Wanderfully You

🎉Join me on my SRI LANKA Group Trip in February 2025! 🎉

There are only a few spots left on this epic group trip that I'm SO excited to lead, and I would love for YOU to join us!

I have been working closely with to plan a unique trip that was carefully curated to suit all travel tastes AND budgets. This is one of the BEST value group trips you'll find on the market! 💛

From bustling local markets and lush mountains to national parks and tropical beaches, we are about to get an indulgent taste of all that Sri Lanka has to offer!

Together we will:

✨admire elephants, leopards and other wildlife on safari at Yala National Park
✨experience the iconic mountain train ride from Kandy to Ella
✨taste homemade local curries and other Sri Lankan delights
✨Hike through the lush landscapes of Ella to visit the famous Nine Arch Bridge
✨ Relax in paradise and swim in the crystal clear waters of one of Sri Lanka’s most beautiful beaches

This 11 day journey has the perfect balance between guided activities and leisure time so that you are able to move at your own pace and have some time to explore independently as desired.

Here are the key details:

WHEN:
February 16th-26th

INCLUSIONS:
✅ Accommodation (hotel 9 nights, hostel 2 nights), both shared and private options available
✅ Meals - 10 breakfasts, 1 lunch in family home
✅ Transport - train and private vehicle
✅ English Speaking Guide
✅ All activities mentioned in itinerary (see link in bio)
✅ Photo gallery of memories captured by your host

EARLY BIRD PRICE: $1349 (SOLD OUT)
FULL PRICE: $1449

PAYMENT: Only 25% deposit required to book, next installment due in November!

Reach out if you have any questions and please spread the word to people you think might be interested!

Here is the link to the full itinerary and booking page:
https://bestintravelgroup.com/trips/wanderfully-sri-lanka-with-kiawna/

I hope you'll join us on this trip of a lifetime!🥰

Would you believe me if I told you all of these unique stays are in TUSCANY? From treehouses to hobbit houses, witch houses to domes, caravans to teepees - all you need to do is explore off the beaten path a little and you can experience some of the most magical stays of your life 🥹 looking to travel to Italy soon and need some help discovering hidden gems? I’m your gal! 🥂

Check out my link in bio, reach out and let’s get to planning your dolce vita 🥰🇮🇹

BLACK FRIDAY/CYBER MONDAY SALE - 50% off!!
Happy Thanksgiving week everyone - I hope you all had the most peaceful holiday filled with love, good food and connectedness 🥰
I am EXTRA grateful for this Wanderfully You community and the abundance it has brought me in my first year - and I want to show my gratitude by giving back!
I’m offering currently 50% off of my travel consultation package!! You can get a one hour session with me for only $37.50 😍
If you’re thinking of traveling or already in the planning stages and want all of your questions answered from a travel expert, that’s what I’m here for! You can find all the information in the link below and feel free to reach out if you have any questions 🥰
This offer will be valid until next Sunday, December 3rd - but once you book your session there is no limit for our meeting! You can take advantage of the deal even for summer travels or further in advance - whatever you need ❤️
Click here for more! Sending a hug to you all ☺️
https://www.wanderfullyyou.com/traveltroubleshoot

Happy Halloween everyone!! 🎃

To celebrate - I’m sharing this extremely unique and spooky stay in Tuscany - THE WITCH HOUSE 🧹
Let me transport you to the deep woods of Tuscany, where you’ll find this magical place that will seem to have jumped right out of your imagination. ✨
The Witch House is located in the lush region of Maremma in Tuscany, at the dreamy . The owner, Gaia, refers to the little wooden house as a labor of love - one that he built from scratch with the help of his friend.
Every last detail of the Witch House is crafted with intention - the slanted roof, the crooked windows, the adornments around the exterior, and the miniature doorway give the place its storybook allure.
This property gives guests the opportunity to live in unison with the nature surrounding them - the hut itself fits just a large bed, making it super cozy but also encouraging you to spend your time outside in the peaceful and mysterious woods that surround the place. Talk about fairytale vibes! 😍
This place made the inner child in me jump with joy! It’s truly an experience like no other - perfect for the spooky season, but really any time you want to bring a dash of magic in your life. 🪄
What do you think - would you like to sleep in a witch house? 👇🏽
For more unique stays in Italy, stay tuned and follow 🥰

