life in italy
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...
getting around rome 101
Italy is a really beautiful country with wonderful people, but getting around the country can add a lot of frustration and stress to your trip. From our daily use of public transportation and driving up and down the country, here are our tips for public...
eating and drinking in rome 101
Italy is the land of regional cuisines. In Rome you’ll find mostly Roman restaurants, in Tuscany you’ll find mostly Tuscan restaurants, in Sicily you’ll find mostly Sicilian restaurants, etc. This means you’ll probably find the same dishes on most of the menus...
pasta making at pastificio faini
Pasta — one of the greatest joys in my life. I always enjoyed pasta in the states, but I’ve really come to love pasta even more in Italy. From the hundreds of different pasta shapes, various pasta sauces, and countless variations from region to region, it's...
a day in the life
I love reading “a day in the life” posts. I love getting a glimpse into someone’s life and routine. Different cultures, different cities, different routines — it’s basically what we’re all doing on social media anyway, right? We receive a lot of comments that...
currently
It’s still surreal sitting here in our apartment in Italy. The things that were so hard, different, and strange to us our first couple months have normalized. Sometimes Jaime and I have to remind ourselves that wow, we’re actually living in Rome. It’s not...
how to avoid being pickpocketed
The first thing you might’ve learned when planning a trip to Europe is the possibility of being pickpocketed. It can happen almost anywhere you go in Europe, but it’s especially prevalent in Rome and even more so in the touristy areas (Colosseum, Trevi...
enoteca. osteria. trattoria. ristorante. what’s the difference?
We’d like to think we ate our fair share of Italian food in the states. San Diego had Italian restaurants all over the city with names like Davanti Enoteca, Osteria Panevino, Italianissimo Trattoria, and Sorrento Ristorante. We knew they were Italian...
the reality of living abroad
When I created the blog my intentions were to post honestly about our journeys, thoughts, growths, and emotions of moving and living abroad. As we get more settled in, Jaime has returned to a normal work week, and the honeymoon period starts to wear off, I find...
currently
flowers on our terrace When we received the news that we were moving, we weren't devastated, but we were definitely upset about leaving behind everything we knew and without much of a choice. Unless you’re in the military, a dependent of a service member, or in...
three months living in rome
Things are starting to fall into place and life is returning back to normal — well a new normal as Americans living in Italy. We moved into our apartment, the pups are adjusting well, but I’m sure are missing a grassy yard, and things about Rome that used to...
two months living in rome
Today officially marks two months that we’ve been living in Rome. After reaching out to over 50 places, talking to a dozen realtors, viewing over 10 apartments, and placing offers on five apartments, we finally have a place to live. It’s a beautiful 2,000 sqft,...