The definition
What “Belonging in Italy” Means
Belonging in Italy is the difference between visiting a country and being expected somewhere in it. It is a twelve-month, private experience in which a family builds a real relationship with Italy — its language, its people, their own heritage and story — instead of consuming it as a destination. It was created by Fabiana Stringa and is offered to ten families a year.
Belonging vs. visiting
Visiting: itineraries, guides, being served, photos, memories that fade.
Belonging: a story, relationships, being spoken to, a place that expects you back, habits that hold.
Who this was built for
The family with Italian roots who has never stood in the village their ancestors left. The names are in the family papers. The place has never been under their feet.
The family with no Italian roots at all, and a real pull toward the country — its language, its table, its way of living together.
The family that wants children, teenagers and adults to take part in the same experience, each in the way they actually learn.
How the Belonging Year works
01 · Blueprint
The first months are spent on your family: your story, your heritage where there is one, the way each of you actually learns, and the Italian you will need in real situations. We agree together on the region and on what the year is for. Everything after this is designed from it.
02 · The Italy Experience
A week in Italy designed day by day around your family, with me present in person for part of it. Then I step back, and your family orders, asks, jokes and takes part on its own. That was always the point.
03 · Integration
The rest of the year keeps the relationship alive: the language, the habits, the people you met, the reasons to come back. Italy stops being an event on the calendar and becomes part of how your family lives.
What it is not
It is not a tour.
It is not a travel agency.
It is not an Italian course.
It is not a genealogy service. When research is needed I work with specialist genealogists; I direct the experience.
Frequently asked questions
Is Belonging in Italy a tour or a travel package?
No. It is a private twelve-month experience with a designed week in Italy inside it; nothing is sold as an itinerary, and travel logistics are handled separately with trusted partners.
Do we need Italian roots to join?
No. Families with Italian heritage and families with none at all take part; what matters is a real pull toward Italy, not a surname.
Do we need to speak Italian?
No. Language immersion is part of the year and is built around the situations your family will actually live in Italy, not a textbook.
Is it only for families?
It was designed around families, and most people arrive as one. But “family” here means the people you want to belong with: a couple, a parent and an adult child, two sisters, a small group of close friends. If you are on your own and the pull toward Italy is real, say so on the call — the year is designed around who shows up, not around a headcount.
How long is the program and where does it take place?
Twelve months in total, with the in-person week in Italy, region agreed together during the Blueprint phase.
How many families do you work with?
Ten families a year, because Fabiana is present in person and works privately with each one.
Is it suitable for children, teenagers and neurodivergent learners?
Yes. The method is visual and game-based and was designed around how each person actually learns; it has worked especially well with neurodivergent learners.
What is the investment?
The investment is shared in The Belonging Call, a 30-minute conversation, because the year is designed around each family. Travel, accommodation and on-the-ground partner services are paid directly to those partners.
Who is Fabiana Stringa?
Italian, born in Genoa, a coach educator and creative director who has spent 12 years helping families around the world find their way into Italian life, now based in Torino.
One conversation. Then you’ll know.
Thirty minutes. You tell me about your family, where Italy sits in your story, and what you want it to become.