Practically before I could read, I used to flip pages of books and magazines forever curious about the stories that lied beneath. Anyone who knows me well, remembers me constantly with a book by my side, whether it be a friend’s house, the supermarket, at school – probably I annoyed many people by the amount of time I spent reading and ignoring them. This probably didn’t help my less than great eyesight but it did however, open my mind to a world larger than I could imagine from my small bedroom in Texas.

To continue this path down nostalgia lane – like many typical American households, we had quite the collection of National Geographics dating decades growing dusty on our shelves in both Louisiana and Texas. I used to pour over them like a child possessed, places like Thailand and Africa jumped off their pages to entrance me. A big deal for a young girl from a place where many people didn’t even have a passport.

At the risk of sounding totally crass, reading Nat Geo was probably the first time I had ever really seen anyone naked {normally the African tribes} as I imagine was the case for many people growing up in a conservative, southern state in the USA ;-).

So, when I was offered the chance to contribute to National Geographic’s latest book ‘Where the Locals Go’, scheduled to be published in February 2014, and talk about my adopted city of Florence, I jumped at the chance. How could I not? It has always been a dream of mine to not only be published, but published in a magazine/book that I truly respect. Which is why I am so excited to share this personal achievement with you all.

My particular excerpt is about hilltop town, Fiesole – a place I absolutely adore when I long to escape the madness of Florentine streets just a few kilometers away, up up and above. While not exactly a secret among people who have visited Florence, it is a place worth exploring and getting to know – especially in the warm summer months where in between hiking and exploring the archealogical ruins, you can score a really awesome panoramic shot of Firenze on a clear day.

What else can you find in this book? 

From the publisher: “In Where the Locals Go, you’ll find hundreds of authentic, beautifully photographed travel experiences, complemented with nuggets of entertaining and insightful text informed by locals. Now, you, too, can join the locals in Venice on their evening passeggiata; mingle with the crowds at sunset on Juhu Beach in Mumbai; sample some of France’s best cheeses in the Alpine town of Annecy; and walk the ancient peak-to-peak pilgrimage on Japan’s Kunisaki Peninsula. This book will inspire you to make your next trip a truly authentic travel experience.”

I can’t wait to get a hand on a copy myself and see what other local’s around the world suggest as a must-see in their favorite travel destination. Who know’s… it may conjur up another dream destination that I have yet to know about or explore, one can only hope.

Guess what! You can preorder your own copy here via National Geographic’s store or on Amazon and let me know what you think come February.