December, as you might expect, is chock full of exciting markets, festive cheer, ornate light setups and interesting events (here’s a list for all over Italy). This is why we love it. The weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve in the city are quite busy ones for locals looking to stock up on gifts while also celebrating the year with treasured friends and colleagues. I particularly enjoy being here at this time as the streets are sweetly softened…
This is a special guest post by my friend Holly Star who together with her husband’s family, run Michel’Angelo Ristorante in Capri, both of them are incredible people who have most definitely opened my eyes on just how dynamic this island in the glittering bay of Naples can be. A little background – How did an Australian end up living on the island of Capri? In April 2013, I set off from Australia traveling solo for a 6 week Italian…
It’s that time of year again when I try to stop procrastinating and get my holiday shopping done in advance before the stress of the holidays truly kicks in. Our plans this year are to head to Los Angeles for a quick five-day trip to celebrate the marriage of one of my best friends before heading back to Europe to spend Christmas with Nico’s family in France. Truth be told I actually hate shopping, for the most part, because I feel…
Cuoiofficine – Two Florentine Brothers Blend Tradition and Innovation in Leather Accessories
20.11.2018
As we inch ever more towards the holiday season (how did that happen) I’m inspired to focus more this week on quality gifts that you can actually own for a lifetime. Ones that help preserve a craft, that give jobs to the community, that actually brings substance to a label instead of solely to be part of the crowd. As my cranky self gets older by the day, I find myself wanting less and seeking a hopefully healthier attitude when…
As you would expect with any and every celebration in Italy, la festa di san martino or feast day of san martino is mired in a local legend that celebrates both the humility and generosity of a saint along with traditionally warm autumnal weather. In fact, it’s far more likely that you’ve heard “l’estate di San Martino” which refers to the arrival of the Indian summer, or a blissful time when you are still able to wear short sleeves (during the day)…
Fear not November’s challenge bold— We’ve books and friends, And hearths that never can grow cold: These make amends! ~Alexander L. Fraser (1870–1954), “November,” c.1918 What would a year be without a November? Typically reviled and scorned as one of Italy’s more depressing months due to its short, dark days and plenty of rain, I see it a little different. It’s a month where I typically dive into cooking warm, comforting meals, catching up on work and half-read novels and…
There are so many new restaurants in Florence that it’s hard to send people recommendations at times. I always ask myself… what is it that people want? Rustic Tuscan? Are they willing to go near Rifredi? Is this place too modern, has it changed ownership? You can understand, me, right? We all have our favorites (here’s my constantly evolving list) and what I’ve realized is that all I just have to stay true to what you actually love, not adhere…
A Day Trip to Leonardo da Vinci’s Birthplace
17.10.2018
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. – Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, more commonly Leonardo da Vincior simply Leonardo, was an Italian polymath of the Renaissance that you most certainly have heard of, and mostly likely also admired. His most famous works speak for themselves, The Last Supper and the Mona Lisa, and his drawing of Vitruvian Man is the classic representation of the true Renaissance spirit. But what about the man beyond the mystery? After all this…
Locals I Love: Talking to Selvaggia Velo
02.10.2018
This week’s locals I love is a new friend that I got to know thanks to an event called BedTalks, an initiative inspired by the positive spirit of John Lennon’s peaceful bed-in in Amsterdam in 1969 by the TSH, new student hotel in Florence that facilitated our own Renaissance-city’s talks between various figures around Florence. My “bed talk partner-in-crime” was the lovely Selvaggia, a bright and energetic soul and someone with them I instantly had a connection. As it happens and is how it…
For a variety of different reasons, I’d like to forget about the month of September (ok not all of it, after all it is harvest month), although reading articles like this help greatly. I’ll explain more later in a post when the time is right but let’s just say that bring on October and its blissfully cool mornings and sunnier afternoons. It’s the start of the season that I crave like chocolate, this month is the chicken soup for my…
My story of falling in love with Italy My love affair with Italy first began when I hopped off a tour bus in Rome nearly 20 years ago. I was enthralled and have remained so ever since, coming back again and again, seduced by the culture, energy and beauty of the country. At first I returned only for short visits at a time until I could no longer resist the increasing lure to stay. I would take a month or…