Hello friends!!! Long time no talk 🥰
I know I have been MIA on here for a while - it has been a whirlwind of a past few months - but I’m happy to report I have been busy behind the scenes working with hotels and tours in Tuscany to grow my network and fine tune my expertise so that I can better serve you all in planning your great Italian adventure! 🇮🇹

I have SO much to share about how to experience the culture and traditions of Tuscany off the beaten path, all while staying in unique places like this one pictured here!

Want to know more? Stay tuned for all things under the Tuscan sun!
Curious to know how I can help you plan your ideal trip to Italy?

Check out my website and book your free 20 minutes consultation call! https://www.wanderfullyyou.com

2K ON MY BIRTHDAY! 🥳
Scroll to the end for a birthday gift!!🎁
Today I turn 31 and I'm overflowing with gratitude– for all of you, for this life! 🎈
On Instagram, I just had a reel go viral and this morning I woke up to 2k+ followers -- I want to share with you all a little story about why this milestone on this day means the whole world to me.
One year ago on my 30th birthday I was in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia -- I was flooded with the knowing that I needed to pursue this crazy dream of mine called Wanderfully You. That was the moment that I decided to start this page, and with no idea where it would take me, I went home and did just that.
Over the next months, 1,000 humans decided to follow along as I shared the world through my lengthy captions and not-so-graceful videos 🙈
That 1K milestone led to the hotel collabs that I never thought I would get at that point in my journey. When I got that first “yes,” I was flooded with reassurance that the work I am putting out there is indeed valuable!
But the months following I hit a slump - I questioned if I was chasing the right path and if the algorithm would ever rewaed the amount of love and work I was putting into my posts.
Then a week ago, I shared things that I learned from my successful round of hotel collab pitches as a nano-creator because I wanted other creators to see the value in their work, too.
Yesterday, the day before my birthday, that reel went “viral” (what does this mean, anyways?). I started to see new faces deciding to follow along my journey at a rate I had never seen before.
I woke up on my birthday to discover that I now have a community of over 2K – something I didn’t plan on happening for a while (if ever!). 🤯
Of all days, this happens today. The exact day that I manifested this all one year ago. Because of the leap of faith that I took in pitching to hotels when I hit that first milestone of 1K ❗
If this is not a sign from the universe that I am on the right path, I don’t know what is. 🥲
Friends!! I have goosebumps that I don’t know will ever go away!
For all of you that have been rooting for me since the beginning – for all of you who are new here – I promise to always do what I can to give back to this community which has given me so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you ♥️
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To show my gratitude, I want to offer a birthday deal!! I'm offering ALL of my travel coaching packages for 40% off! Just use the code BDAY31 at checkout! Offer is valid until September 1st!
If you have any questions feel free to reach out 😘

💫 ITALY STORIES 💫 A (crazy) home in Florence
Last year on our reunion trip to Florence we passed by our old stomping grounds and reminisced. 🥲
Via dei Macci: the street that held our 20-year old selves for an entire year. Where we passed the tripe stand every day on our walk to school. Where we bought too many clothes from the Italian lady who always knew exactly how to match our style. Where an old couple filled up our wine bottles from the wine barrels in our enoteca. Where we stumbled down the street at 3am with kebabs in hand and somehow found the right apartment.
Our apartment was quirky and chaotic, run by our elderly landlord who lived in the attic and talked to his pigeon friends. I always wondered what prompted him to rent the whole place out to seven international students from California, Italy, Spain and Greece. He could never tame us no matter how hard he tried – there was always food cooking, parties hosted, pregame karaoke sessions, drunken friends crashing in different corners of the house, music and laughter in the air at all hours.
Us Americans taught our roomies about traditions like carving pumpkins for Halloween and the art of chocolate chip cookies. Our Italian roomies introduced us to the strongest wine we had ever tasted and taught us to dip our Tuscan cantucci (aka "biscotti") in it. Our Greek roomie spent a whole day teaching us how to make traditional moussaka. Our Spanish roomies convinced us that Spanish people never sleep as the correct time to go out for the night is in fact 2am.
11 years have passed since our time in this perfectly weird lil Italian home, but the memory and feeling of the moments we spent here together are still so vivid and real in my mind. It's one of those years filled with those special kind of characters that are just impossible to forget. This will forever be our lil corner of Florence ♥️
Do you have an apartment/roomies you'll never forget? I'd love to hear! 👇🏼

