Me and My Travels with Jennifer Zamparelli: 'I was flown to Africa at the age of seven'
Jennifer Zamparelli drinking wine in Duoro Valley vineyard, Porto
Jennifer Zamparelli is wrapping up her stint as The Narrator in The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre but she’s already dreaming of her next trip.
From early days in a caravan in Wexford to broadcasting live from Vatican Radio, the actress and presenter has seen travel evolve with family, fun, and a fair bit of pasta.
Here, she shares the places that shaped her and the destinations still on her list.
I’m the youngest of six, so most of our early trips were down to the west of Ireland — places like Connemara.
But that all changed in the early ’90s when my sister started working for British Airways and we got concession flights.
While my siblings didn’t get on a plane until they were 17 or 18, I was flown to Africa at the age of seven. They were raging.
We flew to Nairobi and did a safari. I still remember arriving at the hotel — this open-air reception — and my mam looking up and going, “Why is the ceiling moving?”
It was covered in bats. I got horrendous travel sickness after that — I had to sleep on the floor of planes for years — but I’ll never forget how magical it all felt.
Last year, we felt like local Italians. My husband was filming in Rome for about five months, and it was too long for him to be away from the kids, so I took some time off radio and we lived in Rome for a month.
It was August and loads of places were closed. I was doing 35,000 to 40,000 steps with the kids, trying to fill the days. I even had to buy my son Enzo a buggy because his little legs couldn’t take it.
We were all squashed into one hotel room but the kids had me 24/7 and got to see their dad, so they loved it. I even broadcast from Vatican Radio Station and logged into 2FM from this little dingy studio where no one spoke English. It was wild.
I turned 40 during covid, so all I wanted when things opened up was to go to Paris and do it properly.
I’d been before but it was always hostels and slumming it — so for my 40th, I said, ‘That’s it, I want to stay in a nice hotel, go to the Moulin Rouge, just do the whole thing right — a proper bougie trip.’
But my husband wasn’t working at the time. He booked a hotel with no windows, right next to a train line.
We pulled back the curtains and were staring at a brick wall. It definitely was a surprise... I was giving him daggers.
In fairness, we laughed a lot but, yeah, the room was probably one of the worst I’ve ever stayed in (though not as bad as him taking me to the board game convention in Birmingham — it’s like Comic Con on steroids). He’s made up for it since.
I was surprised at how much I love Lisbon. I had zero expectations and just loved it. It’s tricky to walk around but so beautiful and great value.
I’ve been with the family and on a girls’ trip. It’s one of those cities where you can do it all — wine, food, fun, culture.
The red wine, the white wine, the green wine… I loved all the wine.
It’s a gorgeous destination.
Fota Island Resort in Cork is one of my favourites.
The staff are amazing, and there are cottages you can book, so you don’t even have to stay in the main hotel. It’s the first place we stayed after my daughter Florence was born.
The restaurant was so easy with her, and it still has that lovely grand feel. We’ve been back with the kids, and they love it.
This was in Rome at a tiny family-run spot called Enzo’s, which felt special because my son’s name is Enzo.
You couldn’t book; you just had to queue and hope. The food was amazing — all fresh pasta and very simple ingredients.
I made a show of myself, though: I tried to ask for dessert, and kept getting my Irish and Italian mixed up, and I asked for ‘the caca’, thinking I meant cáca.
The waitress was like, ‘You’re asking for the shit of the day.’ My kids thought it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. The dessert was lovely, though.
I like to do a bit of everything. Every year I do a girls’ trip: culture, wine, food. I’m not one for lying by the pool or sunbathing. I like to be doing something.
One thing I love is getting up early and going for a run through the city. I’ve done it in Rome, Lisbon, Maui. You get your bearings, it’s quiet, and it’s just lovely me-time — enjoy the city or wherever you are before all the madness begins.
Japan is top of the list. Lauterio and I have always talked about going but we’ve never got around to it.
They’re really into martial arts there, and it’s just somewhere I think we’d love. That or Sligo — I’ve never been.
- Final tickets for The Rocky Horror Show at the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre are available from ticketmaster.ie
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