Category Archives: Italy

A Readers Journey to a New Life

Paris, April 26, 2013

Venice Copyright Carla Coulson Chasing A Dream

To My Darling Readers,

I have just had my fill of dear, darling, chaotic, beautiful, noisy Italy. I have arrived back to the calm of Paris and thought I would share with you a wonderful story that a reader left in my messages last year.

The message below is full of joy, inspiration and happiness and although I posted it last year I thought some of you may have missed this divine story.

I have received many messages, letters, emails throughout the years. Many of these letters arrived on days when I felt like life was too big for me and I felt like throwing in the ‘camera’. Your words always give me sustenance and the courage to carry on.

Though I have kept most letters private I thought many of you out there would enjoy the story of this courageous reader and she has generously given me permission to share her story!

Cesarina Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

A readers journey in her words.

Dear Carla

I just want to thank you, grazie mille Bella Carla soooo very much for your inspiration! You saved my life, literally!!!!!

I had been married for 30 years, married at 20, doing the corporate thing, following someone else’s, including parents, societies expectations, conditioning and indoctrination. Having my daugher in 2001 at 42 was a miracle and she continues to be my joy and inspiration!

Your book literally, changed my life, I left my husband in 2008, opened a Vintage Shop, ran motivational workshops for women, telling one and all to watch “Under the Tuscan Sun” and read “Italian Joy”, take a risk, take a chance, face the fear, follow your heart! Always asking the question, what makes your heart sing?!!!

Step by step, whatever it may be, it is unique and individual for every being. Whatever that course you have been wanting to do, job you have wanted to leave, relationship you have wanted to change or end, places you have wanted to travel, stop procrastinating, just do it NOW, we only have NOW!

Venice Copyright Carla Coulson Chasing A Dream

Bella Italia resonated, I travelled to Europe, 5 countries on the train in 2009 with my daughter, faced a big fear, what an amazing experience, so freeing, so empowering. My daughter and I felt like Eagles soaring, little girls being free and having fun! No Agenda, no one to rain on our parade, tell us how to be, really being in the moment and experiencing the passion, beauty and joy only Italy can bring on every level.

Naples Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

You reinvent yourself, your life, in Italy, You don’t just look you see through different eyes, it touches you on every level, body, mind and soul. All of it, the people, the architecture, the history, the passion, the art, the cobble stones, the naked statues, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Primavera, the lighting, the sunrise, the sunsets, the music, the dancing, the food, the EVERYTHING! The Italians open their hearts and homes. They live in the moment, they are out in the piazzas, all generations, talking, laughing, sharing, whether it be coffee, a vino, pasta or gelato.

I celebrated my 50th in Positano in 2009!!!! A dream come true! My daughter and I returned to Italy in 2010 and travelled on the train again for 2 months, we experienced a 10 day Retreat in Tuscany, 15 mins from Siena, a place called “Ebbio” Yoga, Meditation, Life Art Drawing and Passionate Italian Organic Cooking” Purrrrfecto!!!

I met the man of my dreams in April this year, he walked into my shop! I had given your book away to a friend. My man, knew that I loved bella Italia of course so for my birthday he surprised me with your book, not knowing just how much it meant to me, he knew I loved Italy, that was it, soul mates, so connected for him to choose your book from all the books of Italy available!

Francesco Greece Copyright Carla Coulson Chasing A Dream

My daughter also saved up her money and I received another copy of your book on my birthday as well, I couldn’t stop crying, your book came back to me twice this year on the 1st of May, from my beautiful man and my gorgeous daughter! So now I keep one in the shop for customers and friends to look at and be inspired, and one copy at home.

Always be true to yourself, follow your heart and everything else will follow. Believe! Trust! Let go! and hang on for the ride! Miracles happen!

Love to you and Francesco, and thank you for changing my life! J x

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson

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Around The World In 24 Hours

Paris, March 6, 2013

Image Copyright Millie Brown

I loved giving over my blog to some gorgeous bloggers around the world for my series on 24 Hours in… and I would like to share a collective hug to all of them for introducing us to places special in their hearts and sharing with us the things that give them pleasure in their chosen city/village. So chuffed you all were happy to participate and share your lives

So for those of you who may have missed any of my lovely blog friends and their posts here is a round up of the last couple of months so travel vicariously at your leisure! This popular series may return later in the year until then lets travel the world through the eyes and hearts of these special women…..Take it away Gals!

