284. From Dream to Reality: A Solo Travel Adventure in the Heart of Italy

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Do you feel a strong connection to Italy, but perhaps
haven't traveled there yet or recently? Hear how one woman
traveling solo began a much longer for Italian journey of
discovery and realized an incredible dream. On this very special
episode of the Untold Itly.

Speaker 2 (00:15):
Podcast, Tawatuti and Benvenuti tu One Told Italy. The travel
podcast to where you go to the towns and villages, mountains,
the lakes, hills and coastlines of Bella, Italia. Each week,
your host Katie Clark takes you on a journey in

(00:38):
a search of magical landscapes, history, culture, wine, gelato, and
of course a whole lot of pasta. If you're dreaming
of Italy and planning future adventures there, you've come to
the right place.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Do you dream of speaking Italian but feel stuck? I
hear you.

Speaker 1 (01:05):
Whether you want to connect with your Italian heritage, a partner,
or you want to live in Italy, finding the right
tools to match your learning style is important. My friend
Michelle from Intrepid Italian offers a practical approach to learning
Italian with her unique eighty twenty method, teaching you only
what you need to know as an adult learner herself.
With Italian heritage, she really knows how to bridge the

(01:27):
gap between English and Italian, As Angela from Australia said,
I put my inability to learn down to my senior
stage of life, but with Intrepid Italian, it seems to
just fit. To find out how Intrepid Italian can help
you learn Italian, and to claim an exclusive twenty dollars
coupon code that you can use on any of Michelle's

(01:47):
online courses from beginner to intermediate, visit untold Italy dot com,
forward slash Italian or visit the link in the show notes.
As a bonus, you'll also get a downloadable travel phrase
guide absolutely free. So visit untold Italy dot com, forward
slash Italian to accelerate your Italian.

Speaker 3 (02:06):
Jao Bue Johno. Friends.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
Here we are zipping through the year, and time seems
to be just flying by. It's easy to get caught
up in the day to day, isn't it, And before
you know it, the year is over and another cycle begins.
Over the years, I've become much more intentional about planning
to fulfill my dreams and it's really wild. But generally,
once I've planted the seed of an idea, it comes

(02:28):
to fruition, maybe not in the exact way that I
expected it, but nonetheless in a wonderful way. That might
sound a bit woo woo, but I stand by the
notion that if you put your plans out to the universe,
magic will happen.

Speaker 3 (02:42):
And while I have a few examples of this of
my own.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
Today's guest shares a story that is all about serendipity, fate,
being in the right place at the right time, and
it involves a magical experience in the heart of Italy
that I actually prefer to those that took place in
the movie and Bookie Pray Love. This is a story
of the Italian adventures of Untold Italy podcast listener and

(03:05):
tour's client, Rebel, who followed her heart and her dreams
and traveled to Italy solo. Mixing and matching travel styles,
Rebel found a way to discover the Italy that she'd
always dreamed of and build connections across oceans. I get
a little bit emotional towards the end of this episode
in a good way, because I'm so proud of our

(03:26):
little company and the part that it played a very
small part in this ongoing adventure. So andiamo, let's hear
all about it. Ben Venu to Rebel, Welcome on to
the Untold Italy podcast. Thank you for having me. I'm
so happy to bet here tonight, Rebel.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
It's fantastic.

Speaker 1 (03:47):
I can't believe you're here actually, and that I met
you just a little while ago in Italy.

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Even though we live in the same city. It's kind
of random that we had to meet in Rome.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
We're going to hear all about your recent tripped to
Italy in a minute, but before we dive in, can
you tell us a little bit about yourself and what
connects you to Italy.

Speaker 3 (04:07):
So I am a mum of three boys, so single parent,
loving my boys. But they're older now, so now I
get to have a little bit more of some free
time and some of my time, so get to pick
up and dust off the travel books and go. My
number one dream is to go to Italy, and so
I was lucky to kick that off last year, which

(04:28):
we can talk more about later. My obsession Italy, I
think coming from Melbourne and living growing up in the
time that I did, so sort of like around the
eighties nineties, all of the neighborhood around me were very European,
so a lot of my neighbors were all Italian, if
not from different European countries, but predominantly Italian. And so

(04:53):
I think I was just surrounded by it from such
a young age and seeing family that's the real true
family life, of the smells that would come out of
the homes and the kitchens, and just seeing the interaction.
I was just like, oh my god, it's just drawn
to it. It was just it was so different to
my own culture and just for whatever reason, like I said,

(05:15):
just drawn to it and used to always say, I
want to have them adopt me. I want to have
that Italian nonna that is cooking pasta sauce and bottling
sauce or making salamis and things like that, so different
to my upbringing. I think that's where it started, and
then from there it was this sort of obsession that said,

(05:37):
when I can and when I'm old enough to travel,
that will be my destination of choice. Okay, and when
was the first time that you went to Italy? Last year?
So it took me a long time to get there.
I traveled before, but with the family and different, you know,

(05:57):
work troops or different holidays weren't my dream trip, and
I'd always known that when I do eventually get there,
it was a trip that I wanted to do on
my own. So it was getting to that stage of
life where the children had grown up, they're a little
bit more self sufficient. I've got again some more time

(06:18):
to actually sort of plan and be able to do
it on my own without that sort of guilty feeling
of leaving the responsibilities at home. So it was kind
of like, this is my time. I'm at this stage
where I can actually go and start an adventure and
just really be able to relax and enjoy it and
actually do it the way that I wanted to plan

(06:38):
it versus just that quick holidays and it's so far
to go obviously being in Melbourne, so planning a trip
to go to the other side of the world, I
needed to have that time and plan it out that way.
So yeah, so last year twenty twenty four was my
first first trip.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
I love that you have owned this new c of
your life for yourself and that you're going to do things.

Speaker 3 (07:02):
Your own way.

Speaker 1 (07:03):
I really feel like so many more people should do that,
and I think You've got such a great story because
people might be a bit nervous to take the bull
by the horns. But how did you go about planning
that first trip? What did you think that you wanted
to do, and how did you approach it?

