Chic Italian Travel

03/03/2026

Big thanks to for these beautiful images…
May-September on Mottarone smells like damp earth, pine needles and porcini. Sweet sunshine, less crowds. No snow.

Up here in Piemonte, mushroom picking is still, thankfully, a beautiful day out - a ritual.

Families and friends head into the woods with baskets or approved backpacks, a local permit in hand, and an intention to forage with tastebuds watering. It’s way more than a day looking for food.

It’s about plant knowledge (knowing delicious from poisonous), respect for nature, knowing where to look, having your ‘patch’ where you know there’ll be yields, following in your ancestors’ footsteps, going home tired but ready to cook up a feast. Then slicing and drying the rest to last you through the winter.

You need a licence to forage.
You clean the mushrooms in situ so the spores fall back to the forest floor and next year’s growth is protected.
You take only what you need.

From the deep red-stemmed feré to the noble porcino, the mountains are generous in season. And what follows is a feast.

Risotto slowly stirred on the stove.
Fresh tagliatelle slicked with wild mushroom sauce.
Polenta crowned with earthy ragù.
Sautéed funghi as a simple side dish with garlic and parsley.
You can prepare them individually or mix them for a feast.

A day in nature.
Hands in the soil.
Then home to a long table and steaming plates.

This is slow travel Italy. This is hidden Italy. This is how traditions are kept alive.

Will you come mushroom picking with us in the mountains this September on our next slow adventure? 🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫🍄‍🟫

mottarone

03/03/2026

We’re always thinking of you!!

Here, a spontaneous video chat with some lovely artists situated in the middle of the old centre of Arona.

We ran a whole podcast episode with these lovely people and it’s wonderful all they’re doing in the community.

These are the kinds of experiences you just won’t find either in guidebooks or, of course, mass tours. But which we want to offer you when you come play at our house.

Link in bio, come say hi.

Oh, and upstairs there are changing exhibitions but when we were last there, there were antique lithographs printed on an antique printer that came from its original home in Brera, Milan.

And you can purchase their art when we go visit!

02/03/2026

Ready to fall in love with Italy, and yourself, all over again?

It’s taken me a bit to be able to express, tangible-ify what transformations happen when you travel.

Yes, there are amazing views, incredible meals, artwork and streetscapes you’ve never laid eyes on before.

But I think the real transformation comes with the unknown variables: the unexpected drinks night you tumble into with new friends after a random shared uber, a reconnection with old friends you thought you’d outgrown, a deepening of an existing relationship reflected in the light of new, unfamiliar situations and challenges. Perhaps even a parting of ways.

Either way, travel transformation really comes down to the humans you meet on the road and the wild and often unexpected experiences you share.

And on various levels, you get to discover, maybe rediscover, you! Parts of you you’d forgotten about or which had been trampled with time.

Parts that strike up chats with strangers, sip coffee watching the world wander by, order the most unimaginable item on the menu…

Your thoughts?
How does travel transform you?

02/03/2026

I’m so over the idea that Italy is just pizza, pasta and selfies at the Colosseum.

Beyond IG box-ticking snaps before rushing off to the next photo opp, what about slowing down, breathing in and gazing over your next trip to (quiet) Italy?

With all the charm and authenticity but without the stress, our Chic Italian Travel slow travel Italy adventure is unfolding and about to drop very soon…

Be part of the seriously fun fun!

Link in bio to find out more.

02/03/2026

I trust in the basic good nature of most humans.

Even the broken ones, they weren’t born that way.

It’s hard to feel cool about the world with multiple wars, files releasing just 2% of known catastrophic info, and all the other bad stuff that weighs down humanity.

But still, I trust in the basic goodness of most humans. We’re a funny lot with our beliefs, ideas, convictions, and fixations.

I experience grief and sadness like anybody else.

I also choose not to surround myself with negative people, bad news (I don’t have a TV, haven’t watched one since childhood and that was traumatic enough), and I don’t do newspapers or radio.

Gossip feels like a bad flu so I’d rather avoid it and enjoy my day.

What are your preferences to maintain a level had and keep your health upbeat?

01/03/2026

Last night at a home restaurant dinner party here in Milano… I’ll be honest, I felt a little odd at first.

Walking into someone’s home.
Knowing just two of the twelve people there.
Wondering if I’d made a mistake.

But then the conversations started. Astrology, psychology, child birth, menopause, weight loss (or the lack thereof), expensive Scottish whisky (€700 bottle!), crystals, bio dance and so much more.

After cardamom coffee, the intuitive tarot reading started and it was wonderful.

Each person was graced with insights and caring suggest for their present life.

Laughter softened the edges. Stories shared.

And just like that, strangers became new friends.

You never really know who you’re going to meet in this life, or which table will remind you that connection is everything.

This is my kind of slow travel Italy.
This is authentic Italy.
This is the quiet magic behind Chic Italian Travel! Saying yes, even when it feels a little uncomfortable at first.

Would you walk into a dinner party where you didn’t know a soul? 🍷✨

27/02/2026

“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.”
- Anais Nin

Some of us don’t travel to tick boxes.
We travel to shift. To soften. To see who we are when we step outside the familiar.

That is the heart of Chic Italian Travel.
Slow days. Real conversations. Hidden corners of Italy.
Not rushing. Not box-ticking. Just experiencing.

Feel the pull? Follow Chic Italian Travel for slow adventures in Italy.

27/02/2026

You never know when it’s gonna hit, the Groove Factor.

We went to visit friends for a party and ended up being treated to a spontaneous live concert which felt like it should be illegal to enter without a paid ticket.

It was so much fun.

How lucky are we?

Chic Italian Travel is where you meet the locals. 🎹

27/02/2026

We’ve had a busy morning designing a boutique adventure for midlife women in September.

Chic Italian Travel. Building beautiful experiences in authentic Italy.

Book a call (link in bio) or check out chicitaliantravel.com.

New slow travel itineraries dropping soon!

27/02/2026

26/02/2026

Ten minutes ago, I was having coffee in a busy cafe.

Now I’m walking through this forest, breathing in the quiet.
That’s the beauty of country Italy. The calm is never far away, you just need to know where to look.

🌿 Discover the hidden side of Italy with Chic Italian Travel.

26/02/2026

Three friends, one waterfall, endless conversation. This is what Authentic Italy feels like: slow moments, warm tea, and real connection in the heart of Quiet Italy.

Follow along to discover your next slow adventure in Italy. 🌿🇮🇹