The first time I heard of Carmignano was through its wine, because hey, you know me. Carmignano DOCG is a good Tuscan red wine that you quite often find in trattorias as it pairs well with typical Tuscan meat dishes, dishes like rich and hearty peposo, or bistecca cooked over a wood fire, and of course beautifully laid out cured meats, something I certainly can never resist. My stomach also led me to discover this town near Prato, about 40 minutes…
Sweet, sweet September, it combines both the “rientro” return of people back to Florence as summer vacation is officially over and the time when kids start school again. It also coincides with grape harvest season and that also means la schiacciata con l’uva (thanks Emiko!), a delicious bread overly-stuffed with juicy grapes that make any rientro that much easier with every bite. The city feels consistently fun but there is also a really nice vibe, a great lead up to my favorite season of…
Netflix in the city? Well you might be on to something here.. Well Those in Florence, Italy at the moment might have come across unexpected barriers or the loud sound of helicopters buzzing overhead, something those living in Los Angeles are more accustomed to experiencing than a tiny Renaissance city in Italy. I remember sleepless nights in my bedroom in North Hollywood wondering whether the spotlight from the helicopters would hover in our neighborhood or head to another borough for…
What Cassoulet Taught Me About Family
08.08.2018
A rather ambiguous title I admit — but I really couldn’t imagine a better starting to what I hope is an interesting post about a connection I never really knew existed in Italy. It all stems from the depths of a terra-cotta pot used to cook a hearty dish consisting of a base of white beans, pork skin and duck susafe — sprinkled generously with pepper. It has been made famous from its birthplace in the south-west of France, specially…
Dear Summer, You’ve been good to us so far, and for that I am thankful. After last year’s lucifer heatwave, we who live in Florence have had the audacity to let’s say… complain less, or at least less about the weather, and maybe the tram because one is now in use..but speaking of trams what about the other… oh never mind. Anyway, this week you decided to up your game with 36-38 degree weather (that’s around 100 in farenheight)…
Where to Eat in Florence This August 2018
28.07.2018
Ah the arrival of August. For me, it conjures up the image of streets empty of Italians (for the most part) in Florence with the chatter in foreign languages permeating the air. The holidays surrounding Ferragosto, the 15th, are the time when most locals are away on beach holidays or escape to the mountains as the summer exodus reaches its peak in a land where it definitely used to be too hot to work during this season (still feels that…
Summer, you’ve finally arrived. The first day of July rolled in the same day as a heatwave in Florence, no-one is complaining because we all remember the “summer of lucifer” (last year) and it’s July after all. I ended this June on admittedly a stressful note, too many projects and fires at work to put out combined with that email from my commercialista with the first tax-bill for 2018 (trust me, being a freelancer here is not fun)… To battle my dumpy mood…
There’s always been a bit of a magical air surrounding the month of June in Florence. May can be drastic in its weather variations, cold one moment, raining o uncomfortably warm. June however marks the welcome arrival of summer on the 21st, summer solstice combined with long days as a convivial spirit prevails before the exodus of people come mid-July through the beginning of September. June is the birthday month of the city’s patron saint of San Giovanni Battista (St. John…
A Tuscan Weekend Escape Near Montepulciano
20.06.2018
“Are we in Val d’Orcia or Crete Senesi?” I asked. “Nether” Fabio replied. “Instead we are located in an area between the two.” A place without a name but of one that dubbed “the bermuda triangle paradise” within Tuscany’s most suggestive landscapes. And paradise it was. Imagine an ancient stone farmhouse nestled in a plot of well-curated land next to a pond brimming with frogs with sweeping views of at least two hilltop Tuscan towns. The only sounds the crowing of the…
“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.” ― Anthony Bourdain from “No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach” Like many of you around the world I was a fan of Anthony…
Locals I Love: Talking With Michelle Davis
28.05.2018
Lucky for me (and for you), there are people far more cooler than I can harass into doing an interview for this blog. Especially because next week there is a special event in Florence at the soon-to-be-inaugurated The Student Hotel that brings together 100 speakers from around the city in the casual ambiance of a bedroom, me included, these free-form chats will be open to the public (more explained below). Born on August 14 1987, Michelle Davis is one of…
Ideas For Planning a Bachelorette Party in Florence: Sidecar Tour Meets an Organic Winery
10.04.2018
You might assume that living in a place for 11 years means you’ve seen it all. On the contrary I feel like I barely have scarcted the surface when it comes to all the wonderful things there are too appreciate about the city of Florence (the bad stuff too). I first tried a sidecar tour in the city of Paris. It was January 2015, Nico and I decided to brave the icy weather and zip our way through the city…
