Daniela

TRAVEL ADVISOR

Daniela was born and raised in Miami, Florida, where Sunday dinners meant home-cooked Italian food so good that restaurants never came close. Her grandfather was born in Italy, and that connection shaped the household she grew up in long before she ever set foot in the country. Her first trip to Italy at 24 confirmed what she'd always felt: this was home. That feeling only deepened when she moved to Bologna for three and a half months to study the language. She'll never forget walking to school every morning and catching the smell of fresh basil being unloaded from delivery trucks outside the restaurants, like something out of a fairytale. She knew she'd truly arrived the day she made a dinner reservation over the phone, gave her last name, and no one asked her to repeat or spell it. During her time there, she also taught English to Italian kids in towns around the country, and still stays in touch with the host families who took her in, visiting them whenever she returns.

At Italy With Bella, Daniela works as a Travel Advisor, taking the time to genuinely get to know each client — not just their travel style, but who they are — before building a single detail of their itinerary. She works primarily with couples and groups planning meaningful trips together, drawing on years of firsthand travel to guide her recommendations. A former teacher, she brings patience and a genuine love of explaining the "why" behind every recommendation. Her passion for motorsport runs in the family: her father test-drove cars around the world and worked as a Formula 1 news commentator, so she grew up a Ferrari fan before she could name another car brand. She's the resident motorsport expert on the team, and can build a trip around a race weekend for clients who want to combine racing with their Italian holiday.

Daniela's expertise centers on Northern Italy, anchored by her time living in Bologna and extensive travel through Rome, Florence, the lake towns of Como and Garda, and countless smaller cities in between. Living there rather than passing through gave her something most visitors never get: real friendships with locals, who brought her along to niche restaurants tucked into the mountains and excursions she'd never have found on her own as an American. She loves designing experiences that help clients fall for Italian culture itself, whether that's a wine tasting, a walking tour through a city's backstreets, a boat ride at golden hour, or a quiet detour through a village most visitors never find. For clients drawn to motorsport, she also specializes in planning around the Italian Grand Prix, handling the logistics that make race weekends notoriously tricky, from hotel timing to what to do before and after the race, so the experience feels seamless rather than overwhelming. Her fascination extends beyond F1 as well, and she's always eager to dig into events like the Mille Miglia, Concorso d'Eleganza, and Le Mans for clients who want to build a trip around them.

Helping people fall in love with Italy is Daniela's dream job, one she approaches with the curiosity of someone still discovering the country herself. She wants every client to come home already planning their return, carrying a piece of Italy with them.