Speaker 3 (07:22):
So I decided I'm going to start from the top down. Okay,
So I'm going to start and in northern Italy and
work my way down. Knowing that I didn't want to
do that holiday where you were just hitting the major
sort of traditional touristy spots in just one trip, where

(07:43):
you're like one day here, one day here, one day here.
It was I'm going to do this slowly over there,
however long it's going to take me from here to
the next, however many years, but really plan to immerse
myself in being able to go a mixture between the
key tourist spots that you've see in you know, movies

(08:03):
and you see in magazines and that sort of thing,
but also off the beaten track, so being able to
go and spend some time in some places where I
can just explore. So I started planning. It was a
lot of planning, so a lot of like reading my friends,
my family there on you. I had this obsession, so
you know, I had the Lonely Planet Book given to

(08:25):
me however many years ago, and sort of like I
came then to read up. But when I really got
sort of serious about it, when I knew that it
was getting closer to a time of when that sort
of dream could actually be a reality, was when I
started to do a little bit more of sort of
serious research. And that's when I was sort of looking
at things online. And that's when I went down this

(08:48):
rabbit hole of like remember one night looking at sort
of podcasts and then going, oh, travel podcasts, Okay, maybe
there's something in that that I was very new to
podcasts at that time, but going, oh, this travel podcast,
maybe I can find something there, and then sort of
going down that rabbit hole, and that's when I found
Untold Italy. So that's when I came across your podcast

(09:09):
and went, oh my god, this is amazing. This is
so aligned with the type of style of travel that
I wanted to do. Where it was off the beaten track.
It was a mixture of some really sort of I
suppose some towns that I knew of, so like the
sort of the Venice and the Florence and sort of

(09:31):
towns where I'm like, I'm definitely not going to miss them.
But then you start to learn about all of these
other towns that I'm like, oh, I didn't know that
that was such. And when I say towns, they're actually
quite big cities, but at the time I didn't know
a lot about them. So it was like listening through
the different episodes and going, oh, this sounds really interesting.

(09:51):
Why I want to go and visit this town or
just the tips along the way. So I started to
then look at planning sort of this trip. And so
so I had five weeks. I knew I had five
weeks to spend from a time perspective, and that's when
I went, Okay, I'm going to look at northern Italy
five weeks. I based myself from like Australia to Milan.

(10:13):
Was my flights that was in and out of Milan,
so I knew I could loop around so of the
northern standing and leaving from Milan. And so that's when
I started to use maps and podcasts and map out
where all the different spots that I wanted to visit
and how I was going to get there. So predominantly
I did all my travel by train. So from city

(10:35):
to city everything was trained, taking again tips on how
to catch, to navigate the train system, how to get
from a to B. So it was putting all of
that into practice. So good, and on.

Speaker 1 (10:47):
That treap you actually joined us in Piedmont beautiful region
on to it. What made you decide to join a
group tour? What made you do that? Because you sound
like a pretty independent traveler.

Speaker 3 (10:57):
So I won't lie. I was a little bit hesitant
at the start because I wanted to do this troop
as a solo traveler, and the idea of being in
a tour group was kind of in my mind at
the time was like, that's actually I'm not going to
be able to get the freedom that I want to
be able to have, to be able to go off

(11:18):
and go down a street and have time to have
a look at something and not be sort of structured
so much. So then I was like, oh, I don't know.
But once I started looking into the tours and then
seeing that there was just beautiful sort of ideas of
going to these parts of Italy that I would never

(11:38):
have found if it wasn't for the tours. So knowing
that I'd get really off the beaten track, which I
was like, tick, that's exactly the places that I want
to visit. But then also finding out that how small
the tour groups were, it was like it wasn't overwhelming
of knowing that I didn't have twenty or twenty five
other people on a big bus where you were literally,

(11:59):
you know, sort of like, oh, I've got to catch
the bus back at this time where I've got to
find my tour group and which pole are they holding up?
And which flag was I supposed to follow sort of thing,
and it takes away from the moment, if that makes sense.
So it was like, Okay, I think this is actually
going to be quite it's actually going to work. And
so then I think when I started to inquire with

(12:19):
the team and then finding out that yes, I can
have my own accommodation, so I would my accommodation would
be my room. So I was like, tick, I get
to have some of that downtime on my own. Then
I get that free time, plus the guided tours and
getting to see everything. It just was like, no, this
is perfect. So yeah, that sort of is what attracted

(12:41):
me to it. And then Piedmont was just you go
out into this wonderland of countryside and oh it was
just amazing. And again I don't think I would have
on my own, I would not have probably visited those
particular spots I was already enter in when I that
was already a place where that was sort of mapped

(13:02):
out in my original planning. But that was just it
felt like a taste or the edge of this completely
unknown part of Italy that is not that part that
I really knew a lot about. So then I felt
like it wasn't over touristy, it was really authentic and
it was exactly that. So that's what I loved about it.

Speaker 1 (13:25):
It's just music to my ears because I think maybe
people don't know, you know my history so well, or
the history of the tours, but you know, like I'm
a really I have been a really hardcore independent traveler
and fiercely so, and so to pull a tour together,
we really didn't want that to be a standard experience.

(13:45):
So when you say that, Rebel, it just makes me
feel so happy that you had that experience, because that's
exactly what we're aiming for.

Speaker 3 (13:54):
So you were traveling solo and you've managed to.

Speaker 1 (13:58):
Pack in a lot, and so I need to tell
our American listeners because we do have a lot of them.

Speaker 3 (14:03):
Is that.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yes, in Australia we get quite a lot of and
you'll leave and sorry to break that too, but it
is is something that we love to take full advantage
of in Australia. It's a really big tradition to take
a long trip like that, and you know.

