We share the Italy we actually live in.
“Italy doesn’t need to be conquered. It needs to be let in. Slow down, and it tells you everything.”
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Open Up to the Unexpected
wenty years ago, I sat along a Venetian canal, feet dangling over the water, sharing a bottle of wine with a friend. In the distance: the sound of opera. Faint, at first. It drifted closer and closer until, suddenly, from beneath a bridge on the Grand Canal, a gondola emerged. An opera singer stood balanced on its edge, arms outstretched, holding a final, soaring note. The canal fell silent. Then, applause. A shared, unscripted moment.
Today, planning a trip is easier than ever. But that same ease has made experiences predictable and repeatable. After more than twenty years in Italian tourism, I founded Open Up Italy to change that.
We don’t just take you to places like Ponza that still hold their authenticity. We leave space for those moments to happen. Time to linger. Room for the unexpected.
Because the best parts of travel aren’t always planned. They are moments that, like that gondola, emerge when you least expect them.
Kimberly Ann Elia
CEO & Founder · Roma
- 20+years in Italian tourism
- Motherof a wild six-year-old who loves swimming
- Localin Roma since 2007 — and not leaving
Most tours show you Italy. We let you in.
We’ve been on the other kind of tour. They’re fine — we just don’t make them. Here’s how every Open Up day is different.
See our experiencesTwenty years. One way to travel.
