! And it’s warmer than it generally is for the northeast of the US.
2. 🎄 Hallmarkiest decor ever, complete with designer trees by all the fashion houses in Milan, Christmas markets and pop-up winter villages where you can quite literally get chestnuts roasting on an open fire along with warmed w**e.
3. 🎆 Incredible NYE fireworks shows, like my family and clients have enjoyed from the Grand Canal as well as clients on the Arno in Venice.

Here are what our clients have said of their holiday trips. Some have celebrated Christmas Day in Italy, while others have departed for Italy the day after.

And I can add ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ for the pre-Christmas thru New Years my family enjoyed in 2022. No cell phones. No teen destructions or hiding in their rooms. No stress of the perfect hosting, home decor or holiday gifts. It was one of our most special Christmases in the 18 we get.




We are proud to have our fifth clients of the year taking off today for time on Lake Orta, a lovely, quieter, authentic ...
10/06/2026

We are proud to have our fifth clients of the year taking off today for time on Lake Orta, a lovely, quieter, authentic alternative to an expensive and inundated Lake Como. (Como is an easy day trip from Orta; Lake Maggiore - between the two - is also a popular daytrip). We first started offering this area after exploring it in summer 2025.

Still our list of off-the-beaten path places that clients are missing out on is lengthy.

Here are our top 3 we’d like to see clients visit in 2027:

🏝️ Ischia is Capri’s lessor-known sister island. Very authentic and feels like Hawaii in Italy. Pairs well with time on the Amalfi Coast.

🪨 Matera is like nothing else and actually hard to explain - famously carved directly into a limestone ravine in the remote southern Italian region of Basilicata. Pairs well with time in its neighboring region of Puglia.

☀️ The real-sand Tuscan Coastline, including Forte Dei Marmi, family-friendly Viareggio, Porta Ercole and all of Monte Argentario, even Elba Island. The Euros have known about it for decades but the Americans are just now slowly getting smart to it! Pairs well with the equally lovely rolling hills portions of Tuscany, visits to Portofino and the Cinque Terre…and as it’s centrally located on the boot, pretty much anything else!

These destinations in particular are good for subsequent trips to Italy.






There is no greater client testimonial than coming back to us to plan a subsequent trip. Our first trip launched just fo...
10/06/2026

There is no greater client testimonial than coming back to us to plan a subsequent trip. Our first trip launched just four years ago and already more than 25% of our trips are repeat clients each year.

We love it when once in a lifetimes become lifelong affairs with Italy. 😉



Many who have kids in college or are about to begin the application process soon will understand the dagger I felt when ...
09/28/2026

Many who have kids in college or are about to begin the application process soon will understand the dagger I felt when reading “By the time your child turns 18 and goes off to college, you have already spent approximately 90% of the total face-to-face time you will ever spend with them in your entire lifetime.”

As I departed at the end of July with my rising high school senior Jack for 11 days - just us in Italy, my husband made it worse, reminding me this is probably the longest and last time I will spend this much time with my first born. 😭

I snuffed in the tears and reminded myself how lucky I would be to spend this time with him because how many moms ever have 11 days solo with one of their kids. I’m so stinking grateful to say I’ve done solo trips with both of mine now. My youngest Bobby and I enjoyed a similar amount of time two years ago.

But this was different, more meaningful with Jack, just months before turning 18.

I had the incredible and unexpected privilege of seeing him again as that little adventurous boy I haven’t seen since his age became double digits. It was as if all that is unique of Italy transported him back in time to the curious little boy a teenager is otherwise too cool to be. He marveled at the heavenly vistas, ate raw things straight out of the ocean he’d caught himself and even enjoyed historical tours. Of course he loved the food…and I loved the time we just sat there over it talking. No phones, no sports, no friends, no girls, no distractions. Just us. The time difference can be your best friend in this regard.

Seeing him flip over the side of boats and spend hours just with me floating on noodles in various spots on the Mediterranean took me right back to the days he was in swim wings and thought his parents were the coolest thing. Playing with wildlife. Doing handstands in the pool. Endless gelato and pizza. Magically all the teen angst disappeared for a short bit. I can even see that little boys captured in some of these pics.

