Meet Lara Camozzo
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
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Fish out of water
There’s a legendary scene in Camozzo family lore about Lara’s introduction to Italian culture - as a baby, she was (temporarily) handed off to a Napoletano fisherman in Pozzuoli, a fishing village on the Bay of Naples where Sophia Loren grew up. He was holding a fresh-caught tuna in one arm, and cradled Lara in the other; the fish was as large as she was. From there, her deep-seated love of all things Italian was inevitable.
It was no accident that baby Lara was already smack in the middle of the Italian action - though she grew up in Virginia, her dad’s side of the family has serious roots in Venice, where they own a restaurant and glassblowing factory on Murano, the trade for which the island is famous. Her mom, while American, traveled extensively in her twenties and built strong social networks in Austria, Germany, and the UK; as Lara and her brother grew up, they spent summers in Europe forging close relationships with the next generation of friends. This split childhood identity - and the dual Italian/American citizenship that she still carries - have been deeply influential in shaping Lara’s identity and professional path. “I have so many core memories in Venice from formative summer experiences there as a teen - long family lunches on Murano, day trips to the beaches of Lido, and sunsets over San Marco on the way to evening hangs with friends in the piazza. It was like living in a dream, one that I've tried to recreate and turn into reality every time I return, hoping to relive those moments and share them with others,” she remembers.
Taking the leap
“I have so many core memories in Venice from formative summer experiences there as a teen. It was like living in a dream, one that I've tried to recreate and turn into reality every time I return, hoping to relive those moments and share them with others.”
-Lara Camozzo
During the school year, she burnished her language skills by taking Italian classes at the local community college, and during college at College of Charleston, where she majored in International Business and Italian Studies, and spent a summer abroad in Perugia. And while it seemed rash at the time, in retrospect, the decision to move to Italy after graduation was inevitable. “I had three months planned and no return ticket,” she remembers. “My parents were not exactly thrilled!” After attending a local culinary and hospitality school in Florence, she joined her wine professor and a few other students in writing a book about the wines of Tuscany. “I took odd jobs to stay afloat- babysitting, writing for an olive oil magazine, and working at a wine shop that closed one day without any warning.” Then, someone from a Florentine expat magazine put her in touch with a small, family-owned winery. “I worked with them through the harvest, leading tours and tastings paired with typical Tuscan dishes. I was making 800 euros a month, but it put me on the path to working in wine.”
After two years in Florence, she returned to Charleston intent on breaking into the wine scene, working first in a wine bar and moving into the city’s fine dining establishments. “I also drove a taco truck - I’m still scarred from having to reverse this giant truck full of fryers and fridges into parking lots for events,” she says with a smirk. But working all angles of the Holy City’s renowned food and beverage scene eventually landed her a place working for a small wine distributor with a very cool portfolio of family-run wineries, which led to a position representing Italian vintages. “I was leading seminars for restaurant teams, hosting wine dinners and events at country clubs, and traveling to Italy at least once a year to keep abreast of what was happening across the country’s wine regions. I earned my Level 3 WSET accreditation and my Vinitaly International Academy accreditation, which required taking an extensive exam on Italian grape varietals onsite in Verona. I became an Italian Wine Ambassador, and in looking to plan a trip to Puglia, I met a luxury travel advisor. It was an aha moment for me.”
The feeling is mutual
Lara made the lane change from wine to luxury travel in 2019, just in time for the world to get stalled by Covid. “I kept one foot in the wine world through the beginning of the pandemic. But as I have settled into my career as an advisor and grown my business, I have increasingly come to think of my time in wine as a scenic route that led me to travel. Italian wine was the key that unlocked the whole world for me. But even beyond designing luxury trips with beautiful hotels and all the seamless logistics and benefits the expertise of a luxury advisor allow for, what matters most to me is helping my clients experience the world the way I have — through the eyes of locals, embracing the comfort of being abroad, and returning home with memories of truly personal and one-of-a-kind experiences.”
“Travel has shaped my worldview from a very young age, and having friends all over the world - both from childhood and those I’ve met in the travel industry - means rarely feeling like a tourist.”
As her business and travel repertoire expanded and she learned more about the travel industry, Local Foreigner entered the picture. “Honestly, I developed a crush on Local Foreigner as a brand,” she says. “I spoke with a few industry friends, and the consensus I got was, if you’re looking for support and resources, Local Foreigner is the place for you.” Her curiosity and enthusiasm has been an ideal fit for the LF team since landing here in late 2024. “I love the excitement that builds as I am getting to know a client and designing a trip for them. First, they see the proposal and they’re excited about the idea, but the best part is when they return gushing about the lifelong memories they’ve made. That’s what drives me, whether it’s a multi-stop Europe trip, a week on the beach in Anguilla, or an adventure on the opposite side of the globe.”
As a traveler and as an advisor, her approach to experiencing the world is intentional and focused on depth, with a particular eye toward food and wine experiences. “It’s always the simplest dishes made with the freshest ingredients that impress me most - like nothing makes me happier than a great pasta al pomodoro. It’s the same thing with travel. I love centering my days around a particular restaurant or part of town, or basing a trip around a bucket list hotel, and then really spending time experiencing that property. Travel has shaped my worldview from a very young age, and having friends all over the world - both from childhood and those I’ve met in the travel industry - means rarely feeling like a tourist. And if there’s ever a friend you haven’t met yet, wine helps!”
