Danielle Oteri's Italy

In this episode, I share personal conversations with two independent and savvy travelers - Matt Littlejohn and Caroline Rausch. Matt's Italy trip began with a Zoom call with me during the COVID lockdowns, which gave me an idea for a new business offering that, over time, evolved into my signature Trip Consultations. His recent trip to Naples was preceded by months of reading books and watching movies in anticipation of his trip, which he explains made it richer for both him and his family.

I met Caroline shortly after I formalized Trip Consultations into a service and launched it on another Italy podcast. We worked out the details for a trip to Cilento and Calabria to search for family roots. Caroline is a master planner who loves considering every detail, but the most memorable thing that happened on her trip is an experience that could never be anticipated — and it will give you chills!

I’m sharing these conversations because both Matt and Caroline love research and planning, and yet they hit the same walls that everyone hits when trying to travel beyond Venice, Florence, Rome, the Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi Coast. I enjoyed geeking out with them and hope you will also enjoy listening and take inspiration from how their deep dives into history and culture made their trips unforgettable.

00:00 Introduction 00:10 Matt Littlejohn: The First Consultation

01:37 Caroline Raush: Heritage Trip to Calabria

02:33 The Importance of Research in Travel

03:41 Matt's Journey to Naples

08:03 Falling in Love with Naples

09:46 The best part of Naples: The People

16:46 “One of the best things I ever saw”

22:26 Exploring Naples: A Blend of History and Modernity

23:01 Planning the Perfect Trip: Research and Preparation

24:30 Buying a suit in Naples

26:04 Discovering Calabria: A Journey to the Roots

27:08 Falling in Love with Italy By Cheating on France

29:22 Deep Dive into Italian Culture and History

30:44 Uncovering Hidden Gems

38:41 The Magic House in Calabria

42:06 Reflections on Travel and Culture

45:05 Conclusion: Crafting Meaningful Journeys

Turin is one of Italy’s major cities. It’s an affordable, walkable city full of history, culture, centuries-old cafes, and chocolate shops. Prestigious locations like Barolo and Alba surround it, yet the city has no mass tourism. Did I mention it’s only an hour by train from one of the biggest airports in Europe? Or that it has the largest open-air food market in Europe?

This episode introduces Turin, drawing from my explorations there in late March 2025. Research is the best part of my job, and testing out cafes, cocktail bars, and chocolate shops was one of the better assignments I’ve ever given myself.

As you’ll hear, I recommend you start your visit at Cafe al Bicerin, and then let your Turin adventure unfold from there. To expand more on food in Turin, especially the truly amazing Porta Palazzo Market, I interviewed Marco Romeo, founder of Streaty Food Tours, who recently launched a tour in Turin. His marketing agency said there aren’t many searches for food tours in Turin, so it may not be a good market for business, but he says it is all the better for those who visit because Turin is the real Italy.

The next “Ask Me Anything About Italy” is happening on May 15th at 8pm ET. Paid subscribers will receive the Zoom link via email on May 14th, along with a link to add your question if you can’t join us live. The session will be recorded and the replay sent to subscribers the following day.

In this episode, I discuss the unexpected passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday and its significant historical context given the ongoing Papal Jubilee. For insight into what to expect, especially for those wondering if their Vatican tours will be cancelled, I spoke with Margherita Capponi, our most trusted guide in Rome. She is an archaeologist and a seventh-generation Roman, who provides insights into the historical traditions and logistical arrangements for the forthcoming papal funeral and the election of a new pope. The episode covers the special ceremonial events in Rome, the role of pilgrims during the Jubilee year, and the impact on Vatican tours. We also discuss the conclave process, and Margherita answers my burning question about what the cardinals will eat while they’re in Rome!

If you’re coming to Rome, or want to know more about this piece of history about to be written, listen first to Margherita.

00:00 Breaking News: Pope Francis Passes Away

00:30 Interview with Margherita Capponi

02:48 Understanding the Papal Jubilee

05:41 Upcoming Events and Changes in Rome

09:12 The Conclave: Electing the New Pope

13:28 Touring Rome During the Jubilee Year

22:31 Final Thoughts and Travel Tips

If you'd like to explore Rome with Margherita, please get in touch! We work together to organize tours of all the major sites, but highly recommend getting off the beaten path with Margherita as well. Last June, Margherita took us on a tour of the Museum of the Walls, the Via Appia, the catacombs, and then finally to lunch in Testaccio for a classic Roman meal. Nothing was crowded, and we learned so much.

This podcast is free, but if you become a paid subscriber on Substack, you’ll gain access to our monthly Zoom calls, where you can ask all your trip planning questions.

