Ciao Bella is digital magazine and podcast focused on keen insider insight on contemporary Italy.

Consider Ciao Bella to be the next embrace of Italian hospitality and passion. Explore Italy and the country’s amazing culture and heritage through real time and authentic articles, features and reviews covering travel, heritage, hospitality, art, design and cuisine, along with first person interviews on Ciao Bella podcast.

Founder Erica Firpo

Ciao Bella was created by Erica Firpo, experienced travel and lifestyle journalist, and podcaster from Rome. A seasoned Italy expert, Erica gets to the heart of Italian culture in Ciao Bella, and keeps sharing la dolce vita as contributor to AFAR, Washington Post, Cabana, Gourmet Traveler, Insider, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, BBC Travel, The Guardian, Artnet, Fathom, and more. She’s authored over a dozen travel books including Fodor’s, Insight Guides and Lonely Planet. Read more at EricaFirpo.

Travel Italy with Erica & Unlocked Rome

With more than 20 years first hand experience living and writing about Italy and reviewing and researching locations, experiences and hospitality, Erica offers trip consulting and curates exclusive insider experiences with UnlockedRome, the travel collaboration with husband Darius Arya, an intrepid archaeologist and Ancient World expert.

Trip Consulting

If you are interested in plan a trip to Italy but don’t know where to start, Looking for the very best of a location, or want to finesse an upcoming trip, Erica is the person you want to talk with. In an hour-long private Google Meet, Erica will answer all of your questions, honest perspective and insight, thoughtful and in-depth in trip planning, suggestions for tours, guides, restaurants. Each conversation is followed with a detailed email and personalized Google map.

Book your 60-minute conversation with Erica. Cost: 250€.

Bespoke Travel and Tours

If you are interested in immersing yourself in Italy and Ancient Rome through the eyes of Erica and Darius, Unlocked Rome curates bespoke itineraries with Darius and Erica tailored to your individual interests in the worlds of art, archaeology, fashion, food, and more. Jumping off from Darius’s archaeology and Ancient Rome expertise and Erica’s contemporary culture passion, “Any where the Empire went, we go” is the idea, whether it be a walk through Rome’s Campo Marzio for ancient Rome or contemporary art, a Greek temple hunt through Sicily, an Indiana Jones-inspired trip to Petra, a food fest in Emilia Romagna or any immersive cultural journey to the incredible locations throughout Italy and the Mediterranean including Croatia, Greece, Jordan, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey.

Please email erica@unlockedrome.com for your 30-minute conversation.