About

Hello, dear visitor, and welcome!

My name is Simona Lidia Zaira. Friends just call me Simona.

I am a frequent traveller and even if I like thinking of myself as a world citizen I am — and feel — thoroughly Italian (even though an atypical one).

I am not denying that pizza, mandolino, spaghetti, mafia, Leonardo, Valentino, Prada and Chianti wine (not necessarily in this order) made our country famous in the world and that — to a certain extent — they represent a part of Italy. As well as I don’t deny that a traveller visiting Italy should not miss the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the Uffizi in Florence, or the Canal Grande in Venice.

My point (and my ambition too) is that of helping you to get to know the real Italy and not the fake one served in many travel magazines.

Many are the unkown treasures of Italy and I would be glad to share my eyes with somebody looking for authenticity, and to offer my experience trying to give back to Italy a hundredth of what Italy has given – and still is giving – to me.

Knowest thou the land where lemons blossom, asked Goethe in one of his poems. Let me now ask you: knowest thou the land where gardens bear forgotten fruits and angels wear a mustache?

Today the new media allow us to day-dream (and day-travel) with a mouse click and the world seems to be at hand. It can really be at hand but you need the hand of someone you can trust to show you around.

I’d like to lend that hand.

Thank you for joining in.

Simona