ABOUT THIS TEACHER

I'm Amy Bizzarri, a freelance writer focused on family, food and fun, with a special interest in family adventure travel, Route 66, vintage/retro travel and green/eco-friendly destinations, both in the US and abroad. I'm a proud member of the Society of American Travel Writers.

My Great, Great Great Grandparents met on the night the Chicago fire hit our city: Walter Daker, a volunteer firefighter caught a glimpse of Catherine's long flowing red hair and thought it was on fire ... swooped her up in his arms to "save" her...and the rest is history! I'm the author of three Chicago history focused books: Discovering Vintage Chicago (Rowman, 2015), Chicago's Iconic Dishes, Drinks and Desserts (American Palate Series / The History Press, 2016) and 111 Places Chicago (emons Verlag, 2017).
I speak several languages, including Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. I lived in Rome for five years, working as a proofreader for the Italian Ministry of Health. I'm a fluent Italian speaker with an M.A. in Italian from Middlebury College (VT). My paternal grandfather is from Castelnuovo Ne'Monti. There will always be a special place in my heart for il bel paese and I am an expert on Italian travel, food and wine - ask me anything!

I'm also a teacher with 20+ years of experience and a Master of Arts in Education with a focus on bilingual education. I offer a unique perspective on educational travel.

I've hosted television and radio segments and I've recorded a few walking tours with VoiceMap. I recently covered several regions in Italy for Google's new travel app, TouringBird.

In spring 2019, I was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities study grant, which will take me to Savannah, Georgia, for a research project in summer 2019.

I'm a proud mermaid, too: https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/sc-trav-weeki-wachee-mermaid-camp-1218-story.html