The summer of the great outdoors (or: how we’re coping)
Summer 2020 is drawing to an end, kids are back at school, and people in countries north of the Mediterranean
Archives
Long Term Stay in Florence: how to find everything you need
Moving to Florence, Italy is part of lots of peoples’ dreams. Maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who gets
Living and Traveling with Ulcerative Colitis in Italy: my Personal Story
Just over a year ago, in April 2019, after many months of uncomfortable symptoms, excruciating pain and scary weight loss,
Coronavirus Lockdown Food Shopping Tips
We’re coming to the end of the first week of total lockdown in Italy, since the government passed the “Io
A Local, Italian Sustainable Christmas Gift Guide
This past year at work I’ve been involved in a project called TCBL, a collaborative, EU funded project to increase
What I’m Doing This Year to Learn About Wine
I only recently started drinking wine. Until age 40 I actually didn’t drink at all, so I’ve got a lot
Living in Italy: How I Stay Healthy
The first wintery days are upon us and with them, the first sniffles. Inevitably, my interns are all sick and
Refugees in Tuscany: New Book Questions Preconceptions
I love a good book. A good book grabs you, pulls you along and doesn’t let you out. Recently I
8 things that may surprise you about Italians
Stef and Nico are Dutch expats in Italy since 2008. Their adventure includes buying a home in remote Lombardy and
The Cost of Living in Italy: my Annual Budget
If you’re planning on moving to Italy or studying here for any length of time, you’re probably preparing a budget
Why I Started Drinking Wine at Age 40
A few months ago, I found myself amongst 50 or so aspiring sommeliers in a course ran by a Florentine
ArtTrav 11 year giveaway!
It’s hard to believe that 11 years ago this October, I was a graduate student in Florence, spending one month
My neighbours’ secrets
He wakes up at 6:30am. Rat-tat-tat goes the toilet paper roll on its wooden holder. Whoosh goes the water in
The expat community in Florence, Italy
Ever since Florence, Italy became a stop on the Grand Tour in the 19th century, it has had a strong
11 green vegetables I never ate before moving to Italy
Growing up in Toronto, Canada, we had a pretty good variety of vegetables available to us thanks to the city’s
4 totally unromantic things you need to know before buying property in Italy
Sunny skies, long summers and delicious Mediterranean cuisine – buying property in Italy and moving here is certainly tempting. Recently,
The alphabet of impossible Italian translations
I work at The Florentine, where we do a lot of translations from Italian to English. Over the years, we’ve
The Italians by John Hooper, book review
A book in English that explains what is going on in the beautiful and ailing country of Italy is certainly
The expat and the holidays: should I stay or should I go
It’s that time of year again. When trees get trimmed and everyone asks “Are you going home for the holidays?”.
The smell of a Medici garden in the morning
The crunch of gravel under your feet. The distant hum of traffic, overtaken by tweeting birds, the whooping of a