Italian life and culture
Football, fashion, politics, books and the odd news of the day.
Italy Roundtable: A Decade With Italy
One year ago, the Italy Blogging Roundtable published our first posts - and I'm thrilled to still, one year later, be sharing our thoughts on a chosen topic each month.
Italy Roundtable: The Power of an Invitation
It's hard to believe, but next month we'll celebrate our first anniversary of the Italy Roundtable .
Italy Roundtable: What I've Learned from Italy
Now that I'm an adult, September is one of my favorite months of the year - harvest festivals, a slight crispness to the evening air, and the promise of shoulder season travel bargains .
Things to Know About Soccer Games in Italy
Let's say you've already checked off the major museums and art galleries and Roman ruins in the Italian cities you're visiting, you've got more time on your hands, and you'd like to experience…
Italy Roundtable: Why I Write About Italy
This month, I'm excited to announce the debut of a new writing partnership with some really fabulous Italy bloggers.
Jersey Shorizato: Do Italians even care about Jersey Shore?
Earlier this week, I offered up my Italy travel tips to the cast of the Jersey Shore - but since I don't live in Italy, I thought it would be interesting to include the perspective of someone who has…
Amateur Traveler Italy Podcasts
A travel podcasting and blogging friend of mine, Chris Christensen, is the man behind the popular Amateur Traveler podcast - and when he graciously offered to put together a cute Italy map with links…
How to Read an Italian Soccer Schedule
Since the Lega Calcio folks just published the schedule for the 2011-2012 Italian soccer season, I thought I'd bring this post back up to the top so people who are traveling in Italy this year have…
10 Movie Locations in Italy You Can Visit
While many movies these days are filmed on Hollywood sets or in front of green screens and full of fantastic animation, there's nothing that can quite compare with a stunning - and real - Italy…
Where to Watch the World Cup in Italy
I've been asked a couple of times by people on Twitter and via email where to watch the World Cup in Italy .
Italy's Hottest Soccer Players Part IV: 2026 World Cup Edition
With the 2010 World Cup starting in T-minus five days, I thought it was time for another installment of my hottest Italian footballers series.
How to Impress an Italian Guy
There's a joke floating around the interwebs that goes something like this: Q: How do you impress an Italian girl?
How to Impress an Italian Girl
Travel opens you up to all kinds of new experiences, so it's only natural that travelers are more susceptible to falling head over heels in love with people they meet on the road.
Why I Like Being a Woman in Italy
I will admit that there are things - some pretty big things - that make being a woman in Italy difficult (to say the least).
WhyGo Italy Interview: Melanie Renzulli of Italofile
For the third installment of the WhyGo Italy interviews series, I'm pleased to introduce you to my blogging friend and fellow Italophile, Melanie Mize Renzulli .
Hottest Italian Soccer Players, Part III
As time goes by, I find I'm even more into watching Italian soccer than I was a couple years ago.
WhyGo Italy Interview: Adrienne Davis of A&R Tours
Serendipity strikes in the strangest ways sometimes - which is, I suppose, why it's called serendipity.
"Miss Expatria" by Christine Cantera - Italy Book Review
I can't even remember now how I first came across the Miss Expatria blog , or how I first got in touch with its author, Christine Cantera.
Italy's Beautiful Decay
On my very first trip to Italy, I used Venice as my entry point . It made sense at the time based on my itinerary, but looking back it's quite possible that decision played a huge part in why I fell…
WhyGo Italy Interview: James Martin of Wandering Italy
I feel incredibly fortunate to have "met" so many interesting people through my work.
Dreams of Having Europe at My Door
As I'm writing this, I'm taking a break from cleaning the Milan apartment I've been staying in for the past month and packing up my bags to head back to Oregon.
All the People I Met in Italy this Month
Whether I intend it to or not, most of my trips seem to end up having a theme. And while I joked recently that this was the Italian boyfriends trip , the truth is that it's much more the internet…
"Winning at All Costs: A Scandalous History of Italian Soccer" by John Foot - Italy Book Review
Although I'm admittedly a bit of a latecomer when it comes to being a sports fan, I've taken to Italian soccer wholeheartedly.
Sports in Italy: Giro d'Italia
One Saturday each May, a three-week sporting event begins in Italy which will criss-cross much of the country and catch nearly everyone in its wake.
Italy's Version of April Fools Day: April's Fish
Lest you think that April Fools Day is a strictly American thing, let me set the record straight. (And no, I'm not making this whole "fish" thing up in the spirit of April Fools Day. I swear.
Italian Women: More Hot Italian Soccer Wives & Girlfriends
After I posted my first list of hot Italian soccer players , the boys in my office requested equal time for the women who date soccer players. I obliged with a post about hot Italian WAGs .
Italian Flag Colors: What Green, White and Red Mean
As a schoolkid in the United States, I distinctly remember learning precisely what all the symbolism of the U.S. flag meant - the stripes, the stars, and the colors.