Speaker 3 (14:20):
Obviously you made the most of it. I worked to
that point. Like I mentioned earlier, I actually had long
service leave by this time, so again that and maybe
it's an Australian thing, but I was fortunate enough to
that I was eligible to access that long service leave,
so as soon as that ticked over, I was like right,
So yeah, very fortunate in the sense of being able

(14:43):
to have that as an option. Was definitely well. But again,
you know, coming back, like we said, recently, just came
back from from Italy and this year I didn't have
as much time this time. I still had just almost
the two and a half, almost three weeks this time.
But yeah, definitely worth it work for a long flight.

Speaker 1 (15:05):
It's terrible, cannot be denied, but it has to be done.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
So I really am really curious.

Speaker 1 (15:11):
To know, like with all this build up that you
did about the trip. When you landed in Milan, did
you stay in Milan? The first few nights.

Speaker 3 (15:20):
I landed in Milan and I basically went straight to
Lake Garda, So I knew that the time that I
wanted to spend in Milan was going to be at
the end of the trip. My flight got in very
early in the morning, so I took the train to Central,
got onto another train, and was straight back out to Garda.
So the first couple of days were at Lake Garda.

(15:41):
For me, that was sort of the kickoff. And then
I started to sort of town hoop, and again, like
I mentioned, I was using different podcasts. Again, I know
when I went up to, for example, like Bolzano, I'd
already had that accommodation booked in because again I had
listened to a podcast and it was like, oh, I
want to stay at this particular winery, which I would

(16:03):
never have probably found if it wasn't again for the podcast.
A lot of my other accommodation that I was sort
of finding was like using sites like booking dot com
and sort of just trying to just read reviews of
what other people had said. But then when I started
finding and reading the sort of show notes and things

(16:23):
like that, where you'd have the links to sort of say,
whoever was presenting, this is the link to either their
business or their accommodation. It was like I started to
collect it. So I sounds a bit nerdy, but I
had my spreadsheet. I was like, okay, right right, So
it was able to then sort of plan it out
that way. So definitely, it was really it made it

(16:43):
really easy to feel confident, to be able to go
and navigate town to town, feeling like I've already listening
to people, but it feels like I've already had that
advice being given to me, even though I'm a listener
of the podcast, felt quite familiar, and I felt confident

(17:04):
in following the advice and then experiencing the ease of
that once I landed and I hadn't been to Italy before,
so it was all brand new, but it didn't feel
super overwhelming. I mean there were times where, naturally, there
were times where I was like, oh, hang on, am
I going to be able to book this ticket? Am

(17:26):
I pressing the right buttons? And I've got to make
sure I'm holding onto my bag and I've got to
remember all these things that I have to remember, and
you have these little moments of like panic but not
overwhelming at all.

Speaker 1 (17:37):
Oh and Francisco was from the winery near Bolzano. She's
so enthusiastic about her regions, such a gorgeous woman, Like
I loved her so much. She's just so enthusiastic and passionate,
and you've got to love that. But I really want
to know you, Like, actually, I don't know if you
know this, but La Gada was the first place I
ever went too in Italy as well. So where did

(17:59):
you when you arrived? Which town did you arrive in?
And what was your first feeling.

Speaker 3 (18:05):
I did that sort of pinching moment of like, oh
my god, I'm here, and then I just wanted to
sort of like contact family back at home and go,
oh my god, look where I am, Like I need
to video call you and show you like look at
this is that I'm actually here. Yeah. It was one
of those sort of like sort of teary moments of
like I'm here and I'm you know what do I

(18:26):
do next? And you know that moment of like dropping
my bags and then walking out and going how far
do I actually walk? Or how finding sort of finding
my feet was quite interesting. But once I sort of wait, no, no,
I've got this, I'm planned, I've got it all planned out,
and it was like just relaxed, take it all in,

(18:47):
and it was just almost like I'm not going to
say I've come home, but it was a very sort
of familiar moment and then going, you know what, I
can do this. I think what I would have done
differently was that because I only spent sort of the
first two days at Garda, that I didn't get a
chance to go to all of the small towns in between.

(19:08):
So it was kind of that trade off between I'm
wanting to visit a spot, but then also I had
that many other sort of towns and cities that I
wanted to get to, and factor in the travel time
in between. It was okay, I'm here, I spent two
nights here, and then off I go again sort of.
But once I got that routine happening, it was quite

(19:29):
easy to sort of navigate, and honestly, i've the whole
time I felt the accommodation and where we were it
was so easy to I didn't ever find a time where,
even with check in and check out, where they weren't
happy to hold my bags, and my bags were safe.
So like, even if I knew I was checking in
before official check in time, they'd hold my bags for me,

(19:52):
so then I could go out and look around, or
vice versa. If I had to check out and I
wasn't catching a train until later that day, I would
hold the bags for me as well. So I found
that everywhere everybody was just so like, yep, we'll hold
that for you. So that again made it easy. And
again remembering to know that that is an option. Ask

(20:12):
your accommodation, will you hold onto my bags? And like
I said, I never had a problem, so I'm assuming
that at least nine out of ten will say yes.
And then a couple of times where for example, when
I was in Verona, I had my bags with me
and I actually put them in one of the baggage
storage facilities at the train station and it was all secure,

(20:34):
really safe, And so there was that option as well,
So something to help navigate around because you don't want
to carry all your bags with you all the time.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
Yeah, not on those couples, doon't. So the bags were
safe and how did how about you? Did you feel
safe during your travels let's take a quick break, bold, brief,
and back before you know it.

Speaker 3 (21:00):
I felt super safe the whole time. I predominantly I
didn't travel late into the evening, so I always was
sort of planning on if I knew that the travel
time was an hour, an hour and a half, two hours,
whatever the travel time was, that I would be arriving
in sort of daylight. I tried to avoid being just

(21:20):
in the night, just again I'm on my own. But
once I was settled, I really did not feel afraid
of walking down streets and navigating between even going out
in the evening. Like it was always using common sense.
It was stick to sort of main streets in the night,

(21:42):
sort of litz streets. My accommodation was always it was
all secure accommodation. I felt really safe. I know. When
I was in Florence, I stayed on the sort of
the opposite side of the river, which was sort of
going away sort of from the main city center. And
even again coming back to my accommodation, I never once

(22:05):
felt like I was afraid of walking the streets. And
so and you hear a lot, I think, when before
you go, you hear a lot of people saying about
scammers and pickpocketers and things like this, and it's like, no,
it's just common sense and like when you have an
awareness and you start to go okay and know how

(22:25):
to navigate this. But on a whole I felt really
safe the whole time. I got lost a couple of
times down my way back it was all good. But yeah,
super super safe the whole time. Getting lost is part
of the adventure. In Italy.

