I was recently asked via twitter about what there is to be done in September in Sicily. The truth is just as many things as you can do at any time of the year, it probably is a good month to visit the island as the holiday ‘high season’ is well and truly over and…
Continue reading ➞ A September song
Freelance journalist Mary Johnston shares her insights about the world of Italian Fashion. Gucci by fervent-adepte-de-la-mode (CC BY 2.0). During my time in Italy, I have learned that there are a few things that are just innate in the people of this beautiful country. They are just born knowing how to love food, traditions, art…
Continue reading ➞ Italian Fashion Insights
***Warning this post contains images of Italian toilets, bad double entendre and Australian slang*** I have never understood the reason behind the lack of public toilets in major Italian cities as you would think it is a common courtesy to keep lovely, clean toilets for tourists and visitors. So what should anyone visiting do to…
Continue reading ➞ The toilet situation in Italy
Sometimes, living in Italy is like being inside an awful soap opera; it's a vibrant, quirky, melodramatic place filled with controversies, corruption, and paradoxes. Italy is a place of great beauty, creativity and unique experiences, overshadowed by equally abhorrent ugliness, criminality and hypocrisy. The Italian people themselves manifest these conflicting traits. I have come across…
Continue reading ➞ Flamboyant Italians: Vittorio Sgarbi
There are five things I would never do in August in Sicily! 1) Don’t get any heavy dental work done, as you will be suffering a toothache until your dentist gets back from his cruise on the islands. 2) If you are a woman don’t go into labor as you will be delivering…
Continue reading ➞ Five things never to do in August in Sicily
There are literally hundreds of water fountains all over Italy gushing with water, Baroque details and sculpture. Often we are mesmerized by the immense works of art without seeing the cute little details. This grumpy little water god got my attention when he blew in my ear as I walked by the old…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Sicily: the spirit of things
Elio Vittorini’s Conversations in Sicily has been on my reading list for a while and I was delighted to find the original English translation in the Amazon Kindle store compete with an introduction from Ernest Hemingway so I immediately snapped it up. However, for some unknown reason, it was never delivered and after several emails,…
Continue reading ➞ Conversations with Elio Vittorini and his critics
Often beauty is in the fine detail. It is easy to become overwhelmed by the immense works of art all over Italy, yet while trying to take in the whole you often miss the subtle aspects. This detail above the main door at the Duomo of Messina is as magnificent as the entire…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian impressions: beauty in the details
Italy is a place where fashion comes alive. Italians have a real flare for it whether it be elderly ladies dressed in colorful silk tops and high heels, or the latest shop window display from Dolce and Gabanna there is an astounding level of creative expression happening deep within the Italian psyche which is inspiring.…
Continue reading ➞ Window shopping in Sicily
The concept of ‘multiculturalism’ is a source of debate throughout the world, whether it is possible for a country to become truly multicultural and if different cultures really can exist peacefully side by side or is it simply a utopia. Italy in particular resists other cultures mixing with the domineering Italian one. Minister of Integration,…
Continue reading ➞ Multicultural Sicily (whether they like it or not)
The Fiat 500 is an enigmatic symbol of Italy. I’ve lost track of the amount of people who say this is their dream car. I am constantly coming across these cute Italian creations, which are easy to park in cramped car parks all over Italy. The cinquecento is featured on endless tourist souvenirs…
Continue reading ➞ Postcards from Sicily: Fiat 500
One of the most inspiring expat blogs I’ve come across in Italy must be Mozzarella Mamma which is the creation of Trisha, an American journalist who has been living and working in Rome for the past two decades. She’s an inspiration simply because she has managed to juggle being a professional, bringing up three…
Continue reading ➞ Blogging around the world: Mozzarella Mamma
U lignu si torci quannu e’ virdi Literally the wood is moulded when it is green. Sicilian wisdom is practical, true and often uses metaphors from the natural world. This phrase is symbolic of the islands basic ‘folk wisdom.’ In fact habits and character are best moulded in youth.
This week on Blogging Around the World, we are back in ‘Bella Italia’ to be specific Florence and a sassy American gal called Misty and the struggles she describes on her blog Surviving in Italy. Now there is plenty of blog action happening out of Florence but you aren’t going to find anything quite like…
Continue reading ➞ Blogging Around the world: Surviving in Italy
Today I want to tackle your questions about living in Italy full-time. To be honest I haven’t been asked many questions so I got my virtual and real Facebook friends to send me some random ones, which I’ll answer below. Maryann asks: How is the plumbing and the water? Well, the average Italian bathroom…
Continue reading ➞ Quirky questions about life in Italy
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