Soundtrack for Italy: My Italian Music Mix
Whenever I travel in Italy, I like to pick up a music CD or two of Italian artists I have trouble finding in the United States.
Hottest Italian Soccer Players, Part II
As the Italian soccer season is in the midst of its holiday break (which means I'm suffering from a severe case of withdrawal), I thought I'd take take another look at some of the hottest Italian…
The Weirdest Laws in Italy
I like to say that Italy invented red tape. It certainly seems that way to anyone who's attempted to navigate the murky waters of the Italian bureaucracy to do just about anything.
4 Most Expensive Italian Cars
Personally, I'm not much of a car person. But I know plenty of people who love to travel in Italy love it partly because it is the land where so many shiny red and yellow fast cars are born.
Italian Women: 13 Hottest Soccer WAGs
After seeing my post about the hottest Italian soccer players , a few of my male colleagues kept hinting that I should do a similar post about the hottest Italian WAGs (which is short for "wives and…
Which way do you kiss in Italy?
Contrary to what you might be thinking, based on the title of this post, this is not going to be a primer about the Italian equivalent of the "French kiss," or anything like that.
10 Hottest Italian Soccer Players (According to Jessica)
In light of the upcoming Euro 2008 Championships in which Italy's national soccer team is playing (and favored, at least by some, to win), I thought I'd introduce a lighter side of the sport for…
12 Celebrities With Homes in Italy
Being an international celebrity would probably be annoying on some levels, but if it meant I could buy houses anywhere I wanted that wouldn't be so bad.
Stop the Madness: Decoding City Addresses in Italy
This article was written and submitted for publication on the Italy Logue by Chris Bright.
The World's Oldest Bank is in Italy
Not long ago, the husband and I were watching an Italian football match on TV between Siena and someone else.
What Italy Has Taught Me
A post Shelley wrote not long ago about what Italians have taught her about pasta got me thinking.
"Vucciria" by Mauro d'Agati - Book Review
Usually, when you pick up a coffee-table sized book of photographs taken in an Italian city, you know what you're in for.
ItalyLogue Book Reviews
Looking for Italy-themed books to help fill the time when you're not actually in Italy?
Luciano Pavarotti, 1935-2007
The opera world lost an icon today, as Luciano Pavarotti finally lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He died this morning at his home in Modena, surrounded by his family.
Italy's "Cat Ladies" Can't Keep Up With Growing Number of Strays
In English we call them "crazy cat ladies." You know the type - the sweet (and slightly eccentric) little old lady who lives down the street and who has adopted an inordinate number of cats.
Who is the Italian Britney Spears?
I am not what I'd consider a real music snob, but I do love good music and I do have certain standards. I never did, for example, like Britney Spears, no matter how popular her music might have been.
Advertising in Italy, or "Are you talking to me?"
After I started learning Italian back in 2001, I quickly realized there were interesting questions to answer above and beyond the grammatical ones (because, let's face it, when are those…
Which Country is Better: Italy or the USA?
Earlier in July, an article ran in the New York Times comparing Italy with the United States.
Italian Superstitions
You may already know this, but in case you don't - Italians are, on the whole, extremely superstitious.
Labor Day (May Day) in Italy
I've said that there's usually some kind of festival going on somewhere in Italy at any given moment, and for the most part that's true. For the most part, that's also a regional thing.
Having Sex in Italy
You've heard of Latin lovers, right? And that Italian is the language of love? (There are others who might try to lay claim to that title, too, but that's another matter.) Well, it turns out those…
Do Blondes Have More Fun in Italy?
I can't imagine ever being mistaken for un'italiana , despite my dark hair - I just don't carry off "the look" right.
The Arrotino - Italy's Traveling Knife Sharpener
One of the many charms of being in Europe is seeing what the rest of us calls "the old world" in action.
Festa della Donna in Italy: International Women's Day
International Women's Day is celebrated in many countries around the world - notably not including the US - and in Italy it's known as the " Festa della Donna ." It falls on March 8th every year, and…
Alex Britti's "La Vasca" Music Video
On our first trip to Italy in 2001, the husband and I really enjoyed one song that our friends played for us.
Martedi Grasso - Fat Tuesday, Italy Style
Today is Martedì Grasso, otherwise known as "Mardi Gras," otherwise known as Fat Tuesday.
The Italian National Anthem: "Fratelli d'Italia"
A country's national anthem can tell you a lot about the country, its history and its people. The German anthem has always struck me as quite reserved and ordered, like the Germans I know.
Seeing (and Hearing) a Ferrari on its Home Turf: Fiorano's Test Track
Want to see an Italian Formula 1 car in action, but don't want to pay the high ticket prices at Monza or San Marino ? Head to the Ferrari test track outside Bologna.