Speaker 1 (22:40):
I think everyone needs to have a getting lost story
and a cadabinieri or police story.

Speaker 3 (22:48):
Strictly about I actually had to attend the police station
because I did the rookie mistake of I had my luggage.
So I had my bag that I was travel with,
which was like a sort of oversized stuffle bag sort
of backpack, which had sort of my main travel bag,
so I didn't quite have a suitcase and my sort

(23:09):
of every day crossover back so every time I was
on the trains, it was like my backpack my bag.
But I one day I had a shopping bag and
it was out of my routine and I did the
mistake of leaving the train and my shopping bag was
left on the train. So it was one of those
moments where it was like, oh, no, left my shopping
on the train and doors shut. Train left. But to

(23:32):
try to communicate with the train staff to say, look,
I've left this bag on the train. The process was
you needed to report it at the police station. So
it was quite like you have to leave the train
station and I had to find the police station. They
were lovely and I made a report. Never got the
back back, but it was just one of those unfortunate

(23:53):
things where it was my fault I left it there.

Speaker 1 (23:57):
We had some amazing interactions with cals and most recently
when you joined us on our tour in Italy in
Umbria Beautiful Umbria, and so I wanted to ask you
a bit about that experience in particular, and then maybe
we'll move on to some other ones.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
But it's a really amazing.

Speaker 1 (24:17):
Story, so maybe let everyone know what made you decide
to join our Umbria tour and then the story that
goes on from there.

Speaker 3 (24:25):
So I was having a conversation when I was on tour,
the first tour with Beautiful tour guide, and we were
having conversation one evening about enjoying Italy for and when
am I coming back? I hadn't even left with were
still on tour, and I was in that conversation, I
had mentioned that my next trip as I'm moving down

(24:48):
sort of the country, is that I bucket list had
always wanted to do the Flower Festival in Umbria and
wanted to visit it, see the flower car it's being
made in action, and sort of talking through it, going
oh my god, It's one of those dream things that
I've always wanted to attend. And I didn't know the

(25:09):
full story behind it. But what I did know was
that the women would start at sort of sunset, they'd
start working these most amazing beautiful flower carpets and work
all through the night, and then in the morning these
flower carpets were completed, and it was a big festival. Again,
not really understanding the full depth of what that festival

(25:32):
was and what stood for. But all I was really
interested was I'm a flower person. I love flowers. I
want to see these beautiful art pieces that have been
made and that they've worked on. So big conversation, and
that's when Lived turned around and said to me, we're
actually doing the tour of Umbria next year, and we're
actually visiting the festival as part of the tour, and

(25:54):
I was like, oh my god, sign me up. So
I hadn't even finished the tour, and we were on
the sort of conversing back and forth, going is there
any spots left, Yes, there's a spot left. Oh my god,
it's mine. Make sure I'm on that tour for next year.
So I got home from my troop last year and
I said to my family, Oh my god, I'm going back,
and they're like, oh, yeah, yeah, serious, I am going

(26:17):
back twenty twenty five. I'm doing Umbria and I'm attending
the Flower Festival. So it was that bucket list of
oh my god, actually this is going to come true.
I'm actually going to come and I'm going to see
the Flower Festival. So yeah, So it was super super
exciting because as you can tell by my voice, I
was so super excited. And then it was I had
something to look forward to, so it was I'm really

(26:40):
going to do this. So I was super super excited.

Speaker 1 (26:43):
And then so you joined the tour and we were
talking about this before and it was just just serendipitous.

Speaker 3 (26:50):
Moment and I had goosebumps when you were telling me
about that.

Speaker 1 (26:54):
You know, part of the tour is to actually go
and see the carpets, and there people making the carpets
in the night before in Spellow, this beautiful town where
they have this festival, and then you return the next
day to see the completed carpets, and.

Speaker 3 (27:10):
So that was the plan, and so.

Speaker 1 (27:12):
Obviously you were pretty excited about that anyway, But then
what happened.

Speaker 3 (27:17):
So it was two days or yeh two days before
where we were in the tour and the time of
the tour, and we were visiting medieval town again most
days where you just see the most amazing towns and
things that it was like in my mind, it was, Okay,
We're still got two more days until I get to

(27:38):
that ultimate what I'm looking forward to, But in the meantime,
I'm enjoying these most amazing other places that were just
as magical. And it was the moment where we had
finished attending a candle making tour and we had some
free time, and so it was walking the streets and

(27:59):
having a lot of and I came across a jewelry
store where the jeury was just amazing, and so I
sort of went in and started speaking to the actual
owner of the store, and her English was amazing, So
it was really easy for us to converse, because my
talent is very, very super basic. So we started chatting
and I was asking her about her jewelry and she

(28:21):
was explaining it to me and I was like, oh
my god, it's amazing. I love it. Then it sparked
the conversation of oh, where are you from and why
come to this particular part of Italy, And so that's
when I sort of went, oh, I'm actually on tour
and we've come here as part of the tour and
I've just been able to see candle making. It's so amazing.

(28:41):
But the thing that I'm looking forward to the most
is the Flail Festival and we're heading there on the weekend.
And she turned around and said to me, oh, we
have a team that does the Flail festival. And again
I was like, oh a team, Like do you actually participate?
Do you make carpet? And she was like yeah yeah.

