“Happiness is… having too many best friends”. Almost three years ago, I wrote these words on six cotton bags, one for each of my friends. I meant it from the bottom of my heart. And I still do, because I consider my friends to be one of the greatest treasures in my life. When I moved …
On this Sunday afternoon in April, I pull my thick cardigan a little tighter around me as I sit at my writing table here in Rome. Outside, there’s a heavy thunderstorm and bright flashes of light are quickly followed by loud thunderclaps. The rain is pouring down from the sky. However much the sun has …
Besides this weekly story that I publish on my blog every Monday, I also share my Italian adventure on social media. Mainly through Instagram, where I post photos and videos of my daily life. Here I mix all three languages – English, Dutch and Italian, just how it suits me – and as a result …
“Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi” is the most famous Italian saying for Easter, and a phrase that’s addressed in probably every single blog on ‘How do Italians celebrate Easter?’ It simply means that you celebrate Christmas with your parents (“i tuoi”, which literally means “yours”), and Easter with whoever you want (“con chi …
Don’t worry, it’s not your internet that’s suddenly very slow, causing the picture above this blogpost to be out of focus. It’s simply sfocata, or in other words a bit blurry. Hence, it’s not perfect. Normally, I would have immediately labelled this photo as unusable, but this time, I think it fits exactly with what I …
It is one of those things that you either love or hate: doing grocery shopping. And I am without doubt one of those people who is not a big fan of it. At least, I used to be. Because I am so happy to finally be able to say that after all these years, it’s …
It’s Monday the fifteenth of March, and we woke up this morning in Rome in zona rossa. A very large part of Italy – the majority of all 20 regions that is – is back in total lockdown. The synchronicity of this event has not escaped anyone’s notice as it is exactly a year ago that …
Today is International Women’s Day, a day that is much celebrated in Italy. People are queuing in front of flower shops, there are generous discounts for the occasion and women are put in the limelight. However, International Women’s Day is also about awareness, as this is still very much needed. This blog therefore has a …
If carnival originated from the idea of leading us from winter to spring through a three-day tunnel bursting with joy and colour, this year it has become truer than ever. Because mamma mia, spring has arrived. The idea that there could ever be ‘too many’ cosy little squares with corner bars where families drink coffee on …
In these times where contact with friends is largely digital, the stream of voice messages coming in often seems endless. Sometimes it even feels like a parttime job to listen to them all and then answer them too, especially if, like me, you’re not exactly the person that can keep things short. The simple question “come …