As there seems to be a little light that one day soon we will once again be able to travel, I started daydreaming of where I would want to go first. Of course, Italy is top of the list, and then wondered how could I make this trip different. I have never had the opportunity to golf in Italy and in the last several years have fallen for game of golf, so why not combine the two.
If you are thinking of the same, you can find over 150 18-hole golf courses in Italy, with the majority found in the north, specifically the Piedmont, Veneto and Lombardy regions, all stunning in their own way.
There are several courses in Piedmont, one of which was designed by Robert von Hogge, and is considered one of Italy’s most spectacular courses. Circolo Golf Bogogno. This course boasts of the backdrop of the Alps and Monte Rosa. Here you have a hotel, restaurant, wellness spa, fitness center and a pool.
On Lake Como, sits Golf Club Monticello. You can spend the day here, be short distance from the restaurants around Lake Como and Milan. You can combine your day of golf and then take in sightseeing Visit Duomo of Como and highly recommend one of my first and favorite places in Italy, Villa del Balbianello. From here, you can wander the garden, take in the view of the lake, one of the best in the area. And there is so much history here, and fun fact, it was in scenes in James Bond movies as well as Star Wars.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month and most recently International Women’s Day, I am thinking this would be an awesome girl’s trip. While golf can be intimidating, and tends to be a male dominated sport, why don’t we make some changes to that. Pick up our clubs, take a trip and spend some time on the courses in Italy.
Karen recently retired from Delta Air Lines and has always enjoyed traveling the globe, with special love and interest for Italy as it was her first trip to Europe.
Joanne Spigonardo
Business Development Consultant
Specializing in Sustainability, Higher Education, Career Management, and Public Relations
In her former roles, Joanne served as Senior Associate Director at the Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership (IGEL) at Wharton. Joanne was also part of the Communications Office. She held positions as business manager of the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists and for the Wharton Alumni Magazine. Joanne also served as the media relations coordinator. When with Alitalia Airlines, Joanne worked as a sales representative.
Joanne graduated from The University of Pennsylvania with a BA and later graduated from the Wharton Aresty Institute of Executive Education. She has a strong background in development, management, marketing, and Italian language and culture.
As a Wharton Mentor, she coached new employees on professional development, and is active in Penn’s Grievance panels. Joanne was on the board of governors for the University Club. Joanne is chair of the Delaware County Penn Alumni Interview Program and oversees alumni volunteers. As an alum of Penn and Wharton, and also a parent of two Penn graduates, she is a strong advocate in promoting Penn.
At Wharton IGEL, Joanne had been in partnership with GreenBiz, Sustainable Brands, the Ethical Corporation, Pira Packaging International, Public Relations Society of America, the Green Sports Alliance, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, the Italian Consulate, the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Sonoma County Winegrowers Association, and the Nature Conservancy, as well as, many other NGO and government offices. She has brokered hundreds of corporate relationships for Wharton.
Joanne is the author of her book, White Widow, published on Kindle and Amazon. The book is a fictional novel about 19th-20th Century Italian immigrants. https://www.amazon.com/White-Widow-Joanne-Natale-Spigonardo/dp/B085DT65DB
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