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Apps to download before your trip to Italy (and they're free!)

7/5/2020

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Back in 2009 when I first ventured to Italy, the only easy way to communicate with my family back home was via email. And that was dependent upon our already spotty wifi in our giant converted convent in Castiglion Fiorentino that was shared amongst 100+ college students.

I could of course call my family from my cell phone directly but that would result in a ridiculously expensive phone bill as soon as I got home. Skype was just becoming popular but that also had the added expense of buying a plug in camera for my laptop, and my family back home having a Skype account and a similar set up. 

Meandering Italian streets was done by paper maps and lots of guesswork. To navigate the trains you had to read the paper schedules at the train stations to check what time you were expected to roll into your stop, and then be listening for the garbled loudspeaker on the train to announce that you were next. 

Deciphering menus at restaurants was done by asking the friend in the group that knew the most Italian, or by quickly thumbing through our pocket Italian-English dictionaries under the table. Or just sticking to the words you knew...or thought you knew. I have seen many people order pizza with "peperone" only to have bell peppers on their pizza instead of pepperoni salami!

SO. MUCH. has changed in just 10 years that has transformed traveling in Italy from being a stressful (albeit exciting) adventure to one that's much easier to navigate (of course still with the Italian quirks). These are some of our go-to apps that we recommend all our guests download prior to their departure to the bel paese.

​And even better, all of these are FREE to download!


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My favorite sketching spots in Italy

6/7/2020

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Sketching in Spello, from Sesto the Traveling Sketchbook
With over 10 years of traveling through Italy, I've collected quite a number of sketches and watercolors. To date, I have 8 filled sketchbooks, most of which I bound by hand with mixed paper inside so I can paint, journal, collage and draw all in one place (Psst! Each Wanderful Retreat guest gets their own blank sketchbook to document their adventures!). 

These sketchbooks are some of my most treasured souvenirs and possessions. Totally on the list of things I'd grab if there was ever a fire. Within the sketchbooks though, I definitely have some favorite sketches. Moments that were too good not to document. Sketches that captured amazing places, meals or memories. And some spots that I just can't resist sketching again, again and again, even a decade later.

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Well...what now?

5/15/2020

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Wanderful Retreats Florence Retreat Italy Art Cooking
I snapped this photo *EARLY* in the morning during the first year of retreats I hosted in Florence in 2016.
Ciao friends.

​I've been struggling to find the words during these past 2 months of "shelter at home." I think I've gone through most of the phases of grief after the cancellation of our 2020 summer retreats. There have certainly been a lot of tears, a fair amount of expletives, a *few* glasses of wine and a lot of crushing emails to future attendees and our friends in Italy as we refunded guests and put reservations on hold until who knows when.  

Back in February, things were a little shaky as to whether or not we'd be able to actually host our retreats this summer. I was still trying to put on a brave face and stay optimistic that this would all be resolved by June. But as the numbers got worse, both abroad and here in the states and as all our Italian friends had to go into a country wide lockdown across Italy, the writing was unfortunately on the walls. 

​And now we're 2 months into this global mess. So...now what? 

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Fighting the jet lag

1/16/2019

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It can be tricky landing in a foreign country after a long flight and hitting the ground running. Feeling the need to squeeze everything in such a short span of time while all you want to do is sleep can be a miserable way to start a vacation.

I feel ya, I've been there many times. But I've always found that I'd rather have one really long, tiring day to get over jet lag than have the first week of my trip be disrupted by an unusual sleep schedule and the subsequent exhaustion. Especially when you're in the most wonderful country for a small chunk of time! 

This past summer going to Italy was my biggest jet lag battle I've ever had when I landed in Rome a week before our next round of retreats. I think I walked over 10 miles that day to stay awake but I wouldn't have done it any other way...


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A day in...Rome

12/9/2018

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Welcome to the "A Day In..." series! Even if you can't come along on a Wanderful Retreat, I want to share some of my favorite places and spots throughout Italy and other locations around the world!

I remember the early days of my travels through Italy and the frustration I would feel over choosing a place for dinner. Back when my Italian wasn't that good and Trip Adviser or Yelp weren't as popular, this was doubly frustrating trying to find a decently priced place without the tourist crowds with a local stamp of approval. Che palle!

Luckily over the past decade my Italian has improved, and my list of favorite spots around Italy has grown! So, to kick off this first post in the "A Day In" series, let's start with one of the top destinations in Italy and my personal favorite...Rome! 
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Caught them filming "All the Money in the World" in Piazza Navona!

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I used to hate watercolors... aka that first summer in Italy

12/5/2018

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In the summer of 2009, I boarded a plane in Los Angeles, California bound for Rome, Italy. I'd have a few hours to kill at the Toronto airport before boarding my final leg to the Fiumicino Airport outside of Rome. It was nervewracking traveling abroad by myself but I was thrilled by the prospect of what lay ahead...six full weeks in Tuscany. Six weeks for adventures in Italy, exploring famed cities, seeing the art from my textbooks and, most importantly, six weeks to make art. 
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Little 'ol me back in 2009! Our study abroad center is right above my head!

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