The start of April this year coincided with Easter holidays, followed by Pasquetta, the adorably-dubbed “little Easter” that refers to the Monday holiday after Easter Sunday making the weekend an even longer one (hallelujah). This meant that Nico and I have taken the week off to visit his family in France and we are reveling in the slower pace of life that visiting his home means. Walks along the Canal du Midi (240 kilometers from the Garonne to the Mediterranean), eating way…
I’ll admit that when it comes to recommendations for the region of Lazio, I am still an absolute novice. Yes I’ve been to Rome countless times and I probably forever will, however if I learned anything by traveling, writing and just be a general tourist is that most of the time we know nothing. There is a lifetime of history in every area of Italy and Lazio is certainly no different. I was lucky enough to go on a few…
In a city as dynamic as Florence, it’s hardly surprising that well-known brands have figured out that food and fashion sells. Of course the old adage was more “sex sells” (still does) but food might just be a dash more popular (and less emotionally draining… well maybe) as I’m starting to see reflected in the city today. The irony of writing this isn’t lost on me. I am the least fashion-forward person I know and as I type this from…
This rainy, slightly depressing Sunday has taken a turn for the better as I’ve managed to get my act together and share yet another story as part of my local’s I love compilation that has spanned over five years. This series is dedicated to interviews sharing the lives of people I’ve personally met around Italy to give people a better window on what life is really like here. Life is not instagram, and through these words people who wonder what…
March has started with a bang, or rather more accurately, a brief and beautiful snowfall. Of course, that quickly turned to rain but I am still swooning in the memory of walking under snowflakes in Piazza di Santo Spirito. No matter what the weather in March in Florence, Italy, you can be assured that there will be many reasons to leave the house with a jam-packed array of exciting events around the city. I am most excited for this edition…
I’ve been here for 11 years and I’ve never really seen it snow in Florence. However this morning (March 1st by the way) everything changed with one light, beautiful snowfall and I couldn’t help rushing to write this post to share this rare treat with you guys. Naturally by the time you read this, the snow will have turned into rain and the city will be one slushy, slippery hot mess. Be careful with your shoe choices guys.. As soon…
Main cover photo sourced from Wikimedia Commons When I first came (back) to Florence in 2007 I was in love with the city but had one serious problem, I didn’t have any money. At the time, I was doing three to four odd jobs, mostly teaching English, and constantly running around the city getting a PhD in Italy’s ATAF bus service. Meals were strictly reduced to eating at home, crappy aperitivo buffets and the occasional lunch with one, max two…
Locals I Love: Meet Paola Monticelli
12.02.2018
I am really excited about today’s interview because it is the first locals I love interview of 2018. I have been doing these interviews for a number of years now, always with the aim to share those stories from the people I meet in Italy to give you guys a more personal perspective from those actually living, working and calling Florence home. Another reason to be excited is that I am publishing today’s questions a day after Paola’s actual birthday…
One of our favorite weekend destinations of 2017 also happened to be one that most people I know hadn’t even heard of. Lake Garda of course is very well-known, its existence on this planet first took place 1.5 million years ago formed as a glacier off the side of a mountain, later a former stronghold of the Roman empire, followed by to its villages battled by the passionate Lombard people, Franks, Spaniards and Austrians. Riva del Garda is in the very northernness part…
This month has predictably started in a less than pleasant way. Here I was thrilled to have passed a winter without getting sick, ready to ride out the good fortune until Spring and yes, that’s where it went all downhill. Note to self, never think you are invincible or gloat in the fact that the influenza, in all of its nasty, evil forms, hasn’t hit you yet. Because you aren’t. My tragic version was the all-dreaded stomach flu turned regular…
Life is one hell of a ride I’ve often coveted dreams of owning the Vespa you see in my logo. Just two-wheels and a dusty road in Tuscany, that’s where you’d find me. Or rather wobbling my way on one flat tire as soon as I turn the bend, my hair a mess, a pair of sunglasses broken, that’s the more realistic scenario with my perpetually clumsy self. In any case, I abandoned the dream of owning one long ago…
It was a rainy Sunday and anyone sane would have taken one look at the forecast and decided to stay in with a bubbling soup and a good book, it was not a day for outdoor activities. I’m not one of those people. The mere existence of precipitation in Florence is almost always used as a viable excuse to cancel plans and in Italy you can see a pretty good reflection of that in the chaos that can sometimes ensue…
