The Complexity of Doors -- Who Knew? In this post I share challenges (and a few laughs) getting interior doors made and installed, and I also share the shocking incident that occurred after I got my terracotta floors cleaned. First of all, the doors. Who knew that getting a few doors built and installed would be such a saga? I probably spent 15 hours dealing with the door
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The Kitchen Remodel (Part 1)
Please everyone, for the love of god, check the chimney! If there's a chimney over a stove in the Italian house you're considering purchasing, don't do what I did. How did I manage to not look under the chimney? The geometra didn't mention it when I walked through with him and I didn't think of it. I know, epic fail! But I was so focused on the SIZE of the room. Yes, size
Read MoreRemodeling Living Room & Bedroom, and adding electricity
This is the second in a series of posts about my experience remodeling an apartment in Florence. Here are images of the living room as it looked originally. I didn't hire an architect. I got some advice from my "Geometra" and then hired some Moroccan guys and attempted to be be a "manager" myself. This meant discussing masonry and electricity in Italian, which I'm
Read MoreRemodeling a Bathroom in Italy
This is the first in a series of posts about my experience remodeling an apartment in Florence. I had bought the apartment before the pandemic and I hadn't realized how much work it needed and how much it would feel like living in a warehouse until I was able to start renovations. The topic of the pandemic and surviving it in Italy arose on a recent tour I led for two
Read MoreA New Life In Sicily: Vineyards, Volcanos, and Chickens
I am pleased to add this interview to my Taking the Plunge series Here is Rachel Villa who moved from California to Sicily Where do you come from and when did you first have a connection with Italy in your life? My father was an officer in the US Navy, and we lived in Florida, California, Hawaii, and Japan. But I had never been to Europe. When I was 18, attending
Read MoreAn Australian Opens a Bistrot in Florence
I am pleased to add this interview to my Taking the Plunge series Here is Chloé Guest who opened a bistrot/microbakery in Florence in 2019 Where do you come from and when did you first have a connection with Italy in your life? I was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. My aunt married an Italian-Australian farmer, who raised sugar cane and cattle. His mother, a
Read MoreVideo Diaries from Lockdown
Video Diaries From the First Five Weeks of Lockdown Italy's President Giuseppe Conte announced Monday night, March 9 that the country would be under lockdown the following morning. It has been extended twice, first to April 3 and then to May 3. Day 11, March 20 Day 14, March 23 Day 15, March 24 Day 18, March 27 Day 32, April 3 Day 36, April
Read MoreHouse Hunters Episode Prompts a Move to Lucca
I am pleased to add this interview to my Taking the Plunge series Why did this family move from the US to Lucca? Where do you come from and when did you first have a connection with Italy in your life? I was born in the Philippines but have spent most of my life in Southern California. My first connection to Italy was food. For as long as I can remember, Spaghetti al Ragu has
Read MoreYour Residency and Exiting Italy
Does it affect your Italian residency to leave Italy for a period of time? I am back in the US visiting for the first time since my move to Italy fifteen months ago, and when a home-town friend asked me, "does it affect your Italian residency to come back to the US?" I realized that the answer to this question should be in a post on this part of my site about how to move
Read MorePost #5 getting the Carta d’Identità
I am now the proud owner of an Italian Carta d'Identità. In Post #3 I talked about going to the Anagrafe office (Vital Statistics Bureau) to apply for residency after getting my permesso. The woman in that office had told me that the Questura (Police Station) doesn't know to tell foreigners that they must go to the Anagrafe after obtaining their permesso. She basically
Read MoreWhat you don’t know about Italian rental properties
Are you thinking of moving to Italy and renting a house/apartment? Are you wondering if your house in Italy will be just like the peach colored villa under a warm Tuscan sun you saw in a movie? After the popularity of my post on the challenges of buying property in Italy, I decided to write this post about Italian rental properties, aimed at advising people what to expect
Read MoreFinding Happiness with a Move to Florence
I am pleased to add this interview to my Taking the Plunge series Sophie Charlotte flourished in ways she never dreamed of after a move to Florence: When did you move to Florence, and what motivated you to make the move? I turned my long distance relationship with Italy into a long-term commitment in 2010, and I chose Florence. Florence has always represented
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