Some of us were stamped “traveler” when we were born, and couldn’t wait for the day when we could pack the suitcase, grab the passport and head out for adventures around the world. My good friend Lisa Fantino at Wanderlust Women Travel and I were certainly marked from an early age as travelers. I am grateful that we have met and been able to share so many stories and fun times together on the Amalfi Coast – a place that has touched both of us very deeply! Lisa has stopped by today to share some of her travel inspirations with all of you here on Ciao Amalfi.

If you’re visiting for the first time, I invite you to check out the other posts in the Travel Inspirations series where we’ve been off to Italy with Robin Locker,  Naxos, Greece with Mike Sowden, Hiroshima with Abigail King and  Australia’s Gold Coast with Cecil Lee.

Welcome, Lisa!

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When my friend Laura invited me to do an article on a place which has inspired me, the answer immediately was Italy. Yet, that is the easy answer for me these days. However, the Gemini creative spirit inside of me has been inspired by so many places but none more than England and Italy, probably equally. Therefore, I hope Laura indulges my whim and allows me the space to tell you why.

 Along the ancient Via Cassia with Radicofani off in the distance

As a child my favorite dress was a frilly little red dress that had old luggage-style travel tags sewn onto the front, clearly indicating my future path to Paris, Rome and London. Paris never called to me but the other two cities did. This spirit of wanderlust to travel the globe was also fueled by a desire to meet every rock star in the universe and what better place to start my dual quest than London. It was my first trip overseas as a teenager, without my family, and it was FANTASTIC! I knew then and there that a semester at the University of London was a must. Living amid the ghosts of Dickens and the Ripper, creating a Victorian fantasy come-to-life, was my greatest creative inspiration for years and was bountiful fodder for my writing pursuits. (Publishers, are you listening?)

I am a native New Yorker but there is no city I feel more truly comfortable in than London. Believe it or not, more than 20 years have passed since my first visit and I still uncover new and exciting things to do such as the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. I must plan ahead three months for that one!

 Ever towering Big Ben

Italy, on the other hand, is in my blood and calmed me instantly with my first visit to Tuscany. The light there is unlike any other and the sweet smell of jasmine which permeates the air coupled with the feral rustling cinghalli lets you know that there is both beauty and danger in those hills. However, I lost my soul to the Amalfi coast and my heart has forever found a home there. It is a love story fused by the beauty of a place and borne of its people and a destination I will forever travel toward it for the rest of my days in this life and many others to come! I hope you will travel solo to find your soul’s home and seek adventure beyond your front door – the world is just a passport away.

Sorrento’s busy port of Marina Grande

Lisa Fantino is an award-winning journalist and attorney and the creative force behind Wanderlust Women Travel and its soon to be launched destination wedding portal. She also writes travel features for MNUI Travel Insurance and blogs as Lady Litigator.