The Bittersweet Life

Latest Episodes:

Episode 389: An Idyll on the Amalfi Coast Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

Katy interviews Antonio Sersale, son of the founder of the legendary Le Sirenuse hotel in Postiano. From a young age, Antonio was groomed to take over the family business, but resisted for years, convinced the life of a hotelier wasn't for him. Then, one day he changed his mind. During a recent stay at this exquisite hotel, Katy interviewed Sersale about what changed his mind and—more importantly—what it is about his job that he loves more than he could ever have dreamed of as a young man.

***This episode was sponsored by LUGZ, offering comfortable, versatile and affordable footwear, from stylish boots to canvas shoes. Visit Lugz.com and enter our promo code BITTERSWEET for an extra 30% off.***

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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 388: Studying Abroad in the 1960s Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

American Sunny Strong studied abroad in Florence in 1963, leaving her boyfriend Mike at home. Amazing (especially for us), Sunny captured some of her memories at the time on reel-to-reel tapes, a true time capsule that includes her reaction to the news that Kennedy had been assassinated, and what it was like to live through that time as an American in Florence. Now, after 52 years of marriage, Sunny and Mike recall how that time changed them (changed both of them, not just the student abroad, but the boyfriend left behind). We listen to reel-to-reel tapes and letters from that time that poignantly capture Italy in 1963.

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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 387: Those Fleeting Moments of Glamour Aug 23, 2021

Show notes

A short memoir by Beth Ann Fennelly, from her book Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro Memoirs, inspires a discussion on what makes something glamorous rather than trashy, and why tiny insignificant moments, witnessed unexpectedly, can sometimes stay with us for a lifetime.

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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 386: The Fascinating Science of Speech (with Lisa Wilcox) Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

Learning a foreign language is one of the most desired goals most people have—and that's particularly true for travel lovers. But why do so many people fail in this quest? Today we use linguistics and speech pathology to think about learning languages with special guest Lisa Wilcox. Sound boring? Turns out, it is actually really funny.

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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 385: The Most Notorious Family in Rome Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

The Borgias are one of the most fascinating and depraved families in Italian history, and they ruled the Catholic Church. This family has been portrayed in two recent tv shows, but what's the true story? Did they really engage in incest? Did Cesare really murder his brother Juan? Was Lucrezia an over-sexed poisoner or an innocent victim of her family's ambition, or somewhere in between? And what about all those reported orgies? Did they really happen (inside Vatican walls)?

Tiffany talks about the true story behind the Borgias, as well as where you can go in Rome to visit some of the places they lived.

This episode was sponsored by LUGZ, offering comfortable, versatile and affordable footwear, from stylish boots to canvas shoes. Visit Lugz.com and enter our promo code BITTERSWEET for an extra 30% off.

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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 384: Being French in New Orleans Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

We often talk about North American expats in Europe or Asia. But what about when the shoe is on the other foot? Today we talk to Sabine, a French expat living in New Orleans.

Do Americans need more positive feedback than the French? Sabine explains the communication issues she faces with her American husband. Also, what do her French friends think of her decision to move the the United States? Would you trade Paris for New Orleans? For Sabine, living in NOLA is like taking a tropical vacation—well, some of the 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!

Episode 383: Are You Living Your Dream Life? Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

We all have fantasies when we're young about how we want our life to turn out. Some are far-fetched, some are probably doable. But ow much of life is us trying to fulfill the fantasies of our youth? And what do we do when those fantasies go unfulfilled? Do we look back with regret, or do we just create new ones?

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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 382: The Art of Travel Journaling (with Daniel Butterworth) Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

Writing while traveling. Many of us do it. Professor Daniel Butterworth teaches us how to do it better. Whether journaling is the way you document your travels, you're an aspiring travel writer, or you're working on a new book, you can't miss this episode.

Show correction: Ghirlandaio painted the Santa Maria Novella frescoes Dan refers to, not Brunelleschi.

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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 381: The Best Way to Visit a Museum Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

What mistakes do museum visitors make? Tiffany Parks, a regular museum visitor and someone who has led tours through the Vatican Museums upwards of a thousand time, shares her expert tips to make your museum visit more enjoyable. We also debate which is better, taking pictures of everything or putting the camera away and living in the moment?

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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 #119: How to Avoid Jetlag Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

Can you travel across nine time zones without more than a day's worth of jetlag? Tiffany is convinced that you can (without taking any pills). After decades of making regular trips across the ocean (at least until 2020), she's got the avoidance of jetlag down to an art—even little Aurelio never suffers from it. Claudio on the other hand, well... he doesn't listen to her advice, so it takes him several days to adjust. What's her secret? Listen to this week's mini-episode to find out.

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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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