Would you have a second home in Italy?
It used to be that when I would come to Italy, for the first few days, people would see me and give me a huge ‘welcome back’. That was then. I would come here once a year in the summer and spend a month to six weeks...
Slow down and let your vacation happen
Have you ever been on a vacation and come home having the feeling that you need a vacation from your vacation? Have you ever phoned home and said something to the effect of ‘We’re exhausted, but we’ve seen this, and that,...
Your second trip to Italy may be your first
We’ve been renting homes to travelers for over a year now, and I’ve noticed two distinct groups of people: ‘Italy first-timers’ and ‘Italian culture chasers’. In all honesty, some, albeit very few, of the first-timers...
Finding Italy through London Fog this XMas
On Tuesday, December 19th at around 4:30 PM we sat at the departure gate in Los Angeles waiting to board our flight. It had already been a very long day for us, and we were looking forward to a 10 hour flight to London with...
How do they get the flavor out of the food in the states?
I’ve been back in Los Angeles for a week now, and last night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner for the first time since I got back. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us, it is always a tragedy. The...
Cattle Call in Rome versus an Italian country sunrise
I’ve been here for 5 days now and have had no time to write as I have been so busy working on our apartments. However, yesterday I took my cousin to see Rome. After all, she has never been to Italy and it is less than...
One too many Margaritas for Uncle Ben
As you travel the world, you continuously run across things you never thought you might. Some are big, some are minor. All Uncle Ben is good for in the states is rice, but it seems he has been secretly spending some time...
Having a craving for Grilled Flesh
Grilled Flesh… YUM! When I lived here in Soriano, I was, quite simply, ‘The American”. In fact, the immigrant population of the area consisted of me, two Brits and a Brazilian. Outside of that, nobody spoke a...
Discovering the True Italian life when vacationing in Italy
Some people travel to Italy, see the sights, eat the food, and go home thinking they experienced Italian culture. In reality, the vast majority of these people only experienced a tiny fraction of the amazing culture that...
How to avoid getting ripped off as a tourist in Italy
When you are traveling, sometimes you can just feel it. You go to pay for something, and you just know that if you were a local, you would have paid a much lower price. You are an ‘unsuspecting tourist’, and they will take you...