Carla Mackey

Years ago, I started walking in Italy. I mean a lot of walking. I’ve walked from the Swiss border to Rome, from Bologna to Florence, from Palermo to Agrigento - twice, across the Dolomites and loads of other walks, all with my zaino verde (Italian for green backpack). I’ve been to more Italian towns than every Italian I’ve ever met. In the process, I have developed a love for and a deeper understanding of the lives of these mythologized “dolce vita” Italians. The tropes you see in movies are cute, but their stories are so much more nuanced and complicated. 

A few years ago, I began taking friends and  clients to Italy on walking tours, allowing them to experience Italy beyond its popular cities in a slower, richer way.  Now I have organized new ways to experience Italy: a writer’s retreat in a 600 year-old monastery and a calligraphic art mark making workshop taught by an internationally renowned artist, who is, of course, Italian. Both are small groups held in or close to Turin, a fascinating city with limited tourist activity and great food. 

I always continue to marvel at the juxtaposition of antiquity and modern life in an environment so rich with natural beauty. I don't think there has ever been a better time to explore your creativity and there's no better place than Italy to do it.