Zooming around corners, crossing the non-existent median line, trying to stay standing on a packed bus after a bottle of wine with lunch, I had a major epiphany. I realised Italy makes me happy to be alive, for two reasons: 1) It is breathtakingly beautiful and 2) Sometimes there is so little regard for personal … Continue reading
Having grown up in a city surrounded by beaches, I get beach cravings if I go too long without seeing the sea. I had thought living in Rome would stop these cravings as it’s less than an hour from the coast so surely there must be some residual salt in the air. Not enough it … Continue reading
When I was offered the opportunity of a wine festival in Tuscany or a chocolate festival in Umbria one balmy autumn weekend, there was no question. Chocolate it was, I did not lack wine in my Italian lifestyle (nor did I really lack chocolate either, but world-famous chocolate opportunities like this don’t come up every … Continue reading
It was with great hesitation that Tali returned to Rome in early September. Still heavily affected by her defeat in June, she was nervous and unsure what to expect. Arriving with a job offer and being offered a second within days of her arrival helped to dispel her fears of this city. However, buoyed by … Continue reading
Upon our re-arrival in Rome and after a landlocked summer, we had to get to the seaside to finally dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. So on our flatmate’s recommendation we went to Santa Marinella. It was quite nice. We paid €2 to get onto the private beach: Which was well worth it compared … Continue reading
On a peaceful Sunday morning, while locals were in church and the tourists were nursing hangovers, I was wandering along the river. The proud home of ‘the Italian language’ (thanks to Dante), more art and art galleries than you could visit in your lifetime, large parks, statue filled fountains, good shopping and huge pieces of … Continue reading
It is a cliché: Tuscany is the most beautiful region of Italy, the one that everyone falls in love with, goes home and writes about – telling the world how marvelous Italy is and forgetting the difficulties of daily life in Italy in their portrayal of the beauty they found there. Italians hate this side … Continue reading
Italians love to hate Milan. Before we got there, they said “Oh no, don’t go to Milan, it’s not really like Italy.” “It’s definitely not Italian.” Once we had arrived there, the locals asked us “Why did you come here?” informing us where we could go to escape the city on weekends. And finally when … Continue reading
This post is to help any New Zealander, Australian, or Candian who comes to Italy on a Working Holiday visa, because when I arrived in Italy it was impossible to find any information on the internet regarding our kind of visa and Permesso di Soggiorno requirements. I hope it helps! When we got our visas … Continue reading
Ask any Milanese person what the best thing about living in Milan is, and they’ll say, “leaving on the weekend.” So that’s exactly what we did. Words do no justice to the beauty of the magificent Lago Maggiore and Lago di Como, so here are some photos. Add exquisite Italian food and wine with good … Continue reading
Tali Goes Travelling 