The Italia by Natalia blog has been online since January 2013 and it is the fulfilment of my dream of being able to share my love for Italy every day with people who share the same passion, which has been with me continuously for twenty-five years. Over that time, through dozens of trips lasting a total of around two years, I have visited all twenty Italian regions, including Sicily itself twenty times. Although I have seen countless beautiful places, my greatest love was, is, and always will be Sicily, its beauty, diversity, and wonderful people. This extraordinary island, alongside Tuscany, Lake Garda, Campania, Trentino, or Venice, is also the most frequent topic of my blog posts, where I love to introduce readers to places that are almost completely unknown in Poland and previously barely described. It was on Italia by Natalia that places such as the Cavagrande del Cassibile Canyon, the Torre Salsa Nature Reserve, Marzamemi, Monte Cofano, or the Saracens’ Path first appeared, as well as in Tuscany free thermal hot springs and viewpoints in the Val d’Orcia Valley, in Trentino numerous easy Dolomites trails suitable for the whole family, and in Campania, for example, the stunning Cilento Coast. Using my knowledge and frequent stays in Italy, I discover, then describe and promote places and services in Italy that I personally enjoyed.
More information about me – including a list of awards and distinctions in blogger rankings – can be found in the “About me” section.
What will you find on the blog?
- I travel in Italy and write about it exclusively based on my own experiences and observations. Apart from the occasional guest post – when I give the floor to others – you won’t find guides to places I haven’t been, emotions I haven’t felt, or texts written by artificial intelligence. Authenticity and honesty are the most important things on this blog, even more important than my income. This is the key thing that sets Italia by Natalia apart from other blogs with a similar focus.
- I inspire readers to discover a lesser-known Italy slowly, far away from museums and crowds. I encourage traveling outside the high season and visiting places that are not very popular.
- I recommend accommodations, but only those I have personally stayed in. I don’t collect other people’s recommendations, because everyone has their own tastes. What delights person X may deeply disappoint person Y. That’s why, if you notice that we have similar preferences, you can confidently use my database of carefully verified accommodations in Italy.
My suggestion for you
Please don’t take it personally, but you need to know that for quite some time now I haven’t been giving travel advice by email. I stopped when the number of messages asking for recommendations and help planning trips exceeded 30 per day, and that was back when the monthly number of blog visitors was roughly ten times smaller than it is today. On top of that, I was working a full-time job then, and by trying to advise everyone who asked, I ended up in a situation where new posts appeared less and less often, and I slept less and less. This Italy travel blog is my passion, but it is also my work, and since leaving my full-time job it has been my main source of income. So if you haven’t found the right information in my articles and you’re looking for advice, you have a few options:
- You are warmly invited to my Facebook group ITALY – travel & lifestyle, where together with 73k Italy lovers we share experiences, give advice, laugh, and joke. However, before you add a new post, please read the rules.
- If you don’t use Facebook, you can ask your question in one of the comments on the blog. I’ll try to reply as time allows, and there’s a good chance that one of the readers will also share their experience.
- I am the author of well-regarded guides and travel handbooks available in the blog’s online shop, as well as printed travel books you can find, among others, at Empik and directly in the online store of Wydawnictwo Marginesy.
- If you run a business connected to Italy (directly or indirectly), would like to work with me, and understand that the benefits must be mutual, you’ll find more information in the collaboration section.
Italia by Natalia in the media
Radio interviews I have given
Radio 357 – conversation with Gabi Darmetko
Radio 357 – conversation with Justyna Godz
Radio Eska2 – conversation with Agata Chruściak
Radio Kielce – conversations with Ryszard Koziej
Radio JAZZ – conversation with Małgorzata Kron
Radio Lublin – conversations with Anna Kovalova
Polish Radio Olsztyn – conversations with Ewa Zdrojkowska
Radio RAM – conversation with Miłosława Bożek
Radio dla Ciebie – conversations with Anna Czytowska
- “Southern Italy”
- “Sicily is not only the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, but also an administrative region”
Polish Radio Program Two – a conversation about Naples with Małgorzata Szymankiewicz and Jakub Kukla on the show “Miejsca z dobrych stron”.
Polish Radio Białystok – conversation with Barbara Sokolińska
Czwórka (Polish Radio) – conversations with Kamil Jasieński
- “Italy – a land of contrasts and diversity”
- “Extreme Naples, wild Sardinia, and the island of Ponza”
- “Heat like in Italy: how Polish tourists cope with the sun”
Czwórka (Polish Radio) – conversations with Jędrzej Rosiewicz on the show “City Break Europa”
- “A weekend in Catania: heading to the foot of Mount Etna”
- “Palio di Siena: the legendary race that moves all of Tuscany, and a Gothic cathedral in the heart of the city”
Radio eM Katowice – a conversation with Barbara Hobzda “About Italian style, wine, food – and above all, Sicily”
Podcasts I have appeared on
I have appeared, among others, on the podcast:
“Italy – an imperfect love. How a passion for Italy became a job and a way of life?” – a conversation with Ania Witko, available on:
Interviews with me were published on
- Wysokie Obcasy
- Onet.pl
- Polki.pl
- Gazeta.pl
- Sztuka Zapisana
- Periodista Marta
- Tanie-Loty.com.pl
- Fajne Podróże
My articles were published by
- Twój Styl
- Enter Air in-flight magazine
- Olivia
- Świat Kobiety
- Biokurier.pl
Reviews and recommendations of my books and/or the blog
Radio Poznań:
- “Italia. A land of contrasts and diversity. Southern Italy”
- “Islands around Sicily. A land of wind and volcanoes”
Tygodnik Angora
Twój Styl monthly magazine
National Geographic Traveler monthly magazine
Panna Młoda magazine, in the article “A wedding in Italy”, issue 3/2016
Mentions of me in the media
Super Express Warszawa “VIVELO Book and Media Fair. Stars will be signing their works”;
Radio Eska Warszawa pointed its listeners to my article about the Il Volo concert in Warsaw as a source of information about the event;
In September 2016, I took part in a meeting organized by Sony Music Poland for representatives of Polish fan clubs with the Italian band Il Volo. Coverage of this event was shown on Polsat and Superstacja TV. More about the meeting;
My statements were quoted, among others, by Wprost.pl and wp.pl;
My opinion about the city of Matera in Basilicata was quoted by Gazeta.pl;
In 2019, a campaign I created, #TravelTrapani, aimed at drawing attention to Ryanair’s withdrawal from Birgi Airport and the resulting rise in unemployment, was covered by several Italian newspapers and websites.
Thank you for stopping by and reading all the way to the end. If you’d like to write to me simply because you feel like it, you used my advice and want to share something, I’ll be very happy – you can find the form in the contact section. I’ll gladly reply when I have a free moment.
Warm regards,
Natalia