Gifts for Travelers Heading to Italy: Curated Experiences and Treasures
Italy, a country steeped in history, art, and culinary delights, beckons travellers with its magnetic allure. If you're seeking the perfect gift for someone venturing into Italy's enchanting realms, here's a bespoke guide that celebrates the essence of Italian culture and experiences.
Recommended Activities for your Italy Vacation with Family
I recommend activities for your Italy vacation with family as part of my photoshoot planning process because I’m here to tell the story of your vacation. Activities allow me to create you timeless portraits full of natural moments and genuine emotion.
Vacation babysitters in Rome and throughout Italy
Planning a family trip to Italy? You're in for an adventure! Italians truly adore children, and this love extends beyond their own families. When it comes to accommodating families on vacation, Italy's services reflect this adoration for kids.
In bustling cities like Rome, Florence, and Milan, as well as serene countryside locations in Tuscany or along the Amalfi Coast, finding reliable and trustworthy babysitters can be a game-changer for your itinerary. You might wonder about the logistics. How can you find trusted caretakers while travelling?
Seven Things to Consider Before Choosing Your Vacation Family Photographer in Italy
Planning your dream vacation to Italy with your family? A professional photoshoot will capture all the wonderful memories that you will make together.
In this article, I’m sharing seven things you should consider before choosing your vacation photographer.
Italy's best hiking trails (from a photographers eye)
What do you picture when you first think of a vacation in Italy? Exploring the Colosseum? Walking the streets of Florence with Gelato in hand? Eating too much pizza in Naples? Maybe laying under an umbrella on the Amalfi coast?
Italy is all of that, but it’s also an amazing hiking destination. And I’m not just talking about Tuscany’s rolling hills or the spectacular Dolomites. Just 20% of the country is flat terrain. The rest is a hiker’s paradise with rolling hills and spectacular mountains. No matter your experience or fitness level, there truly is a hike for everyone here in Italy!
Family-Friendly Cooking Class and photoshoot in Tuscany
A passion for good food is really the centre of Italian culture and what better way to immerse yourself than a local cooking class? There are plenty of options to choose from in any city you may visit, but what can be hard is finding a class that is suitable for the youngest family members.
I recently photographed this family as they made fresh pasta in the family-friendly Tuscan Agriturismo, Al Gelso Bianco (which I also recommend for accommodation too). As you can see, the entire family got involved thanks to the wonderful teacher.
Why Invest in Family Portrait Photography in Italy while on Vacation?
If you’re planning to experience Italy with your family this year or next, it’s certainly worth considering hiring a professional family photographer, especially one with knowledge of the country and whose style of family portrait photography you love.
Alba Truffle Hunt: Family-Friendly Experience and photoshoot in Piemonte
Among all this gourmet food and wine, you may be wondering what family-friendly activities there are in the Langhe?
Or perhaps you just want to build a break from wineries into your itinerary!
How about foraging for truffles?
I recently joined a young family on their guided truffle hunt just outside Alba and I highly recommend it. It was so lovely to head into the countryside, dig in the dirt and learn all about the truffles!
A unique tour from Barolo: see The Langhe by Tuk Tuk
This cute little “tuk tuk” in Italian is called an “Ape”, pronounced “ahh-pe”, which means bee!
They’re traditionally used by farmers but in recent times they’ve been popping up beautifully converted into a kind of tourist taxi.
This particular one is in Barolo, available for a tour through The Langhe in Piemonte. But you’ll find them throughout Italy! Keep reading to find out where!
CALLING ITALY HOME: Life stationed at Camp Darby, Italy
Colin was stationed at Camp Derby. Amanda put her career on hold to join him, and their dog Bambi- embraced her best beachside self!
Read their story of life in Italy.
Langhe Accommodation Recommendation: Casa Di Langa
I first visited Casa di Langa to photograph a Brazilian couple in one of 39-rooms, and I can say, the five star hotel is absolutely spectacular. It operates on 100 percent renewable energy, is plastic free, and recycles all of the water used to irrigate its vineyards.
