Episode 00: Introducing Locali

Show Notes

When I was 17 years old, I fell in love for the very first time. Tightly gripping the strap to my luggage, my eyes beheld that day what would forever become a piece of my heart — Italy. I can only describe it as love at first sight… first sound, first smell, and first interaction with her people. This love is so profound, I miss things others would dismiss as inconveniences and even annoyances. I miss hanging my clothes out to dry on a warm, breezy rooftop. I miss the unmistakable echo of a scooter zipping along, the sound reverberating through our alley in the middle of the night.

A love like this cannot be experienced just once and then left behind, tucked only into the heart and memories. No. For many dreamlike years, Italy became home to me. I lived as a natural-born local, putting my roots deep into the soil of Italy’s heart, and she into mine. Although I now live in Kentucky with my Naples-born husband and our beloved children, our love of Italy is as strong as ever. And our desire to share that with others is just as strong. This is why Azzurro Dream Travel and this podcast, Locali, were created.

It’s through this podcast that I hope to share Italy with you all. To somehow capture in words the beauty, the richness, the deep sense of self and belonging that defines her. I hope to kindle a longing to travel there, to create your own love story and refresh your soul. In this podcast, I’ll introduce you to small Italian businesses that we work with when planning experiences for our clients. Each business is carefully chosen to reflect the simplicity, grace, and freedom of heart and mind that is uniquely Italy. It is our desire to work through slow, sustainable travel, to positively impact the local economy and reestablish genuine human connection.

As you listen, my hope is that you regain the ability to dream, to experience moments that change you from the inside out, and to again embrace the permission to be human.