When you meet someone with a passion for the Italian lifestyle—food, wine, family, history, culture, heritage—you just know. There is something special about La Bella Italia that creates an immediate bond between people who have been influenced by her charms – and sometimes a shared smile says it all. This is how we felt when we met Eleonora Baldwin, the food and wine writer behind the popular Wednesday Wines series here on The italyMONDO! Blog. Eleonora, or Lola, writes about Italian food and wine with an infectious enthusiasm and warm simplicity that just invites readers to knock on the door, pull up a chair and join her for dinner. (And we know it would be a delicious dinner!) So pull up that chair, raise your glasses and join me in welcoming Eleonora Baldwin to the italyMONDO! family!

Born in America, but having grown up in Italy from a young age, Eleonora learned all about Italian family cooking from her mother who was born in Rome. Just like many Italians, her grandmother’s cookbook is a cherished family treasure. Eleonora’s heritage in Italy is from the region of Piemonte—birthplace of her maternal grandmother—and from the city of Sora, Frosinone in the heart of “La Ciociaria,” (Where my great-grandfather was born as well, making Eleonora and me paesani!”) Raised in a bilingual family, Eleonora has a natural talent for languages and now speaks four—English, Italian, Spanish and French—a real advantage in her career as a script supervisor in the film industry. Having come from a family with a strong film making tradition, after a career in graphic design Eleonora eventually felt herself drawn to explore this path – and it’s certainly one with plenty of excitement and adventure!

When asked if she feels Italian or American, Eleonora answers, “I feel Italian.” And her passion for Italian cooking, traditions and culture certainly comes across in her writing for The italyMONDO! Blog and on her personal blogs where she writes regularly on a variety of topics. At her food blog, Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino, you’ll find tempting recipes accompanied not only by charming stories and also a wealth of information about true Italian home cooking. Over at her restaurant review blog, Forchettine (in Italian), you’ll find reviews of Eleonora’s favorite restaurants. And avid photographer as well as writer and blogger, Eleonora also shares a glimpse of daily life in Rome at her photo blog Roma Every Day.

What drives Eleonora’s passion for sharing good Italian cooking? Having cooked her whole life, she realized one day she hadn’t ever fully celebrated the importance of it in her daily life. It was all bubbling up inside until it finally found an outlet through blogging. She shared with us that she was hooked from the first post, and now can’t stop – which is very lucky for all of us Italy-loving readers!

Having cooked her whole life, Lola realized one day she hadn’t ever fully celebrated the importance of it in her daily life. It was all bubbling up inside until it finally found an outlet through blogging.

Here on The italyMONDO! Blog, Eleonora brings a fresh view to the sometimes daunting topic of Italian wines in her weekly Wednesday Wines column. She teaches us about the richness of Italy’s wines while at the same time reminding us that there are no set rules when it comes to wine. It’s not necessarily the name on the label or the price tag that determines a good bottle of wine, but instead it’s what your own taste buds tell you. Or, as Eleonora tells us, “Wine is meant to go well with food, like a good marriage.” Be bold, be daring, try new wines, and don’t be afraid to break some of the rules out there. After all, red wine can be very good with fish.

In the end, Eleonora’s writing reminds us to have fun and enjoy your wine with family and friends when possible. That’s often the best combination – and to us, the true definition of La Dolce Vita.

Stop by every Wednesday to learn more about Italian wines as Lola continues to share her insights, tips and passion for one of the most important elements of the Italian table – a good glass of vino italiano!

Can’t get enough of La Dolce Vita? Visit Lola’s other blogs!
Aglio, Olio & Peperoncino – All about Italian cooking
Forchettine – Italian Restaurant Reviews (in Italian)
Roma Every Day – Rome Photo Blog

This week I’d like to introduce you to another member of the italyMONDO! family. Christine Cantera has a marvelous way with words, and she has been adding her inspiring touch to the italyMONDO! website since early 2009. (Check out the all–new Our Services page and see for yourself!) In her writing Christine shows a sincere passion for what italyMONDO! does for its clients, a passion that comes from growing up in an Italian-American home and her own adventures discovering her family’s Italian heritage.

Continue to visit our blog in the coming weeks as we begin to introduce other members of the italyMONDO! family and learn more about what inspired their love of Italy, their backgrounds, their talents, and what makes each one a unique addition to our family. But without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce Christine—whose love of travel and the Italian way of life are an inspiration for all.

One cannot earn a name like “The Internet’s Leading Enabler of Travel Addition” without being a passionate traveler and writer. Meet Christine Cantera, a freelance writer and author of the popular travel blog Miss Expatria, where she has been tempting readers with luscious travel tales from Rome and the South of France since 2002. She often delves into the philosophy of travel and focuses on inspiring people to pack their bags and “follow their dreams to the arrivals gate at their favorite destination.”

Christine knows something about following dreams, the challenges of making them happen and just how nice the view truly is from the other side. Italy was calling, and in 1999—while working at an ad agency in New York—she visited Rome and fell in love suddenly and completely with the Eternal City. But this was no small case of wanderlust. Christine felt at home the moment she arrived in Italy, and knew it was where she belonged. With epic doses of gumption she set out to make it happen, at first by taking her job remotely and eventually making the jump into freelance writing. While Venice holds a magical place in her heart, “Rome is home” for Christine, and is where you’ll find her a healthy portion of each year.

