Ciao e benvenuti!

I call Washington, D.C. / northern Virginia home, but I’m currently a nomadic citizen of the world. I work for an active travel company and am currently leading cycling tours in Italy.

My last name Mangione, always led others, and myself, to most quickly identify me with the Italian heritage of my father’s family, which came from the Molise region of Italy. “Feeling Italian” spurred me to learn the language and to study and live in the country.

In Italian, Mangione means “big eater” – a compound of the verb mangiare “to eat” and the suffix one meaning “large”. I have surely made my Italian ancestors proud by being a hearty eater as well as una buona forchetta – a gourmande (literally “a good fork”).

I love feeding myself and others healthfully and well, most often inspired by the Italian fashion.

I plan to share  musings on travel, Italy, food and anything else that strikes my fancy.