Articles tagged with: personal
On not drinking in Italy
Once again it’s Italy Blogging Roundtable time, and this time my colleagues have come up with a helluva topic: Drinking (and/in Italy). I will tell you why I find this to be a difficult topic, and then talk about what it’s like to be a non-drinker in this country.
Getting a bra that fits… in Italy
There are some countries in which the bra fitting is a rite of passage and a moment to be repeated every decade or so, or after massive changes to one’s body. There are countries in which bras are more lacy, or more practical, or more flexible in sizing and types. Italy is not one of …
A short personal update
I have never been one of those bloggers who writes personal updates about what I am doing. Nor have I ever really needed to write a post to excuse myself for not writing much. Most people probably will not have noticed my slight absence. But truth be told, I am very busy.
Predicting our future: a first date at Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in Maremma
The time has come for me to tell you about my first date with my husband, on the occasion of our 8 year wedding anniversary (next week) and of the one year anniversary of the Italy Blogging Roundtable, of which the topic is (drumroll please) anniversaries.
The day I fell irrevocably in love with Tommaso was …
Dear Mom, you must worry about your daughter in Italy
Dear Mom,
You must worry about me living in Italy at times like these. It’s hard to have a daughter in the place that is the object of international ridicule, for it’s hard to justify being here at all. It looks really bad from the outside. I must say that right now, it looks pretty bad from the inside too. The only thing that holds it together is the whole insieme of what put this country together in the first place…
Is it possible for an art historian to have one favourite work of art?
Our relationship with the visual arts is often emotional and personal. Most people are not able to explain what it is that they like about a given painting, in part because our education system does not provide the vocabulary with which to do so, in part because there are factors of attraction, to art as …
On Writing (about Italy) & the blogger roundtable
This is a kind of personal post. And it’s so rare and out of character that there is not even a category on this blog into which I can easily slot it. But I have to write it. Here’s why.
Today is the first post in an “Italy blogging Roundtable” to which I have been invited. …
Renovation time at arttrav
Do you notice any subtle differences on arttrav lately? I’m tweaking and fiddling with the site. This happens every once and a while; it’s usually set off by something in particular.
What got me going this time was that I got my renewal notice for the URL and hosting. Arttrav has been online for six years. …
300 posts on arttrav
It seems like a milestone worth noting: This is post #300 on arttrav. I know that’s not much compared to many blogs out there, but for something that started as an experiment in html 6 years ago and that I kept up all through graduate school and my first jobs, I’m satisfied with that number.
Yeah. …
My summer holidays & Maremma restaurant reviews
Well I’m back from my two weeks’ holiday in Maremma. Vacations are never long enough but at least I know I’ll be going back frequently. We developed a pleasant routine and found a few good spots to eat (see list below) over these two weeks of relaxing on the beach. This is my “what I …
Arttrav’s going on holiday – in Maremma!
The August holidays have finally arrived and arttrav will be “closed for the holidays”. With all of Italy and Europe at my fingertips, where do I choose for my holiday? It’s easy: Tuscany. After last year’s beach-going in Elba, this year is dedicated to the Maremma area, to the little hamlet of Sticciano to be …
Living in Florence Italy: Welcome to my world
Everyone who hears where I live and what I do for a job (after a stint in study abroad I became a professional blogger) responds in pretty much the same way: “wow, you are so lucky”. It is mostly true that I am lucky, though not all because I live in Florence! In “my world” …
ArtTrav is a blog about expat life, art, and travel in Italy and Europe. I am Alexandra Korey, a Florence-based art historian turned blogger.
My goal is to help travelers and residents like you experience countries through culture and local living. If it takes geeky, long articles to do that, so be it! 