If you'd like to delve deeper and have me strategize your entire trip, consider a Trip Consultation. In just one hour, I will save you months of research, eliminate confusion, and provide you with all the resources you need to book your ideal trip to Italy.

The second part of Episode 17 takes you inside the Ipogeo dei Cristallini, which has only been open to the public since 2022. Italy is full of tombs and catacombs, and while each one holds fascinating stories, I appreciate that it can be challenging to connect with archaeological sites like these, especially when compared to something more relatable, like the Colosseum. To bridge the gap, I’m offering you a deeply personal story about the secrets in my family’s mausoleum, which isn’t much different than the ancient Greek one on Via Cristallini.

The podcast is available and always free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. If you would like to join our trip planning community, become a paid subscriber right here on Substack, and get access to our monthly Q&As where I’ll personally answer all your trip planning questions.

00:00 Introduction: Brief recap of Part 1 of Episode 17 and Introduction to Ipogeo Cristallini

28:59 A Link To My Family History

29:21 Connecting People Across History

29:33 Archaeological Discoveries in the Ipogeo dei Cristallini, Including 700 Objects, and Bones

30:02 Rinascita (Rebirth)

30:09 Conclusion

Finally, if you’d like to watch the video reconstruction of the Ipogeo, it’s available on YouTube.

Paid subscribers, our April “Ask Me Anything About Italy” meeting will be on April 17th at 8 pm ET. Subscribers will receive the Zoom link the day before. This is your opportunity to ask all your trip planning questions, or other questions you may have about art, history, and food in Italy. If you can’t join us live, you can email me your questions and I’ll answer them on the call. I send out the replay and resource list the following day.

This two-part episode will explain why I think Naples is Italy's most vibrant, fascinating city. We’ll visit the Rione Sanità, a working-class district next to the Centro Storico. When Naples was a Greek, and then a Roman town, the Sanità was just outside the city gates and was where people buried their dead. The early Christians built catacombs in this district, carved out of the soft tufa stone deposited in Naples by ancient volcanic eruptions. In the Middle Ages, mudslides covered these ancient structures, and another city developed on top. During the glory period of Naples in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Sanità was home to noble palaces and artisans whose shops lined Via Cristallini. Then, the area fell into decline and was the territory of the Camorra, the loathsome mafia of Naples, especially in the 1980s and 90s.

Today, Sanità remains a working-class neighborhood inhabited by artists and a local community invested in preserving and sharing its many treasures, from the early Christian catacombs to the Blue Church, which local artists recently reclaimed.

In this episode, you’ll meet Ines Sallemi, co-owner of Atelier Ines. This boutique hotel provides travelers (not tourists) an entryway to the creativity and mystery that define this neighborhood. Together with her husband and artist Vincenzo Oste, whose art studio is inside the palazzo, they’ve taken the spirit of the place, which used to be an open-air theater that lets guests have an authentic experience of the city.

Directly below the wine cellar at Atelier Ines is the Ipogeo Cristallini, a 2,300-year-old Greek mausoleum. Though it was discovered a century ago, it has only been open to the public since 2022. I’ll take you inside the Ipogeo in part 2 of this episode, which will be available next week.

00:00 Introduction and Monthly Q&A Announcement

01:10 Exploring the Historic Center of Naples

02:00 Discovering the Sanità Neighborhood

02:54 Ancient Temples and Modern Art in Naples

04:23 A Visit to Atelier Ines

06:39 The Duality of Naples: Beauty and Danger

07:54 Life and Community in Sanità

09:07 The Unique Hospitality of Atelier Ines

19:39 The Rich History of Naples

30:06 A Personal Connection to the Past

31:42 Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

I just got back from a quick trip to Italy—11 days, which is about the average stay for most of my clients. In doing so, I had the chance to better walk in your shoes and check and challenge the travel planning advice I offer.

Now that I’m home and have had time to reflect, I’m doubling down on my advice for what to do on arrival day, the maximum number of locations you should have in a 10-day trip, and where to find the best food experiences. I’ll also offer a little preview of my trip to Turin, which will be the subject of a forthcoming episode. Finally, I discuss the view of Americans in Italy right now in this strained political moment and share my advice on how to navigate it.

00:17 Experiencing a Short Trip to Italy

00:56 Dealing with Jet Lag

04:37 Traveling Between Cities via Train

08:05 Restaurant Reservations in Rome

10:28 Exploring Authentic Italian Food Culture

12:09 The Charm of Torino

14:06 Perceptions of Americans in Europe

16:47 Community and Subscription Information

This episode features an interview with author and journalist Helene Stapinski about Basilicata. I discuss Helene’s remarkable investigation into a family mystery in her book Murder in Matera, which blends Italian history, true crime, and personal discovery. We delve into Basilicata's beautiful yet lesser-known area, exploring its pristine beaches, ancient ruins, and local culture. Helene provides insights into where to stay, where she had the best meal of her life, and about the completed untouristed ruins and beaches along the Ionian coast. 

