20 Years of Living and Breathing Italy Our founder, Jesse Andrews, joins Frankie D on Episode 144 of the Italian American Life podcast.
A summer job in Calabria, a 5,000 euro website and a company that grew out of travelers writing in for help. Jesse tells the whole story in her first podcast interview.
- 2003
- The year Jesse arrived in Calabria
- 20+
- Years living and working in Italy
- 35 min
- Conversation with Frankie D
- Ep. 144
- Italian American Life podcast
Jesse Andrews, CEO and Founder of Italy Vacation Specialists
Jesse tells Frankie D how a summer teaching job in Calabria in 2003 turned into a travel company, what it takes to plan a trip that makes sense, and why returning travelers ask for the Italy nobody has heard of.
From Vancouver to Praia a Mare
Jesse was 23 and on her way to law school when a summer in Calabria changed the plan.
She grew up in Vancouver and studied at McGill University in Montreal, where she took Italian as an elective. In 2003 someone walked into her class asking who wanted to teach English in Italy for the summer. The job was in Praia a Mare, a town she could find almost nothing about online.
She took the wrong train, arrived late at night and woke up to a view of the Mediterranean. She spent that summer exploring the towns along the coast and learning Italian from a dictionary at night, because nobody around her spoke English. When the job ended she pitched a website to the mayor, and the work that became Italy Vacation Specialists began.
A day on the water along the Italian coast
In Her Words
“I've never been in a place so gorgeous in my life.”
What Jesse and Frankie Talk About
Italian American Life with Frankie D has been running since 2013. For Episode 144, Frankie invited Jesse to talk about how she came to Italy and why she never left. His wife was born in the province of Cosenza, the same corner of Calabria where our story began, so the two had plenty to compare.
The conversation runs about 35 minutes. Times below are approximate.
Chapters
-
01:25
From Vancouver to a classroom in Calabria
McGill, an Italian elective and a summer job in a town with almost no information online.
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10:29
The 5,000 euro website
A pitch to the mayor of Praia a Mare, then Italian Visits, one of the first blogs about Italy.
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17:30
From travel blog to travel company
Emails from readers, heritage trips to Calabria and working with travel agents worldwide.
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23:00
How we plan a trip to Italy
Cars and drivers across the country, where to stay in Rome and why logistics matter.
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29:27
The Italy nobody has heard of
Why returning travelers look past Rome, Florence and Venice, and a new Direttore Tecnico qualification.
Where the Conversation Takes You
Three parts of Italy come up again and again as Jesse and Frankie talk. Each one is a place we know from living there.
Plan Your Trip
Tell Us Where Your Family Is From, or Where You Dream of Going
Whether you want to walk the streets of your grandparents' town or see a part of Italy you have never heard of, we will build the trip around you, with drivers and guides who know the place.
About the Show
Italian American Life with Frankie D
An independent podcast hosted by Frankie D in Chicago, on air since 2013, sharing the stories, food, music and people of Italian American life.
Visit the podcastAbout Us
Italy Vacation Specialists
A boutique travel company founded by Jesse Andrews, planning custom trips, private drivers and small group journeys across Italy for more than 20 years.
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Italian American Life with Frankie D is an independent podcast and is not affiliated with Italy Vacation Specialists. The episode and its audio belong to the show and are linked here with credit. Quotes are taken from the recording.