Buon anno nuovo. If you live in Italy you’ve probably said this, or a simple “auguri”, a million times now that it’s been 2018 for 8 days. I’ve only been back since Friday from our whirlwind trip to visit my family back in Texas with a stop in California and I’m already back into my daily rituals of espresso drinking and conserving my boiler use and of course, plenty of puppy cuddles. The jet-lag however has remained. This year on…
Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. Guys, Happy New Year! I’ve avoided posting any sort of inspirational “how I’m going to be better in 2018 and do a,b,c,d..” because I don’t want to set myself up for failure (low expectations ya’ll!). I’m joking of course, but honestly if I fall prey to any mantra this year it will be something I show you and don’t tell you, because…
It’s a cold, cold crisp morning. The kind where you can see your breath and the kind that makes you wish you owned thicker socks. I am cursing myself silently for not properly thinking as I rushed to get dressed that morning. Just a thin jacket, vintage which means the sleeves are too short. A shirt, skirt, and tights that probably will ruin by the day’s end from the excited claws of an overexcited beagle. My scarf is wrapped tightly…
It’s that time of year again when I try to stop procrastinating and get my holiday shopping done in advance before our big trip to America this December. Our plans this year are to stop by Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego (tips welcome!) before heading to spend Christmas and NYE with family and friends. I haven’t been back in two years, so I expect to be slightly shell-shocked as per usual by ‘Merica and all of its overabundance of shopping…
Just like that, it’s already Thanksgiving. I am currently in our living room, snuggled up with a cozy blanket, sipping a cappuccino and pretending like this isn’t a normal work day in Italy when it in all actuality it is—and yes, I still have to work. Truth be told, I have lost the desire to celebrate most American holidays since moving to Italy ten years ago — but Thanksgiving has always felt like something sacred. If you ignore Black Friday,…
When it comes to people that inspire in this world, what matters most to me are the people that aren’t afraid to be vulnerable. With the amount of content out there on blogs, Instagram and various social media channels, all showcasing a perfect, filtered life, it can be hard to figure out what’s real. Especially in the realm of travel. Not everything is/should be a flowing maxi dress, a girl clutching a straw hat hyper focused while a beautiful background…
Imagine the most magnificent gardens you’ve probably ever seen, a place lush with overgrowth, jasmine and roses snaking their way over the crumbled ruins of a medieval city in Lazio’s Cisterna di Latina, 40 minutes south of Rome. Ninfa is a sublime former village turned garden (105 hectares) in a place where time seems to have stopped. Its name, dedicated to the Naiad Nymphs goddesses of spring water, can be spotted in the garden in an ancient temple which lend to its…
I have been more than pleasantly surprised about how many people like the new series on the blog celebrating independent bookshops in Florence. For my first edition, I interviewed Libreria Clichy and now instead have crossed Ponte Carraia to head down a little street called Via dei Fossi. A place more known for its antiques and proximity to Santa Maria Novella than anything else. It also happens to be home to a place I love, 180 square meters of an independent…
Fear not November’s challenge bold— We’ve books and friends, And hearths that never can grow cold: These make amends! ~Alexander L. Fraser (1870–1954), “November,” c.1918 What would a year be without a November? Typically reviled and scorned as a depressing month with short, dark days and plenty of rain, I see it a little different. It’s a month where I typically dive into cooking warm, comforting meals and rearrange my wardrobe (boring but necessary). It’s the month of our wedding…
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” Toward the end of Michelangelo’s life, he really didn’t like Florence. Michelangelo was the second of five sons and born in 1475 to a fame-obsessed father. As a teenager, he became the talented young apprentice of the Florentine painter, Domenico Ghirlandaio who famously said ‘This fellow knows more about art than I do’ about the young artist during the works of the chapel of Santa Maria Novella…
Locals I Love: Katja Meier
24.10.2017
This week’s local I love is an extraordinary person who lives in what I think is an instagram dreamworld (her terrace) but Katja is anything but a vapid social media personality. She is a former actress turned writer, altruistic soul, olive picker—and now author of her first book “Across The Big Blue Sea” that highlights her time working in an Italian refugee home that I highlighted earlier this year in a “what to read” roundup on the blog. We’ve met…
