Discover the true taste of Italy

It took courage to give an English name to an Italian company which had a goal to promote an authentic Italy.

"I have often been contested about this choice because the meaning of True Blue Italy often escapes the understanding of many English speakers."

Working as an Italian teacher in Melbourne (both in schools with students under 18 and in language centres for adults) I met all kinds of people or 'lovers' of Italy.

Like all lovers, these people held close a romantic idea of the country, but for me their ideas were not real life, they were more like the images portrayed in the films of Fellini and De Sica - La Dolce Vita, siesta's in small villages and medieval towns full of tourists. With them in mind, and with all people who are in love with Italy not only in Australia but all over the world, I wanted to create a company to help tourists discover Italy's authentic rhythms, rhythms suitable for today's travellers, and I had a plan.

Everywhere I travelled, from large Italian cities to small mountain villages, I met expatriates - American, Australian, British and German.

People who chose to leave their home country and live, work or simply pass long periods of time appreciating the authentic Italian lifestyle. This fact became the basis of my plan and helped me to create a tourist service tailored for visitors who want to experience the same thing - a simple but true, sincere and authentic life in Italy. For these people, True Blue Italy provides exactly what they are looking for, an authentic 'local' experience - a concept to which tour operators, owners of holiday homes, B & B's, hotels, farmers and passionate restaurateurs, can identify and work together."

Riccardo Abet, founder of True Blue Italy