I’m a 17 year wine industry wine industry veteran from Northern California. I’ve spent much of my adult life between Sonoma County and Europe, and have lived in both Spain and Italy, thanks to dual passports and a love for all things European.
By day, I am a marketing management consultant, helping businesses and brands with marketing management and strategy, digital marketing, and content/growth marketing. I am also a part-time freelance writer, and write for a variety of digital and print publications.
I spend as much time as possible traveling to off the beaten path wine regions and coastal regions with great hiking trails as well as participating in language immersion programs and courses. I speak an Intermediate + level of Spanish and conversational Italian but am working on getting my Spanish up to an advanced level this year.
I am not wealthy (very very far from it!), I do not write about things on my blog in exchange for money, and I am not a digital nomad (though I greatly admire some digital nomads and the businesses they have built while on the road). I don’t stay in hostels, nor do I stay in luxury hotels (except rarely if I get a great price or the hotel is one of my marketing clients). I seek out immersive and unique experiences over the ‘top 10’ sights. I am particularly obsessed with seeking out small, artisan, food and drink producers (cheese, wine, cider…), great food tours or experiences, unique accommodation options, gluten free dining and food options, and language immersion experiences.
I hope that you will find the information that I share here, valuable.
If you have any questions for me or would ever like to get in touch, please leave me your information below. I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
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Hello Brooke. I’m an ex-San Franciscan living in London with a house in Liguria. I haven’t eaten gluten for many years now. Do you have any suggestions for gluten free restaurants, bakeries, pizzerias in Liguria? The farinata is excellent here, but the gf pizza not so much. We’re in Savona province so for Italians, Germans and Swiss we are well on the beaten track, but well off it for English speaking tourists. Thanks so much for any help you can give.
Hi Lauren,
I have not spent much time in Liguria so I’m afraid I don’t have any recommendations there. Have you tried the Schar Gluten free roads app? I used this when I was in rural areas of Tuscany and it was relatively reliable but I’m not sure about how much coverage they have in Liguria: https://www.schaer.com/en-us/a/on-the-go
If you find a great place please do let me know so I can add it to my list! I’m headed back to Italy this Spring but mostly will be in northern Italy in the Piemonte and Veneto regions 🙂
Hi Brooke,
I have been going down the rabbit hole looking for a 1-2 week Spanish immersion course to take this summer and your article was great. I am still so torn though. The most I could afford would be 2 weeks. I am a single 50YO. Very active. I received information from the San Sabastian School, lacunza, which seems great, but then read somewhere that 2 days is enough in San Sebastian? The other ones look interesting as well. Especially since the southern ones are warmer. How would you compare atlantika with Lacunza? Or what would be your recommendation? Sorry, I need to make a decision and I am so torn! Looking for the last week in June, forst week in July and private accommodations.
Thank you,
Jenny
I am struggling to decide between Lacunza in San Sebastian or a school in Valencia for a 1-2 week immersion class. It would be the end of June, beginning of July.
I would LOVE any advice PLEASE.
Thank you!
Hi Jennifer, That’s a tough decision. Both are lovely cities. It really depends on what you personally like better. For me, the food and drink culture in San Sebastian are second to none in Spain. I also prefer northern Spain in general, as someone who likes greener, northern places more than warmer, drier, southern places.
However, I’ve also spent time in Valencia and it’s a gorgeous city. It should also be significantly less expensive than San Seb when it comes to accommodation and eating out.
Hi Jennifer, I didn’t get notifications about your comments I’m so sorry! IMO Anyone who says 2 days is ‘enough’ in San Sebastian isn’t a real traveler. 2 days isn’t enough anywhere to get a real sense of a place. I personally try not to go anywhere for less than a full week and I try for 2-4 weeks if at all possible because it’s when you get to spend an extended period of time somewhere that the real magic happens. You start to understand the culture and the city. You get to dig deeper than just the few ‘must see’ sights, etc.
What did you decide? I would love to know how it goes! I’m missing Spain myself but will be back there in March. This time in Catalonia for a couple of weeks.
I heard an interview with you and you mentioned a “secret” trail to the beach between Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Would you be willing to give me directions? I would be forever grateful 😊
Hi Jill! Of course :). Can you email me? I can’t attach images in these comments. I’m adifferentkindoftravel@gmail.com
Ciao,
I liked the top seven Italian films. I’ll hopefully be able to find some and watch. If not on Netflix where can I watch? I too live in Nor. Cal, Central Valley actually.
Google the names of the films with ‘where can I stream’ if you can’t find them on Netflix anymore. Things change regularly with film rights and movies and shows are regularly moved/bought by different platforms. Google results normally show you exactly where you can stream something
Hi Jenny,
btw I’m not sure if you’ve heard of the Freebird Club? It’s a membership site for 50+ travelers I think you’d like: https://earlybird.freebirdclub.com/ I work with them so please feel free to email me questions 🙂