The Bittersweet Life

On Monday's episode , our guest Monique Le described a simple but memorable moment—just after arriving in Seattle as an immigrant from Vietnam —as romantic.  Inspired by this, on today's mini-episode, Tiffany shares some of the moments that have stood out in her life that have captured that same sense of indescribable romance. Not surprisingly, they all occurred when she was traveling. -----------...

Monique Le fled Vietnam when she was 16 years old. After eight months in a refugee camp, she finally landed in the United States. Thirty years later, Monique lives in Seattle and makes her living as a matchmaker. We'll explore her amazing journey as one of the now legendary "boat people" of Vietnam, and why seeing the rain on her bedroom window in her new country was, for her, absolutely romantic....

When new listeners find our show, they often ask themselves (or us), where do I begin? And it's understandable: with an archive of over 450 episodes and pushing 200 mini-episodes, it can be hard to know where to start. To avoid new-listener overwhelm, we taped this mini (but actually kind of long!) episode to help new listeners navigate the show, find out what to expect, and learn what the show is...

Just in time for Halloween, we share grisly stories about the scariest, ickiest, and most unpleasant nights we ever spent on a trip—in a hotel, apartment, or other not ideal accomodation. But what makes this episode special is that we tell these stories LIVE on a live episode recording with our supporters on Patreon. At the end of the episode, the participating listeners are invited to share their...

On the heels of the big parliamentary elections in Italy last month, and the upcoming 2022 midterm elections in the states, Tiffany talks about what it's like to vote in Italy. You'll probably be surprised to hear how old school the process is, and Tiffany never ceases to be amazed—and delighted—at how little the process of voting has changed in Italy in the last century. And since we're talking a...

On a recent Bittersweet Moment , Tiffany remembered accidently smearing a bit of lipstick on the doorframe of one of the buildings she lived in her first months in Rome, and how that red streak is still there, 18 years later. And how, somehow, every time she sees it, it reminds her of her earliest days in Rome, almost an "I was here" moment. Inspired by this, Katy and Tiffany talk about other mome...

On Monday's episode we asked the question, where would you live if you could live anywhere? Today we think about what would you do if you could do anything? What would you want to learn?  Katy once met a ballet dancer who was no longer getting hired. She'd aged out of the industry she loved. So what did she decide to do next? She enrolled in stunt school. Katy brings you an audio moment from an ac...

It used to be that we moved to (and stayed in) whatever city we got a job in—whether we liked living there or not. Luckily, thanks to the rise in remote work and freelancing, we have more freedom than ever to take an active choice in where we want to livebut that doesn't necessarily make choosing where to live any easier. In her new book, If You Could Live Anywhere , Melody Warnick breaks down the...

On the heels of Tiffany's 18th anniversary of moving to Rome, she remenisces about the miserable living situations she found herself in those very first weeks as an expat. Luckily, with the distance of nearly two decades, she can laugh about these memories now instead of cry.  ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Se...

Tiffany has officially lived in Rome longer than she has lived anywhere else! As she realizes this milestone, she and Katy reflect on what has changed for her since she made the move abroad, what has stayed the same, how she's grown and what she wished she had done differently. Katy also asks a big question: do you have any regrets? If you could do it all over again, would you? -------------------...

We all know what Rome is supposed to look like: towering ruins, baroque majesty, cobblestones, orange buildings, churches everywhere you look. But Rome has the power to surprise you, even those of us who know her well. On this mini-episode, Tiffany recounts her visit to the tiny and delightful neighborhood of Coppedè in the north of Rome, a magical place that looks like it should be in a fairytale...

As we kick of our tenth season, it got us wondering: why do we do anything for ten years? What keeps us going? How do we keep it fun? Whether it's a marriage, a job, a life in a foreign country, or a podcast you started on a whim, what makes us do things for THAT LONG? And how do we keep going when it gets hard? ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats,...

