Meet the Team
Katie
I am a New York Times bestselling author, publisher, television and podcast host, journalist, culinary guide, and educator based in Rome. I hold a B.A. in Art History from Yale University, a master’s degree in Italian gastronomic culture from Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata, and a sommelier certification from the Federazione Italiana Sommelier Albergatori e Ristoratori. My most recent book is Rome: A Culinary History, Cookbook, and Field Guide to the Flavors that Built a City, my second non-guidebook and cookbook devoted to the city that continues to shape my work and worldview.
Over the course of my career, I have written, edited, or contributed to more than forty books, including The Joy of Pizza, Flour Lab, Food of the Italian South, Tasting Rome, and American Sfoglino. In 2022, I founded Parla Publishing and independently published Food of the Italian Islands, my first self-published title. I also co-host Gola, a podcast dedicated to Italian food and drinks culture.
My work extends to television as well. I have appeared as an expert on programs including Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy and Chef’s Table. I also host culinary shows on Recipe.TV, including my Emmy-nominated food and travel series Katie Parla’s Rome, Katie Parla’s Roman Kitchen, and Gola on the Road.
Maurizio
I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, to Italian-born parents, both from the southern region of Molise. It was there that my father trained as a chef, which led him to work in kitchens across the U.S. and eventually open a small, family-run restaurant in the desert. I spent much of my youth working there, which gave me my first exposure to traditional Italian foods and the wines that pair so perfectly with them.
At university, I studied Italian language and culture, and during a semester abroad in Florence I fell in love with the Italian way of life and with one Italian in particular, my future wife, Paola. In 2009, I moved to Rome to study to become a sommelier and never left. I now hold a certificate from the Associazione Italiana Sommelier and, in addition to leading tours with Katie, I own and operate VinoRoma Wine Studio & Social Club, where I offer tastings and wine education in both English and Italian.
When I am not visiting wineries around the country, I am most often found around the table sharing a good meal with friends and family, along with a great natural wine, craft beer, or well-made cocktail.
Arianna
My cooking journey began in childhood, watching my father cook for our large Roman family and my grandmother cook for our even larger Neapolitan one. My father and grandmother are deeply rooted in my food memories, and I carry them with me every time I step into the kitchen.
My professional culinary path began in 2010, when I moved to Australia after graduating from high school. There, I worked for a woman from Emilia who had moved to Sydney for love and opened Pasta Emilia, an organic fresh pasta shop that remains one of the most respected in the city. I worked there for a year and consider both the shop and my mentor my third major culinary influence.
When I returned to Rome, I I attended university and obtained a PhD in Political Studies, without ever abandoning my work in—and passion for—the kitchen. I decided to turn cooking into my career. I enrolled in a full-time professional program at the Gambero Rosso Academy, earned HACCP and celiac cooking certifications, and gained experience in Michelin-starred restaurants in Rome. I later continued experimenting with new cuisines while working abroad as a chef. Whenever I cook, I use food to share my passion for both traditional and experimental dishes, celebrating their place within Italian cuisine.
Maria
I was born in Rome and raised in the countryside just outside the city, in a very large family with mixed regional origins from both the north and south of Italy. For me, family gatherings of any kind have always revolved around good food and good wine. I am especially drawn to dishes passed down from generation to generation or shared across cultures, regardless of where they come from.
After living abroad for several years, mainly in the U.S. and Spain, I moved back to Rome in 2010 and fell in love with the city all over again. With a degree in Multimedia Communication and an M.A. in North American Studies, I have worked as a freelance translator for more than ten years. Over the past five years, I have also worked in tourism, managing land operations and travel design for a group travel company across Italy, the Balkans, and southern France, with a particular focus on Rome and Italy’s major art cities.
I am an enthusiastic traveler with a deep interest in history, travel writing, and documentary photography. When I am not exploring other places, I love getting to know Rome on a deeper level, a never-ending process even when you are lucky enough to call the city home.
Janaina
I am from São Paulo, Brazil, and I have been living in Rome for ten years. I have always been passionate about eating and drinking well, but it was only after moving to Italy that I truly learned about the seasonality, regionality, and biodiversity of Italian cuisine. This awareness introduced me to the rhythm of natural produce, the importance of sustainability, and the value of supporting a local food chain.
As a result, I began building a more conscious relationship with food that respects local culture, knowledge, products, and people. In 2020, I decided to pursue my passion for Italian food and wine by enrolling in a postgraduate tourism program, which led to my certification as a tour leader. Shortly afterward, I began studying Italian culinary history and completed a course on natural wines.
With a background in languages and history and more than twenty years of experience as a teacher, translator, and interpreter, I began leading tours in 2022, with a particular focus on evening food and drink experiences in Rome’s historic center and Trastevere. I am a proud eater, and nothing makes me happier than a plate of cacio e pepe, my favorite pasta, paired with a glass of Ribellà Bianco, a lovely local wine. My inner nerd loves studying new languages, I enjoy traveling, and I am fascinated by astrology and the secrets of the stars.
Giorgia
Eight years ago, I moved to Venice and never looked back. This city is both my home and my greatest inspiration. Venice has an unmatched energy when it comes to natural wine and artisanal food. While many see it as a stage set for tourists, I discovered a real community of professionals obsessed with quality and committed to pushing things forward.
With its history, food, atmosphere, and people, falling in love with Venice feels inevitable. Today, my greatest joy is sharing this world with others. My goal is to offer an authentic experience of Venice that celebrates its wines, flavors, and the remarkable community behind them.
