Ashley Turney wants to share with people the Italy she knows and loves.
Turney, a Saratoga Springs native, lived and worked in Italy for about five years. She was enamored with the slow pace of life, with the way people would stretch their meals for four or five hours, soaking in the time with friends and family.
When Turney moved back to the States, she knew she still wanted Italy to be part of her life. So she launched a company that designs private itineraries and tours of Italy, and on Sunday, March 27, she’ll be at the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs for Italy Day.
The festival is the fourth in a series linked to the museum’s exhibit, Postage Paid: Dance Around the World. Sue Edwards, the museum’s programming director, said she slated the Italy program for late March because the vibrant country seemed like a good transition to spring.
The `Postage Paid` exhibit, which has been up for about a year and will run through Thanksgiving, features postage stamps from around the world, along with clothing, flags and other slices of life from numerous countries. Although the stamps emphasize dance, the exhibit is much deeper than that, as are the festivals.
`This is a cultural family day,` Edwards said.
The schedule includes:
Speaker Giuseppe Faustini, who teaches Italian at Skidmore College.
A cooking demonstration by Fabrizio Bazzani, executive chef at Chianti II Ristorante.
The Arthur Murray Tarantella Dance Team.
Children’s activities, dance and art in the Alfred Z. Solomon Children’s Wing.
Speaker Father Neil Draves, a third-generation Saratogian. He will recount the region’s Italian neighborhoods, businesses and restaurants.
`I’ve known him all my life,` Edwards said. `His stories will be fabulous.`
As for Turney, she’s coming from her home in Connecticut to take part in the event.
Not long ago, she called Italy home, moving there after college to work. Turney had first visited as a freshman, and she experienced something of a culture shock in a country of millions where she knew no one.
`I had never even taken public transportation,` she said with a laugh.
Turney’s time in Italy was heavily influenced by two families in Florence with whom she lived. They didn’t speak English, so she was able to immerse herself in the language.
That wasn’t the only step she took to get a taste of Italy beyond the usual tourist stops. She mingled with the local people as much as she could, loving the leisurely tempo of everyday life.
`It was such a departure from the life I had known,` she said. `They really emphasize the importance of slowing things down and spending time with friends and family.`
Turney cherishes the time she spent in Italy, but she also missed friends and family back home, especially when a lot of her friends were getting married and marking other milestones and she was a continent away.
So, Turney eventually came back to the States. But the pull of Italy was still strong, resulting in the creation of her business, liveit-italy.com. She sometimes travels to Italy with her clients, and she sometimes sends them with another leader. A more recent option has Turney creating itineraries for travelers who go it alone.
A typical Turney tour might visit the central market in Florence, with plenty of time built in to browse and talk to the vendors. There will be a stop at a private villa for a cooking class, and meals at `more authentic restaurants.`
`I try to slow things down so people can just sit and enjoy a glass of wine and watch the world go by,` she said.
After all, those are some of her fondest memories. She’s thrilled to share them not only through her business, but through events like Italy Day.
`I feel very strongly about showing people that side of Italy that I want them to see,` she said.
The museum will host Italy Day from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for the public and free for museum members. For more information, visit www.dancemuseum.org.“