(29:02):
I was like, oh my god, and jokingly, and again
sometimes I think that's some you don't know whether that
translates or not. I did the sort of oh my god,
you have to take me, you have to let me
join your team, And part of that was a sort
of sarcastic joking way of going. I just love to
be involved, but not actually ever expecting for her to

(29:23):
turn around and said, yeah, join my team. And I
was like, oh, you're joking. She's like, no, join my team.
So I was like, oh my god, wait here. Ran
back to our meeting point and Julia, who was our
tour guide, then I said, I need you to come back.
I need you to help me translate, just so that
I haven't missed anything in translation. We were talking about
the flower festival. She has a team, she says I

(29:45):
could join it. So long story short, they had a
conversation in Italian together just said that it was local
language and they all understood and she was like serious.
She was like, yes, you're welcome to join the team.
Here are all my details. And this is when that
moment of going is this real and why is this
actually happening? And so that's when I was right timing

(30:08):
in the right spot where we had this conversation, and
I said to Julia. She's like she actually said to me,
how did you make this happen? And I'm like, you
guys made this happen and she's like no, no, but
you put it out there. So we were kind of
laughing with the whole like this was just being in
the right spot at the right time, meeting the right people.
And then that's when we started to organize this actual

(30:31):
opportunity and being really grateful for knowing that, you know,
I'd signed up for being a part of the tour
and knowing that this is not really part of the tour,
if that makes sense. So it was kind of like going, Okay, well,
I'm asking for you to allow me to stay there
the whole night. I wasn't going back to my accommodation.

(30:54):
It wasn't easy to get back to my accommodation, so
you know, for listeners to understand, it was not as
easy as you could just get a taxi back in
the middle of the ninety five decided, oh, I don't
want to be here anymore. It wasn't as if you
were a fifteen or twenty minute taxi right our accommodation
was in a very different sort of location, and accessibility

(31:15):
to sort of transport like that was needed to be considered,
so logistics aside and all of that aside. It was like, no,
we can actually do this, And you know, we looked
into it and there was a lot of on your
side as well. There was a lot of organization, but
making that happen for me like this is when you're
when you're in a tour like this, and even when

(31:37):
I experienced it in Piedmont as well. The tours are designed, yes,
with an itinery in play, but the amount of times
that my tour guides have gone above and beyond to
make moments for each of you know, I wasn't the
only one, obviously the only one on the tour. There
were other people that were either going to be involved

(31:59):
or impact did as well. So it was like they
actually went out and made those moments happen. And so
I was fortunate enough to then be able to be
left in the town as fellow and actually join the team,
work through the night with the team, create this most amazing,
beautiful flower carpet, and get to see the end result
of the whole town. So I got to see sort

(32:21):
of a behind the scenes version and the final show
version as well.

Speaker 1 (32:27):
Oh, Rebel, I'm tearing up here and that's Australian for
I've got tears in my eyes.

Speaker 3 (32:35):
Yeah, amazing. You know, if I had thought.

Speaker 1 (32:39):
That this would happen from one of our tours, so
you know, I would have gone harder, but like, I'm
so happy that you had that experience and I just
know how special it was for you and that you
were really embraced as part of that team too, were you.

Speaker 3 (32:54):
I was truly adopted into the family of that team.
They were so welcoming, really cared about my well being
as well, so they were constantly checking in with are
you you know, is everything okay? You need anything? And
I was like, no, no, I'm all good, and yeah,
like just being able to be really a part of
the whole process and then being able to walk around

(33:18):
and be involved in my sort of the team leader
of our team was also a part of the voting process,
so we got to walk around the whole town and
look at each other team's I suppose masterpieces and be
able to She was casting her votes, so I was
tagging along and being involved in and then stopping and

(33:41):
having these conversations with all of her contacts as well.
And then it was like, oh, and this is you know,
this is Rebel and she's from Australia and you're just
meeting these most amazing people along along the journey and
everybody is just there welcome you open arms, and you're
just like, oh my god, this is amazing. So yes,

(34:01):
super super amazing. The whole festival. It's just it's as
beautiful as what you see in pictures, if you see
it in pictures or if you see it on I
don't know, TV or things like that, it's that and more.

Speaker 1 (34:17):
When you're there, Well, these is the moments that you're
really looking for in Italy. And we were talking before
about how in our society and in Western cultures around
the world was to say, English speaking cultures, we are
rushing around, we're so hyper focused on productivity and getting

(34:41):
things done.

Speaker 3 (34:42):
And I am as guilty as as the next person.

Speaker 1 (34:46):
When you go to Italy and you have an experience
where you, I mean, you've had the hyper elevated experience
of this of people dedicated to a craft and an
outcome that is just purely for satisfaction and not for
any monetary gain or anything like that. It's just a

(35:07):
self for the soul. Like every time I go to Italy,
I have a little moment like that, and it makes
me really appreciate that human beings are generally just so
lovely and kind and committed.

Speaker 3 (35:24):
And I really wish that for everyone.

Speaker 1 (35:28):
Maybe Rebel you can describe the sense of community around
building that carpet, because that really how you describe that
to me before was just really beautiful.

Speaker 3 (35:38):
So the team itself, the participants or some of the
team members in the team had come from all different backgrounds.
So for example, one of the gentlemen on the team,
he was a school teacher and he was also an
artist on the side, and so it was one of
his I suppose say dreams, that was one of he

(36:00):
had decided that he would want to be involved and
as an artist, wanted to be involved in this sort
of carpet process, and so he had This was his
first time as well, joining the team. I say joining
the team like as if I'm an artist, but I
know I was very lucky, but he was his first time,
and I was just like, well, the way you were
all interacting, I thought this team was a really well

(36:22):
established team that they must come together yearly to participate.
But it was this real group of very like minded
people and very creative people that come together and I
think that's what draws them together, is that they've got
this common passion that brings them together. And then working

(36:43):
on these carpets, which that conditions are quite tough because
you're on these cobblestone streets that are they're not flat,
they're on a sort of angle and they're rocky, and
it's hard on your knees and you're on your knees
and you're placing individual flower pair layer upon layer to
create the most sort of laid effect of detail in

