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…
Election Reflection and a Skeptical Sigh of Relief
It’s been two days since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were declared president-elect and vice president-elect after defeating Donald Trump with 290 electoral votes in a nail-biting and historic election. I’ve had a couple of days to process it all…
Comparing the Italian vs American Response to a Pandemic: Thoughts of an American in Italy
This weekend marks nearly four weeks that Italy announced its nation-wide lockdown to help stop the spread of Covid-19, halting and transforming my and 60 million other people’s lives. Since then, a lot has happened. According to the Ministry of…
First Week under Quarantine in Milano: Looking on the Bright Side
It’s been exactly a week since the Italian government announced the quarantine of the Lombardia region and fourteen other provinces in the north. We were directed to avoid going out and keep at least one meter/three feet from each other…
The Art of Acceptance: Reflections on Two Years in Italy
This past Monday marked two years of my moving [permanently] to Italy. If you’re new here, you can head to this post to see what I mean! It’s been the wildest of rides–relief followed by uncertainty; clarity followed by confusion;…
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…