Photographer Millie Brown from the blog Travel Notecards took us on a trip to The French Riviera’s Golden Triangle and delighted us with her colourful pics and tantalised us with a taste of Mediteranean heaven. See more of Millie’s beautiful work at milliebrown.com.au

Image Copyright Millie Brown

It was a pleasure to have travel photographer Sivan Askayo give us her 24 hour tips on the exciting city of New York. Sivan’s blog with the bi line ‘because travel is a state of mind’ documents her stunning photography from her worldly travels, she is certainly living her dream! Make sure you drop by her website and view more of her amazing pics..

Image Copyright Sivan Askayo

24 Hours in Menton on the French Riveria with the ever so lovely and talented blogger Jilly Bennett was a popular post! Jilly has a swag of blogs to her credit and constantly amazes me with her creativity and ability to juggle them all to perfection…. when I seem to be swamped with one!! I need some serious tips JB. From Flamenco to African food Menton seems a buzz with culture.

Image Copyright Jilly Bennett

From the French Riveria to the charming Italian village of Ragusa Ibla in Sicily where Jann Huizenga enthralls us with her writing and photographs of her life in this small Sicilian village that cast it’s spell on her in 2007 and which she now calls home for several months of the year. Sounds fabulous doesn’t it? Another destination to add to the ever growing list!

Image Copyright of Jann Huizenga

Asian delights in Saigon with Jeanne Henriques from the continually evolving blog Collage of Life Jeanne is living an expat life and has only recently moved to Vietnam! Choosing the bustling city of Saigon to indulge our senses for 24 hours in one of Asia’s most beautiful countries. Jeanne also created a travel tips post of this fascinating city so if you are planning a trip you may need to take a peek!

Created by Irene Hoff

Natasha Calhoun loves to take photographs and if you visit her exquisite blog Beautifully Suddenly you will see she is extremely good at it! Natasha took us to Brugge in Belgium for her 24 hour tour having recently returned from a European holiday this was her pick to share with us all…….we are so glad she did.

Image Copyright Natasha Calhoun

The final in our series was the ’cycling city’ of Europe, 24 hours in Copenhagen home to another longtime blogging friend Anya and her popular blog Anya Adores. Having never been to Copenhagen it was so great to get Anya’s local tips and addresses for shopping, eats, flea markets and all the cool local things to do so you can dive straight in when you arrive!

Image Copyright Anya Adores

I hope you have enjoyed this series and discovered new blogs to follow, it was such a pleasure to have seven talented and inspiring women feature on my blog and travel with them around the world and I thank them all for their time putting together and sharing their posts with us all!

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”
― Mary Anne Radmacher

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Meeting Women Who are Living their Dream

Paris, February 11, 2013

My blog has allowed me to make some wonderful new blogger friendships and these people continue to inspire and amaze me everyday from all parts of the world!

In December I held my first workshops in Australia and was so fortunate to meet 2 gorgeous women who have been blogging and working towards their dreams. Nothing like putting faces to names after all these years being friends in cyberland and there was the odd tear shed on the day.

Both women are at different stages in realising their dreams but none the less they are taking steps to achieve what they believe in to change their life and really live each day!

Lisa Chiodo from the the blog Renovating Italy has been telling her story since May 2005 about the same time I started my blog and I have been following her from her early days so I know her story well. Lisa has been working towards leaving her life in Australia and moving with her husband and children to live in Italy and renovate their dream home.

No, the image above is not their renovation it is Lisa’s ‘inspiration shot’ the images below are photos of their renovator’s delight!

After many years of planning some major life hurdles and set backs the countdown has finally come 16 days and counting until departure, a collective Bravo to the Chiodo family their Italian Dream in the village of Veravo in Liguria is almost there, give or take a little blood, sweat and tears…

‘Believe you can and you’re halfway there’

~ THEODORE ROOSEVELT

I also had the fortune at my Get Published workshop of meeting the lovely Debra Kolkka from the blog Bagni di Lucca, Debra spends her time between Australia and Ponte a Serraglio in the area Bagni di Lucca which is actually a collection of villages in northern Tuscany.

Debra has almost completed her renovation of their beautiful stone house in Vergemoli which just happens to be in a national park in the Garfagnana, the magnificent mountains near Lucca and Bagni di Lucca, check out the breathtaking view in the images below.

Image Copyright Debra Kolkka

Image copyright Debra Kolkka

Debra is actually in Florence at the moment and as I read her post I was transported back to my life in Florence. I felt like I was on her shopping spree looking at some of my favourite shopping (window only) haunts in my beloved Firenze.

