Ciao! I’m SarahSolo traveller, Italy obsessive and the woman behind Beara Italia.
I share the slower, more personal side of Italy, helping independent travellers look beyond the obvious and create adventures that genuinely suit them.
Ciao, I'm Sarah
Where it all began..
My Italian adventures began before Beara Italia existed.
In 2021, I spent a week alone in Milan with no plan and no agenda. I simply walked, explored and followed whatever caught my attention. By the end of the week, I had covered 97 kilometres and discovered how much I loved experiencing a city at my own pace.
The following year took me to Bologna, Verona and Lake Garda, giving me my first taste of just how varied Italy could be.
But it was a book about a tiny bookshop hidden in a Tuscan mountain village that changed everything. Something about it stayed with me, so I did what any sensible woman with an impulsive streak would do. I booked a flight to Pisa, hired a car and set off on my own.
That trip led me to Vicopisano, a small medieval town beneath the Monte Pisano mountains. I arrived knowing nobody and with very little planned. By the time I left, I had fallen completely in love with a different side of Italy.
Not the Italy of rushed itineraries and famous sights ticked off a list, but the Italy found in quiet piazzas, family run places to stay, long lunches and small towns where everyday life carries on around you.
That trip opened up a whole new world for me.
From a TikTok page to Beara Italia
On my very first day in Vicopisano, I started a TikTok page so I could share the places I was discovering. There was no business plan and certainly no grand strategy. I simply wanted other people to see the side of Italy I had stumbled across.
That little page became Beara Italia.
Nine trips later, Italy has become a huge part of my life. I have travelled through ten regions, driven hundreds of miles across the country and stayed in everything from tiny village apartments to beautiful independent bed and breakfasts.
Along the way, I have made wonderful friends, found places I return to again and again, tackled Italian car hire, missed turnings and taken the scenic route by accident.
More importantly, I have learned that the most memorable moments rarely come from following somebody else’s perfect itinerary.
Today, Beara Italia is where I share those experiences through honest travel stories, practical guides and personal travel planning, helping other people discover an Italy that feels more personal, more manageable and far less intimidating.
11 TRIPS TO ITALY
10 REGIONS EXPLORED
1000’s OF MILES DRIVEN
THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ME..
• Before Beara Italia, I spent more than eight years working as a tour guide in South West England, helping visitors discover a place through its stories, history and people.
• I am a former professional ballet dancer, an enthusiastic photographer and a lover of words, history and beautiful old buildings.
• I will happily plan an entire day around where to have lunch.
• I love finding the places that are often missed, whether that is a tiny hill town, an independent bed and breakfast or a restaurant filled with locals.
• My travels are not always polished. There are wrong turns, language mishaps and occasional Bridget Jones moments, but that is all part of the adventure.
• I genuinely believe you do not need to be fearless, fluent in Italian or endlessly confident to travel independently. Sometimes you just need trustworthy information, a sensible plan and the courage to book the flight.
Beara x
Planning an Italian adventure?
Explore my practical travel guides or book a personal consultation for honest, thoughtful advice shaped around the way you want to experience Italy.
