Ciao!
We’ve officially been in Italy for over three weeks, and it honestly feels like three months. While time is definitely flying by, living in this itty bitty hotel room can make the days drag a bit too. BUT we’re in Italy! So Im doing by best not to complain, to just embrace it, and to look at the bright side of it; everything is within walking distance, housekeeping changes our sheets and towels and cleans for me, we eat out most days because cooking in this room is a pain (this is actually a pro & con, because Im dying for a good home cooked meal!) so not cooking and doing dishes is amazing too and we’re a 5 minute ride to the downtown! See, Im staying positive! 😉
If you follow my instagram stories, you know we’ve been house hunting like crazy, we’ve seen eleven homes and I wish I could just pick a couple things from each one and put them together to make the perfect home! ha Alas, every place has its own issue, so we’re just trying to find a place that works for our family. I keep reminding myself its not my forever home, its only three years, and in the grand scheme of things, thats the blink of an eye! So hopefully we can make a decision this week!
Things I LOVE!
The pasta & pizza, obviously! I have never had better in my life. Of course. We have yet to try one we haven’t liked, and we’ve eaten out A LOT. Its all the crust, however they make they’re dough here is amazing. Ill never tire of their pizza!
Aperol Spritz. Duh!
The bakeries. Gahhh the treats. Pure heaven. So much variety and nothing is TOO sweet, its all just amazing. I am not a sweets girl, I don’t ever order dessert, I could careless if I ever ate another cookie or treat in my life. But the ones here, they’re on their own level and I will happily make a weekly trip to my local panetteria!
The Cappuccinos! Ive never been a cappuccino girl, always a latte lover. If you try to order a latte here, you just get a cup of warmed milk HA! But no need, because the cappuccinos are incredible. My husband, who never drinks hot coffee, even through cold New England winters he’s a iced coffee lover through and through, LOVES to order a hot cappuccino. They’re just so smooth and delicious!
The prices. Living in Europe is not cheap, don’t get me wrong. But when we go out to eat, it blows my mind how cheap it is compared to the states. Drinks are €2-3, for cocktails, beer, wine, and they’re GOOD. Man when we go back to the states and Im paying $9 for a glass of wine again, I’ll probably cry hahah But really, its so affordable to eat out. Pizzas are no more than €5-7 and they’re big, good size, amazing pizzas. I don’t know how much it will increase in the more touristy areas, Im sure a little bit, but here where we live, its amazing.
All the sidewalk cafes. I LOVE sitting outside. Everywhere we’ve lived I always scout out the restaurants where we can eat al fresco. So living here now, where everyone and everywhere has an outside patio is pure bliss, I love it!
The Views. The Architecture. The History. I mean, its absolutely stunning, even more so in person. Every turn you take is so beautiful. I just love it.
Things I miss!
Target. And not target specifically, but a place to go that has everything all in one; food and drinks, clothes, home decor, shoes, makeup etc. So far I haven’t found a place that caters to many needs at once, and I find myself going to multiple stores. Who knows, maybe Ill find one in the next three years.
Coffee to Go. Its just not a thing. You sit, you enjoy your company, your cappuccino, your croissant, and you take your time. Its a very novel idea, and I love the sound of it, but with kids its not always ideal, so you know, I miss it.
Storage space. Europe doesn’t have closets, none. So when looking at homes and seeing the sizes of the bedrooms, you have to factor in a wardrobe taking up a decent amount of space. Theres no cabinets or ‘under sink’ storage in bathrooms either, so we’ll be getting creative because I hate clutter so I can’t stand having everything out for the world to see.
The Riposo that Italians take every day, which is a rest period usually between 1-3 or 2-5 is taking some getting used too! Everything, and I mean everything, closes down for a few hours each day. They take time to eat lunch, go home, relax, enjoy life, its a nice sentiment, but its a little frustrating when you need to desperately put gas in your car but everywhere is closed! hah Restaurants don’t open for dinner until 6 or 7 every night, so thats for sure adjustment, eating so late, but its kind of fun too!
This post got very long winded, and I talked way more than I originally intended. I could go on about how much I love all the markets and streets, but Ill wait for that! I think it will be fun to look back on this in a year or three years and just re-read my initial feelings and thoughts about this beautiful country. I can’t wait to see and learn so much more, so for now, Im going to leave it here!
Ciao Ciao!
