Katie Parla, Cookbook Author, Might Just Stay in Italy Forever

Revenge travel is a thing of the past (it never truly felt right to us). This year, we’re embracing reconnection travel, which is emerging as the primary motivation for traveling post-pandemic. After a challenging few years, people are stepping out into the world again, filled with genuine excitement and purpose. Therefore, we spoke with 11 adventurous celebrities to discover what ‘reconnection’ signifies for them—whether it’s embarking on solo journeys, indulging in Italian cuisine, reconnecting with old friends, honoring lost loved ones, or making a significant visit to their mothers.

When she’s not penning cookbooks, guiding culinary tours, or featuring on shows like CNN’s Searching for Italy with Stanley Tucci, Katie Parla is exploring her beloved Italy. Here are some of the Italian locales she’s rediscovering this year.

Which place is pulling you back?

Ponza, an island in the Lazio region, where Rome is located, continually beckons me. I adore the sea, but lounging on the beach makes me restless. Ponza is ideal as it features hardly any beaches, just stunning rocky shorelines and coves that you can access by renting a dinghy for about €120 for the entire day.

Which place feels like home, even if it's not your origin?

The countryside of Sardinia resonates with me. I have a feeling I was a shepherd in a past life, as the sights and sounds of sheep herds make me want to settle there indefinitely.

Are you planning any trips to reconnect? If so, how do you plan to do that?

I’m headed to Palermo to explore my great-grandfather Niccolò Cipollina’s heritage. He hailed from La Cala, the natural harbor shaped like a horseshoe, and I hope to uncover exactly where he lived. I’ll be enjoying panelle at Pani Cà Meusa Porta Carbone on Via Cala to energize my quest.

—Katie Parla, a culinary guide and cookbook author based in Rome. Her most recent book is Food of the Italian Islands (Parla Publishing, 2023).

Discover more in our Reconnection Travel series.