The Bittersweet Life

In cities like Rome, tourists are part of the city's identity, its reality, its way of life. When they go away—and don't come back—the city will inevitably change and adapt. Will the countless AirBNBs turn back into regular rentals, and will that in turn cause locals to move back to the historic center? Will the souvenir shops that have crowded out the artisanal workshops close their doors? Will r...

Protests over the murder of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, have sprung up in cities across the United States. In Seattle, peaceful protests calling for justice have also generated violence, looting, and clashes with police, undermining from the message of the Black Lives Matters activists.  Public Radio reporter Casey Martin has been in the thick of it, and joins us to explain the view...

Why does time pass more slowly or quickly depending on what we are doing? Why is it that we sometimes completely lose track of the time, and what does it mean to truly live in the present? Are the past, the present, and the future all happening at the same time (at least in our minds), and has the future already happened? These are just some of the intriguing questions we ask ourselves this week,...

What can you expect when you go out to eat in Italy during Phase Two? What about if you want to go to a museum, get your hair cut, or just grab a coffee at your local bar? What's the deal with shopping and trying on clothes? On this mini-episode, we give you the nitty-gritty on what to expect when you head out into the world again—at least for those of us living in Italy. And for the rest of the w...

Italy has officially reopened for business. While masks are required in public places, social distancing is (supposedly) non-negotiable, and tourism is still non-existent, life is nevertheless quickly returning to normal. Perhaps too quickly? After Tiffany's first aperitivo in Rome since the beginning of lockdown, she's a bit apprehensive about how carelessly many of her fellow Romans (and sometim...

Memory is the buzz word on The Bittersweet Life this week! Monday's episode was all about autobiographical memory, and on this mini-episode, Katy's dad Dale stops by to talk about the challenges and rewards of memorizing a speech of prose as opposed to rhyming rhythmic poetry. He also explains why he chooses to memorize things and what it means to want to have the words in him . He explains how, e...

Why do we remember certain things and forget others? Do some people simply have a better memory than others, or is it something we can practice and get better at? Perhaps most intriguing of all: how reliable are our memories really? Do our stories change to fit our perception of ourselves? This week, we muse about the nature of memory, particularly in regard to the fact that we're all living throu...

Rome has finally opened up for walks in the center. Even so, when Tiffany finally has a chance to wander through the city, she finds it all but empty at midday. From the Spanish Steps to Piazza Venezia, from the Pantheon to Piazza Navona, Tiffany finds empty streets, chirping birds, and precious few residents out for a stroll. On this mini-episode, Tiffany takes you along on her walk around empty...

With international and even domestic travel all but ground to a halt in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the question on everyone's lips is: what is travel going to be like once everything is back to "normal"? Will it become unaffordable to fly? Will museums limit the number of people who can enter at a time? Will prices on everything skyrocket making travel once again a luxury for the elite?...

What's going on in Seattle right now? More to the point, what's going on with Katy in Seattle? On this mini-episode, Katy checks in with what's in store for the city in the near future, as well as how she's doing, and what she's doing to stay safe, sane, and well during this crazy time. She also talks about how and why Seattle is one of the cities in the US that has been first to begin to flatten...

How do you transcend a childhood marred by addiction and go on to pursue the life that is calling to you? This week, Katy sits down with bestselling author Stephanie Danler to talk about her forthcoming memoir Stray , but also to discuss what it takes to make the hard decisions that will allow you to claim the kind of life you know you want. Danler examines her overwhelming desire to wander the wo...

Italy's lockdown restrictions are finally about to begin (and, more essentially, we finally know what they entail). In this mini-episode, Tiffany goes through the new rules, as well as her reactions to them. (Hint: she's slightly frustrated, and plenty perplexed.) She also hears from Aurelio about the places he's most looking forward to going once Rome is fully open again. ------------------------...

Longing to wander the streets of Rome, visit its most beautiful squares, and marvel at its monuments? Since, for now, that isn't possible for any of us (even those of us who live in Rome) we've put together a virtual auditory tour of the Eternal City. The magic of radio brings Katy's expert editing skills and Tiffany's knowledge of Rome together for a light-hearted, informative virtual walk throug...