Roberto Cavalli Image Debra Kolkka

I loved meeting these two inspiring and highly motivated women and love that they have allowed us to share their journeys and their new lives. If you feel like leaving your desk, the laundry basket or wherever you are today and flying to Italy check out Renovating Italy and Bagni di Lucca.

You know there are some things you never get over and leaving Italy was one of them for me.

Italy, Ti penso ogni giorno - I think of you every day

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24 Hours in Ragusa Ibla, Sicily with Jann Huizenga

Paris, January 31, 2013

Barista Carmelo at Donnafugata Bar (Piazza Pola)

I left a huge chunk of my heart in Italy so being able to check into Jann Huizenga’s blog, BaroqueSicily, which documents her life in a small village in Southeast Sicily lets me relive Italy vicariously. Today Jann takes us on a leisurely tour of her favourite village ‘must do’s'…..Over to the fabulous Jann…

8am Let’s jump-start our morning with a Sicilian sugar rush at Donnafugata Bar (Piazza Pola). In warm weather, Carmelo the Barista will bring us a typical summer breakfast of almond granita and brioscia. Or a double espresso and brioscia oozing pistachio cream, freshly made with nuts from the slopes of Etna.

9am We pop into the Duomo San Giorgio to admire the light filtering in from the 1820 neoclassical cupola (inspired by the Pantheon in Paris).

The splendid baroque church itself dates from the mid-1700s, rebuilt, along with the much of the village, after the 1693 earthquake that leveled much of Southeast Sicily. There’s a little museum attached to the church.

Sunlit cupola

10am Ready? We’re going on an urban hike. We wend our way through medieval lanes, marveling at the overlay of 17th-century baroque style.

We arrive at Piazza della Repubblica. There are some churches on this piazza—tiny Ibla has dozens—but it’s Santa Maria dell’Itria (off to the right and up a dozen or so steps) that catches our attention for its golden baroque beauty and five interior altars.

Santa Maria dell’itria

After a quick spremuta (fresh blood orange juice) at the kiosk on Piazza della Repubblica, we’re ready to scale Via Scale. Up up up we go, come on, only a few hundred more steps to go.

We’re climbing right through the old Jewish quarter. Yes, it’s steep and our hearts are thumping to beat the band, but forza, forza—it’s worth the view from on high.

View of ragusa ibla

We catch our breath, ooh and aah, and snap a few photos. We’re more than halfway to Upper Ragusa now, so the shoppers among us continue on up. The rest of us skip back down, stopping in Santa Maria delle Scale, a church so atmospheric it makes our eyes water.

1pm Stomachs growl. We opt to have lunch outside in Ibla, either at Trattorie Bettola (where we choose tagliatelle alla Bettola) or under the grape arbor at La Rusticana (where we order the grilled pesce spada, swordfish).

3pm The hike, the food, and the sun have drained us. We close the shutters and sink into bed, along with five million Sicilians.

4pm We wake with a single obsession: gelato. And we know where to go: Gelati Divini, on Ibla’s Piazza Duomo. We agonize over flavors: Fennel? Carob? Aztec chocolate? Orange blossom? The owner, Rosaria, lets us sample them all. We settle on a combo of rose petal and jasmine.

6pm We join the little crowd for the evening passeggiata along Ibla’s main drag. We stop at the Circolo di Conversazione, the aristocrats’ club, and try to get inside for a look-see. Right across the way is the fishermen’s club. (Sicily is still quite divided along class lines.) We browse through the lace shop and stroll through the palm-lined Ibla Gardens.

Ibla gardens

8pm Chef Ciccio Sultano, seen here with his bunch of parsley, is perhaps Sicily’s most famous chef.

Chef ciccio

We splurge at his 2-Michelin-star restaurant, Il Duomo, ordering one of the amazing tasting menus. When we trip out three or four hours later, the village is magically lit up.

Where to stay in Ragusa Ibla:

For a hotel, check out the Locanda Don Serafino, an upscale grotto. I highly recommend Caelum Hyblae—a very charming B&B with a rooftop terrace (ask for the room with the view of the cupola).

Grazie Mille Carla, I hope to see you one day in my Sicilian village, Jann x

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Italy My Love

Paris, November 4, 2012

Vatican Rome Copyright Carla Coulson

A cold and rainy day in Paris… I am dreaming of Italy.. If you want to catch up on some Italian posts you might enjoy the following My Puglian Address Book, Scenes from An Italian Roadtrip, Italian Rustic – A make-over in Puglia, Venice – 5 Great Restaurants and My Favourite Guides to Italy.

And for an Italian visual banquet check out Italy My Love Pinterest board..

Have a great weekend

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