The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Bittersweet Moment #162: A European Gap Year... And What Comes After (with Suzanne Morrison) Jul 07, 2022

Show notes

Looking back on her eventful gap year, our childhood friend Suzanne (whom me mention often on this show) talks about what prompted her to put off college for two years (in a time and place where it simply wasn't done) to go live her version of a bohemian artist's life in Europe.

She talks about what she learned about herself and the world, and how, despite being a travel-lover and a polyglot, she knows she'll never leave the Pacific Northwest for long.

You can hear more from Suzanne on episodes 163 and 164. Find Suzanne's memoir Yoga Bitch here.

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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 435 [Summer in Rome]: When Expat Dreams Come True (with Darlene Sullivan) Jul 04, 2022

Show notes

What about if you dream of moving abroad—but love your life and your community in your home town?

This was the dilemma of longtime listener Darlene, who wrote to us several times during her years-long path to becoming an expat. She finally took the plunge and moved to Italy. She started out in Bolzano and is seeking what is next. She joins us for a interview taped in person in Rome to share how she took the risk to move abroad despite a happy an successful life in New York City. She also shares the challenges of dating and finding "your people" in a new country.

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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!

BittersweetMoment #161: How to Survive an Italian Heat Wave Jun 30, 2022

Show notes

It's hot in Rome right now, and all over Italy. Unbearably hot. Tourists and locals alike are dropping like flies.

On this mini-episode, Tiffany shares her tried-and-true tips based on her experience enduring nearly 20 Roman summers (most of them without the luxury of air conditioning) that will keep you reasonably cool, and—most importantly—ensure that you get the most out of your time in Rome, despite the blistering heat.

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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 434 [Summer in Rome]: A Meditation on Aging Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

When your co-hosts stumble upon Tiffany's old apartment on Via Garibaldi, where she spent several memorable years between her late 20s and early 30s, it sparks a conversation about aging.

Not just the ravages of time on our faces and bodies, but how aging can change the way we remember the past, how we perceive the passage of time, and our expectations for the future.

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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 #160: The Joy of Being in a New Place Jun 23, 2022

Show notes

As Katy wanders through her rental aparment in Rome, she revels in the quiet joy of simply waking up in a new place (especially after so much time sticking close to home). Part of travel is not just going out and exploring, but sitting still and noticing what's different about the place you find yourself in—what smells different? How is the soundscape different? On this mini-episode, she takes you along on this intimate moment of reflection and observation.

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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 433: [Summer in Rome] St. Francis Slept Here Jun 20, 2022

Show notes

You may know that St. Francis of Assisi traveled to Rome in the early 13th century, but do you know where he stayed? Did you know that you can vist the very cell where he slept and even see (and touch) the stone that St. Francis used for a pillow? (And by the way, why the heck did St. Francis use a a stone for a pillow?)

Tiffany and Katy visit this pilgrimage site on this episode and talk about St. Francis's history and what made him and his order so different from the others of his time.

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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 #159: How to Avoid Getting Scammed in Italy Jun 16, 2022

Show notes

When traveling in Italy, how do you know when you are getting your money's worth and when you are getting scammed?

Last week, Tiffany shared tips gathered from her long experience living Italy to help you avoid getting robbed, and this week, she dishes the dirt on how not to get scammed. Be sure to listen to this mini-epispde before your next trip to Italy!

As promised, here are the OFFICIAL online ticket offices for some of Rome's top sites:

Colosseum

Vatican Museums

Borghese Gallery

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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 432 [Summer in Rome]: Rome Through All the Senses Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Katy finally tests negative for Covid and these two long-separated friends are reunited at last! Katy and Tiffany grab a spot on the steps of the fountain in Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere for a totally unplanned, unscripted conversation. It turns into an exploration of Rome through the senses, particularly, what Katy's heightened senses are picking up after over four years away.

Sometimes they are obvious things, like the constant buzz of scooters or the smell of cigarettes, and sometimes they are things that are so subtle, Tiffany, who is so used to Rome, cannot even perceive 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!

Bittersweet Moment #158: How to Avoid Getting Robbed in Italy Jun 09, 2022

Show notes

You've finally arrived in Italy for your dream vacation and all you want to do is dive head-first into pasta, gelato, art, history, and beauty but... [record scratch] ...you just got robbed. Passport gone. Smartphone swiped. Wallet emptied. Credit cards maxed out.

It is a living travel nightmare that most of us have experienced at least once in our lives... and one we all want to avoid.

Just in time for our Summer in Rome series, Tiffany lays out smart practical tips gathered over nearly two dozen years living in Rome (and many times falling victim to pickpockets and thieves, and occasionally thwarting them) that will help you avoid this extremely unpleasant experience.

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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 431 [Summer in Rome]: Katy Arrives!... with Covid Jun 06, 2022

Show notes

After more than two years of staying close to home during the pandemic, being as careful to avoid infection as one could possibly be, with no international travel to speak of, Katy and her husband finally arrive in Italy! And the very first thing that happens... Katy tests positive for Covid

Tiffany and Katy are in the same city again for the first time in over four years... and they have to tape their first episode over Zoom. What are the odds?

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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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