I have spent the past fifteen years working in food and beverage. It all began at Disney World in Orlando, where I first encountered hospitality and wine. That spark became a calling. Back in Italy, I immersed myself in wine studies, completed all three levels, and earned my AIS sommelier certification. For me, being a sommelier has never been just about pouring wine. It is about understanding the guest, honoring the grower’s work, and channeling passion into the experience. From the beginning, I was drawn to natural wines, which remain my focus and obsession.
Frank
I was born and raised in Calgary, Canada, to Italian parents. At thirteen, my family and I moved back to their hometown of Pontecagnano, near Salerno in southern Italy. During my university years, I met the person who would become my mentor in the world of wine, Alberto Giannatasio. He encouraged me to follow my passion and enroll in his sommelier course with the Federazione Italiana Sommelier Albergatori e Ristoratori, known as FISAR.
While studying with Alberto, I worked in a local wine shop, where I enjoyed helping people find wines that suited their tastes and needs. After completing my sommelier training in 2009, I moved to Rome, where I connected with the Cotarella family of winemakers. This relationship led to an opportunity to work as a wine educator at their Intrecci School of Hospitality near Orvieto, where I passed on the same knowledge my mentor had shared with me.
In addition to leading wine tastings with Katie, I also run educational classes and events at VinoRoma Wine Studio & Social Club, with a focus on low-intervention winemaking.
Fernanda
Hi, I am Fernanda. I was born in Ecuador, but Rome has been my home for over twenty years. With each passing year, I have fallen more deeply in love with this city, its colors, its people, its sounds, and of course, its food. Rome has shaped how I see and experience the world.
My path has taken me through many creative spaces. I studied set design, a thriving field in Rome, which led me to work in theater, opera, design, and television. Food eventually captured my attention, and I began working on cooking shows and food styling projects. At my core, I have always been drawn to experiences that bring people closer to a place, a culture, and to each other.
That passion led me to what I do today. I teach cooking classes, I am studying to become a sommelier, and I host immersive food and wine experiences in Rome. Since 2022, I have taken part in several wine courses focused on natural wine, attended fairs and events across Italy, and I am currently completing my certification as a sommelier. You will often find me guiding travelers through the city, sharing meals, and creating experiences that feel natural and unforced. I believe the best way to understand a place is to fully immerse yourself in it. My goal is to make people feel at home while helping them discover Rome in a way that feels personal and real. When I am not hosting, I am usually in the kitchen, making playlists, writing, or enjoying a glass of natural wine in good company.
Mattia
I was born and raised in Rome, but my roots are in the south. My family is from Salento, the “Italian Caribbean,” located at the very tip of the Puglia region. I was lucky to grow up immersed in both food cultures, thanks in part to the incredible cooks in my family. It made me a very lucky kid who loved good food from an early age.
My parents often took me along on their many trips, so traveling became a natural part of my life, being around people, connecting with them, and often sharing a meal at a table somewhere. This passion for travel and connection led me to study tourism at university and eventually turn it into my career.
After working in different areas of the tourism world, I became a tour leader in 2017, blending my love for travel with my passion for food, craft beer, and wine. Since then, I have worked with various tour operators, mainly in my hometown of Rome, but also in other parts of Italy, including Puglia. I feel very lucky and proud to do what I love, connecting people to the places I call home through their vibrant food scenes.
Joseph
I am a film scholar and translator who divides my time between Italy and New York City, always chasing stories on screen, on the page, and at the table. I grew up in Buffalo, New York, where my Sicilian grandparents made sure I mastered Italian hand gestures and a few choice swear words early on.
My passion for Italian culture led me to study Italian literature and film history at the University of Chicago and NYU, where I earned my PhD in 2015. Since then, I have taught Italian literature and cinema at NYU, Wesleyan University, and Sewanee, The University of the South. My ongoing translation work includes the writings of Mario Soldati, the legendary Italian filmmaker and gastronome, which means my appetite often dictates my research.
In Rome, you will most likely find me on the number five tram heading to Pigneto, where ancient city walls meet a 1970s freeway, a fitting metaphor for a city that never stops rewriting its own story.
Christina
I am a Rome-based food guide, writer, and former baker who uses food to tell the story of a place. Originally from the United States, I studied Anthropology and French before working in bakeries in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Boston, and Italy, where my interest in flour, grain, and sourcing evolved into a broader fascination with food culture and sustainability.
After moving to Rome, I earned a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems and continued exploring the connections among food, landscape, tradition, and community. My work has included farmers markets, grain networks, festivals, and food education projects, all with the goal of making local food culture more accessible and meaningful.
My background in baking, research, and public-facing food projects shapes the way I guide. I am especially interested in helping visitors experience Rome and Italy through ingredients, traditions, and everyday food practices, with a focus on the people and stories that bring them to life.
Simona
I am the Operations and Guest Experience Manager at Parla Tours. I was born in a small village at the foot of Abruzzo National Park in central Lazio, and travel has shaped my life from the very beginning. While at university, I began building international experience by studying and living in Finland and New Zealand. After graduating and spending time in England, I realized that my professional path needed to stay closely tied to travel and meaningful human connection.
I went on to work as a tour leader for cycling and walking trips with a strong focus on food and local traditions, traveling extensively throughout Europe and South America. For more than eight years, I have worked directly with guests, sharing the history, culture, and culinary identity of each destination.
Today, I have returned to my hometown, where I oversee operations, bookings, logistics, and guide coordination at Parla Tours, helping ensure that every tour runs smoothly from first contact to the final goodbye.
