I didn't always love Calabria. A few months after I arrived in 2022, I decided it wasn't for me. Things were too slow. There weren't enough stores or ethnic restaurants. I didn't feel like I fit in. I decided to move to Salerno, actually. But the Universe knew better than me; I just needed to give Calabria a little time to warm up to me. Now, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Here's why I choose to stay. The People are So Warm They may take a while to get used to you as a foreigner, but...

I live near the sea, so I'm out there getting tan every day, sipping an Aperol Spritz, right? Wrong. Let me educate you on what summer's really like when you live here rather than vacation here! Air Conditioning is the Enemy Coming from an American family that keeps the A/C on 24 hours a day from May till October, set at 65, it has been quite a challenge to deal with the fact that Italians don't love turning on the air conditioner. Fra grew up without it. Can you even fathom? To be honest,...

One of the big appeals of living in Italy is the ultra-fresh food. The vegetables are bigger here, and not because they're genetically modified. I think produce is just happier to grow here! Let's look at just how fresh food is in Italy. What is Chilometro Zero? If you hear this term or see it on a menu, here's what it means. Chilometro Zero refers to food (fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy) that was grown or produced locally. So, literally, it traveled zero chilometri to get to your plate!...