about mary shea

"We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” - Walt Disney

For Mary, curation is key. Since meeting her Italian winery-owner husband Jacopo, she has spent several years working at the top end of the wine business. But before that a long career in advertising in New York, Boston, Napa, and finally heading up the Creative Department at Wagstaff in Los Angeles honed Mary’s sharp eye for detail. And, when it comes to designing personalized experiential travel for clients around the world, detail matters.

Mary excels at creating immersive, behind-the-scenes food and wine experiences for close friends and trusted guests, all while curating her own custom travel portfolio of unmissable experiences throughout Italy and beyond. Expect an entirely custom itinerary tailored to your preferences and lifestyle, special perks, exquisite, hand-picked properties, bespoke behind-the-scenes experiences, and on-the-ground assistance from local experts.  

As a Virtuoso and the Departure Lounge partner, Mary has rare access to some of the world’s most unique properties. These special relationships across the globe mean your Mary Shea-designed trip—whether it be to Macchu Piccu or Milan—will be seamless.

To exceed expectations and create long-lasting relationships with clients rooted in trust are the foundation for everything Mary Shea does. A lifetime of travel—for both work and pleasure—means Mary has accrued quite the Little Black Book of hidden restaurants, boutiques, artisan makers, architectural gems, wildly beautiful beaches. Plus a roster of the best local guides, concierges, and services in the world. To design a trip with Mary is to unlock access to these rare experiences and vetted experts with total ease.  

plan your journey

Most memorable dining experience

FAVORITE FOOD CITY

BIGGEST TRAVEL MISTAKE

BEST INFINITY POOL VIEW

CRAZIEST FOOD MOMENT

Bucket list

6-hours at the French Laundry, Napa Valley 

Copenhagen

Overpacking, almost always

Bürgenstock Resort, Lucerne 

Fried grasshoppers, Mexico City

Cooking Class with Francis Mallmann, Patagonia

6 QUESTIONS FOR MARY

experiences