Dr Kathleen Olive

Dr Kathleen Olive is a director of Limelight Arts Travel and one of Australia’s best-known cultural tour leaders, with over fifteen years’ experience leading tours to Western Europe, North America, Australasia and Japan.

Kathleen is particularly known for her expertise in Italy, and she holds a PhD in Italian Studies from the University of Sydney. She lived and studied in Italy for a number of years, and her research, published together with Nerida Newbigin, was presented to Pope Francis as an official gift by the Florentine Curia.

Since 2003, Kathleen has led tours to Italy, France, Spain, the USA, Japan and Australasia for Australia’s leading cultural tour operators. She has designed and led over 70 successful tours, and is known for her engaging and attentive leadership of a group. Kathleen speaks fluent Italian and is conversant in French and Spanish.

A regular presenter on the history, art and culture of Italy and Japan in particular, Kathleen gives lectures at the WEA (Sydney), the Italian Institute of Culture (Sydney), the Art Gallery of NSW and as a national lecturer for ArtsNational (formerly the Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Society or ADFAS). 

Listen to Kathleen speak with legendary food writer and broadcaster Rita Erlich about her first experience as a cultural tour leader, and how Italy has changed over the time she’s led groups there.