We also discussed the arduous journey of Italian immigrants from small towns to Naples before setting sail for America, which she beautifully described in her book.

This episode is packed with personal anecdotes, like why so many Southern Italians don’t know how to swim, travel tips for getting around Basilicata by car and train, and a deeper understanding of Italy’s hidden treasures like the extraordinary gold wreath at the archeaological museum at Metaponto.

00:00 Introduction to Helene Stapinski’s writing

01:23 Murder in Matera: A Deep Dive

02:53 Exploring Matera and Basilicata

03:40 Interview with Helene Stepinski

04:18 Hidden Gems of Basilicata

08:37 Cultural Insights and Personal Stories

22:03 The Emigrant Experience

35:01 Conclusion and Future Plans

Read Helene’s New York Times story about the Ionian Coast

Read A History of Hunger Lies Beneath Italy’s Food Culture in Time Magazine

In this FAQ episode, I address travelers' most common questions about planning a trip to Italy, drawn from a deep dive into Google Analytics.

Topics include what to wear, how much Italian you should learn, budgeting for your trip, safety concerns, the best times to visit, hidden gems, cash needs, gluten-free dining, and Italian cultural quirks. Additionally, I offer tips on respectful conversations about politics abroad because, let’s face it, things are different now.

00:00 Introduction

00:49 Why Planning an Italy Trip is Challenging

01:49 What to Wear in Italy

08:59 How Much Italian Should You Learn?

10:29 Budgeting for Your Italy Trip

15:52 Safety in Italy

16:44 Best Time to Visit Italy

20:25 Hidden Gems and Authentic Italy

21:33 Handling Money in Italy

23:31 Dietary Considerations in Italy

25:14 Why Italians Don’t Drink As Much Water as Americans

26:31 Conclusion and Additional Resources

This episode explores the rich history and luxurious experiences of ancient spas, from the newly discovered private spa in Pompeii to the ancient thermal baths of Baia and the renowned Baths of Caracalla in Rome. I’ll also take you to Ischia's hot springs and Nitrodi, the oldest spa in the world. Learn about the technological marvels of Roman baths and how to incorporate these rejuvenating experiences into your own Italian travel itinerary.

00:00 Special Announcement: Chef Mario Stellato will visit New York on February 28, 2025, for a dinner at the James Beard Foundation’s Platform at Pier 57. Buy tickets here and use code cheffeb10 for a 10% discount.

01:59 Road Trip and Pompeii's New Discovery

02:59 The Wonders of Ancient Roman Spas

03:57 Exploring Pompeii's Private Spa

07:26 Baia: The Roman Elite's Luxury Escape

12:15 The Baths of Caracalla in Rome

16:56 Ischia: The Island of Hot Springs

19:41 Nitrodi: The World's Oldest Spa

24:41 Conclusion and Future Episodes

Want more ideas for your self-planned itinerary? Join our subscriber community here to access our monthly Zoom calls or book a one-on-one Trip Consultation. 

Note for subscribers: Our monthly Zoom is on January 21st at 8 pm ET and the link is the Tante Belle Cose community. If you can’t make it, email me your question. I’ll answer it live and share the recording the next day.

Florence is experiencing some of the world’s worst over-tourism, with wine windows and big sandwiches overshadowing the best reason to go there: art. In this episode, I hope to inspire you to step into the world of the Renaissance by introducing you to the Tornabuoni family. They were the second wealthiest family in Florence, next to the Medici, and their lives can be easily compared to those of the billionaire class of New York City or Silicon Valley.

In particular, you’ll meet 14-year-old Ludovica Tornabuoni and learn how she would have used horse urine to dye her blonde hair and the toxic herb belladonna to dilate her pupils, conforming to the beauty standards of her day.

This deep dive into the Renaissance offers a few solutions to Florence's toxic tourism. We can play a vital role in preserving Florence's cultural legacy by shifting focus from fleeting social media trends to the city's enduring artisanal traditions—be it leather crafting, paper marbling, or art restoration. If you think you’re not an “art or museum person,” give this a listen, and let me know if I’ve changed your mind in the comments.

00:38 Falling in Love with Florence

00:57 The Art of Florence

01:49 Experiencing Art in Its Original Setting

02:45 Overtourism in Florence

04:43 A Different Perspective on Florence

04:59 Exploring Santa Maria Novella

08:18 The Tornabuoni Chapel

18:18 Beauty Ideals in Renaissance Florence

24:14 Florentine Artisan Heritage

27:28 Conclusion and Subscriber Community