Did you know that there is a sickness caused by…..Florence?!?! 😲
That’s right, Florence is so beautiful it has the capability to completely overwhelm the human nervous system!
Stendhal Syndrome (or Florence Syndrome) is a psychosomatic condition that causes a complete overwhelm of the senses: rapid heartbeat, fainting, dizziness, and even hallucinations – all that happen upon being exposed to artwork, objects, or buildings of great beauty.
This Syndrome was named after the 19th-century French author Stendhal, who famously described his experience becoming profoundly overwhelmed by these sensations during his visit to Florence in 1817.
He wrote: “I was in a sort of ecstasy, from the idea of being in Florence, close to the great men whose tombs I had seen. Absorbed in the contemplation of sublime beauty … I reached the point where one encounters celestial sensations … Everything speaks so vividly to my soul. Ah, if I could only forget. I had palpitations of the heart … Life was drained from me. I walked with the fear of falling.”
Although this might seem silly, the hospital in Florence has actually reported cases of treating tourists who have suffered from these symptoms after viewing the statue of David, artwork in the Uffizi, or other historic relics around the city.
The Syndrome was officially recognized as a clinical condition in 1989 –you can even find a book written by the Florentine psychiatrist who made it official, called “La sindrome di Stendhal.” Cases of the Syndrome are still reported today!
What do you think – have you ever physically felt the repercussions of witnessing beauty while traveling? Let me know! 👇🏼
For more Italy travel tips, cultural tidbits and itinerary ideas, follow along! For travel coaching, visit the link in my bio. 🥰
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Italy | Florence guide | Travel blog | Italy guide

5 BEST REASONS TO STAY AT DEL CORTO BOUTIQUE HOTEL 👇🏼
Want to feel like royalty? Do you like to be immersed in history? will give you the opportunity to embody 16th century Tuscan nobility!
Here are my top reasons to put this place on your Tuscany bucket list:
⭐Historic center location
Montepulciano is integral to any Tuscany itinerary, and DelCorto is the first and only boutique hotel of its kind to be found in the medieval historic center.
⭐All original interior
Almost everything that you will see inside of the hotel is original – from the frescoes to the furniture and decor, you’ll be looking right at relics of the DelCorto family dating back to the 16th century. You’ll literally be living history as you step outside of your palace right into the medieval streets of Montepulciano. 🤓
⭐Learn the history of the family
You can learn about the history of your room – who in the family was known to have slept there, what sorts of activities took place there, etc. You can also admire the other details that made this place a home. For example, attached to the common area is a lil chapel (you can see in the photos!) where the family would go to pray.
⭐History meets modernity
You get all the history of the building while also enjoying modern comforts. For one, they installed modern bathrooms because well, nobody wants to experience 16th-century hygiene 😄
⭐Gourmet breakfast
Something that distinguishes this hotel from any other hotel is their focus on providing an elevated experience of breakfast. Their unique menu showcases their twist on international breakfast/brunch dishes utilizing only organic ingredients from local farmers. There is seriously NO better way to wake up on vacation 🤤
No matter how much I attempt to do it justice, it feels impossible to capture the beauty of this place and the awe that it provokes. I I guess that means you’ll have to experience it for yourself to really understand!
Have I convinced you?!
For more Italy travel tips, hotel recommendations and cultural tidbits, follow along!

