When the pandemic started this spring, I put out a call to our listeners to send in audio segments for a special crowdsourced episode on the places, people and experiences we are dreaming of during this difficult time.  I asked listeners to start off with, "When I dream of Italy, I dream of..." and the answers I received are as diverse and beautiful as la bel paese itself!  From a story of smiles and soul medicine found in Sicily to a funny tale of being locked in an Italian restaurant bathroom, this episode will enchant and surprise you until the day we can return to Italy!

Dream of Italy

Episode #9: Your Crowdsourced Italian Travel Dreams

I believe in Italy. I’m betting on Italy. Italy has saved me again and again. It has been my constant. And I believe in dreams and their ability to become reality. As Italy begins to slowly open up and the future still remains uncertain, all we can hold onto these days are our dreams…so let’s write about and talk about our Italian dreams! I know Dream of Italy viewers, readers and listeners have had some of the most incredible experiences in Italy. We’ve published 170 issues of our award-winning travel publication but YOU know about so many hidden gems that I (or the fabulous contributors to our publication) don’t know about and what better time to share them!? For years, I have dreamed of putting together a crowdsourced issue of Dream of Italy and now that we also have the Dream of Italy Podcast, for those who don’t like to write but can talk (haha), we’re compiling a crowdsourced podcast episode as well. I need your help. There’s no better time to share our love for Italy and get lost in a little project that has us digging deep into great memories. Please submit a 350-word articles, series of photos, recipe or podcast soundbite up to 40 seconds long on the theme of When I Dream of Italy, I Dream of… to potentially be included in our issue or episode. The deadline is May 20, 2020. For more details, visit www.dreamofialy.com/sharemydream

Episode #8: Share Your Dream of Italy During This Difficult Time

Florence simply enchants us…and so much of the Florentine experience is where you stay. Host Kathy McCabe has a favorite Florentine hotel and it is the Grand Hotel Minerva.  At the hotel’s stunning rooftop pool Kathy sat down with her friend sales and marketing director Andrea Bargigli to talk about what makes the Minerva unique and how to explore Florence from a new perspective. Whether you are visiting the city of art for the first time or 14th, you don’t want to miss the tips that Kathy and Andrea share. The Grand Hotel Minerva would like to give Dream of Italy fans a special offer. Use the promo code DREAM when booking at grandhotelminerva.com to receive:  + Early check in and late check out, subject to availability  + Upgrade, subject to availability  + Free minibar throughout the stay  + Signature Negroni Cocktail Class  (Kathy’s favorite cocktail!) + Seasonal Chef Surprise upon arrival  + Complimentary dinner for 2 (wine excluded) with booking of a 3 night suite stay Valid through December 27, 2020 for both Flexible and Non Refundable Rates   

Episode #7: Exploring Florence While Staying at the Grand Hotel Minerva

Have you ever thought about packing up, leaving your life as you know it, and moving to Italy? Frances Mayes, author of Under The Tuscan Sun, did just that when she and her husband Ed purchased a villa in the hilltop Tuscan town of Cortona, resulting in a bestselling book and movie! Frances recently joined Kathy in filming the Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special for PBS Host Kathy McCabe visited with Frances again at her iconic home Bramasole, to talk specifically about the challenges and rewards of the growing trend of  moving to Italy. They discuss: + What one thing you must do before deciding to move to Italy + Why restoring a house can help you learn to speak Italian + Where else Frances would live in Italy if not in Cortona + Why “the piazza” is the most important place in Italy + How and why Frances splits her time between the U.S. and Cortona + What Frances enjoyed most about filming the Dream of Itay: Tuscan Sun Special + What you simply must when you visit Cortona + And much much more!

Episode #6: Author Frances Mayes on Moving to Italy

 If you lived in or grew up in NJ/NY or CT in the past 40 or 50 years then the name Perillo needs know explanation. Mario Perillo and his groundbreaking commercials for his Italian tours made him more famous than the Pope in some homes! His son Steve has carried Periilo Tours forward. Host Kathy McCabe sits down with Steve for an all encompassing conversation on how travel to Italy has changed as well as Steve's little-known non-travel talent. They discuss:   + How the Perillos began their family business + Why travelers tastes have changed and how the industry is responding + Why the person who flies an airplane is called a captain (Steve is the king of trivia) + How to create memorable tours and experiences for the average American, not just the 1% + What secret talent Steve has that few know about + How television changed the tour business, especially for Perillo + Why if you’re married it may be better to travel with a group (you have to hear the reason!) + Why 10,000 people owe their lives to Perillo Tours (you even more need to hear this reason! + What makes a great tour guide + And much much more! Click here for show notes

