Life in Italy

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There’s no place like home: A less-popular take on small town Tuscany

Why four young Tuscans decided to buck the trend and make a go of it in their very small hometown.   Fresh out of university and very recently married, I ...

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Perks and pitfalls of small-town Tuscany

Moving to the Tuscan countryside is almost every foreigner’s dream, but is it really as idyllic as it sounds? I chatted to three generations of locals to find out. Buffet ...

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Kid-friendly Florence

From tots to teens, Florence’s younger population gets a made-to-measure May weekend of activities with the return of Firenze dei Bambini from May 4 to 6.   “Ingenuity” is the ...

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24 hours at Palazzo Tornabuoni

In the heart of aristocratic Florence, Palazzo Tornabuoni was built for one of the city’s most influential families at the height of the Tuscan Renaissance. Once home to the Medici, ...

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Losing weight in Florence

Our bodies need energy to keep us alive and our organs functioning normally. When we eat lunch, drink water or just have a small bite, we put energy into our ...

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My Le Cure

With the announcement of piazza delle Cure’s redevelopment, I’ve been sorting through my memories as a former resident of Florence’s northern district. Unknown to tourists unwilling to venture past piazza ...

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How to plan your “settimana bianca”

Abetone, the Maremma and the Apuan Alps: these wintery Tuscan destinations are sure to satisfy your cravings for snow during a "settimana bianca".

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What makes Tuscan men so attractive?

Caught up in the romance of the holiday season, Elisa Scarton Detti hits the streets of Manciano in southern Tuscany to find out what makes Tuscan men so darn attractive. ...

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Expat circles in Florence

Florence’s siren call has long attracted foreigners since the city became a fixture on the nineteenth-century European Grand Tour. The Florentine columnist Deirdre Pirro describes many of these colourful characters ...

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5 tips (and a few more) for your Tuscan wedding

First things first, congratulations! The question’s been asked, the prosecco’s been popped—and you’ve delivered the happy news of your nuptials to your nearest and dearest.  Eric Veroliemeulen, general manager of ...

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Giardino Piero Filippi: a San Niccolò story

Sanniccolini proudly take their children there for play dates. Giardino della Carraia is a breath of fresh air extending up the hill from Porta San Miniato. The name comes from ...

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Not the lady mayoress

If you want to be mayor in small-town Tuscany, you better stick to the status quo and, more importantly, you better not have a foreign-born wife. It may not have ...

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Sexual health resources in Florence: a primer

Regardless of age, sex, gender or orientation, sorting through information about sexual and reproductive health can be complicated enough in your native language. Factor in a Florentine move and it ...

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Opening a business in Italy: the basics

Can I do business in Italy from the U.S.? Can I sell my products in Italy? Should I set up a company in Italy? What type of company best suits ...

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Velonotte: turning the wheels of imagination

Florence Bike Festival is taking the city on a two-wheeled joy ride. Tackling all things bicycle, from April 21 to April 23, 2017 the Renaissance capital’s cobblestones will rattle to the ...

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Going lycra: biking in Florence

If you are a keen-eyed early riser, you will have noticed a particular breed of Italians on the streets, setting off at dawn and back home for Sunday lunch, before ...

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Christmas with the family…and Easter too

A well-known Italian proverb clearly states “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi,” meaning that you should spend Christmas with your folks while you can choose whoever you want ...

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Feeding frenzy

Prologue When I was growing up in Mississippi, my mother hated how I would always tell people we lived “behind Shoney’s”. It was plain fact that the Nashville-based franchise, complete ...

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The ultimate question in a food-first country

When we were first married, my mother-in-law would call promptly every night as we were washing up the dinner dishes. “Pronto?” one of us would answer. “Cosa avete mangiato?” came ...

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Grocery shopping vs. the supermarket

When I arrived in Florence several years ago, I thought of myself as independent and headstrong. I was a graduate student and I was going to be living in Italy ...

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MedinAction: your house call doctor

MedinAction is an on-demand, English-speaking medical service that delivers a qualified doctor to your doorstep, 24/7. You can book your licensed physician online through the MedinAction website, iOS app, or ...

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6 rainy day activities for kids in Florence

The sun is not always shining in Florence, contrary to popular belief. Here are six ways to calm your kids on a rainy day.

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A family love story

This is the story of the Miljian family, who have a deep love story with Florence. Micaela and Julien met in the Tuscan cradle seven years ago, when they were ...

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A chat with Elise Chapin

Before Elise Chapin and I ever met, our mothers were friends. Looking back on their era—the late 50s and 60s in Somerset County, New Jersey—their lives seems so distant from ...

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