(37:06):
these carpets. And it's such a slow process. So hours
are going by and you're creating what is like a
sort of photo of a human face, for example, and
the depths and the layers of having to place these
flower pedals to create this art piece. It's not easy,
Like it's not just like we're throwing down pedals and

(37:29):
then hoping for the best. Like there was such grace
and creativity and talent to be able to bring those
masterpieces together and seeing how they all work together. Everybody
was like supporting each other. Everybody was working in different
sections and then everybody had a role to play. But

(37:51):
they were also there was laughter there, you know, there
was food, There was songs. It was just a real
sort of movie moment of going pinch me, is this real?
But it was just a beautiful community of people just
coming together and in just enjoying the moment. And it
went all night. So we started at like nine point

(38:14):
thirty in the evening and our carpet wasn't completed until
six am the next morning. And that's working consistently through
the night, so there was no sort of no sort
of downtime in that. It's like you're just constantly sort
of working through But amazing, I can imagine the.

Speaker 1 (38:32):
Adrenaline would have been really flowing through the veins at
that point.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
You wouldn't have been tied, no, And that's the thing.
I did not feel tired, and I know inspired to
because when you walk around there's people of all ages.
There was teams where it was teams of like children
and young children and they're putting together their designs. There
were elderly women that were picking flowers and pedals of flowers,

(39:01):
and you're just like going everybody from this really broad
spectrum of ages and backgrounds, and it was just this
whole community of excitement and just when you're in the town,
like the energy of the town is just it's just
even the night sky and it sounds crazy, but the

(39:21):
blue of the night sky, like my photos that I
was taking didn't need any sort of filters or changing,
like they almost just looked like like I was a
professional photographer and it was it's the town, it's the
magic of the town, the countryside of Italy, like it
is truly untouched. It's just beautiful. Before we continue, here

(39:46):
are a few messages.

Speaker 1 (39:52):
I think you've done the best job of describing, because
it's really hard.

Speaker 3 (39:56):
To describe it.

Speaker 1 (39:58):
As you know, our the whole team has got a
very special affinity with Umbria, and I think it's very
hard to get across that feeling because it doesn't have
maybe those wow, instagrammable moments apart from the flower Festival maybe.

Speaker 3 (40:16):
That some of the other regions have. But my goodness,
does it get under your skin that place. It's definitely
untold of. Like I think that when I first started
to plan these ideas of trips to Italy, what I
would hear a lot about Tuscany and the Tuscan countryside,
And that's what I would hear a lot of. I'd

(40:38):
be like, of course I want to go, you know,
if I ever get to Italy, I want to see
Tuscany because it looks amazing. I've seen it in movies,
I've seen it in magazines and that sort of thing,
and then to get to Umbria and to see its beauty,
I almost enjoy the fact that it isn't so popular,
if that makes sense, because there's so much untouched beauty

(40:58):
there that is not overcrowded by a lot of tourists.
So if you really want to get that sort of
authentic sort of feeling like sort of that more sort
of natural, sort of untouched, that is what I got
from there. And there was some there were amazing moments
like I mean, yes, the flower festival was what drew
me to Umbria, but even look, we had a night

(41:22):
with the pizza making and sitting eating pizza and just
listening to stories and conversation and it was like I
actually had a really teary moment of going. I actually
felt like I belonged to an actual family or friends
of like I'm experiencing just an everyday everyone's over to

(41:44):
have share a drink and have some pizza and tell
a story. And it was like it didn't need a
draw cut, it didn't need a ah, we're here to
see this statue or this gallery. It was like, this
is the authentic experience. Of what it's like just to
be stopping and enjoying life in the countryside and being

(42:08):
able to just share that with what makes you feel
like family. You do feel like family because, like you said,
the hospitality of the people that you meet. You're not
on tour and you're just part of the tour group,
you're this guest that becomes family. So it's everybody you
just feel like, I feel like I've met you before,

(42:28):
but you've meeting them for the first time.

Speaker 1 (42:31):
It's a very special place that that little place that
we go to for the pizza making, and I know
a lot of love goes into that experience and a
lot of care and attention and yeah, and I'm very
proud that we can offer that to people. So just
speaking about the group though, So I mean, like we

(42:52):
mentioned earlier, you know, when you're traveling solo as well
and you're in a group, sometimes it's a mix of
like solo travelers and couples, et cetera. How was a
group dynamics on the tour?

Speaker 3 (43:04):
The group was we all said it. We felt that
you're traveling with like minded people. So everybody that was
on especially the Umbria tour, were people that it drew them,
so they had we had a common interest. We all
wanted to see parts of Umbria, and even though some

(43:25):
of our sort of bucket list sites, like for me
it was the flower Festival. For another couple it was
more the churches and more the sort of religious side
of it. But we were all drawn together. We were
all we all shared that common interest, so being in
this sort of small intimate group, we just clicked. So

(43:46):
it was a really beautiful clip, even though I was
on my own, being able to sit and have these
conversations and we're from different parts of the world, but
we've got this common I suppose that links us together,
so the conversation flows really easily. You know, you're laughing.
You sort of the ice broke really quickly from sort

(44:09):
of meeting everyone on day one to we were just
best friends by sort of day two sort of thing.
It really worked, and I think that by having the
mixture of planned activities and free time really balanced the
fact that you were able to break away when if

(44:30):
you wanted to break away and go off and investigate
or look at some things on your own, or if
you wanted to do it as a couple, but then
everybody would come back and we'd all share our experiences
over lunch or over dinner, and so that worked really well.
Like my group, we also laughed that between the group
we all had quite differences in our dietary requirements. It

(44:53):
was really funny. Julia did an amazing job because we
were like, there was myself that's gluten free, so I'm
silly out glunden free, and then there was another person
on the group that didn't have lactoast, and then somebody
else didn't have something else, and so we all had
these dietary requirements and it was never a problem. We
were always accommodated too, and it was amazing, like it

