November 05, 2022

Italian Shops - Everything Has a Specialty

November 05, 2022/ Matt Walker

Supermarkets and big-box stores (more or less the equivalent of Lowe’s or Kmart) exist in Italy, especially near the bigger city centers. But in the small towns that we like to visit (and in which we live!), the individual shops - often family-operated - are often the most convenient. They’re also where you can get the best service - the folks working there are invested in and take pride in offering good products and helpful assistance when needed.

June 16, 2022

Cash is King

June 16, 2022/ Zeneba Bowers

Americans are used to paying for nearly everything with credit or debit cards. We certainly were; before we moved to Italy, we used the cards for EVERYTHING for the rewards points. It was also our habit not to carry cash, which felt generally safer.

So our daily routine changed a lot when we moved to Italy, where cash is king.

June 14, 2022

What To Expect In Small Town Hotels/B&Bs

June 14, 2022/ Zeneba Bowers

Small town hotels in Italy and Ireland are different from cookie-cutter chain hotels in the US. Here’s what to expect.

June 13, 2022

Playing in the Fountains - community service in Soriano nel Cimino

June 13, 2022/ Zeneba Bowers

Recently we got to perform with/for the students in our town. When we moved here in November 2019 we really wanted community service to be a part of lives, but then the pandemic hit. We have been able to perform several times for the local senior center, but our dream of playing in schools was impossible… until now.

January 30, 2022

A Trip to Lago Trasimeno

January 30, 2022/ Zeneba Bowers

We took a quick overnight trip to a town on Lago Trasimeno, in Umbria about an hour north of our town. We splurged a bit at a boutique hotel, taking a room with a hot-tub on a rooftop terrace. We explored the tiny and adorable castle town of Castiglione del Lago, as well as some outlying and hard-to-find sites - like the leaning tower of… Umbria?!?