Erica Firpo

Introduction

Erica Firpo is a Rome-based travel and lifestyle journalist and podcast host who has spent over two decades decoding Italy from the inside out.

Experience

Originally a curator and art critic based in Venice, Erica shifted her focus to travel journalism after moving to Rome, where she developed a distinctive voice at the intersection of culture and place. Erica brings sharp local insight and a narrative style that captures the rhythm of place - where culture, food, art, and daily life intersect. She is the creator of Ciao Bella and host of the Ciao Bella podcast, offering a front-row seat to Italy’s creative world through conversations with chefs, artists, curators, and cultural tastemakers. With over 20 years of experience, she has contributed to international publications including AFAR, BBC Travel, Condé Nast Traveler, Fathom, Insider, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure, and The Washington Post. Alongside her editorial work, she has authored and contributed to more than 20 books and developed multimedia storytelling platforms that explore Italy through food, art, and contemporary culture.

Selected publications

The Italian Way (Penguin RandomHouse 2025)

Lonely Planet: Experience Italy (2022) 

Le Immagini Raccontano (2022) - editor

Insight Guides: Rome Select (2011)

Fodor’s Guide to the Da Vinci (2006)

Little Black Book Rome (2005)

Little Black Book Copenhagen (2005)

Erica is author and contributor to more than a dozen of Fodor’s guidebooks packed with maps, recommendations, and everything else you need to experience Rome and Italy including Fodor’s Italy, Fodor’s Rome, The Best of Italy, Essential Italy and more, and several Lonely Planet Italy–related titles.

Contributor to Fodor series - World Wine Trails, European Wine Trails, Food Trails,

Culture Trails, Global Coffee Tour, Global Chocolate Tour, Global Beer Tour, Global Distillery Tour,

Offbeat Travel, The Joy of Exploring Gardens, The Joy of Swimming, Trip Builder

Education

Erica holds a BA in History of Art from University of Pennsylvania.

She is a member Ordine dei Giornalisti, Society of American Travel Writers and Stampa Estera (Foreign Press Association in Italy).