The Italy Beyond The Obvious Team

The beauty of Italy sells itself, but there is a lot of work involved in putting together an amazing trip! We have guides and drivers in Italy that make our trips amazing, but our team of trip planners make the magic happen, seamlessly and stress-free. 

Claudia Marchesi

Claudia Marchesi

Milan

Claudia helps with the behind-the-scenes planning and provides on-trip support. Originally from Milan, Claudia speaks perfect English and has a “how can I help you” customer service attitude. Claudia has a second home in Piedmont, and a very cute dog named Toshi. In addition to planning and booking client itineraries, Claudia also studies and performs Renaissance music and says about her country: “Even after decades of traveling in Italy, I feel that there are still so many amazing things to be discovered”.

Rebecca Winke

Rebecca Winke

Assisi

Rebecca fell in love with Italy on her first visit and her affection for “Il Bel Paese” has only grown over almost three decades of living here. Originally from Chicago, she now calls the central region of Umbria home. She loves trip planning and is eager to share her passion for Italy—hand-picking hotels, guides, artisans, and experiences to suit each client. In addition to working with Italy Beyond the Obvious, Rebecca writes about Italy travel, culture, and cuisine for a number of print and online publications from The Telegraph to Italy Magazine.

Amanda Forman

Amanda Forman

Perugia & Padova

Amanda jumped headfirst into La Dolce Vita when she moved from Tulsa to Padova in 2017. She quickly learned the language and traveled to nearly every corner of the country. She now divides her time between Padova and the Umbrian countryside, where she and her husband cultivate olives and produce extra virgin olive oil for their company, Olivando. A student of life, she relishes learning and discovering more about the history and culture of each fascinating and wildly different region. Amanda works hand-in-hand with the Italy Beyond the Obvious team to deliver curated, one-of-a-kind itineraries.

Amber Cassese

Amber Cassese

Siena

Amber is our project manager and all-around food and wine nerd. She has a hospitality background and is a certified Italian wine sommelier, educator and writer, living in Tuscan wine country since 2007. In addition to working for Italy Beyond the Obvious, she writes content for a major global wine importer. She loves to geek out on unusual facts, tidbits and legends about Italy. You might see some in your itinerary!

Client Testimonials

"We had a wonderful trip! We did so many amazing things and experienced many wonderful places yet never felt like..."

"We thank you so much for all you gave us, guided us to, arranged for, and detailed for us. Not..."

"We are in love with Venice and the Dolomites. The ski adventure was amazing and beyond anything we could have..."

"Absolutely everything that you planned went off without a hitch. Every tour, every restaurant, every train and activity came through..."

"Thank you again from all three of us for your help in planning such a delightful trip. I know that..."

"Madeline carefully planned a fabulous, personalized 19 day itinerary (Lake Garda, Dolomites, N/S Tuscany, Rome) that enabled us to be..."

Read More Client Testimonials

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Office Locations

San Francisco
+1 773 621-3024
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Milan
+39 320 028 6827
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Rome
+39 331 222 2349
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