Today Tiffany talks about one of her favorite hobbies: memorizing poetry! She lays out the plethora of surprising benefits she reaps from this personal practice, as well as a list of tips on how to start out memorizing your own favorite poems. Be sure to listen all the way to the end to hear a cameo poetry reading by Aurelio! Click here to find the gorgeous recitation of John Keats' Ode to a Night...

When will Italy reopen—and what will that reopening entail? These are the questions that Italy's residents have been asking themselves constantly lately. Rumor has it, Italy's country-wide lockdown will come to an end on May 4th, although this is not official yet. Hypotheses abound and no one really knows what to expect. Although one thing is for certain: this is only Phase Two. This crisis is far...

With Aurelio home from school, Tiffany is taking the opportunity to teach him how to read and write in English—before Italian school gets its hooks into him. She explains why she's taking this so seriously, as well as some of the exercises she (with no pedagogy training) has come up with, and the biggest surprises she's had in the quest to teach a bilingual child to read. -------------------------...

We all have those close friendships that survive over time, despite the fact that we live half a world apart. And now—with most of us living under lockdown for the foreseeable future—all of our friendships are long-distance now. Is there a secret ingredient to making those relationships last and deepen over time? What are the best strategies for keeping friendships close in spite of the distance?...

Rome is the center of the Catholic world, the home the pope, the city of St. Peter. Easter time draws enormous crowds of faithful to participate in the high holiday services and be blessed by the pope himself. But this year, Easter is cancelled. Or almost. Easter services will still be performed in the Vatican and churches around the city, but unless you're a priest, an organist, or a deacon, you'...

In the second part of this Day in the Life episode, Katy offers a rare glimpse into what it's like to edit and a long piece of tape, extracting its gems to transform it into something engaging. Karen, a US expat in the Dolomites, cycles home from work, hoping not to be stopped by the Carabinieri, to Jill in Oregon spots a hummingbird and looks for the silver lining in the midst of chaos. From Stev...

What does a day in the life of someone under lockdown look like? That's what we asked our listeners for today's episode, offering a peek into their lives throughout the course of a day as well as our own.  From Lynn in San Francisco as she studies Italian to Scott trying to find some space for himself in his basement, from Madeline in Menlo Park remembering to be thankful to best-selling author Je...

What happens when you CAN'T shop? When all the stores in your town are closed and your supermarket stops selling anything beyond the basic necessities? Even major online shops are running out of merchandise or have month-long waiting periods for delivery. What's an eager consumer to do? And a perhaps more interesting question: is this a good thing? Of course no one wants the economy to collapse or...

An astounding half of the world's population is now on some form of legal lockdown, quarantine, shelter-in-place, or self-isolation. With many of our listeners new to Quarantine Life, Tiffany, who as of today has been on lockdown for 21 days, offers some practical advice on today's episode. Tune in for tricks and tips for listeners who are have isolation looming for the unforeseeable future: how t...

How are our daily lives changed due to quarantine and life during the coronavirus outbreak? It seems like every day something changes: restrictions get tighter, a new epicenter emerges, and the new theories on the best way to conquer this crisis emerge. It's hard to keep up, so we like to check in with you from time to time to let you know how we are faring—and hear from you as well. This week, we...

When did a podcast about travel, living abroad, embracing adventure, and going off the script become about… staying home all day, every day? Since coronavirus, that's when. The Bittersweet Life is certainly not the only media platform that is suddenly all about the spread of this virus and the quarantines around the world that it is necessitating. So today we ask, what's it like to cover a major w...

Lockdown has hit the United States—at least in some parts of the country. And people all around the nation are choosing to self-isolate. On this mini-episode, Katy and Tiffany discuss the realities of life under quarantine, including the practical things you need to do if you must leave your house. They also wonder if self-isolation will make enough of a difference, or if a nationwide lawful quara...