Yesterday the Palazzo Strozzi unveiled an exciting new exhibit “Radical Utopias“ in Strozzina curated by Pino Brugellis, Gianni Pettena, Alberto Salvadori on the the Radical Architecture Movement in Florence that took place during the 1960s and ’70s. This was a time post flood (November 1966) when fundamental questions were raised on the future of the city, actively debated by young students of the architecture department in the city of Florence. This will be a chance to see the cultural movement of individuals who revolutionized contemporary architecture,…
Before I went to a dinner recently at Molo Sedici in Castiglione della Pescaia, I had no idea that Tuscany’s marine life in Maremma was in such dire risk. In my inbox came an invite to dinner themed around a talk by Paolo Fanciulli, a passionate fisherman from Maremma who started a wonderful campaign ‘La Casa dei Pesci’ again the illegal act of trawling the seafloor with heavy nets, devastating the benthic flora and fauna that exists down below. Especially the…
The Other Florence: Le Cure
16.10.2017
Across the railway, under the hills of Fiesole, cut through by the river Mugnone, lies Le Cure – my neighborhood. I moved here by pure coincidence almost five years ago. I was about to sign a rental lease for an apartment in a completely different neighborhood of Florence, but at the very last minute the owner changed his mind, and I suddenly had less than a month to find myself a new place before having to leave my old apartment.…
As long as I can remember, I’ve had a very deep connection with books. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog, books were my friends when I had few of them, they were a way to escape mentally from my surroundings (general boredom in Texas- it’s a real thing) and be instantly transported into another world. It brought me from being a shy, awkward kid with little to say — to someone who could never shut up. This love hasn’t…
Locals I Love: Talking to Suzi Jenkins
09.10.2017
“I am destined to be an eternal hybrid” With that phrase alone, I know Suzi gets what it’s like to live abroad long-term. I have fallen behind on “Locals I love” (get out the whips and chains y’all!) and I am determined to not let that happen again because I adore it so and that’s pretty selfish. This blog takes a lot to maintain as far as costs, personal time, effort and fact-checking, photo editing, but that’s no excuse in…
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables How I adore that quote from a book I fell in love with as a child, a book for everyone despite being published in 1908 that made me wish that I too was living a new life in the mythical place of Avonlea. Back to October in Florence – it is indeed, a lovely time to be here and I am all smiles…
When we flatulate, we can pray Stay with me on this one guys.. I love getting emails from people because it makes posts like this possible. When it comes to learning languages on this blog, you know I have been more than open regarding my own linguistic mishaps – this show no sign of slowing down as I attempt now a third language to further my masochistic life journey with languages. Thanks to Italian teacher Roberta who was nice enough to…
Mobike Revolution: Bike-Sharing In Florence
24.09.2017
I knew the day would come when I actually would want to ride a bike daily. The #MobikeRevolution, dock-less city bike sharing, has arrived to the city of Florence and I have wanted to write about this for some time. Yet I held off in an attempt to share only when I’ve actually tried their service for a few weeks and now it’s finally time to report back on the blog. Additionally, it coincides quite nicely with this month’s Italy blogger roundtable…
11 Interesting Places to Visit When in Milan
06.09.2017
Why 11 places to visit in Milan? Well, Like many stubborn people who have their ideas set in stone about a place, the capital city of Lombardy was definitely a place that for many years I wrote off as solely Italy’s business and fashion hub. A little flash, trendy, however, not enough of the Italy charm that I’ve fallen in love with elsewhere. Essentially, a great place to find work, a working bus, and go for fancy sushi, not my…
I absolutely love September. The humidity of August has a tendency to linger, sure. But what lies in waiting is the promise of cooler evenings and an abundance of everything, events, food festivals, wine, work. Traditionally in Italy, September marks the start of wine harvest season when farmers start collecting grapes from their vineyards. Truth be told, this summer has been a hard one for farmers. Friends who live and work in the countryside have told me that many people…
Looking for that ideal cosmopolitan city with boundless energy and an exciting nightlife to rival the best clubs of Parisian nightlife? Well, the Île-de-Brèhat is anything but that. In fact, it’s a place that couldn’t possibly be more different than France’s most visited city. Here you’re far more likely to run into a precocious crab scampering up the shoreline during low tide than you are an actual person. This place my friends, is an entirely different kind of paradise. In…
Main image credit: By © Jorge Royan / http://www.royan.com.ar, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19101252 Head to the Ponte Vecchio on most days and expect to cross the city’s most ancient enchanting bridge with throngs of other travelers window-shopping and photographing the view from one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Up until the 13th century, crossing the Ponte Vecchio was really the only way to cross the city a city that was ever growing until the population halved during the black plague. The bridge was completely…
