Category Archives: Life in Italy

I have always loved Christmastime in Italy. From small towns to big cities, there are so many decorations and lots of holiday cheer that all adds up to beautiful places to see for the holidays. I also love that the Italian word for Christmas is Natale – very close to my own name. For weeks […]

What comes to your mind when someone says ‘Italy’? Handsome animated plumbers? Rolling hills and white wine? Maybe a bright red Vespa? For many amused American travelers, the answer often comes down to the humble bidet一 the butt of many a joke. Bidets, a French invention, are essentially large sinks that users can squat over. […]

Roger Federer surprises two Italian girls who played tennis across their terrace rooftops during the coronavirus quarantine.

Updated 22 May 2021 Italy is much quieter year, but Italians are looking forward to a fairly normal summer all things considered (at least to so-called Yellow Zones with low infection rates). And now with the announcement that travel to Italy in 2021 will be possible for some, I expect that train travel will start […]

According to Italy’s consumer group Coldiretti, Italians have gained an average of 2 kgs (4.5 pounds) during the country’s lockdown. Normally considered one of the healthiest countries in the world, many residents (47% according to one survey) say that losing weight is high on their post-lockdown to do list. The group points to several reasons […]

Confetti might bring tiny colored pieces of paper to mind, but that would be “coriandoli” in Italian. In Italy, confetti is a traditional sweet that is given out at celebrations. The sugar-coated almonds are a major part of Italian wedding traditions but are also handed out as gifts to guests at major events like births and […]

The arrival of spring always seems to set off a flurry of public holidays in Italy. There is Easter, which brings with it Pasquetta (Easter Monday), followed by Liberation Day on April 25th, and finally Labor Day or la Festa dei Lavoratori on May 1st. May 1st is a public holiday in Italy that is often […]

Even if you don’t consider yourself superstitious, you probably notice when Friday the 13th rolls around. However, it is the number 17 that is unlucky in Italy – not 13. That makes Friday the 17th a day to be particularly careful of bad luck. The belief that the number 17 is unlucky in Italy probably […]