There is always one place you will never tire of seeing no matter where you travel around the globe. We talk to some of top travel influencers and give them expert insight into their favourite parts of the globe. This blog series shines a light on beautiful places through the eyes of some the most traveled people in the world.
Now is the time to get out your travel bucket lists and fill them up!
Kate Storm joins us here. She has been traveling full-time for more than three years and documents it all on her website Our Escape Clause. You can find her wandering through cities, reading great books, or planning the next 1000 trips.
What were you doing before you started traveling?
Before I started traveling full-time, my job was as a claims adjuster in the insurance industry. This is a far cry from my career as a professional travel blogger.
At university, I studied Political Science and originally wanted to be an attorney. I decided that this wasn’t the right career path for me and spent several years trying to figure out my next steps. Hence, the insurance job.
My husband, Jeremy and I went on a 2.5-week trip to Europe in 2015. We were tempted by the idea of full-time travel. We decided that we would make our dream come true within a few months after returning from our trip.
We flew to Madrid in less than one year and have been traveling full time ever since.
What is the best thing about this area of the world to you?
It is one of our favorite places to travel. The amazing combination of a varied and rich topography, a long and complex history, and warm and welcoming culture make Italy a wonderful place to visit.
It is difficult to choose which of these things we love about Italy. But the history and the delicious food are certainly up there.
We tend to return from Italy with more sights and places than we had in our initial visit.
What do you think more people should know about this area?
It is amazing how diverse there are!
Rome, Florence and Venice, Cinque Terre, Amalfi coast: These are all incredible parts of Italy. Rome is my favourite city in the world, but there’s so much more to Italy that its famous touristic highlights.
It’s impossible not to find places to visit in Italy, from the beaches of Sicily to snow-capped mountains of Dolomites, to Italy’s beautiful lakes and peaceful villages.
On the other hand, tourist-heavy cities like Rome and Venice have hundreds of hidden gems that can be accessed by anyone who knows where.
This is one of the best things about Take Walks tours. The guides design amazing itineraries that go above and beyond the usual sights and stories.
This was evident from the very first tour with Take Walks many years ago, the stunning Dine Around Florence tour. We have never been disappointed!
What’s your favorite thing to do?
It is difficult to choose just one, but food and drink are definitely high up!
We don’t spend a single day in Italy without sampling Italy coffee culture at the very least once.
We love to enjoy aperitivo and traditional Italian restaurant meals. However, we also love to cook when we visit, either as part of cooking classes or at home with ingredients that we bought at the market.
What would you do if you had 24 hours?
Due to the current global environment, I have had more time for daydreaming than usual!
If I could spend one day in Italy, I would head straight to Rome.
I would walk through Centro Storico, stopping at the Colosseum to visit the Trevi fountain, Campo De’ Fiori and Spanish Steps. After crossing the Ponte Sant’Angelo, I would stop to admire the street performers near the castle, before heading to St. Peter’s Square.
I would stop at various bars along the way for a cup of coffee, and then eat a huge plate of pasta carbonara when it was time to eat lunch.
In the evening I would enjoy an aperitivo, then perhaps a tour of Vatican Museums. One of my favourite Take Walks tours was the Vatican Museums at Night!
What is your favorite place to eat here?
Joseph Ristorante is a great place to have a casual lunch in Rome. It’s not the most convenient for those with tight schedules, but they offer a 8 Euro lunch special that includes bread, an entree (mostly carbonara), a dessert and wine.
