My love affair with Italy began on a trip there in 1977 when I was just a little girl. My big brown eyes absorbed everything Italian and I felt strangely “at home”. I didn’t know back then how important a role Italy would play in my life in the years to come. I spent most of my teenage years working as a tour guide in Toronto offering custom tours to Italian tourists. I would always venture off to Italy to visit family and friends the last few weeks of the summer, which I cherished as my little own la dolce vita. In our last year of high school, Angela and I planned to move to Italy after graduation. We eventually landed in Rome and worked in cafes and tutored for private families. On one of my trips back to visit my family, life took an unexpected turn and I met a man who would become my husband. As life would have it, one dream replaced another and I grew roots in Toronto with my growing family. I became certified in Travel and Tourism and worked within the industry. Eventually, I transitioned into the corporate world where I would travel globally, specializing in Human Resources and Finance, becoming an Advisor and Executive Coach. Today, I independently run my own Human Resources consulting company and I continue to design travel for small independent travellers. Serendipitously, in the summer of 2022 Angela and I crossed paths while both on vacation in Italy, and found ourselves in the right place at the right time to dust off our dream and make LDV a reality. Our motto was born - “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.” Upon returning home, we joined strengths and together with my corporate background and Angela’s long standing experience in the tourism industry, La Dolce Vita Luxury Escapes was founded.