For Love of Frittelle
What’s the big deal with frittelle? After all, it’s JUST fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar, right? That was my superior attitude until I remembered [...]
I’m a Fan of the Sisterhood
This week’s post is going to be short, and a break from the two previous posts dealing with the very un-glamorous, but necessary, topics related [...]
Owning a Car in Italy and La Revisione
This post isn’t going to be glamorous. It’s not going to transport you to romantic visions of being in Italy. It is, however, an [...]
Random Carabinieri Checks – Be Prepared
It finally happened to me––a random roadside check by the Carabinieri. And thank goodness my driver’s license and car documents were in order. For months [...]
Arm-in-Arm is part of the Italian Culture
Italians are passionate and affectionate I think I can safely draw this conclusion after living in Italy for several years and observing the interactions amongst [...]
My Italy Move, Several Years Later
My enduring metaphor for life… Here I am, several years after pulling the trigger on my Italy move. And I’m damn glad I made the [...]
Becoming an Expat in Italy? The Devil is in the Details.
When you take the steps to becoming an expat in Italy you’ll soon learn that there is a good bit of bureaucracy, which requires standing [...]
Sportoletti Cantina, in Umbria, Makes Amazing Wine
Sportoletti excels at making beautifully rendered wines at great prices Fair warning. I’m going to gush. But, for good reason. Just over eight [...]
Italian Faces in the Saturday Market
The big Saturday markets will never cease to be a goldmine of opportunity for capturing the wealth of Italian faces Recently, when visiting my [...]
My House in Umbria…Heaven on Earth
Welcome to my home away from home. I’m a lucky man. When I made the journey from a life in the States to a permanent [...]
Meet Le Vecchie Guardie – The Old Guard
A Sacred Meeting Spot. © 2017 Jed Smith I love these faces. I love surreptitiously watching their interactions, and their steadfast camaraderie. The Old Guard, [...]
Is It Buono or Bello? Hmmmm….
Deciding when to use buono (good) and when to use bello (beautiful) isn’t so cut and dry. Do you want to say something is good, [...]
Venice’s Anice Stellato Delivers an Amazing Culinary Experience
Prepare yourself for a special dining experience Finding a worthy culinary experience in Venice isn’t always so easy. Why? Unfortunately, the bulk of restaurants in [...]
Say Please in Italian – Know When and How!
When you say Please in Italian, properly, it will open doors and make your experience here go more smoothly. If you’ve been studying how to [...]
Applying for an Italian Elective Residency Visa?
For most people, getting the Italian Elective Residency Visa is the most stress-producing part of the process of moving to Italy. Lately I’ve [...]
Encountering Real Life Italian Angels
It all started with a dead battery. And, it all came to a successful conclusion, thanks to the divine intervention of an Italian angel at [...]
Learning Italian? Manu is the #1 YouTube Resource!
Manu explains how you can make the most of his incredible online resources. This week I close out my interview with Manu of [...]
Speak Italian When You’re in Italy – It Opens Doors!!!
Invaluable advice on the importance of speaking Italian in Italy After listening to this week’s interview segment with Manu of Italy Made Easy you’ll [...]