Do you know how many UNESCO sites Tuscany has?! 👇🏼
It's no doubt that this land is full of wonders – I mean, just look at it … beautiful without even trying!
Would you believe that Tuscany has EIGHT whole UNESCO world heritage sites?! That's a lot for a whole country – let alone just a single region!
Save this list for planning your Tuscany itinerary:
🏅 Florence's historic center (1982)
🏅 Pisa's Piazza del Duomo (1987)
🏅 San Gimignano's historic center (1990)
🏅 Siena's historic center (1995)
🏅 Pienza's historic center (1996)
🏅 Val d'Orcia (2004)
🏅 Medici Villas and Gardens – in Florence, Vaglia, Fiesole, Prato, Cerreto Guidi, Quarrata, Carmignano, Barberino in Mugello, Lucca (2013)
🏅 The Great Spa Towns of Europe – includes Montecatini Terme (2021)
These places are indeed stunning & worthy of recognition – although honestly I feel like every one of these little side streets that peek over the Tuscan countryside deserves their own titles (or at least a gold star 🌟) because just WOW 😍
Are you a UNESCO hunter?! What's a memorable one you have visited so far?
For more Italy travel tips, cultural tidbits and itinerary ideas, follow along! For travel coaching, visit the link in my bio ♥️

🇮🇹STORY TIME🇮🇹 The land of my family
Tuscany for me is one of the most special places on earth. Not only because its scenery is almost unbelievably beautiful – but because this land holds my family roots.
When I met my husband in 2010, it was the first time I met a “real life” Italian. I had always grown up with the Italian-American culture and was proud of my Italian roots – yet when he asked me the question “What part of Italy is your family from?” I legitimately did not know the answer 😂 so I went to figure out!
I discovered that my great-grandfather, Amadeo Mazzei, was from the small Tuscan island Isola d’Elba. He immigrated to California in the 1920’s where he met my great-grandmother, Sylvia Mazzei, who also came from Isola d’Elba (and had the same last name!), but whose family had began their life in the US earlier.
They raised their kids in California, my grandfather being one of them, who in his 90s retains that Tuscan accent he learned in his childhood.
On my first trip to Italy, we went to Isola d’Elba to meet all of my relatives. Even having never met us, they treated us as family –welcoming us into each of their heir homes and showing us the places where the story of our family began.
Fast forward to when I studied abroad in Florence. Once of my teachers heard my family name of Mazzei and asked “Do you know who your family is?” and passed me an article on Filippo Mazzei, the Italian man who taught the founding fathers of the United States the art of wine-making. Turns out that we are descendants of this man, and some of my distant cousins continue his legacy of wine making with their line “Vino Mazzei” cultivated at their winery in the hills of Chianti. 🍷
Sometimes I think about how all of this came from a simple question that my husband posed to me in the lunch quad at our high school. I wonder if I never would have come to cultivate this connection with my homeland if he hadn't asked me. Or maybe it was destiny, and Tuscany would have found my heart in some other way. ♥️
Have you had an experience reconnecting with your family roots and the land of your ancestors? I’d love to hear! 👇🏼

Have you heard about Bologna’s famous nicknames? 👇🏼
Every city has at least one nickname, and learning them often gives you insight into its unique history and culture. Bologna boasts not one, but three nicknames – La Rossa ( the red one), La Grassa (the fat one), and La Dotta (the learned one).
Let’s dive into these names to understand where they come from!
LA ROSSA 🧱
This name stems from the way Bologna looks from above. If you observe the city from the top of Asinelli Tower, you will see a sea of red! In the Middle Ages, brick was used to build the towers and palaces due to the long-standing tradition of masonry. There are over 350 shades between red and yellow which you’ll see across the various buildings in the city.
Red is also the color of the Communist Party, which was rooted here during the period of the Resistance in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Lastly, red is the color of the famous car brands Ferrari, Ducati, Lamborghini and Maserati which all come from this area. 🚗
LA GRASSA 🐷
This city has an extremely rich culinary tradition – especially of some of the most delicious carb-heavy delights that the country has to offer. Tortellini, mortadella, ragù bolognese, tenerina, tigelle – all topped with a fresh glass of lambrusco! I like to think of it as the perfect region for comfort food 🤤
LA DOTTA 📚
Perhaps the coolest thing about Bologna is that it is home to the oldest continuously operating university in the world, which opened in 1088. Many important figures studied there such as Dante, Petrarch, Tasso, etc). Millions of students have learned within its walls and it now hosts around 80,000 students from around the world.
Did you know any of these nicknames? Is Bologna on your list?
For more Italy travel tips, cultural tidbits and itinerary ideas, follow along! For travel coaching, visit the link in my bio. ♥️

