My Love AFFair with Italy
Italy has been my muse, my escape, and my home away from home. My lifelong passion for this enchanting country began in the early 1990s when I was a young professional dancer with the English National Ballet. Here’s a glimpse into my unforgettable journey through Italy—a love affair filled with dance, adventure, healing, and timeless beauty.
The enchanting harbour at Portofino
My lifelong love affair with Italy began when I was a young professional dancer with English National Ballet in the early 1990s.
The Magic of Genoa and the Nervi Festival
We travelled one hot summer to Genoa to perform at the nearby Nervi Festival—Italy’s first festival entirely dedicated to dance, running since 1954. We danced under the stars on the edge of a clifftop with the enchanting backdrop of the Ligurian Sea. With open-air performances in the height of summer, our ballet classes couldn’t start until after 6pm when the heat was less intense, leaving us with all day to explore the surrounding towns and countryside.
We took boat trips to the vibrant village of Portofino, swam in the warm Ligurian Sea, and strolled along the gorgeous 2km Nervi Boardwalk that stretches along the coast to Capolungo. We paused for seafood lunches, watching others sip their Aperols in the sunshine—always mindful that our evening performance meant no cheeky lunchtime tipples for the ballet dancers. I fell in love with Italy that week and couldn’t wait to return.
Exploring Lake Como as a young ballet dancer.
Celebrating Love on Lake Como
The next time I was in Italy was to celebrate the wedding of ballet friends at a villa on the banks of Lake Como in the late 1990s. A group of us travelled together and stayed in an apartment on the outskirts of Milan for a long weekend filled with drunken dinners at local restaurants and day trips to nearby towns before the wedding. Lake Como is a dreamy place at any time of the year, but it was even more enchanting while sipping Prosecco in elegant wedding finery, standing in the gardens of a stunning lakeside villa. It was like a movie set—and if George Clooney had shown up, he would have looked right at home.
Life on the World Stage
I travelled the world with ENB, visiting every continent and performing in some of the most iconic theatres in the world. When we had time off in January, my husband at the time and I invariably chose an all-inclusive beach hotel somewhere tropical to rest our weary bodies after a gruelling Christmas season of never-ending Nutcrackers. The children came along, and a life-changing move back home to Cornwall followed, leading to a decade filled with dramatic life events that tested me to the limits. Italy seemed a million miles away.
A Healing Return: Rediscovering Italy in 2012
After enduring breast cancer treatment the previous year, I tentatively returned to Italy in 2012, embracing life once again. I hadn’t travelled solo since 1989, when I studied at the world-famous Vaganova Ballet School in St Petersburg for six months, so I was understandably nervous. But having survived cancer, I felt invincible and decided not to waste time with “what ifs.” I booked a week in a tiny, picturesque village called Casperia in Northern Lazio, about 50km northeast of Rome.
I had initially planned a yoga retreat, but fate had other ideas. I ended up staying at a gorgeous called La Torretta in the centre of the village and whizzing around the countryside in my favourite Fiat 500, braving the Italian roads and local drivers. I lounged on a rooftop terrace in the autumn sunshine, sipping ice-cold Peronis from the honesty fridge while marvelling at the rolling Sabine Hills. I took a cookery course to learn how to make pasta and dined with strangers at the only restaurant open on a Monday evening—the front room of a local woman’s house, with tables squashed together and endless plates of home-cooked food. In the evenings, I would walk down to the piazza to watch the sunset over Rome’s skyline in the distance as local children played football, and families gathered to socialise. It was heaven, and just what I needed.
A Whirlwind Escape During the Pandemic
The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci in Milan.
In 2021, as we were all slogging through the pandemic and I was dealing with the recent loss of both my parents, I decided I needed to get away—if only for a short while. Italy seemed the perfect destination. I messaged a friend in Milan and arranged to hop on a flight from Bristol to crash at his place for a week. That trip convinced me more than ever that, for some reason, I am meant to end up in Italy.
The River Po in Turin
It was a whirlwind week—perhaps fuelled by the novelty of feeling free again after months of lockdown. I devoured Italy in every sense. I walked 95kms in one week, saw Leonardo's Last Supper, and admired the sunset from the rooftop of Milan’s Duomo. I took a day trip to Turin for lunch in the gardens of a hilltop monastery overlooking the River Po, enjoyed artisan gelato in Bergamo, and savoured breakfast at the Prada Museum near my friend’s apartment. I visited countless art galleries, strolled along the banks of the Navigli canal one Sunday, and browsed market stalls for little treasures to take home. I came back already planning my next trip.
A Family Road Trip Adventure
The next time I went to Italy, I took my boys—aged 16 and 18—on a memorable road trip. We flew into Venice in April 2022, grabbed our hire car, and drove down to Bologna for three days. Our journey continued with a night in Verona and ended on the shores of Lake Garda, where we stayed in a gorgeous Airbnb with a Juliet balcony overlooking bustling cafes and restaurants.
A gorgeous place to stay in Salò, Lake Garda
Tuscany: The Place I Call Home
My last three trips have all been to Tuscany. I’ve written extensively about them in other blog posts, so I won’t fill this post with those memories. Yet, of all the places I’ve been in Italy—and with only a tiny taste of it experienced so far—Tuscany feels like home, the place I’m ultimately meant to be.
Waking up to this view every morning felt like a dream.
It’s hard to put into words exactly why Tuscany has captured my heart so completely, but here are a few thoughts:
It’s the sight of the Apuan Alps as you step out of Pisa airport and take your first deep breath of Tuscan air.
The rolling, endless hills with fields of soft, velvet green that beckon you to lie in the warm sunshine.
The medieval architecture of tiny hilltop towns that take your breath away, remaining untouched for hundreds of years.
The warmth of the people who welcome you like a long-lost friend, even when you’re a stranger.
The heady aroma of freshly pressed olives at the local frantoia, soon to be transformed into artisan oil drizzled over sweet, ripe tomatoes, accented with freshly picked basil.
The overwhelming beauty of towns like Siena and Lucca, with their astounding buildings and vibrant piazzas—and, of course, Florence: unrivalled, unbeatable, jaw-dropping Florence.
The winding roads around Garfagnana, with ice-cold mountain rivers and air so clean it takes your breath away.
The slow, sleepy afternoons when time seems to pause for those cherished two-hour lunch breaks.
It’s bowls of steaming Tuscan stews brimming with vibrant Cavolo Nero and hearty Borlotti beans, and plates of Ragu di Cinghiale con Pappardelle, all perfectly complemented by a glass of Chianti.
The feeling of walking along ancient rural roads that Etruscans travelled millennia ago, their energy still woven into the landscape.
The aroma of a freshly picked white truffle from San Miniato, shaved over a simple omelette, earthy and moreish.
The mouth-watering delight of stepping into your favourite pasticceria for a mid-morning café e cornetto—a perfect balance of strong caffeine and sweet, flaky pastry.
The sheer joy of sharing plates of local cured meats at the local Enoteca in Vicopisano, paired with fine local wines, lively conversation, and laughter with new friends.
It’s a hundred other moments and sensations that help you understand why Italians truly grasp the meaning of life. It’s Dolce far Niente—and once you experience it, you never want to leave.
Living La Dolce Vita in Italy
Happy travels! ✈️🌍
Beara x