(45:14):
didn't It felt to me like it was never an effort.
Probably behind the scenes there was a lot of organization,
but as you know, as the sort of I suppose,
I guess, it just felt like it all just worked.
But it was a running joke with our group to go, oh,
we've arrived, and here's all our dietary requirements. We got
to the end of the tour and we were sort

(45:34):
of at that joking stage of we need an Umbria
part two, because this is like we've scraped the surface
and we've experienced, but there's again it's endless that you
can experience so much more. So we were always we
were sort of like, okay, this time next year, we're
going to do part two sort of thing. Yeah, we
really jilt and it was so lovely being able to

(45:56):
meet people that majority of my group were from the US,
so we're from different backgrounds with different stories, but the
stories that were shared it was, yeah, it was amazing.
You know, we were staying in touch and chatting back
and forth on our group chats and things like that
where it's like, oh, I miss being Numbrella. Very lovely

(46:19):
and there was like like, you know, there was another
couple that had also done tours as well, so again
sharing sort of stories about our previous experiences and whether
or not they were on tour with Untold Italy or
whether they'd been going on to other sort of towns
and things. That was just sharing you know, you must
visit here next time you come, or we know we

(46:40):
did this, so if you're ever thinking of going to Sicily,
oh you have to do this and you have to
see this. So you're just like, oh, oh my god, yes,
so you.

Speaker 1 (46:50):
Mentioned the food and I really want to impress about
in Italy if you're gluten free, and you're actually Celia
Gright Rebel, so this is not an option for you.
You must eat gluten free. And I think when we
first started chatting a few years ago, you know, I
was really really wanted to make sure that it was

(47:10):
going to be the right fit, because I, you know,
I don't take those health.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
Issues lightly at all.

Speaker 1 (47:17):
And so what's been your experience eating gluten free in Italy?

Speaker 3 (47:23):
Italy takes it so seriously, like it's one of those
countries where you I think from it. I believe there
is even a government scheme where if you're a ciliac
that you actually are able to hold a particular card
and you're able to use that card to buy products

(47:44):
and things. So the products that are available, so whether
that be pastas and breads and biscuits and things like,
you can actually go to supermarkets and even the pharmacies
and to be able to buy those products. So they
do take it seriously, and they really all the restaurants
that I've been to either accommodate or are very serious
with We offer sort of the separate kitchens or separate

(48:09):
fryers and things like that. So it's very well known,
and I've always found like there are there've always been
options presented to me, so very easy to travel from
a gluten free perspective and not having to sort of
having to explain what gluten free meant, Like I could

(48:29):
say gluten free and straight away it was understood, so yes,
we know what you mean when you say gluten free.
I know when I've traveled in Asia, for example, where
I've gone gluten free, no flower, and they're like, oh,
and the translation wasn't understood, but in Isray saying either
gluten free or straight away, it was very known, so

(48:49):
there was always options available. I found it really easy,
and I think even the first time, maybe even taking
a little bit for granted because I know there's a
lot of organization behind scenes, but the produce is amazing.
So like when we're in these small towns and restaurants
and you're having very local dishes, a lot of it

(49:11):
is so fresh. Yes, there's the heaviness of a pasta
where we were having a gluten free option from a pasta,
but if you're having vegetables or meat dishes and a
lot of them are naturally gluten free as well, so
there was always really sort of a variety of options
that were presented to you, not a problem at all
from a gluten free perspective.

Speaker 1 (49:33):
I know when I was there with you on that
first night and I think you have something made with chickpeas,
I don't know, it looked so delicious.

Speaker 3 (49:39):
I had dish in be for sure. I had a
couple of those moments when we were sort of like
comparing plates and like, oh, I've got the gluten free option.
It looks good. Yeah, definitely, Like I never missed out
on anything, even in the activities. So both tours we

(50:00):
had cooking classes, and both cooking classes completely accommodated the
gluten free I think my first one we were making
yocki and like a dessert and it was all gluten free,
and then the pizza making and having the pizza base
made in gluten free flowers. So it was again that

(50:20):
whole experience of not missing out on an activity just
because of the requirements, like it was all considered. So
really grateful for the fact that that was accommodated too,
and planned for.

Speaker 1 (50:34):
Want everyone to feel like they can relax and enjoy
everything that's going on around them. That's really what we're
trying to do, and of course, if that means to
cater for different dietary requirements, and that's the least that
we can do. Okay, now, I just want to You've
just been so generous with your time.

Speaker 3 (50:53):
How I just wanted to ask you one more.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
Was there any other experience on either of those tours
that has been really special to you that you wanted
to share with everyone?

Speaker 3 (51:02):
I would definitely love to share. It would be my
first tour. And this is where again the extra mile
that you don't as a participant I never expected from
the tour itself. But the example that'd love to share
is when I originally booked the tour, one of the

(51:24):
draw cards was originally going to be we were going
to do a truffle experience and traffle hunting with the
dogs and a bit of a dog lover, so I
was like, oh God, this is going to be cool
because I love dogs and I want to do this piece.
And when it came time for the tour, the season
so unfortunately from the weather and the season before meant
that the truffle season wasn't quite It was impacted from

(51:45):
the weather. So something out of everybody's control. So the
tour was adjusted and we had other great activities in
place of that, and so totally not expecting. I mean,
like I said, everything was magical, but this one again
having conversation going, oh, you know, would have been great
to see the dogs and the experience. And we had

(52:06):
gone this particular day to a winery and out of
a surprise, Live said to me, I've got a surprise
for you. I've organized a surprise for you, unexpected off
the cuff, and I was like, well, okay. So we
turn up to this winery and Live had organized the
owners of the dogs that do the truffle hunting to

(52:29):
bring their dogs to this winery to introduce the dogs
to us so that we could still experience and hear
the story about how they raise the puppies and how
the dogs are trained to go out and hunt for
these truffles. I was just like, oh my god, again,
tearful moment of like oh my god, this is so beautiful.

