Community Highlights: Meet Denise and Anthony Campopiano of Italy With Bella

Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise and Anthony Campopiano.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Each of us was raised in families with maternal and paternal Italian grandparents in Rhode Island, a state heavily populated by Italians. Hard work and hospitality were big parts of our upbringing, overshadowed only by the serious business of gathering around Italian cooking. We learned early that serving others great food (from scratch) is the essence of showing love. Over our lives, Anthony and I have enjoyed traveling extensively, even with our young children and our travels brought us back to Italy, time and time again.

Being that my husband is an Italian citizen coupled with the fun, and challenge, of owning an Italian home, we had a tremendous opportunity to understand the culture. In the early days, our friends would ask us to visit our Italian home and explore our favorite places. We’d give them handwritten instructions and lend them our GPS chip with all our saved Google addresses. This was the beginning of our travel consulting company, Italy With Bella, without realizing it. It has naturally grown into something surprising. Moving to Franklin, TN twelve years ago, the opportunity has grown and we now have a very small but needed team, a mix of family and friends.

We want to inspire and inform others as they dream of Italy and to also serve them well. Anthony’s 30+ years in business have ingrained in him a very high standard for customer service and we believe that having a passion for Italy, knowledge of the culture, and attention to detail is the backbone to why clients trust us.

We can’t help but view every client as if they are part of the family, going the extra mile to make things as easy and enjoyable as possible, with concierge-style attention. When something you enjoy grows into a family-owned business, it’s an honor to help others create memories with their loved ones.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Travel cancellations during Covid were a rough patch, for sure. Italy was the 2nd epicenter of the pandemic so reports slowly crept in from our friends in Italy and before long, the state of the crisis in Italy was known. Everyone, us, our clients, and every vendor was in the same boat, learning along the way. Many hotels owners and vendors we had to contact were suffering greatly so we had to use much tact when imploring for our client’s funds.

We chased money for weeks and months, doing our very best for each client to be fully reimbursed. Cancellations were confusing, refunds were slow. I would spend hours on hold with airlines for each trip, every company had different processes and answers. Some would shut off phones altogether because they couldn’t handle the calls. We did get back every dollar for every client that we could and we didn’t charge anyone for any of our time.

It was a loss financially and there were definitely times we wondered if and when travel could resume or even if we could survive as a company. When it looked promising, we had more setbacks and cancellations. Honestly, what we learned was invaluable. Now, we look forward to the bookings for this year and next.

We’ve been impressed with Italy With Bella, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We specialize in Italy only, creating a custom experience for each client, coordinating logistics and each detail according to where they want to do and what they enjoy doing. We will consult them on what we believe will get them exactly what they are looking for in a holiday. We don’t do lead tours. We equip you with every detail (transportation, lodging, hobbies, tours, local authentic experiences, restaurants, etc.) so that you have as little stress as possible.

If you want to drive the whole time or a portion of the trip, you are given accurate and detailed information. While you are on the ground, you can communicate and instant message us, as we equip you with a travel app with all confirmations, google point map address capability, phone numbers, etc. Basically, what we do for you would take you 80 hours to research out, learn and plan for yourself.

We also meet with you in person to go over helpful packing, cultural, shopping advice… essentially how to enjoy your time in Italy, not so much as a typical tourist but as a local. This allows you to enjoy the culture more and be safeguarded from unneeded expenses and stresses. Real Italy/Real Travel.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
Favorite childhood memory: Denise, helped my mom prepare for Christmas Eve dinner for the typical feast of seven fish for a house full. For years, my Sicilian grandmother, Josephine Imbruglia hosted everyone. My favorite part of the meal was stuffed squid (my grandmother would sew the squid with a needle and thread- she was a great cook).

Favorite memory: Anthony, Sunday dinners at my Nonna Ida Campopiano’s house. The entire family, aunts and uncles and cousins, would gather for hours and eat at the table.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.italywithbella.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/italywithbella/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItalywithBella/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQZVltOkVAIEofSX8p9vUEQ
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/italy-with-bella-franklin