This month I've been travelling home to Australia to visit family and friends. It's been a strange visit, somewhat rushed, bittersweet and filled with a terrible sense of reverse culture shock. I don't think I've ever felt so tired or disoriented than after going from a deep Sicilian winter into the middle of a warm…
Continue reading ➞ Out of Sicily for now …
I’ve always been challenged by the mountainous landscape in Sicily. The boundless slopes disorient me, I have problems finding my bearings and the horizon is blocked out by them. When I go hiking down steep hillsides I am constantly holding on for dear life, grappling white-knuckled onto the flimsiest blade of grass. I’ve lost count…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Mountain Lessons
People love Italy, they fantasies about it, they want to live here but never realise how broken a place it is. It is slow in mentality, stubborn to change and frustrating for someone who is used to living in a younger faster moving, more efficient country. One day when the rest of the world is…
Continue reading ➞ Coming back to Sicily: contrasting reflections
Every time I go home for a visit I get terribly excited, start making lists of what I want to do, who I need to see and what I should buy so I can make the most of my three months in Australia (as my Italian husband travels on a short tourist visa- I’m sure…
Continue reading ➞ Going home: an expat’s internal conflict
"Chieti mare" by Original uploader was Idéfix at nl.wikipedia - Originally from nl.wikipedia; description page is/was here.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. I have my surname thanks to my father, who is the dearest Del Borrello in my life, he is the sweetest man I know, always happy, accepting and tolerant…
Continue reading ➞ Not quite a Del Borrello: reflections on an overgrown family tree
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
Today we have a lovely guest post by Jessica from The Turquoise Compass After spending 6 weeks on Australia's East Coast, I couldn't leave without getting a taste of the West Coast as well. With only 3 months in Australia (relatively speaking), I can't do it all (even though I want to), so I…
Continue reading ➞ What to do With 10 Days in Western Australia
The reflective and somewhat haunting Swan River, near my native home in Perth, Western Australia seems a world away. This time of year always makes me homesick ...
You must be logged in to post a comment.