Valeria Garibotti – all things Chile, Brazil, Italy (and secretly Argentina…)
By Valeria Garibotti on 3rd February, 2023
I’m Val, Fleewinter’s Brazil, Chile and Italy expert!
I am originally from the beautiful Italian Riviera, and I now live in Brighton.
I love travelling (of course!), and I have had many jobs in my life.
My favourite, besides helping you plan your amazing holidays, is being a scuba diving instructor in the Caribbean, where I met my husband
I have a true passion for Brazil, Chile and …
Rio de Janeiro was the very first place I flew to in Latin America years ago. On this occasion, a journey through Brazil, Argentina and Chile was awaiting. I came home, and I was hooked! I knew I had completely, head over heels fallen in love with these countries.
I have been to many places around the world, but the landscapes of Chile are the most sublime I have ever seen. In the north you feel like you are on another planet and in the south, you are in one of the world’s last wildernesses.
In Brazil, witnessing the beauty of Rio’s setting is almost humbling, seeing a jaguar in the Pantanal is hypnotic and walking along a sandy, deserted beach in Bahia is heaven on earth!I
… the World Cup Winners – Argentina!
Yes! It’s true!
Argentina will be launched on our website soon, but I can take you there already if you simply can’t wait.
You will be in good hands as I have travelled here extensively, and I love the country. It’s stunningly diverse and beautiful and the people are a bit like me – they love the simple pleasures of life like good food and wine, are a bit loud, but very friendly.
They are also very proud of their country, and having recently won the World Cup has only added to their strong Argentinian identity. It definitely is a country to be discovered at least once in your life!
Or for a holiday closer to home – La Bella Italia
Italy still feels like home and every time I go back, I feel lucky to have such a strong connection to this amazing country. We have everything! The most stunning mountains, beaches, art cities, countryside, and don’t get me started on the food, gelato, wine!
What is great about Italy is that every region has a strong identity so, although you are still in the same country, you will have unique experiences wherever you go.
With so many low cost airlines flying regularly to most Italian cities, you simply have to visit, and if you have been already, come back!
A personal highlight for me was
A cruise through the Chilean fjords from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Punta Arenas in Chile definitely ranks amongst the most amazing things I have ever done. It was such a privilege to explore the remote areas of southern Patagonia that are only accessible by boat.
Life onboard was great thanks to the friendly staff, the delicious food and the very informative lectures.
But it was the sights that simply will stay with me (and my lucky husband!) forever. The beauty of Wulaia Bay was breathtaking, the glaciers unveiled the might of nature, and setting foot in Cape Horn was a mystical and truly poetic moment.
& did you know it takes two to Tango, but only one to Samba!
Both Buenos Aires and Rio live and breathe their traditions and it is their music that brought two of my best experiences! A night in Lapa, Rio, at a local – and very small – bar with live musicians and me dancing samba with a Carioca lady trying to teach me…
And in Buenos Aires, going to a ‘real’ milonga near Palermo Soho where Portenos go to dance.
I learnt two things quickly: you have to turn up after midnight to experience the best atmosphere, and if you can’t dance, better to stay sitting and just watch, this is no place to try for your first time! But what an amazing night, it felt like travelling back to times gone by!
