The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Bittersweet Moment #167: Actually Not Italian Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Accordion music... red and white checkered table clothes... spaghetti and meatballs...

All wonderful things but... actually, they are NOT Italian!

On this mini-episode, Tiffany debunks some myths about what's authentically Italian and what isn't, particularly when it comes to what many tourists think is Italian cuisine.

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NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 440 [Summer in Rome]: Where Are All the Accordions? Aug 08, 2022

Show notes

When you come back after several years to a city where you used to live, what do you notice? What has change? What has stayed the same? What have you forgotten about in your time away?

Arriving in Rome after four years away, Katy notices something that—once ubiquitous on the streets of Rome—is now missing: accordionists. This sparks a conversation about what we notice, what we take for granted as being an eternal aspect of the city, and how a city can change before your very eyes.

The famous song that Katy plays (and Tiffany recognizes but fails to recognize) is Ma il Cielo è Sempre Più Blù by Rino Gaetano.

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BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #166: Exploring Villa Aurora with Princess Rita Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Following our exclusive interview with Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, we explore the spectacular and art-filled Rome in a private tour, led by the owner herself!

Casino Boncompagni Ludovisi, lovingly referred to as Villa Aurora, boasts an optical illusion by Guercino, four painters trying to outdo each other on the same ceiling for further commissions, a Michelangelo sculpture in the garden (is it??), ancient statuary everywhere you look, and most significantly, a original Caravaggio... and not just any Caravaggio: his only ceiling painting in the world!

Discover this singular (and for sale!) home with us.

(You only heard it here: the Princess sometimes does yoga under Caravaggio's ceiling mural!)

In case you missed it, be sure to go back and listen to the exclusive interview with Princess Rita, taped the same day she showed us around her magnificent home.

To hear more about Villa Aurora and its fascinating history and the art it possesses, listen to Episode 412: The Auction of a Lifetime: The Villa, the Princess, and the Caravaggio; and Bittersweet Moment #30: VILLA AURORA.

Adore Caravaggio (like we do)? Check out Episode 42: CARAVAGGIO, Part 1; and Episode 43: CARAVAGGIO, Part 2.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 439 [Summer in Rome]: Princess Rita and the Fight over Villa Aurora Aug 01, 2022

Show notes

In this EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Princess Rita Boncompagni Ludovisi, the elusive American princess opens up about her relationship with the late Prince Nicolò, the unpleasant inheritance fight she's currently embroiled in with her stepsons, how she feels about the prospect of being forced from her home, and—perhaps most intriguingly—what it's like to live at Villa Aurora, a five-hundred-year-old home decorated with paintings by Guercino, Pomerancio, and even Caravaggio, with its gardens full of ancient statuary.

Listen to more about Villa Aurora on Bittersweet Moment #30: Villa Aurora and Episode 412 The Auction of a Lifetime: The Villa, the Princess, and the Caravaggio.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #165: Italian Summer Reads Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

If you are dreaming of an Italian summer, find it within the pages of a book.

Tiffany shares her favorite books that take place (at least partly) in Italy in summer, and exqiusitely and vividly capture that magical setting.

**Check out our interview with Liam Callanan about his earlier book, Paris by the Book here.**

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 438 [Summer in Rome]: The Hazards of a European Road Trip Jul 25, 2022

Show notes

Ah, the freedom of the roadtrip. Go anywhere, anytime, at your own pace. No limits but the open road...

*record scratch*

...unless you are roadtripping in Europe, that is.

Katy recounts the hazards, hiccups, and dramas of her attempt to roadtrip across several European countries... and catching Covid in the process.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #164: Covid, Keats, and the Italian Air Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

"I was in Italy at Lake Como when I learned I had Covid."

So begins an original piece by our own Katy Sewall, which recounts her health adventure getting Covid after two full years of pandemic isolation and extreme precaution, just as she finally departed on her first international trip since the coronavirus outbreak.

She muses on the irony of the timing, the wisdom of traveling right now according to experts (better news than you might expect!), and the historic precedent for convalescing in Italy.

This radio piece was originally created for KUOW, an NPR member station in Seattle, and it can be found here. There you will also find the longer essay that inspired the radio piece.

In case you missed it, make sure you listen to Episode 431: Katy Arrives!... with Covid, taped shortly after Katy's arrival in Rome, albeit via Zoom, due to the fact that she was still testing positive for Covid.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 437 [Summer in Rome]: Rome's Best Restaurants, Gelato, and More Jul 18, 2022

Show notes

As you know if you're a regular listener, our show goes a lot deeper than travel tips an "best of"s. Our weekly conversations explore many aspects of life (both abroad and at home), and we encourage our listeners to live more daring and authentic lives.

But we've had so many requests for an episode about our favorite restaurants, wine bars, and gelato shops, that we finally gave in!

Whether you're preparing for a trip to Rome, or just traveling via your earphones, join us for a casual chat about our favorite places to eat and drink in Rome—and why we love them.

***NOTE: In this spontaneous conversation, Tiffany mistakenly referred to one of her favorite Trastevere restaurants, Meridionale, as Mediterraneo. *facepalm* Check out the delicious southern Italian cuisine at Meridionale on Via dei Fienaroli, 30a.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Bittersweet Moment #163: Lesser-known Fountains of Rome Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Rome's fountains are nothing short of inspiring—as we discovered on Monday's episode that features excerpts from Ottorino Respighi's symphonic tone poem, The Fountains of Rome.

But there are so many more fountains in Rome than are depicted auditorily in Respighi's music, and so many more than the average tourist comes across in the course of a typical visit.

On this mini-episode, Tiffany shares some of her favorite lesser-known Roman fountains and why she loves them.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

Episode 436 [Summer in Rome]: The Fountains of Rome Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

Rome not only has more fountains than any city on earth, it also has the most beautiful ones, from the delicate Fountain of the Turtles (ispiration for Tiffany's book Midnight in the Piazza), to the massive Fontanone on the Gianicolo Hill and so many others.

In fact, the eary 20th-century Italian composer Ottorino Respighi was so inspired by Rome's fountains (four in particular) that he wrote a symphonic poem about them.

On this episode, we talk about the four fountains that inspired this masterpiece, and play some of that glorious music. So pop in your earbuds, close your eyes, and we'll transport you not just to Rome, but to Resphigi's Rome.

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ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started.

BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more.

SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps.

WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us.

NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET

BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon.

TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!

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