I am speaking with Damien O'Farrell, a Global Mobility Specialist, focusing on tailor-made solutions for corporate and individual clients who want or need to relocate to Italy. Damien covers all aspects of how to make a new life for yourself in the land of dolce vita... and how to do it the right way.

Back in the fall 2017, my boss at Palm Beach Opera called me into his office to review an application for a marketing position that we were looking to fill. I glanced at the resume and saw that the candidate’s name was Adina Antonucci. “Great! Una paesana,” I thought... or maybe even said out loud. But what’s more, I noticed that she was a fellow blogger who seemed to share my passion for authentic Italian cuisine. Of course I gave her my immediate endorsement.If I had studied her resume a...

An Interview with Adina Antonucci, creator of Adina Cucina, a blog dedicated to creating simple Italian recipes that are both healthy and delicious. We talk about the differences regarding food culture in Italy as compared to the United States.

Italy, in all its charms, lends itself very nicely to romantic quotes, soft-focus photos of rolling landscapes, and Facebook “stories” that make our friends back home jealous. But if you crave a deeper connection, like I do, it’s the real stories that touch us much deeper than easy sentimentality. I’ve consumed more of these tales over the last twelve or thirteen years than I can count; both fiction and non-fiction. And I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a better story about Italy, Italian...

Italy, in all its charms, lends itself very nicely to romantic quotes, soft-focus photos of rolling landscapes, and Facebook “stories” that make our friends back home jealous. But if you crave a deeper connection, like I do, it’s the real stories that touch us much deeper than easy sentimentality. I’ve consumed more of these tales over the last twelve or thirteen years than I can count; both fiction and non-fiction. And I’m not sure that I’ve ever read a better story about Italy, Italian...

On this episode, I talk with Carol Faenzi about writing about Italian ancestors, and traveling back to Italy to find our roots through the stories handed down across generations. Join us as we discuss her great-grandfather, a stonecutter and opera tenor who traveled to the New World and back in search of a better life for his family.

Make no mistake, learning a foreign language as an adult is NOT easy. Luckily, there are some aspects of the Italian language which are so simple that a child can understand them. To wit, I’d like to offer an Italian pronunciation guide, “co-produced” by my three year-old daughter, Demetra. More on that later… As far as acquiring languages go, Italian is actually pretty easy for English speakers. The vocabulary isn’t a big problem, because many of our words use the same Latin or Greek roots...

Rick Zullo discusses some of the most common mistakes made by English speakers when learning Italian. There is also a brief interview with his three year-old daughter, Demetra.

Quando si tratta di iniziare le pratiche relative alla Green Card, é meglio affidarsi ad un avvocato, oppure no?

Here is the demo that we made in class for the Palm Beach Podcaster at the Mandel Public Library in downtown West Palm Beach. Interviews with attendees and a really bad intro by the teacher (that's me).

OK, so if you’ve been to Rome once or twice already, you might be looking for some unique Rome tours that will help you get acquainted with this ancient city on a deeper level. Not that you’d EVER exhaust all of the stops on a standard checklist—heck, even most native Romans don’t see “everything” in a lifetime. But stepping off the beaten path can give you a whole new appreciation for the complexity and richness of Roman culture and history. Today on the podcast I spoke with Beth Rubin from...

There are some unique tours of Rome that will help the curious traveler get to know the Eternal City on a deeper level. Today on the show I talk with Beth Rubin from Select Italy Tours about some of the different offerings for an "off the beaten path" experience while visiting Rome and Italy.

During the summer of 2010, I took a trip back to my “ancestral village” in the remote mountains of Molise, about 100 kilometers from nowhere. I didn’t know much about the place; only that my great-grandfather had left there in 1880s with 20 lire in his pocket and a one-way ticket to the American Dream. Recreating his journey in reverse was one the best travel experiences of my entire life. Although I was excited about seeing the origins of my roots, I wasn’t prepared for the emotions that...

Italian genealogy expert Laura Watson from Digging up Roots in the Boot explains the process of researching your family tree, planning a heritage tour, and claiming your Italian citizenship. She also talks about life in Calabria as an American expat.

I wrote a blog post a few years ago about buying property in Italy. I’ve never actually made the dive, but I’ve looked into it… so of course I felt qualified to speak as an expert. Anyway, the Tweet that I’ve sent out for this particular post is: “Buying property in Italy. My concise guide to your inevitable descent into madness and regret.” I’ve received feedback from a few Italians over the years who’ve asked, “Why does every mid-level manager from Milwaukee suddenly want to pick up a...

“What was that?” I asked the waiter at my hotel, after my silverware vibrated, then shook violently, then fell off the table. He shrugged. “Oh, it’s nothing—just Colapesce trying to get comfortable.” “Well, can you ask him to be more careful? He nearly spilled my cappuccino!” I was joking with him, of course, as I’m well-acquainted with the particular folktale that he was referencing. Legend, religion, and superstition are never far apart in Sicily—but none of them are taken too...

Those of you suffering the mid-winter blues amid the frigid cities of North America might not like me and my podcast guest today. This conversation took place poolside on a warm day on the Sicilian island of Vulcano, chilled glasses of crisp white wine in hand. The smoldering black volcano in the background set against the blinding blue of the Mediterranean sky. We were reclined on comfy lounge chairs pondering how the other half spends a typical Tuesday afternoon in early October. I was...

Sometimes this humble little activity of mine opens up a few doors to Italian culture and society that otherwise I wouldn’t have access to. And on this occasion, I’ve really scored some fascinating guests on my podcast, including Dottoressa Gloria Marina Bellelli, the Consulate General of Italy in Miami. Her resume is impressive, to say the least. Before arriving in Miami this year, she has served her country in places such as Algeria and Israel. I’m honored that she took time out of her...

Why is it that people are so keen to visit museums when on vacation, but seldom visit museums in the city where they live? I’ve been guilty of this in Rome, always thinking that “I’ll get around to it someday.” My friend and podcast guest Elizabeth Joss did not make this common mistake when she lived in Rome for three months a few years ago. Rather, she made a point to see as many museums as possible, and above all some of the offbeat museums of Rome. This isn’t by accident. She’s the...

The degree of diversity in Italy never ceases to amaze me. The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know about this wonderland of cultural treasures. And by culture, we could talk about everything from art to language to food to architecture. Lately I’ve been learning a lot more about Piedmont (Piemonte), but unfortunately only virtually and vicariously. It’s one of the regions that I have yet to visit. On the podcast today is Diana Zahuranec who is an American journalist living in...

In October, I attended the Italian travel industry trade show TTGIncontri for the second year in a row. Basically it’s an exposition about the size of three football stadiums filled with travel brands and travel destinations from around the world. Companies and tourist boards all congregate for three days in Rimini to convince wholesale buyers to send retail clients their way. Associated with this event is Travel Blogger Destination Italy (TBDI), a forum for connecting digital media...

Today I’m back with Session 2 of my interview series with the Expats Living in Rome group. These short conversations were recorded on October 6, 2015 at an aperitivo in the historical center of Rome. Last time we heard from six diverse people; four expats from the US and two Italians born in Rome. This time we’ve included a few more countries into the mix. The aperitivo is one of my favorite aspects of life in Italy. For someone who has never participated in one, think “Happy Hour,” but a...

Following up on my previous episode where I interviewed Patrizia, the “ring leader” of the Expats Living in Rome group, I now present a smorgasbord of chats with a few of the members who make this group the eclectic slice of culture that it is. This episode represents the first half of the interviews, and I’ll be posting the second half in a day or two. I suppose that most large, international cities attract a variety of people from all over the world who relocate, either temporarily or...