This summer has been anything but pleasant. I know you might be thinking “hey but you’re in Italy, what right do you have to complain.” Point taken but this August 2017, I actually really can – the NYTimes have settled on the name “Lucifer” to explain the phenomenon across Southern Europe. Temperatures have topped 103-105 for a week straight last week in Florence and we only have one portable air-conditioner that I might actually consider asking to be my sister-wife.…
It’s Sunday afternoon and I have nothing to do. This is one of the first weekends where am I actually able to say that. Gone is the whirlwind that was my visitors from Texas, and my obligations for work trips that brought me to Nice, France—the Dolomites, among numerous day trips into the lush countryside where our closest company was mostly the loud chirps of crickets. For now, it’s just Nico, a bored beagle and myself, all clamoring to keep…
Where to Eat in Florence This August 2017
28.07.2017
Ah the arrival of August. For me, it conjures up the image of streets empty of Italians (for th most part) in Florence and a slower vibe. The holidays surrounding Ferragosto, the 15th, being the time when most locals are away on beach holidays or in the mountains as the summer exodus reaches it peak in a land where it definitely used to be too hot to work during this time period. This summer, we’ve been hit by a pretty…
33 Things I’ve Learned Upon Turning 33
13.07.2017
10 years ago, I was in Los Angeles finishing my last year of university and preparing to move back to Italy. I had two jobs, at a fancy tanning salon (hilarious), and at my university’s study abroad office talking to overly-excited students about what a year abroad was like in between shifts of crap work. I dyed my hair platinum blond because someone told me I shouldn’t. I shared a small apartment with the most adorable and patient soul in…
Momio Firenze: Brunch But Not Only
05.07.2017
I have to be honest, it’s been forever and a day since I’ve craved anything resembling eggs benedict. In Florence, it almost feels like brunch was a fad that came and went. After 10 years here, I have become more Italian than I would care to admit. I drink coffee and sometimes have a pastry for breakfast. It’s not really a thing we do in our household though for lunch, avocados often sneak into our meals. When the craving for…
July has arrived and it leaves in its wake the heatwave we’ve all been complaining about for almost the entirety of June. Yesterday, I was actually cold in my house as the summer storms have begun and the city gets a welcome break from the sun’s relentless beating. Florence is full-to-bursting as it is every July, I tend to get up early and wander the Duomo side of the city only then or after dark, a bit vampire-isa, I know,…
Florence is one of those places where you get to meet every kind of person imaginable. I’ve been lucky in the past 10 years to meet some of my best friends; brilliant people, studying, working, or just passing through. It’s a place where amazing minds find their place, so aptly nestled within this city’s incredible history. Often I find that people are already filtered in my favor, with endless amounts of curiosity, eagerness, all with a love to live among…
“Look over there” Nadia pointed out. Her finger stretching towards the window of our van at a hilly landscape dotted with colorful houses, many of which seemed stacked on top of one another. “this is the neighborhood of Ecatepec.“ This, the densely populated suburb of Mexico City, marked as a place both poverty and crime ridden but a place also of richness and culture. It made International news when Pope Francis came to visit in 2016, there he famously decried Mexico’s corrupt elite…
Locals I Love: Lisa Clifford
24.06.2017
This week’s locals I love is someone I truly respect and who I’ve only actually met this year. A bit surprising since Florence is such a small town and you would have thought our paths would have crossed much sooner. However just another reason to adore where I live, it constantly has the ability to surprise you. Lisa is an acclaimed author who’s books The Promise and Death in The Mountains have kept me enthralled, as she delves into the…
Lately, I feel as if life has been passing by with the speed of a Frecciarossa train between work, friends, and play. Obviously I love it, this is the life that I chose but I also love to complain about it, because essentially that’s what humans do. Deadlines have increased as my workload has heavily increased. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I am still learning how to manage it all and have a life. Like most freelancers, I am…
You know, I often see”al fresco” advertising places outside but is this what Italians actually say to describe eating outside? In case I’m wrong (and this often happens) it is to my understanding that it actually literally means “being in the cool air”. The correct terminology instead for eating outside or declaring you want to is using the phrase “all’aperto,” but no one will judge you (I hope) if you say Al Fresco, just some food for thought (pun intended). With…
