Fourteen years ago, Ciao Andiamo began with a simple yet powerful idea: to connect our guests to the beauty of authentic Italy, through travel, food, wine, language, and culture.
Ciao Andiamo started with my desire to share la vita italiana, together with Max Brunelli and Cristiana Chiacchierini’s experience showing travelers the real Italy that Italians love. On parallel journeys to create immersive Italian adventures for our guests, the three of us began collaborating on tours & events, and soon joined forces as business partners and co-owners of Ciao Andiamo.
From those exciting, dynamic, and unpredictable early days building a new business, to navigating the challenges of the pandemic years later, Ciao Andiamo has come a long way.
A Look Back at the Last 14 Years
Since Ciao Andiamo’s inception, we’ve organized more than 2,000 tours, honeymoons, anniversary trips, birthday celebrations, family reunions, weddings, and once-in-a-lifetime journeys.
We’ve expanded our offerings and built meaningful partnerships along the way. We’ve introduced unique insider tours like our Alpine Adventure, an active journey through the majestic Dolomites, a travel-writing tour with author Michelle Damiani through Southern Italy, and a wine immersion trip through Piedmont.
Portofino, ItalyNavigating the Covid pandemic was perhaps our greatest challenge, but through it all we remained committed to our Ciao famiglia and core mission. One of my proudest moments as a founder was not only keeping the business afloat in the fourteen months in which travel to Italy was completely shut down, but doing everything in our power to provide flexibility to our clients who had trips planned with us in 2020, and ensuring stability for our team members – most of whom still work with Ciao Andiamo today. Post-pandemic, our business has flourished, and we’ve expanded our team, growing from eight to more than 20 full-time members across our U.S. and Italy offices.
What’s Next for Ciao Andiamo
As we look ahead, we’re excited about all that’s yet to come. New destinations, fresh experiences, projects under wraps, and even more ways to connect with Italy are on the horizon. Alongside our bespoke private trips and owner-led small-group tours, I’m looking forward to growing our affinity travel offerings—specialized journeys that align with travelers’ personal passions, from wine to wellness. We’re also continuing to expand Il Negozio di Ciao, our curated shop of fine Italian products, bringing the flavors of Italy straight to your doorstep.
A Special Thank You and Cin Cin to the Future
To everyone who has been part of our journey over the past 14 years, grazie mille! Whether you’ve traveled with us, followed our stories, or recommended us to friends and family, your support means the world to me, Max, Cristiana, and our entire team. We couldn’t have done this without you.
Here’s to another year of unforgettable adventures, shared meals, and magical moments in Italia.
Grazie mille!
– Jon, Ciao Andiamo Founder
