Exploring one’s roots can be one of the most meaningful journeys of a lifetime, and for Italian Americans, Italian heritage tours offer a chance to connect with family history, rediscover ancestral towns, and experience the culture of Italy in an intimate way. In my recent Flavor of Italy podcast episode, I spoke with Cherrye Moore, founder of My Bella Vita Travel (https://mybellavita.com/private-heritage-tours/), who has been helping Italian Americans reconnect with their past for nearly two decades.
A Journey That Begins in Calabria
Cherrye’s story is as engaging as the tours she curates. Originally from Texas, she moved to Calabria after meeting her Calabrian husband while working in Paris. In 2006, they opened a bed and breakfast in Catanzaro. Many of their early guests were Italian Americans, Canadians, or Australians with Calabrian roots who were eager to explore their heritage.
As interest grew, Cherrye launched the My Bella Vita blog (https://mybellavita.com/blog/) and began crafting specialized travel experiences that evolved into fully customized Italian heritage tours. What began as a small venture has now expanded into a robust travel company offering both private and small group tours (https://mybellavita.com/small-group-tours/), with Calabria remaining the heart of their work.
What Are Italian Heritage Tours?
At their core, Italian heritage tours take travelers back to the villages where their ancestors were born. Cherrye and her team conduct extensive research before clients even arrive, identifying original family homes, churches where baptisms or marriages took place, and even workplaces or local trades connected to the family.
Tours typically include visits to city halls to view original birth and marriage certificates, strolls through ancestral towns, conversations with locals, and traditional meals in or near the village. For many, the highlight is meeting relatives they never knew existed—something that happens more often than you might expect.
One unforgettable story Cherrye shared involved two American families who discovered, through their tours, that their grandmothers were cousins. They now celebrate Christmas together.
Expanding Beyond Calabria
While Calabria remains Cherrye’s specialty, her company also organizes heritage tours across Italy, from Sicily to Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, by collaborating with trusted partners. This means that whether your roots are in Naples, Turin, or Palermo, you can still plan your own Italian heritage journey through My Bella Vita Travel (https://mybellavita.com/private-heritage-tours/).
And for those looking beyond heritage, Cherrye also offers curated small group experiences throughout Italy and even into Malta and Central Europe. These tours, limited to 12 participants, balance cultural exploration with flexibility and personal attention.
A Deeper Connection to Italy
What makes Italian heritage tours unique is the emotional depth of the experience. Many travelers embark on these journeys in honor of parents or grandparents who never had the chance to return to Italy. Others come to re-create childhood memories of family recipes through cooking classes or to discover how their ancestors’ dialects evolved.
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Cherrye emphasizes that these trips are far more than sightseeing. They are cultural and emotional bridges between past and present, often creating lifelong bonds not only with Italy itself but also with long-lost relatives.
Italian American Heritage Month
It’s no coincidence that this conversation comes during Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian-American_Heritage_and_Culture_Month). With over 16 million Americans tracing their ancestry back to Italy, interest in family history and cultural reconnection is at an all-time high. Italian heritage tours are an extraordinary way to honor this legacy.
If you’d like to learn more or plan your own journey, visit:
- Private Italian Heritage Tours: https://mybellavita.com/private-heritage-tours/
- Small Group Tours: https://mybellavita.com/small-group-tours/
- My Bella Vita Travel Blog: https://mybellavita.com/blog/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mybellavita/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/calabriatravel
Related Reading on Flavor of Italy
If you enjoyed this post and want to explore stories about people moving to Italy and building a life there, check out these episodes on the Flavor of Italy podcast:
- Want to Move to Italy? (podcast + tips)
Homes for Sale in Tuscany Italy? (a real buyer’s journey)
Travel Itineraries Italy: The Move and the Reality, a personal experience - Want to Move to Italy? — https://flavorofitaly.com/flavor-of-italy-podcast/want-to-move-to-italy/
- How to Get Italian Citizenship & Moving to Italy — https://flavorofitaly.com/flavor-of-italy-podcast/how-to-get-italian-citizenship-moving-to-italy/
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