Rome Unfiltered

Moving abroad changes more than your address. It changes your routines, your priorities, and often the way you take care of yourself. In this episode of Rome Unfiltered, Walter is joined by Angie and Joanna to talk about an often-overlooked part of expat life: rebuilding your personal routines after relocation. Between finding schools, navigating bureaucracy, setting up a home, and supporting your...

Sooner or later, every expat family faces the same question: What do you do when someone gets sick in Rome? In this episode of Rome Unfiltered, Walter is joined by Katie and Linda to discuss one of the most important parts of settling into life abroad: navigating healthcare. From late-night fevers and Sunday emergencies to finding trusted doctors and understanding the role of Italian pharmacies, t...

You don’t need perfect Italian to survive in Rome. But learning a few words, understanding a few cultural cues, and being willing to make mistakes will change your experience of living here. In this episode of Rome Unfiltered, Walter sits down with expats at different stages of their Italian language journey to talk about the realities of communication in Rome. From embarrassing language mistakes...

Moving to Rome can feel exciting, chaotic, isolating, and overwhelming, sometimes all in the same week. In this episode of Rome Unfiltered, I (Walter) sit down with Kristen to talk about one of the hardest parts of expat life that people rarely discuss openly: building a real support system abroad. How long does it take before Rome starts feeling like home? What happens after the “honeymoon phase”...

Your first grocery run in Rome tells you a lot about what daily life here is really going to feel like. In this episode of Rome Unfiltered, Walter sits down with Angie to talk about the reality of grocery shopping after moving to Italy. The conversation starts with confusion inside Roman supermarkets and quickly turns into something every expat family recognizes: learning store schedules the hard...

ROME UNFILTERED — Episode 2: Driving in Rome Without Losing Your Mind You think you know how to drive. Then you try it in Rome. In Episode 2 of Rome Unfiltered , we sit down with Aimee to break down what driving in Rome actually looks like once you are behind the wheel. ZTL zones that lead to fines days later. Parking rules that change from one street to the next. A traffic system that runs on its...

You think you understand train travel in Italy… until you don’t. In our first episode of Rome Unfiltered , Joanna shares the moment she missed her train to Milan and everything that led up to it. If you’ve ever stood in front of a departure board in Italy feeling unsure, you’ll relate to this. We talk about what train travel is really like between Rome, Florence, and Milan, what catches most peopl...