Style Guide: What to wear for your family photo shoot in Italy
I try to hire a photographer every couple of years for my own personal photoshoot. I do that for a few reasons. Firstly, to update my wall portraits! And secondly, to remember how it feels to be on the other side of the camera. Every time, without fail, I end up with every item of clothing I own lying across my bed (and spilling onto the floor) as I try to find the perfect outfit. It adds completely unnecessary stress to the day, and all because I don’t follow my own process. So don’t be like me! Be like my clients!
Here are some tips to get ready for your photo shoot in Italy, stress-free!
Pick a photographer who can guide you on what to wear
Decide on outfits well in advance and ensure they’re washed (undies too) and pressed the day before
Have a backup option available, and be a little flexible
Okay so you’re following those three steps, but what should you actually wear? Continue reading for the tips I send my clients to get them started in packing the right outfits for their vacation photoshoot!
Family-friendly sailing from Brindisi in Puglia
Stunning Baroque towns, crystal-clear seas to unwind, caves to explore and arguably home to the country’s best Gelato- that’s Puglia, “the heel of the boot”.
It gets super hot in summer to vacations on the peninsula are all about the sea. Like the entire Italian coastline, the best beaches are almost always paid (lido) and packed so when you’re ready for a break from the crowds but don’t want to part with the sea, sailing is the perfect solution.
Family Photoshoot in a Puglia country home
Shannon and Rich moved to Italy with their three boys and two dogs last year, and I recently had the opportunity to document their new life.
We played, we laughed, and we paused for cuddles - exactly what this family is all about.
Couple Celebrate their Move to Italy
Brazilian couple Leticia and Alex have recently moved to Turin from Canada where they spent the last 10 years. We had a fun photoshoot to celebrate their move when they were at Casa Di Langa recently, in the beautiful Langhe area in Piemonte.
If you’re into wine, you might be familiar with the Langhe as it’s where Nebbiolo is grown for the world-famous “Barolo”. It’s also a foodie capital, home to the “Slow Food Movement” and White Truffles.
Although the food and wine scene was a drawcard for these two, Leticia and Alex mostly chose Turin as their new home because of its proximity to the ski fields, while still being well connected to the rest of the world with the international airport.
Family Sailing Photoshoot in Puglia
Lisa (American) has raised her two beautiful daughters (half-Italian) here in Italy. They love to sail around Italy, and have even spent summers living on a boat! Her girls are the reason Lisa has stayed in Italy for over a decade and during that time she has embraced everything the country has to offer- the cuisine, the sea and the culture too!
CALLING ITALY HOME: The Expat Project
I’m photographing 50 expats living in Italy, and their loved ones in 2023.
I’d love for you to be one of them.
From Puglia to Piemonte.. Settling as an expat in Italy
How was your experience when you first arrived as an expat in Italy?
This is the first question I am asking participants of the Calling Italy Home project.. so I thought I should share my answer with you all.
Where is Abbazia di San Galgano, the Instagram-famous roofless cathedral in Tuscany?
This roofless cathedral is one of my favourite locations for photoshoots with tourists. So where is Abbazia San Galgano (the Abbey of Saint Galgano) and how do you get there? It’s in Tuscany and I would love to take you there for your family portraits! Learn more about the cathedral first in this blog!
How to move to Italy
So you recently visited Italy and like so many before you absolutely fell in love with the country. Maybe it was the wine, the cheese, the architecture, the people or the atmosphere.. but my guess is.. it was a combination of all of the above!
And now you find yourself sitting at the boarding gate.. about to leave this gorgeous country of romance and gelato, and you’re seriously considering moving here.
I get it. I’m Australian and mid-pandemic, in August 2020, I moved with my husband and two dogs to Puglia.
But before you start mentally packing your life, you need to know if it’s even possible because you must have the legal right to live in another country.