As an expat in southern Italy it’s only natural that the second you hear someone speaking English, your ears immediately perk up and your head naturally gravitates to this “foreign” sound. And that’s how I came to meet Ben near the consulate in Naples. He overheard us speaking English and said, “ah, Americans…” and that...Read More
Newsletter recipients and Facebook fans will remember my recent Limoncello Challenge – where I took two extreme steeping rules and put them to the test. And I have to say … the results were surprising. To fully tell this story, I need to go back to when I first tried the homemade limoncello that knocked...Read More
You all know what a brave fearless silly girl I am, right? I moved to hole-in-the-bottom-of-the-boot Calabria, had a baby in italiano and most recently, traveled with said baby on six separate flights. Intimidating, huh? As soon as our bambino was home and the doctor approved him for travel, I began planning our first international...Read More
It has been a week of firsts for me … my first Mother’s Day, which was celebrated beautifully by husband and son … my first afternoon of back-to-back-to-back phone calls with travel consulting clients … even a first-of many, no doubt-conversations with my newly engaged sister about wedding dresses and colors. But there was one...Read More
Five years ago today I embarked on an adventure that would change the course of my life. Dramatic any? Oh yea. But it is also true. Five years ago today-on April 18, 2006-I bid a tearful goodbye to my mom, dad, sister, nephew and a culmination of 30 years of life as I’d known it....Read More
As many of you know, I recently found myself jolted into motherhood … sour milk stains, dingy diapers, dodging a sprinkler system with every changing and more exhaustion than I ever thought possible. My bags have bags … my circles have circles … and yes, I’m loving it. Tuesday was eight weeks since our little...Read More
Although I’m still six or seven weeks away from being an official expat mamma, the stress, worries and insecurities have crept in and in addition to over-thinking diaper brands, bottle warmers and car seats, I’m perhaps even more concerned about our baby’s eventual bilingualism. Like many modern bi-cultural families, my husband and I want to...Read More
I started this post last week as part of the “My Favorite Things” series on traditions I love in Southern Italy, but old memories kicked in and well, that post got long. So, last week I told you about my first aperitivo in Calabria and today I’m going to elaborate on the “Aperitivo Experience,” something...Read More
I’ve been running down the list of some of my favorite southern Italian traditions and have covered the long, leisurely lunch and the nightly passeggiata. Today, we’re returning to the table, but before I tell you about this pre-meal, appetite-inducing tradition, I need to go back-five or six years, actually, and tell you about my...Read More
Yep … that’s right. As I announced in my newsletter this morning, Bella Vita Travel Services and Il Cedro Bed and Breakfast are adding one new member to our travel-loving family. We’re expanding our team … but that’s not all that’s getting bigger. Just a few days before I left for my summer trip to...Read More