I can also see in others the transition to a young man. I saw him looking at young ladies. I was able to legally enjoy adult beverages with him to help him learn how it affects you, how to be responsible with it. I got to hear him talk about things Italy inspired in him to do with his life after college. I got to know the child I miss as the adult his is becoming that I have 10% of my time with left.

I always say travel is the best gift we can give our kids (a great grad gift, btw)…but this was truly a gift to me.

So I don’t know who needs hear this today, but if your heart is hurting, thinking of missing your children when they leave the nest, this is your Monday morning sign to maximize that time while you still have it. And if that includes time in Italy, we’re here to help and would be so privileged to bring this experience to other parents because I know personally just how soul filling it is. (Full tears seeing these pics again😭)



Like with your kids, you're probably not supposed to have favorite clients. But this family is exactly why we do what we...
09/19/2026

Like with your kids, you're probably not supposed to have favorite clients. But this family is exactly why we do what we do. It was a sincere and distinct pleasure to plan their family's adventure through Italy - from an intimate vow renewal with an Amalfi Coast backdrop to a lovely authentic experience in a small w**ery town en route to Puglia, where they attended a wedding. We picked up their adventure after the wedding where they went on to enjoy two parts in the masterpiece of Tuscany.

We are there for our clients along their travels by supporting them on Whatsapp. On this trip, we found ourselves more than excited to receive their reports and beautiful pictures from all over Italy. Their enthusiasm and appreciation of Italy was palpable...and inspiring!

Thank you, McCormick family, for entrusting us with your special family time. It was truly a pleasure! We hope your memories of Italy stay with you forever, as they will us.

What a lovely lovely family!



A little update...We are putting the final touches on our fall trips and open only to December holiday travel dates in 2...
09/18/2026

A little update...

We are putting the final touches on our fall trips and open only to December holiday travel dates in 2026.

We have started working with about a quarter of the clients we will plan for in 2027 before we meet maximum capacity.

If you would like to discuss 2027 travel planning (or December 2026), you can find our availability to set a call with us here >>> calendly.com/italyasyouimagine

But before we turn the page on 2026, we have so many lovely and lively reviews from our summer 2026 clients to share, starting with this dear family.



Did you know Milan also has a Grand Canal? And Venice is home to a leaning tower? In the neighborhood of Navigli in Mila...
08/17/2026

Did you know Milan also has a Grand Canal?

And Venice is home to a leaning tower?

In the neighborhood of Navigli in Milan, there’s a grand canal once part of network of waterways engineered by Leonardo da Vinci and others to transport goods—including the marble used to build the Duomo di Milano. Today it hosts one of Milan’s most lively scenes for aperitif, a pre dinner practice that originated in Milan. The area, which features a historic alleyway with a preserved 18th-century open-air washhouse where locals washed clothes for centuries, is also now a must destination for vintage shoppers.

Venice’s Campanile of Santo Stefano (bell tower) leans more than 6 1/2 feet off center thanks to foundation shifting on the soft lagoon soil on which it was built in the mid 15th century. At more than 216-feet tall, the tower can be seen near bustling Campo Sant'Angelo and Campo Santo Stefano.

Both are part of our clients’ itineraries when visiting either city. Each locale visited always includes a section of highlights not to miss. Things that don’t require an advanced ticket or stricter tour but instead our knowledge of when and how to best visit. We love encouraging what we call “structured leisure,” empowering our clients to organically explore cities on their time and based on their interests, armed with the key information we provide.

Tours shouldn’t be the totality of your time in Italy. 🇮🇹




Happy Ferragosto to so many friends and family in Italy. 🇮🇹 Just back, and I miss you so much truly. 😢Tomorrow breaking ...
08/16/2026

Happy Ferragosto to so many friends and family in Italy. 🇮🇹 Just back, and I miss you so much truly. 😢

Tomorrow breaking the 5-day stretch of no clients in Italy, which hasn’t been the case since March.


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Mahwah, NJ
07430

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