Why Sharlafied?

It all started on a trip to Venice, where I took my cousin Shannon and her family to see Venice my way.

When you live just an hour away and work in the drinks industry, you have contacts. Well, I did anyway. We will talk a lot about them in my stories.

I took them to some of my favorite places and wanted to surprise them with the people I knew at the bars and most of the time I was able to get the bill before my cousin’s husband, Joe.

“We’ve been Sharlafied”, he declared, and ever since, that expression has resonated with me.

To Sharlafy someone is to show them the insider’s view of a place. It means to surprise and delight.

So here, it is my intention to get you sharlafied. I have been to many places, seen and done some amazing things. I want to share my world with you.

Here you can get some insider information on cocktail bars, unusual hotels, bizarre art, kooky people and offbeat destinations.

Swimming in the Mediterranean - Image credit: Germana Cabrelle

Sharla lives in Northeastern Italy and writes about spirits, travel, tourism, sailing, the world of the unusual, and much more.

My backstory. I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and have one brother, Don, who always makes me laugh. I moved to New York City where I worked at the UN in the travel office. In 1985, I moved to Italy with little to no language skills and no job... but it all turned out ok. I have been married since 1991 and my daughter was born in 1993.

Bluesiana is the name of the sailboat I own with my husband Maurizio. We have been sailing together since 1991 and this is our second (and last) sailboat. We spend summers mainly in Greece and Croatia, but Bluesiana can go anywhere: watch this space!

Traveling is my absolute passion. I was a travel agent at the age of 19 and hospitality has been coursing through my veins ever since. My bucket list has no end!

Visiting hotels for work. I am a Local Expert for Condé Nast Johansens guides, and I am scouring my territory for superlative hotels to recommend for our guide. I get to stay in five star hotels and test their service.

Translations Italian to English translations for the food and hospitality industry. If you have a hotel, spa, bar, restaurant or product to promote, I can help.

Unusual experiences and hotels As editor of GoUnusual publications, I have visited and wrote about many unusual places to stay. There will be links to some of our stories here. Visit gounusual.com to see more. Or buy a book here.

Expertise in spirits Working in the spirits world for 15 years, I have had the privilege to meet some of the major players in the drinks industry. I have conducted masterclasses, have been a judge in a competition in Belgium and attended many fairs to promote Nardini distillery. I am very interested in new brands in the market like Amarico. If you would like help getting noticed, hit me up!

Writing I have been published in Condé Nast Traveler USA and UK, edited the Cadogan guide, published in Condé Nast Johansens, the Sunday Times travel magazine, Spirits Hunters, BarChick, La Cucina Italiana USA and others.

Contact me and get #sharlafied today!