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Yes. Katie offers day trips to Naples, multi-day trips to Sicily, and has a wide network of trusted colleagues across Italy and abroad.  Contact us and we’d be happy to share info on Katie's offerings or put you in touch with another excellent guide.

Katie has many resources for dining and drinking in Italy and beyond. You’ll find her Rome tips on here and here, as well as in her many articles. Visit Katie's city guides page for recommendations in other cities!

Katie recommends these accommodations.

In Rome, service can vary wildly from friendly and flawless to disorganized and inept. Katie has experienced the former at simple trattorias and the latter in fine dining establishments. In general, though, service is competent and friendly, but perhaps less so than in the US, where servers work for tips. It is also less efficient than in the US, where restaurants turn tables and have multiple seatings. If the service at a Roman restaurant is slow, it is likely that the servers don’t want to rush you (meals have a leisurely pace in Italy). Or that the kitchen is in the weeds–often the entire dining room gets sat at about the same time. One of the major bonuses of Roman service is that if you ask for suggestions or order the “wrong” dish, the server will likely be honest about it.

Yes! Start a blog, be authentic, generate great content, network, tweet, and, if possible, get some academic credentials in the subject you are covering. Also read this post. And never write for a commercial publication for free.

She gives tours, writes, lectures, provides wine education, consults, and has her own publishing company. She works hard and never takes a day off (ask her exasperated friends, parents, and boyfriend). Katie spends lots of what she earns on food, wine, beer and travel. She also writes for several publications, which cover expenses for assignments.

No, sorry.

Katie is at the service of the reader. She does not accept gifts, discounts, or free meals. Period. She never has and never will go on a junket. When reviewing a venue, Katie conceals her identity and never announces her intent to review in advance. She pays for all of her own travel and meals, though she is reimbursed by publishers when on assignment for their publications.

Katie writes lots of nice things about Rome. And sometimes even Romans. Of course she likes both. Katie writes about the experience of living and working in Rome and doesn’t believe in sugarcoating (exception: Jordan almonds). So if you want to read about how perfect everything in the Italian capital is, you are not going to find any of that here because it is not perfect. Loads of young Italians are unemployed or underemployed. Most people shop mostly or exclusively in supermarkets. The quality and authenticity of the city’s food has tangibly plummeted in the past decade. There are a lot of great things about living in Rome, but the city has serious problems and they deserve attention and honest conversation.

Katie can have infinite hoagie knowledge and know about Roman food. Incredible, isn’t it? In addition to living in Rome since 2003 (she doesn’t believe this alone is a legitimate credential), she has a Master’s Degree in Italian Gastronomic Culture, a sommelier certification from FISAR, and lectures at universities about food and beverages; these topics are her life. Also, New Jersey is a fertile breeding ground for gastronomes (ahem, Alice Waters). It is the Garden State, you know?

We reply to every email Katie gets through the contact form. One out of every 20 email addresses gets bounced back due to a typo in the visitor’s email address. We do our best to track you down, but sometimes don’t succeed. Please try again!

Katie's books are available wherever books are sold but for a special signed edition, visit her shop.