Ciao everyone. Hope you're doing well this weekend. It's Katie here and earlier in the week

I let you know that we would be making a special announcement on the podcast today and so here I am.

But first some context for you.

There is no doubt the past year has been nothing less than challenging.

Way back in February, I was excitedly planning a huge trip to Italy,

launching this podcast and helping others get ready for their trips

on our Facebook community Italy travel planning.

And, well, we all know what happened next.

Cue the pandemic, cancelled trips and people scrambling to get home while on their dream

vacations in Italy.

Let's face it, it has not been fun.

But I don't want to dwell on that because, you know what, it is everywhere.

So now, many of you know that creating this podcast

has been an amazing way for me personally to stay connected with Italy and our friends there

we have had so much fun chatting and laughing about our favorite places and things to eat

of course and it got me thinking. How, apart from the podcast,

can I help you, our listeners, escape to Italy and keep your travel dreams alive and thriving,

despite all the crazy noise around us? And also, how can we help and support our friends in Italy

who are having an extremely difficult time and missing all their

visitors from around the world. And one night while I was sipping on a lovely glass of a kianti,

I had a little brainwave. Why not create a club that's like a piazza in Italy where you could

meet online, plan your trips, uncover secrets to add to your itinerary and learn more

...