Growing up in an Italian–American family on the Jersey Shore, Christine was raised on family stories. She has especially fond memories of her great–grandmother’s tales of “The Old Country,” and like many Italian-American families, life often centered on good food, family meals and monumental Sunday dinners. As a young girl she was instilled with the appreciation and value of her Italian heritage. Therefore it came as no surprise to her family when she broke the news of her plans to move to Rome, and they encouraged her to travel, experience life in Italy and to explore her family roots.

Seeing how passionate Peter is about his work has been a real inspiration. And remembering my own adventures has helped me to explain to others just how life-changing the italyMONDO! experience really is. I’m so proud to be a part of the team.”

– Christine Cantera

Christine brings a passion to her writing for italyMONDO! that comes from having discovered her own family’s story among the dusty registry books of the town of Città Sant’Angelo, located on the coast of the enchanting Abruzzo region. She arrived in her family’s hometown, framed by mountains on one side and sweeping views of the Adriatic Sea on the other, with only a few details about her great–grandfather’s family. There at the comune (town hall), with the help of a friendly man, her family story came to life as they dug through the old books uncovering one Cantera after another. She later returned to Città Sant’Angelo with her cousin, and it was then she realized just how important this connection to her family’s past was for her. Meeting people in town who knew members of her family, she felt an immediate bond and loved watching how their interactions with her changed. She felt the bond that connects all Italians and Italian Americans, and quickly understood that comes from our shared past. The questions are always the same—“Where is your family from?” or “What is your story?”—and as tales are recounted there is an instant bond, a similar history, and an understanding that only comes from a shared way of looking at the past.

While writing the new Our Services page, Christine was reminded of how powerful her own experiences in Città Sant’Angelo had been for her. Discovering where her family came from put everything in perspective. Christine knows firsthand how life changing this experience can be, and this shines through in all her writing for italyMONDO!.

As you may have noticed, a lot of new things have been happening here at italyMONDO!. From an all–new theme for the Our Services page to compliment our unique menu of services to the redesign of the About Us and Contact Us pages, there’s an air of change at italyMONDO!—and this is just the beginning! As our company continues to grow and prosper, it seemed only natural that we add a blog to our homepage. However, I envisioned something more than just a standard “service” blog to boost search results. I envisioned a single online publication that would bring together some of the top Italian writers from the blogosphere so they could write about what they love most—Italy.

Over the next few Saturdays, I will be introducing our new team of enthusiastic and talented writers for The italyMONDO! Blog. Coming from all over the world—from Nebraska and Upstate New York to Rome, the South of France and beyond—the common bond uniting these writers is a deep passion for sharing their knowledge, experiences and love of the Italian and Italian–American culture, as well as Italy’s regional cuisine, wonderful wines, travel destinations and lively traditions.

So it’s with great pleasure that I get to introduce to you each new member of the italyMONDO! family. Read on to learn about what inspired their love of Italy, their backgrounds, talents, and what makes each one a great addition to our family.

Laura Thayer is a travel writer, art historian and photographer who calls southern Italy’s Amalfi Coast home. Born in Nebraska, Laura has studied Liberal Arts and Art History and has a deep love of art and architecture. While working on a Masters of Arts in Art History, Laura visited the Amalfi Coast on a family vacation and knew immediately that life would never be the same again. The warm southern Italian charm, friendly people, and, of course, those jaw–dropping views stole her heart at once. She finished her Masters specializing in southern Italian architecture of the 18th and 19th centuries, even writing her thesis on the façade of Amalfi’s Duomo that had captivated her so.

After graduating (and countless trips back and forth!), Laura made the leap overseas and settled on the Amalfi Coast. She now focuses on freelance travel writing, learning the rhythm and romance of the Italian language, and discovering all she can about Italian foods and the regional cooking of the Amalfi Coast and Campania. When not writing or experimenting in the kitchen, Laura is out walking the narrow streets and climbing the ancient stone steps between the towns and villages of the Amalfi Coast. With a curious nature—and camera and notebook in tow—she loves exploring the twists and turns of the Amalfi Coast one step at a time.

Completely smitten with the beauty of the Amalfi Coast, Laura shares her passion for her adopted home through her blog Ciao Amalfi!, where she writes about the area’s history, architecture, stunning landscapes and the adventures of daily life in Italy.

I am really passionate about what italyMONDO! does. I see how much it means to people to come here and to uncover their roots and reconnect with family, and I am deeply moved by that.

– Laura Thayer

Laura loves the little pleasures (and sometimes challenges!) of daily life in Italy, and knows that she’ll never tire of learning about and exploring Italy. Her experiences in Italy turned her life upside down, both deepening and strengthening her passions. Knowing from personal experience that a single trip to Italy can change your life forever, Laura is proud to be a part of the italyMONDO! family—where she can share her enthusiasm and love of Italy to inspire others to follow their dreams to Italy, uncover their Italian heritage, and let the wonders of Italy speak to them and change their lives forever.