Locals I Love: Tommaso Galli
05.06.2017
When I think about couples that I admire in Italy, one that always comes foremost in my mind is Tommaso and Giulia. Both are Tuscan born and raised and run one of the best (my opinion) food blogs in both Italian and English. If that wasn’t impressive if in its own right, quite frankly they almost make it look easy and yet I know how hard it is. From taking superb photos, to running workshops, to making time for themselves,…
I admit my tardiness in getting this personal list of interesting June events around Florence, but I have a good excuse. One of my friends celebrated her bachelorette party this past weekend and my priority was on her happiness and work a close second which results naturally, in the blog getting a bit less love. However despite the fact that June has bull-dozed its way into existence, I am cool with that. The weather is almost uncomfortably warm, to the…
Friendship and One Week in Croatia
01.06.2017
“We are friends for life. When we’re together the years fall away. Isn’t that what matters? To have someone who can remember with you? To have someone who remembers how far you’ve come?” ― Judy Blume The day I met Kat we both had no idea how important we would become in one another’s life. ps. If you’re reading this post just for tips on Croatia feel free to scroll down It was 2005, cue a ridiculous group of exciting…
24 Hours In Taxco, A Pueblo Mágico in Mexico
16.05.2017
Has anyone told you about the buses in Mexico? They’re amazing. Far from the scary “Greyhound” bus tales of my youth in America, buses here are nothing of that sort and often feature business-class type luxuries. The bus stations are clean, functional and well-organized. We checked our bags as if at an airport and were given water and a snack for our easy journey. For our two-week Mexico trip we booked several rides, and from Mexico City for the shortest…
When it comes to “where you can you visit while using Florence as a base” nothing comes more to mind than the city of Bologna, capital of Emilia-Romagna. A quick and pleasant 35 minute journey by fast train from Santa Maria Novella will have you up there quicker than you can say “mortadella” and maybe an hour from that time, you’ll be able to eat some in one of the city’s gastronomic hotspots because this place well known for its…
This isn’t a post meant to criticize Cinque Terre. Liguria’s pride and joy, five towns once cut off from the rest of Italy and reachable only by boat. They are truly a site to see, and if that’s your favorite destination in Italy, who am I to tell you otherwise. For me, it’s a little different. I remember fearing for my life year’s ago as crowds aggressively shoved one another in a crazed frenzy to board the tiny trains, totally incapable…
“This is my favorite” Paolo smiles as he runs his hands over the top of a rectangular box “inside, it represents the gold rush in America, from a female point of view. Many don’t know this but women made a lot of money during this period. Not digging up gold of course, but instead, selling useful things to those who were searching for gold,” he laughs as he slowly opens the box. We peered eagerly inside, the front end of…
May you beautiful beast you. I’m so ready for a little bit of warmth, to put away my thick tights and boots in exchange for sandals and light jackets, though my scarves are regularly on hand because this month is always full of surprises, weather or otherwise. This April has been one of trips (Levanto, Capri, and Naples, Orvieto) and luscious long weekends. It’s one of those months that makes you truly grateful to be a country with so many…
For a girl who has done her fair amount of food tours, I knew I was going to love Rocio’s the second Nico and I rolled up to the pretty corner in Condesa in Mexico City. It all started when she told us about her previous night’s adventures. It involved a bit of drinking, an interesting conversation, a jealous boyfriend and plenty of “honesty hour” conversation which basically had us laughing the entire tour. Her easy familiarity won me over immediately. We hadn’t…
50 Shades of “Foreign” in Florence, Italy
20.04.2017
“Ma tu non sei Italiana, di dove sei?” Italianess “You are not Italian, where are you from?” An innocent question, made typically out of pure curiosity by the person I’m speaking to. Usually, it’s followed by.. “Ma, parli Italiano benissimo, brava” But you speak Italian well, good job” I always wince a little when I hear that for two different reasons. One, I have lived in Italy full stop since 2007, and after 10 years my Italian SHOULD be good…
I remember visiting my friend Emiko in Porto Ercole in 2015 when she was there for a six month period along Tuscany’s silver coastline. Beloved by those in the know, it is certainly not a place as famous as Liguria’s Cinque Terre or further down south, the popular Amalfi Coast. But that’s why I love it. Here, the coastal towns of Porto Ercole, and Porto Santo Stefano in the promontory of Monte Argentario fill up with locals or visiting Italians…
Mexico City is a huge city that feels like millions of micro cities all jammed into one place and to be honest, before visiting, I didn’t know what to expect. Sure some of what I’ve read online is true, it’s chaotic, there’s tons of traffic and pollution is a very real truth. However what surprised me most of all is how awesome of a city this is. Why haven’t I heard more about it? Mexico is a lot of things…