The mountains are calling and I must go! Despite having lived in Seattle the vast majority of her life, Katy is not much of an outdoorsy type. Still, she recently heeded the call of nature (and her partner Derek, whose hiking buddies had canceled on him last minute), to go on a strenuous hiking and camping trip in the Olympic Mountains. On this mini-episode, Katy recounts the adventure, including...

We kick of a brand new season today (Season 10, can you believe it?), and as exciting as that is, at the same time, our unforgettable Summer in Rome series is officially a wrap.  As always when Tiffany returns from a long stint in the States, she shares her observations about the things that seem strange in her home country, and not just little things. This time a big thing popped out at her, and...

You've all heard at least half a dozen times Tiffany's impressions on the differences (both great and small) between the US and Italy. But on this mini-episode, Aurelio weighs in with his observations after his recent visit to his second home country. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the...

Saying goodbye is always bittersweet... especially when you're leaving not just a good friend, but also a beloved city. Today is the final chapter in our "Summer in Rome" series—we hoped you enjoyed listening to it as much as we enjoyed making it—and we muse on time, and how our perception of it is able to speed up and slow down depending on what we are doing. For example, how is it possible that...

What more unexpected magic in your life? Try playing "Left, Right, Surprise," a game invented by author Robert Fulghum which appears in his book Third Wish , a personal favorite of Katy.  On this mini-episode, Katy lays out how to play this interesting game, which will help you discover not just a new place or detail, but also a new nugget of insight into the person you are with. *** Want more? **...

Is there anywhere else on earth that offers as much sheer beauty as Italy? (We'd wager there aren't.) But in addition to Italy's undeniable beauty, there is a sense of magic that never quite leaves you. With artistic masterpieces hidden in obscure churches, exquisite villages perched on remote mountaintops, and archetectural wonders tucked away in the middle of a forest, you never know when you'll...

Tiffany and her family are back in Italy after their summer vacation in the US. On this mini-episode, Tiffany and Aurelio talk about their trip, specifically the flight, and Tiffany reminisces about how different air travel was when she was a kid. She also asks Aurelio where he would rather live—Italy or America—and which language he prefers. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US...

Little known fact: Rome is the city in Europe with the most green space per capita! It's true, Rome is not all crumbling ruins and crowded city streets. The city is bursting with parks and gardens, true urban oases that often have centuries-old histories. Katy and Tiffany visit one such garden on this episode, the Roseto Comunale, Rome's municipal rose garden, on a hot May day when the roses are i...

During the long lonely months of Covid lockdown and beyond, Seattlite cartoonist Kate Wheeler dreamed of moving to Rome. This winter, she made that dream a reality. She sits down with Katy to talk about how she made it happen, the challenges she has faced, the biggest rewaards, and how Rome is now inspiring her art. Check out her Washington Post article here . Find Kate's art on Instagram, or foll...

Where did Lord Byron and Percy Shelley come to scribble down their verses? Where did Bizet and Berlioz go to discuss their work? Where could Casanova be found trying to pick up girls? Caffè Greco, where else? Having opened in 1760, Antico Caffè Greco is the oldest café in Rome and the second-oldest in all of Italy! And you can still go there and sit where Hawthorne, Ibsen, Gogol, Goethe, Canova, a...

Accordion music... red and white checkered table clothes... spaghetti and meatballs... All wonderful things but... actually, they are NOT Italian! On this mini-episode, Tiffany debunks some myths about what's authentically Italian and what isn't, particularly when it comes to what many tourists think is Italian cuisine. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future...

When you come back after several years to a city where you used to live, what do you notice? What has change? What has stayed the same? What have you forgotten about in your time away? Arriving in Rome after four years away, Katy notices something that—once ubiquitous on the streets of Rome—is now missing: accordionists. This sparks a conversation about what we notice, what we take for granted as...

Following our exclusive interview with Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, we explore the spectacular and art-filled Rome in a private tour, led by the owner herself! Casino Boncompagni Ludovisi, lovingly referred to as Villa Aurora, boasts an optical illusion by Guercino, four painters trying to outdo each other on the same ceiling for further commissions, a Michelangelo sculpture in the garden (...