Episode #5: Steve Perillo on How Travel to Italy Has Changed

  As in most any society, the women have the power – at least in the kitchen. Have you ever dreamed of learning to cook in a traditional Italian kitchen? Tuscan Women Cook, in the small Tuscan village of Montefollonico, brings travelers to Tuscany for hands-on learning in the kitchens of the masters – Tuscan grandmothers or nonni. Host Kathy McCabe pays a visit to Montefollonico to meet owner Coleen Kirnan and nonna Laurello Torresi to learn the secrets of how Tuscan Women Cook. They discuss: + How American Coleen came to own a cooking school in Tuscany + Why Montefollonico is off the tourist map + How experiencing authentic Italian life is the best travel experience + Why Italian recipes usually only have a few ingredients + How Tuscan cuisine (cucina povera) is tied to the region’s poor roots + How to make panzanella, gnocchi and riccarelli biscotti + What the secret ingredient is for the best fried zucchini flowers   + And much much more! Click here for show notes

Episode #4: How Tuscan Women Cook

Should you take an escorted tour to Italy, plan a trip on your own or something in between? The age-old question when traveling to Italy. Luckily, travel industry insider Steve Born of Globus and Monograms has some answers. Host Kathy McCabe and Steve talk about how you simply must make time for serendipity in Italy and how to do that.  They also discuss: + How his company is venturing deep into undiscovered Italy + How to skip the lines at Italy's most noteworthy sites + How travelers are becoming more sophisticated + How food and culinary experiences play such an important rule + Why train travel is such an excellent option to see much of Italy + What Italians really think of American travelers + And much much more!  Click here for show notes

Episode #3: Planning for Serendipity in Travel to Italy

Italians simply love children and that's one reason that Italy is an amazing destination for family travel and multi-generational trips. Our friend Rosanne Cofoid of La Dolce Via Travel is an expert at planning family trips to Italy. Host Kathy McCabe and Rosanne really get into some very specific travel tips which you will want to take note of, even if you don't have kids. They discuss: + What age is the right age to take your children to Italy + How to use the pace of the Italian day to plan your itinerary + What to look for in a hotel or villa rental and specific recommendations in Florence, Venice, Rome + How Italy is a great choice for kids who have food allergies + What one thing to keep in mind each day + Whether you should rent a car or not + Why your kids will remember this trip forever  + And much much more! You are going to want to review all of the suggestions and tips we share so click here for show notes

Episode #2: Family Travel - Taking the Kids to Italy

If you've ever thought of chucking it all and buying a little fixer upper in the Tuscan countryside, then author Frances Mayes needs no introduction. She is of course the author of the best-selling book Under the Tuscan Sun which inspired the movie starting Diane Lane. Frances practically invented the dream of moving to Italy either full or part time.  Host Kathy McCabe checks in with Frances at her famous villa Bramasole and they discuss: + What Frances has been up to lately - publishing three books in three years! + Why women are so drawn to Italy and that is the basis for her new novel Women in Sunlight+ How we all have 2nd, 3rd and more chances in life - and how Italy can be your "2nd chance" + Why her husband Ed has been such a key part of her success + Why Cortona is still so magical and her travel tips for visiting + Where else in Italy Frances would consider living + What are the two things you should do when you arrive in a new Italian town (amazing travel tips!) + How she traveled the length of Italy for her new book See You in the Piazza+ And much more! Click here for show notes You will enjoy this information and joy-packed episode! This is the first of two Frances Mayes podcasts - the second will be out at the end of the summer. Frances also joins Kathy in the Dream of Italy: Tuscan Sun Special coming to PBS TV stations and Create TV in the United States and online internationally.   

Episode #1: Author Frances Mayes on Life Under the Tuscan Sun

You might know Italy travel expert Kathy McCabe from her PBS TV travel series Dream of Italy as well as the award-winning travel publication and membership website Dream of Italy that she founded in 2002. Now Kathy is launching this new podcast to help feed all of our Italian dreams - whether we are dreaming of moving to Italy or designing an authentic, once-in-a-lifetime  Kathy explains how her own Dream of Italy was born at a dining room table in New Jersey listening to her grandfather's own dream of seeing his father's hometown of Castelvetere sul Calore in southern Italy. Kathy's mission to fulfill his dream takes magical and tragic twists and turns and leads her to founding Dream of Italy as a travel and living resource for all of us who dream of Italy. Our new podcast will mostly be produced on the road in Italy where we talk to Italians and expats alike.   

Introduction: Why I Dream of Italy - Welcome to the Podcast

If you dream of Italy, host Kathy McCabe and her fascinating guests are here to make your Italian travel dreams come true whether you're seeking life transformation life with a move to Italy or simply want to make your Italian vacation as authentic as possible. McCabe is the host of the PBS TV travel series Dream of Italy and founded the award-winning travel publication Dream of Italy in 2002. Our episodes - mostly recorded on the road in Italy - cover everything from picking the best cooking schools and villa rentals to gaining Italian citizenship and starting a new chapter in Italy...

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Dream of Italy

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