life in italy
happy holidays from a locked down rome
Hi! We’re here, alive and well in Rome. We were without the internet (and actually still kinda are) for the last three weeks. We caved and bought a hotspot today so we would be able to video chat with family over the holidays and actually be able to see more...
COVID19 update: another lockdown?
Are we going into lockdown? Well, it depends where you live in Italy. Under Italy’s newest emergency decree there’s a national three-tier framework that dictates the rules of each region. The three zones are yellow (most lenient), orange, and red (most strict)....
what is balsamic vinegar?
Last month we visited Acetaia Leonardi, a balsamic vinegar producer in Modena, to learn about what balsamic vinegar is and how it’s made. We learned so much and were blown away by the process. True balsamic vinegar can only be made in Modena, Italy because the...
COVID19: new restrictions in rome
Ciao a tutti (hello everyone)! If you don’t follow us on Instagram (which you totally should and can find us here), then you might think we’ve fallen off the face of the Earth due to the lack of posting on the blog. Instagram is an easier platform to share...
COVID19 update: life in rome
During a pandemic, nowhere is what it used to be. Italy went through an extremely intense lockdown in the Spring to fight against COVID-19. Read about us getting stuck in California for almost three months here and when the country started to reopen and what...
italian summers at the beach
I truly never loved spending time at the beach until experiencing beaches in Italy. Italy has over 4,5000 feet of coastline and a common sight are the beach resorts or bagni. So what are bagno (or bagni for plural)? Bagni are usually small, family-owned...
three days in milano marittima
Milano Marittima is a beautiful beach city off Italy’s east coast where you’ll find tree-lined streets, bars open until sunrise, dozens of stores to window shop, and families everywhere. If there’s one thing we’ve learned since living in Italy, it’s that...
three days in venice
After being on Jaime’s bucket list for almost 15 years, we finally made it to Venice! Venice seems like a city out of a fairytale. It’s a city on water and is, unfortunately, sinking at a rate of 1-2mm a year. Venice has 471 bridges (72 are private), 350...
italian american foods you won’t find in italy
You’re planning your trip to Italy, you love Italian-American food, and you’ve heard amazing things about food in Italy, but you might be surprised to learn there are actually quite a few dishes that aren’t authentically Italian. If you find any of these dishes...
COVID19 update: welcome back, rome
Italy became known to have the strictest lockdown during COVID-19. During its strictest times, the only places open were the grocery store, pharmacy, and bank. Self-declaration forms were required to be carried everywhere you were going and if you weren’t going...
COVID19 update: traveling to italy during COVID19
Last August, Jaime and I booked our first trip back to California to visit our families after a year living in Italy. We flew out right as the northern area of Italy went into lockdown and three days before we were scheduled to fly back to Italy the entire...
COVID19 update: when can we go home?
my hometown First things first, we and our families are safe and healthy. We’re currently stuck in California without a definite date on when we can return home. Jaime and I returned to California in late February for our first visit since moving to Italy in...