My friends and family think I am totally insane to be living my life in Italy, they are waiting for me to come to my senses and move back to Australia, like I’ve been playing around for the past decade of my life. The truth is it’s been more than chasing a dream, I’m not…
Continue reading ➞ Leading an authentic life in Sicily
I have been dipping into Distant Drumlin a blog by Karolyn Cooper for quite a while now as there is a fascinating journey behind it and Karolyn has led me into the world of many other excellent international expat experiences and bloggers. The creator of Distant Drumlin returned to the UK after living in India…
Continue reading ➞ Blogging around the world with Karolyn from Distant Drumlin
The fertility of Sicily’s volcanic soil is well-known and thanks to the Sicilian habit of having a vegetable garden I’ve never been without fresh fruits and vegetables to prepare throughout the year, from eggplants, capsicums, chili peppers, basil and tomatoes in the summer to peas, potatoes, pumpkins and broad beans in the winter. There is…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Tomatoes, Benedica
There is no doubt that expat blogs from Florence are probably the most popular around, there are literally hundreds of them, but there are few which are able to make themselves stand out and original like Tiana Kai in Florence. Tiana combines her love of travel with her curiosity and knack with photography to explore Tuscany,…
Continue reading ➞ Blogging around the world with Tiana Kai in Florence
November is a sombre time in Sicily, traditionally it’s not all jack o lanterns and candy rather its about taking flowers to the cemetery and lighting artificial lights instead of candles in memory of the dead. All souls and dearly held saints are prayed for in religious services in the Roman Catholic church and the…
Continue reading ➞ Flowers and lights for our ancestors
***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
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
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
It is always a challenge for non native speakers of any language to learn and assimilate into a new country but Italy has its own particular surprises reserved for struggling expats. Before moving to Italy permanently I thought I was quite savvy with my Italian. After all I had almost majored in Italian, lived…
Continue reading ➞ Tongue tied in Italy
What’s it like for a Sicilian to be married to a foreigner? Living in the south of Italy is very much like living in a Middle Eastern country, Sicily isn’t the south of the Italian peninsula but rather a northern state of Africa. Sicilian’s are very traditional and proud of their culture. An islander is…
Continue reading ➞ So you’re married to a foreigner … an Italian perspective
This past week I’ve had several reminders why I’m such an unwilling expat. Random encounters with rude and ignorant people who in their defensiveness are hurtful. Living in small town Sicily every time I open my mouth it is painfully obvious that I am a foreigner ( here they don’t say, what a lovely accent,…
Continue reading ➞ Sicily, how rude!
I recently met a lovely Canadian lady who was complaining about the lack of air conditioning in Sicily. I had totally forgotten why Sicilian’s and Italian’s in general are so anti artificial cooling systems in the summer. I have passed through so many humid summers it must have fried my memory when it comes to…
Continue reading ➞ Why do Sicilians fear Air conditioning?
I’ve always been surprised at the average Italians innate racism, sexism and homophobia. I’m certain there are plenty of enlightened Italians out there but the majority I’ve met are more of the red neck kind. An example is the debate during the recent European soccer championships about whether or not the Italian Mario Balotelli could…
Continue reading ➞ What do you mean Balotelli isn’t Italian?
It’s official Italian kids are the most bad mannered while overseas. Thanks to a recent report from ANSA Italy (on ansa.it) Italian children on vacation are the least civilised in Europe, according to a survey conducted in 500 European hotels. According to the report the worst offenders were children from Milan and Rome followed…
Continue reading ➞ Bad mannered Italian’s
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