February 8, 2021

Hi! I’m Rachel. I’ve never officially introduced myself on here. Here is a little synopsis:

I visited Rome for the first time in summer 2009 after graduating from @uncchapelhill. It was love at first sight. I asked a lot of questions. A year later I started guiding.

In 2013, I completed my Masters in Business and CSR. My thesis was on long term sustainable tourism goals for Rome. I started working for @liv.tours and they became my family as we (individually) grew together. The 6 person max groups aligned with my value of slow + sustainable travel. I worked as a tour guide, I worked in marketing, I created social media handles and then I created content. I wrote copy, I responded to emails, and I did a million things I’m probably forgetting right now. I learned about the tourism industry from the inside out and in every possible direction.

My adoration of Italy seeped into everything I did. I got to visit parts of Italy and meet people and have experiences I could never have dreamed of when I was in the “what do you want to be when you grow up?” phase.

Then I started to peel back some layers. My passion for yoga and wellness grew and my personal journey into understanding myself (and others) began to unfold. In 2018, I became a yoga teacher in Bali with @zunayoga. I fell in love with yoga and wellness with the same fervor I had fallen in love with Italy and Italian culture.

In late 2019, I decided to pursue one of my dreams of leading and coordinating yoga retreats. I had organized 4 by the first months of 2020 and I was dreaming of planning more. We all know what happened next.

So, hi, I’m Rachel. I’m a storyteller and a tour guide. I’m a yoga teacher, I host women’s circles online, I lead retreats. I consult for companies that want to develop in Italy. I write, a lot. I spend so much time wandering and dreaming in my beautiful adopted Eternal City.

It’s been over 10 years since I moved to Rome and I consider myself partially ‘italianizzata’. Anything I’ve missed? Just ask! I’m truly grateful to each of you who are along for this journey. I write about Rome and Italy because it gives me so much joy, I hope it gives you joy too