Italy Travel | Italy guide | Best destinations Italy | Travel Blogger

5 BEST REASONS TO STAY AT ARTS CLUB DURING YOUR TUSCANY TRIP 👇🏼
I’m telling you – if you’re looking for the best stop for some rest and relaxation during your Tuscany road trip, look no further than Arts Club Boutique Hotel and Spa!
Here are my top reasons for putting this place on the itinerary:
💫 Location, location, location
Arts Club is conveniently located right in between many popular Tuscan destinations. It’s right next to the popular spa town of Chianciano Terme, and a short drive to Montepulciano, Val d’Orcia, Valdichiana, Pienza, Lago Trasimeno, and Montalcino.
💫 Plenty of pampering options
As a guest, you have access to both the indoor spa room and rooftop panoramic rooftop whirlpool bath and sauna. If you want to go all out, you can even get a room with your own private terrace whirlpool bath. Furthermore, you can reserve ayurvedic massages, reflexology sessions, yoga courses and more.
💫 Art experience
Not only will you get to admire the art collection within the hotel itself, you can also book a guided tour of the famous Museo d’Arte in Chianciano, run by the same art collector who owns the hotel. His art museum houses hundreds of unique works ranging from ancient Asian art to contemporary art, with plenty of wonders in between.
💫 Views for days!
Each room has either the incredible views of the Tuscan hillside or of the hilltop town of Chianciano. But the best part is that if you head up to the rooftop, you will have 360 degree views of it all 😍
💫 Supreme atmosphere
The hotel itself is the perfect mixture of elegance and comfort. The suites are perfectly spacious and promise a great night’s sleep. All rooms come with a breakfast buffet with handmade pastries. Lastly, the staff themselves are so welcoming and kind– you’ll feel right at home!
What more could you need, afterall?!
Which photo of Arts Club Boutique Hotel and Spa is your favorite? ☺
For more Italy travel tips and hotel recommendations, follow along! ♥️

Did you know that the Italian spoken today comes from Tuscan? 👇🏼
To kick off this Tuscany series I wanted to start with my favorite topic – language! 🤓
The Tuscan dialect today is the one that is still closest to official Italian because it essentially gave birth to the rise of a uniform language across the peninsula.
This is because Tuscany is the literary heart of Italy and Tuscan was the first to become a language of letters after Latin when Dante Alghieri decided to write his "La Divina Commedia" (The Divine Comedy) in the vernacular in the early 14th century. This was followed by the classic works of Petrarch, Boccaccio, Macchiavelli, etc, who all wrote their famous works in Tuscan.
Between Florence's economic power and Tuscan's vicinity to vulgar Latin, Tuscan gradually made the transition to becoming the standardized Italian. This did take centuries, however! It became recognized as the official language only after the unification of Italy in 1861.
Nowadays, the most particular aspect of the Tuscan dialect is its unique pronunciation of the letter "c," which is pronounced as an "h."
Want to sound like a Tuscan? Repeat this phrase replacing the c's with a harsh h!
"La coca cola con la cannuccia corta corta" (a coca cola with a very short straw)
Repeat it to the locals when you're traveling through Tuscany and you'll get some laughs 😉
Try it out loud and tell me how it went below! 😄
For more Italy travel tips, cultural tidbits and itinerary ideas, follow along! For travel coaching, visit the link in my bio ♥️

Italy Travel | Tuscan roadtrip | Travel Blogger | Tuscany itinerary | Italian culture

