Reconnecting with your Heritage
Stephanie's dream was to take her mother, Norma, to
the seaside village of Viareggio, on the Tuscan coast, where her
grandfather had lived. She could recall his passionate stories of
working as a seaman, and dreamed of visiting the spot where he once
had lived. Stephanie's top priority for her Italian trip with her
mother was reconnecting with family roots, but she was overwhelmed
with the details of making that happen.
My resources led me to a wonderful quaint hotel right on the promenade
with every service they requested and an open door to the people
and culture of the seaside. You see, Norma could speak and write
Italian fluently and was welcomed like a long lost relative by the
small seaside community. The Italian adventure was such an enormous
success that Norma now wants to live in Viareggio six months a year.
"My Italian dream trip
was to go back to Italy with my mother and visit the area where
my maternal ancestors were from. As a child I heard stories of
Torre del Lago, the magical leaning tower of Pisa and the sleepy
seaside village of Viareggio. My biggest challenge in making this
dream come true was lack of time and resources. Being the mother
of 2 active children, finding the time to research a trip of this
kind was overwhelming.
I was referred to Ginger from a friend and from the moment we
connected, I knew my dream was going to come true with her support.
Ginger listened to what we wanted to do and worked her magic to
make it happen. She researched the area even finding stories of
the history of Viareggio where my great grandparents and relatives
had lived and worked. She found the perfect accommodation for
us to stay for 9 days where we could really absorb the culture
and the people. She gave us suggestions for day trips and I was
able to visit the places I had heard so many stories about as
a young child. We were even able to find a distant cousin! My
mother & I had an unforgettable experience connecting with
that part of our heritage. It was such a pleasure working with
Ginger. I highly recommend her to others wanting to plan their
Italian dream vacation. "
Stephanie Hart
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