A Reading List For Spring/Summer 2017
05.04.2017
If 2015 was a busy year, 2016 took the cake on that front. So much so, I probably made myself sick by the year’s end by working too much and ignoring my body’s basic need to just rest therefore it comes to no surprise that up until recently I had a nagging cold that still isn’t completely gone today. However, this past vacation in Mexico taught me to slow down, breathe and most of all dive into something I truly love…
Despite allergies taking a toll on my health since we’ve been back from Mexico, I have been more excited than ever about what’s to come in Florence. April is set to be a busy month for those in love with the arts, film festival enthusiasts and those seeking about a pleasant Spring atmosphere (one can only hope) with only the occasional rain shower, which of course won’t damper our spirits. Since I’ve been back, I have been overwhelmed with all of…
“You know, we wanted to open a place where we would like to eat, where we would send our friends.” #NoInsalataSoloBistecca (no salad, only steak) if anything, this hashtag should make you fall in love with this place before you’ve stepped foot though the door. Over a glass of well — more like a bottle of wine with the new team of Osteria della Enoteca on Via Romana [the same location as the ex Santo Graal] and the same team…
Locals I Love: Maria Pasquale
21.03.2017
As soon as I met Maria I know we would be friends. She has a hearty laugh and instantly makes anyone who is around her feel comfortable. A hard worker with a strong sense of self, I have nothing but respect for people like Maria who know how to put in the hours and naturally success comes their way. I’ve long looked at her blog Heart Rome for tips for trips down to the Eternal City and especially her neighborhood…
“So what’s your heritage again?” Caucasian, hispanic..? Um I guess both.. “No you have to put something down.” Um Ok “Other” Sigh …… “You’re Mexican right, I mean your mom?” No.. I think she’s from Barcelona.. “Really.. where?” I don’t know I think some small town outside of Barcelona… …. “Sarah…. Katie…. Allison….Dereck…. and um… George…georgetta, georgina? (the class giggles), sorry what is your name again? It’s Georgette, you know “Georgette with a ‘t’ ‘t’ ‘e’ at the end” Ah…
The first time I’ve ever stepped foot in Teatro della Pergola is when I was a 21 year old study abroad student, sent here by my school to watch La Mandragora (the Mandrake) a satirical play by Italian Renaissance philosopher by Niccolò Machiavelli. At the time, I was studying political science, a rather random degree to pursue in a country in the throws of Berlusconism, or rather perhaps this was a brilliant coincidence. Why, well when it came to Machiavelli, he was also the author of The Prince a…
From Florence With Love, A Personal Story
14.02.2017
I’ll never forget my first week in Florence I was only twenty-one, fresh from Los Angeles on a bustling flight with what would be my fellow students for the full academic year. Upon touch down was our first experience with September humidity and public transportation. We were put into lodging for a week in a small hotel near Piazza della Liberta, deemed a sufficient time to not only find an apartment but people you actually want to live with. I…
A Wonderful 24 Hours In Rennes, France
09.02.2017
There is something about the country of France that I can’t seem to shake; while Italy is home, the good and the bad, over time we find ourselves crossing the border to France I have this overall calm, it’s quite hard to explain. On one occasion of a friend’s weeding last year, Nico and I rented a Fiat 500 from the Paris Beauvais airport (not my favorite) and set off for a week of eating and drinking our way through Normandy and Brittany.…
February Events in Florence, Italy
01.02.2017
Here we are you sneaky little month of February, arriving as you do with rain showers and a beautiful fog– and for me, a ton of deadlines. I don’t know how I’ve managed to overwhelm myself with work and commitments but as I promised my husband this week, one day I’ll learn. Let’s be honest here, January has been quite the month, both for the world and locally here in Florence. I have a headache from everything that is going on…
There is a great risk to the world of art as we know it. In Italy, funding for cultural preservation has always been a little murky. Just last year the EU pulled over 57 million euros for historical preservation funding form Italy over local mismanagement in Sicily, Calabria and Campania. It’s not just Italy though, the USA seems apt to join the path of undermining the arts which leads to a very uncertain future, though I dearly hope that I am…
First of all, mi dispiace (I’m sorry) for the depressing headline, as you know this is a blog, a blog with my personal opinions mingled with life experience after 10 years in Italy. Which is a heck of a lot less than a lot of other people I know here. One thing I really should say before continuing this post is that I am super pro anyone moving to another country, even if for a short time. Anything that gets…