Are you ready to explore Italy with me?!?! 😍🇮🇹

I want to tell you a little story -- I have been traveling Italy for 13 years, but I have almost no content to show for it 🙈 Why, you ask?!
Since I opened this page at the beginning of the year, I have always felt so strange indicating myself as an "Italy specialist" and then not posting much Italy content to show for it 🙈
What the funny thing is, when I met my husband 13 years ago and started coming to Italy to visit him I probably took thousands of photos of every single angle and street. 📸
But the thing is, when I went back to look at all of these pictures I realized... well, they were pretty awful 😄 Between the poor quality and the overly gooey teenage poses, best I spare you all from having to see them 😂
Then in recent years when I started to throw myself into travel photography, Italy already felt like my second home. You know how when you're home you don't think to take pictures and videos of the things your doing because it is all so...familiar? You know?
So this year, I have dedicated myself to revisiting the places that I've seen a million times to see them through the eyes of a creator. To returning to Italy and gathering all the goods so that I can finally share the cultural and linguistic knowledge that I have so eagerly wanted to put out there but couldn't 🥲
Now that we have been in Italy for over a month, I've finally got a good collection! I'm ready to share with you the little corners of this country that are a part of me, and I hope they will touch your life as well 🥰
Ready for more Italy travel tips, cultural tidbits and itinerary ideas, follow along! For travel coaching, visit the link in my bio 🙌🏼

Learn about ancient egyptian art with me! 👇🏼
I don't know if I have ever visited a place that had such a rich concentration of art PACKED with symbolism as Egypt. Visiting the temples and tombs is a feast for the eyes -- every last detail has a story that will help you piece together the lives of those who walked the same path 4,000+ years ago.
Having some sort of idea of what you're looking at really enriches your experience of visiting these ancient places. This is why I 100% recommend investing in an Egyptologist to fill you in on all the juicy deets 😉
Something I wish I had done was learn a lil before heading there to have some context and make it a bit less overwhelming. Learning thousands of years of history is a lot to take in on the spot, afterall 😄
Here are some basic things to know about ancient egyptian art before you go!
💫 Art within tombs was meant to both to showcase life story of the Pharaohs and to guide them into afterlife. It depicts scenes of them conversing with deities and rituals of daily life.
💫 Colors of artwork: red was the color of power and victory, green was for growth, fertility, blue was for creation and rebirth, yellow was for eternal life and the sun, white was for purity and sacredness, black was for the underworld.
💫 Size indicated importance. Pharaohs were the largest which showed them as godlike. The smallest figures were slaves and peasants who were shown serving their royalty even in the afterlife.
💫 Hieroglyphics in tombs often described the deceased's accomplishments, good deeds and incantations that would help lead them into the afterlife
💫 Animals were very important in hieroglyphics and art. Some examples: cobras, scorpions and animal gods with weapons were there to protect the tomb from evil spirits.
💫 The ceiling of tombs are often adorned with blue sky and yellow stars for the deceased to see the night sky
Which of these artworks appeals to you most? 😍
For more travel tips, cultural tidbits & itinerary ideas, follow along ♥️

SUNDAY STORIES: What kind of travelers do I work with? 👇🏼
When creating my business one of questions I found hardest to answer was: "Who is your ideal audience?"
How was I to narrow down what type of traveler I wanted to work with when I have embodied so many myself?
I have been the American traveler abroad for the first time, shell-shocked over everything that was different.
I have been the traveler newly struck by the travel bug, taking pictures of literally every mundane thing because it was "so european"
I have been the budget traveler who couchsurfed and ate only supermarket food out of my backpack.
I have been the study abroad student who spent way too much time drinking.
I have been the solo female backpacker, bouncing between hostels.
I am now a traveler who enjoys a bit more comfort, but am always down for an adventure. 😉
While some of these past versions of myself make me cringe, I have so much love each of them. Every piece of my past self made me into the travel coach I am today-- little did I know, she was preparing me to step into this role all along.
Not to mention, she gave me some damn good stories to tell 😄
Long story short: I love all travelers! I can't just choose! I want to help my clients shamelessly embrace wherever they are in their travel journey, and do move through it confidently.
We are born time and time again through travel, each experience changing us for the better. Every traveler deserves to be seen (as long as your not a judgy as***le, in that case we have other work to do) ♥️
What changes have you seen in yourself as a traveler over the years? Share with me below!
For more on my travel coaching, visit the link in my bio! I'd love to be your travel bestie 😘