(52:50):
Totally never expected it. I'm on the ground patting the
dogs and hearing the story and having that moment where
it was too So we're already at a winery which
we're hearing about this most beautiful young couple that have
started their business and telling us their story, and then
we've got a completely different community person coming into their

(53:12):
winery to tell us about their dogs. And I just
felt so special because it was just like it was
really organized, because it was something that I had mentioned,
and it was like making those moments come true. You
take that away with you because it's like, I think
that even when I've done sort of smaller tours elsewhere,

(53:35):
you don't get that personalized service. You have an itinery.
You follow the itinery day one we're doing this, or
you know, you literally just follow the itinery and the
guide that you've sort of signed up for both of
my experiences, joining the two tours is completely opposite to that.

(53:55):
Yes there's an itinery, Yes we're following sort of what
the itinery is made out to do. But it's all
of those moments in between that you're talking to the
staff or you've made a comment and then you go
to bed at night, or you go off and go
to a restaurant, and they're in the background, crazily working
away to make those dreams come true. And that's what

(54:18):
you don't get with talking to people that do other
types of tours or those big tours, you don't get that,
whereas with your tours and the tours that I've experienced,
it's like it's that personal touch that creates the memories.
It is the truth, like it is. It's so authentic.
It is a true experience of Italy. Its culture, it's people,

(54:44):
it's hospitality. You're just You're welcomed by everybody, every person
that we met, every business that we went into, like
you hear a story and it's just a magical place.
You know. I'm already planning the next one. It's like,
I need to go back.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
We're going to have to find you another trefle hunt.
I think we're going to have to make sure that
that happens. People sometimes ask me what I do now
I think I can tell them I help.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
People's dreams come true. So you made me very emotional. No, no, no,
it is so true. It's I on my own, as
a solo traveler, would never be able to experience or
even arrange half of what I've experienced on the tours,
or even visit some of the small off the beaten

(55:32):
track properties in towns, and some of those properties are
not even open to I suppose the general public. So
I know that when we did visit some venues that
it's not something that is typically something that you could
just book on get my guide or something like that.
They're not that type of experience, so they're very intimate.

(55:52):
If I was to do that on my own, I
don't think I would have ever seen that side of Italy.
I've seen some amazing other sites of Italy where I
was to navigate by myself with the help of what
I've learned from, you know, my research. But that authenticness
of being able to experience that because of the connections
that you're able to establish with those different relationships means

(56:15):
that we as customers can get that experience. I think
that is what is quite unique about having these types
of tours. I haven't paid you.

Speaker 1 (56:26):
I feel like I should, but seriously, I'm very emotional
about that what you've just said, and really proud of
my team, and I really appreciate you taking the time
to chat about this on the record. I'm just so
glad and so happy that you've had the experience that

(56:46):
you were looking for, because, you know, I feel in
this world the way that it is at the moment,
you know there's like a lot of noise, a lot
of chaos, and if we can all just take a
moment and chase the dream like you've done, and hopefully
the stars align and we can find like minded people

(57:07):
and have you know, beautiful sharing convivial times together, then
you know, all that chaos melts away. We know that
you know, everything's going to be okay and we're going
to have a bright future. Head So Rebel, gratimile, thank
you so much for everything. I am so delighted that
you've been able to uncover the italy that I know

(57:29):
that we both dream of.

Speaker 3 (57:30):
And again, I so appreciate all the hard work that
goes on to allow me to experience that. So I
would tell anyone and everyone about you know, this is
the way if you want to get the true experience,
this is a way to achieve that.

Speaker 1 (57:46):
Thank you, Thank you, Rebel Grauts Emilee, You're welcome. You know, listeners,
I only heard the full story of Rebel joining the
Infiorata team when this episode was recorded, and how incredible
that a chance meeting in a tiny town could create
this wonderful outcome. Sylvia and her team welcomed Rebel with

(58:08):
open arms, into their community, and she has the Memories
t shirt and many many photos to prove it. Rebel
will never forget this genuine act of kindness towards her
a stranger, or the bonds formed that wonderful evening under
the star studded Umbriansky, and I won't either. I strongly
believe the world needs more stories like this, and as

(58:28):
a reminder that whether we're in Australia, Italy, the United States, Canada,
or in any of the many countries where people listen
to this podcast around the world, that human connection is
a precious gift. Now, we cannot promise adventures like Rebel
Head to all of our guests, although you never know,
but I can promise that if you join us on tour,

(58:49):
we will do everything we can to help you realize
your Italian dreams, whatever they may be.

Speaker 3 (58:55):
So if you think that this.

Speaker 1 (58:57):
Kind of travel experience is for you, we would love
to have you join us on one of our tours.
You can find out more at Untold Italytours dot com
or in the episode show notes at Untold Italy dot com.
Forward slash two eight four for episode two hundred and
eighty four, and if you have a personal Italian story
or adventure just like Rebels that you would like to

(59:18):
share with our listeners. Please reach out to me at
Chao at Untold Italy dot com.

Speaker 3 (59:22):
I would love to hear it grew out here.

Speaker 1 (59:25):
Thank you to all our wonderful listeners for your ongoing
support of Untold Italy. I hope you enjoyed today's show
and rebel story. If you did, then it would be
wonderful if you gave us a rating or review in
your favorite podcast app, and that way we can reach
more Italy loving travelers just like you and hopefully inspire
a few dreams to be realized. On next week's episode,

(59:48):
we're wandering through another beautiful part of Italy to discover
its hidden secrets. But until then, it's chow for now.

Speaker 3 (59:56):
The Untold Italy podcast is an independent production, podcast, edit,
audio production and website development by Mark Hatter, Production assistance
and content writing by the other kJ Clark. Yes there
are two of us.

Speaker 1 (01:00:09):
For more information about Untold Italy, please visit Untold Italy
dot com

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

24/7 News: The Latest

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}284. From Dream to Reality: A Solo Travel Adventure in the Heart of Italy

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

24/7 News: The Latest

All Episodes

284. From Dream to Reality: A Solo Travel Adventure in the Heart of Italy

Stuff You Should Know