How to make friends as a newly arrived Expat in Italy.
Tag: Italia
All the essential festivities to celebrate in Italy during the festive season.
Photo by Javon Swaby Hello friend, Apart from Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, there are a few other significant dates in the Italian festive season calendar that you must watch out for if you decide to visit Italy in December and January. Some people are wary of visiting Italy for Christmas…
Continue reading ➞ All the essential festivities to celebrate in Italy during the festive season.
Please share:
More tips still for first time visitors to Italy
Photo by Jeffrey Czum Hello Friend, Are you ready for some more insider tips for your trip to Italy? As a travel writer who has explored most of this beautiful country, I've gathered some valuable tips to make your Italian adventure unforgettable. 1. First things first, try to learn some basic Italian phrases…
Continue reading ➞ More tips still for first time visitors to Italy
Please share:
Travel advice: Taormina, Palermo and Catania
Hello friend, I'm gradually working through your travel questions about Sicily. Don't expect detailed travel itineraries; let's keep it general. I'm happy to point you in the right direction if you are planning a trip. Hi, I came across your website and have a question. My husband and I will be visiting Sicily for 2…
Continue reading ➞ Travel advice: Taormina, Palermo and Catania
Please share:
Travel Advice: Santa Ninfia and the province of Trapani
Hello friend, I'm gradually working through your travel questions about Sicily. It's taking me a while, but I'm loving it. Don't expect detailed travel itineraries; let's keep it general. I'm happy to point you in the right direction if you are planning a trip. Hello, Rochelle! What travel planning advice would you suggest as I'd…
Continue reading ➞ Travel Advice: Santa Ninfia and the province of Trapani
Please share:
Randazzo: at the feet of Mongibello
Randazzo sits under the feet of Mount Etna; a gigantic menacing shadow is constantly over the city. It is a place born out of the volcano and at its mercy. The wide lava streets of Randazzo create a sense of ancientness, the shades of grey sketching out the city in the deep depressing tones of…
Continue reading ➞ Randazzo: at the feet of Mongibello
Please share:
The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy
I'm raising my child to speak English in Italy, not just anywhere in Italy but precisely in a small town in Sicily. Unlike the major cities on the peninsula like Rome, Milan, or even Palermo, with large ex-pat communities and English international schools, I'm the only English speaker in my local community. This is great…
Continue reading ➞ The trials of raising a bilingual child in small-town Italy
Please share:
Fashionable English
Sometimes, well, Italy is an awkward fit for me. Actually most times, which is ok, as I am generally self-conscious in everyday life. It is strange to think that someone genetically 100% Italian would find life in Italy to be uncomfortable. I would be a sought-after show pony if there were a pedigree for Italian-ness.…
Continue reading ➞ Fashionable English
Please share:
Sicilian details: signs
I love taking photos of walls and signage; they have the same quality as an old postcard, like a memory of an ancient time. I took a photo of a fragment from a poem on a wall at Monreale. I liked the dirty paint, the lettering seemed like something from the Fascist period, and I…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian details: signs
Please share:
My Sicily: a poem
What is Sicily to me? There are hundreds of Sicilies. An island of hundred faces. like the tale of Medusa who becomes more elaborate at every retelling. Singing like Rosa Balistreri with an emotional strength pouring out the tears in an overflowing stream. A song of Sicily’s poverty, her beauty, with her insatiable energy, the…
Continue reading ➞ My Sicily: a poem
Please share:
Life in the classical underworld
I sometimes feel as if I am a modern Persephone, abducted by my husband to live in the underworld. An underworld in the classical sense, the ancient Greeks' afterlife, the place where Hades, the ruler of the spirit realm, abides and where mythology finds its home. I wasn't kidnapped but somewhat constrained by my love…
Continue reading ➞ Life in the classical underworld
Please share:
The end of summer
Sicily at the end of August is a fiery ball of heat, humidity, mosquitoes and desert winds whipping up from Africa. We arrive in Sicily in the final month of Summer; my husband decides to take a couple more weeks off work; to rest and get over jet lag. Italy shuts down at this time…
Continue reading ➞ The end of summer
Please share:
Sicilian Status Quo
In my search to understand the character of Sicily, I discover the work of the Sicilian writer Giuseppe di Lampedusa. His novel, The Leopard, is set in the period of the Risorgimento when Italy violently transformed itself from a collection of principalities into a unified country. This masterpiece is filled with insightful observations on the…
Continue reading ➞ Sicilian Status Quo
Please share:
Making friends with death
Since coming to Sicily, I’ve become more acquainted with death. In Sicily, mortality isn’t hidden in funeral homes or polite obituaries printed in newspapers. The end of life is part of every day, and the rites associated with mortality become tinged with a mixture of superstition and religion. The ceremony of death in Sicily makes…
Continue reading ➞ Making friends with death
Please share:
My Father in law and his lawyer
My father-in-law looks like the classical Sicilian Mafioso. When I first met him, I found him intimidating, with his mumbling voice, imposing figure and well-kept moustache. As I spent more time with my new family, I discovered a doting grandfather. He helps his family in any way possible. He has a commanding presence over his…
Continue reading ➞ My Father in law and his lawyer
You must be logged in to post a comment.