I grew up in a traditional Italian American family in Boston, making wine, growing a big garden for peperoncini and tomatoes and having family dinner everyday. When it came time to go on vacation most families went to the beach but not us— we went to Italy. I always asked why we couldn’t be like everyone else in the Caribbean but soon I came to appreciate the importance of speaking Italian, and having two countries to call home.

Growing up our weekends were full of traditions, going to Italian school, making sausages, going to get the grapes to make wine or the lemons for limoncello, or going to yet another family party. When we were in Italy it was effortless, everyone had the same traditions and as I got into my mid-teen years I couldn’t wait to go, see family, friends and eat endlessly. 

After high school I attended Northeastern University and participated in the 5 year co-op program rotating between work and classes. I studied finance and marketing, taught Italian on Saturdays and found a wonderful job in asset management, it was a tight schedule and towards the end of my program I had the itch to go abroad to study. There was a brand new class being offered— an immersive month-long course in Italy studying Family Business, comparatively, in the north and south of Italy. It was perfect! It was hard work, with the most amazing professor who pushed me to see a country that I knew so well through a different lens.

I came back to Boston, started working but still had the urge to keep going back, so…5 years, assisting on 2 more immersive educational programs in Italy and a fairytale wedding in Naples and….Italy is STILL my passion!

My goal is to share with YOU and give you the Italian experience!