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VafFanCola
I was walking to the market one day and I stopped dead in my tracks, staring open-mouthed at a billboard that read: I went back to take a picture the next day, but it had been plastered over by an...
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Hats and Habits
You know it’s hot when the nuns start breaking out their baseball caps.
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Saldi: Sale Season in Italy
Oh, how I miss Target and all things bargain-priced. The Euro-Dollar exchange rate is killing me, so I have a biannual event that I always look forward to: SALDI! Saldi (sales) happen twice a year in...
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Motorino
On my first trip to Rome, I was terrified of the city because I was almost hit by a motorino on the sidewalk. Sidewalks, riding the wrong way down one way streets, holding umbrellas while driving in...
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Riots in Rome: 100 injured, 1 Million Euro in Damages
Yesterday, what was supposed to be a peaceful protest inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement was hijacked by violent rioters. I’m not sure if I moved to Rome at a strange time, but though I was...
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International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day! A day celebrating the ladies, that is not widely practiced in the United States, but which wikipedia describes as a “mix of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.” In Italy,...
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Airing Dirty Laundry
Spring is in the air! The days are longer, and the weather is warmer. Perfect for hanging your laundry out to dry. Which is exactly how my neighbor’s underwear ended up in my rosemary. A truly Italian...
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Living in Italy: Getting a Codice Fiscale
I recently met up with R for aperitivo and a chat about life in Rome. Over wine and Oasi della Birra’s buffet we talked about the poorly defined bureaucratic hurdles that one has to navigate when...
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Indulgence
I am recovering. I am recovering from too much fun, and too much work, etc, etc. There are times in life when you need to find a balance. There are other times when you have to surrender control and...
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Stopping for Saints: Religious Procession in Testaccio
We came back from Castel Gandolfo sunburned and satisfied. Slowly, slowly, we walked back from the metro and towards home. Then we heard the music. Tomorrow is a ponte – a bridge. That is the day off...
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9 Reasons I am Thankful I Moved to Italy
When I moved to Rome, I realized I was homesick for the first time on Thanksgiving day. In Italy, Thanksgiving is just a Thursday. Thousands of miles away, my entire family was gathering around a...
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Act Italian: Fare la Scarpetta
In Venice, I ordered strozzapreti with seafood. It was garlic-y perfection and I quickly decided that no I would not share, and inhaled it all. The sauce, with bright parsley in hearty fish broth was...
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A Truffle Failure; A Walnut Success
I really wanted to hunt for truffles this season. I wanted the dog and the muddy boots and the baskets of tartufi to grate over pasta. We headed to Le Marche to find our truffles, but the rain got...
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Italian Toilets, or Going to the Bathroom in Rome
I am sorry, but we really have to talk about the state of Rome’s toilets. I know I usually post some pretty photos of the Eternal City, but you will have to bear with me for this post. Because what...
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March Weather in Rome
Did you know that Rome gets more rain than London? It’s true. It just comes all at once. Luckily, Rome looks good in the rain. There is a saying, particular to March: Marzo cambia sette cappelli al...
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Roman West Side Story
I saw these guys coming. I saw the swagger. I noted the sway of hips as they went about their law-enforcing. And all I could think about was Jets vs. Sharks. Naturally, I was incredibly disappointed...
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8 Reasons Why Moving to Italy Made Sense, Financially
There are a lot of reasons to move to Rome. Weather, food, art and culture all come to mind. However, one of the reasons I moved to Rome was because it made sense for my budget. Think you can’t afford...
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Sunset at the Spanish Steps
Mid-May in Rome is absolutely perfect. Early May didn’t start at that way this year. We bundled up in coats and pulled our rain boots out. But last week walking to meet my aunt and uncle for dinner,...
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7 Things You Can Do at an Italian Tabacchi
Tabacchi (tabacco shops) are the workhorses of Italy. You can do a lot of useful things in an Italian tabacchi. The shops are nearly ubiquitous, identifiable by the black and white (or blue and white)...
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La Serenata: Roman Wedding Tradition
I came home on a Tuesday and there were 60 people standing outside my gate. A brief moment of panic struck me — was there a fire?? Why was everyone outside? But there was no smell of smoke and the...
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