Why I Moved
I was 17 when the thought of moving to Italy first crossed my mind. It was August of 2008, and I had just spent three wonderful weeks on vacation traveling the boot with my family—stopping briefly in Venice, then making…
A Day in the Chianti Countryside with Accidental Tourist
La vita è una combinazione di pasta e magia. Federico Fellini That quote (+ lots of wine!) pretty much sums up our weekend in Florence when my mom came to visit a couple of weeks ago. We took a train from Milano…
A Brief Beauty Guide for the Female Expat in Italy
One of the most harrowing aspects of moving abroad for me was having to find new hair, wax and nail salons. I know; it sounds completely ridiculous. It’s not that I’m high-maintenance (literally cut my hair once per year and…
Top Jobs for English Speakers in Italy
If you’re thinking about moving to Italy, you may have already heard some horrific stories about the economy and unemployment; but–if you haven’t–forgive me for being the bearer of bad news. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) found…
‘Diary of a Duel Citizen’ Turns One!
Last weekend marked exactly one year since I left New York to move to Milano. This weekend, though, I’m celebrating the first birthday of Diary of a Duel Citizen! When I first studied in Rome seven (?!) years ago,…
My Milano Bucket List
After an errand on Wednesday afternoon, I happened to pass by a seemingly old church and even older ingresso to a building adjacent to it, both located on the campus of the University of Milano. I later learned that just…
The American Inability to Relax
Have you ever watched and/or read Eat Pray Love? There’s a scene in the movie where Luca Spaghetti candidly tells Liz that she doesn’t know how to enjoy herself because she is American. He goes into a somewhat offensive, entirely…
18 Things 2018 Taught Me
Hello, old friend! Buona domenica, and buon 2019 🙂 I can’t believe it’s been 2+ months since I last posted something on here, but it’s a new year and I vow to be more consistent with my blog. So, my…
Identity Crisis
“Where are you from?” “How did you learn to speak Italian?” “What’s your story?” “So, are you American or Italian?!” These are some of the questions I’m faced with often here, but I honestly don’t mind answering them. My response…
Five Practical Ways I’ve Improved my Italian
Learning another language is an incredibly stimulating, yet challenging experience. The beauty (and pitfall) of language learning, however, is that you’re never really quite done. In my case, for example, my family began to teach me to count in Italian at…
My Thoughts on Milano’s Modern Renaissance
THERE’S A HOT NEW destination—a cultural, culinary and style center—trending in northern Italy. It’s called Milan and it’s been hiding in plain sight for decades beneath its reputation as “Italy’s industrial capital” with countless references to its factories belching gray…